The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-11
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

"A marble tombstone at Strathheld Saye
England marks the spot where Copen-
hagen. the chestnut horse ridden by the
Duke OF Wellington at Waterloo, is
buried. The horse lived to be twenty-eight
years old.
There is soon to be a new country to
visit. and a new way OF going round the
world, says Harpers Weekly 1t seems
only The other day that Jules Nerne's man
went around in eighty days, and thought
it considerable feat. The record for
circumnavigation is now sixty-six days or
Whereabouts. Baron HilSoff, the combina-
ton of American mechanic and Russian
prince, VINO was in this country recently,
said that when the railroad across ST.
IBERIA is finished, which, he thinks, will
be in four or five years, the time Of
getting around will be cut in two, and
from thirty TO thirty-three days will suf-
flee il. He allows ten DAYS 10 cross ST.
IBERIA from st. Petersburg, ten days from
VladiVOstok to San Francisco and thir-
teen days from there to st. Petersburg
again. Early in the next century, then,
the tired American may turn his face
eastward when he starts on his months
vacation, and keep it turned that way I'M
til he gets home, just about in time to re-
sumo his work.
The increased part played by reading
in the life of civilized man has resulted
in the wide prevalence of myopia. astig-
matism and kindred disorders of the Wis
ual organs, says an exchange. In this
connection two English Investigators
bearing in mind the fact that myopia is
mainly caused by physical fatigue of the
eyes, have investigated the physical con-
ditions causing fatigue and the best
means of avoiding it. The size of type is
the most important condition in reading
No type less than Is millimeters in hight
should be used. the fatigue increasing
rapidly even before the size becomes as
primer. The intensity of illumination of
the printed page is of less Importance
within the range of ordinary daylight.
White rather than yellow light should be
used for artificial illumination and white
paper is to be preferred. The form of the
letters is also of less Importance than the
thickness of the letters and additional
leading and spacing should be provided
between lines.
The demand for American hardwoo1s
in Europe is growing, and oak leads the
foreign shipments, although tulip, pop
lar, ash, gum and black walnut, when
ever a good quality can be secured, are in
some demand. says the Garden and For
est. European consumers like the quality
of American oak, and, since it is known
TO be plentiful here, it will probably be in
increasing demand. Cottonwood has been
shipped to Germany in considerable guam
titles, where cheap wood is required for
furniture and other uses. Much of this
lumber is forwarded from New Orleans,
and since a great part of the oak, ASH
poplar, cottonwood and other timberS de-
manded by the foreign market is in the
southern states, it is not improbable that
lumber for foreign markets will be largely
shipped in future from the Gulf ports. In
speaking of this matter the Northwestern
Lumberman says that the European mar
ket requires lumber cut of exact thick
ness, and of accurate length, trimmed so
as to have the butts square and true.
Space for piling in the yards of the old
world is an object, so t5at random, I'M
even lengths are Objectionable, and, since
the foreign buyer insists tNat he shall have
just what he bargains for quality should
be strictly attended to.
"A plant which shows decided electro
magnetic properties, the phytolacca cleo
trica, was recently found in Nicaragua.
If one of the branches of this plant is
touched with the naked hand a shock is
felt similar to that produced by the dis
charge of the Ruhmkorff coil. The in
huence upon magnetic needle becomes
plainly evident at a distance OF
seven or eight steps from the plant, the
needle deviating from it's proper direc-
ton. This influence increases as one
| gets nearer to the plant, and if the mag
| netic needle is brought into the midst
| of a phytolacca bush it will assume a
| steady circular movement, The ground
| upon which the plant thrives does not
| show even a trace of iron or any other
| metallic substances which would likely
| to influence a magnetic needle, therefore,
SC fnr !,
curious plant really possesses that pecu-
| liar property. The intensity of the
| phenomenon seems to depend entirely
upon the time of day; during the night
| it ceases altogether while the maximum
! of the electrical influence occurs about
! o'clock of the afternoon. If the weather
| is stormy the magnetic-electrical proper
ties of the phytolacca are considerably
| increased.
Here, says an exchange, is a crumb OF
comfort for ladies who consult their mir
rors often. An investigator has come for
| ward with an interesting study as to the
| uncharitable criticisms made by ladies
| of their own beauty. Every girl who is
/ dissatiied with herself should remember
| hereafter, that she is better looking than
most kinds of looking glasses bid her be-
| leve. A mirror cannot fiatter a face
| that Is, in its natural state-when not
|
] has a pale green tinge, which reflects a
| color tritie less clear than the original
| Hair, also, has ever a more glossy sheen
| than the glass shows; if it is wavy, the
| glass never shows the best of the waves
and if it is straight the glass accentuates
the straightness. Again, no one ever
! looks at a face so closely or so critically
as the owner of it looks at it in the glass
| Blemishes that are a grief to a nOn-con-
| ceited girl, may pass unnoticed by her
| friends. The figure that looks heavy when
seen only as far as the waist in a mirror
may be absolutely in graceful proportion
! when seen with the best of the body
! Altogether. it is plain that many women
! take themselves too seriously, and would
remain sweeter and fairer much longer
| if they but ceased to worry over short
| comings that practically only exist in
| their looking glass.
M. Errera, professor at the University
of Brussels, has succeeded and by a very
simple process. in making artificial rain
| says the New York Herald. All that he
uses is a bottle of Bohemian glass, which
is covered with an ordinary porcelain sau-