The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-28
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

The indigo crop of India Is the smallest
since the season of 1892 At that time The
total yield was s7,ss3 maunds GA4.eSo
pounds), having dropped violently from
1853 500 maunds Q3069, 240 pounds), which
represents last years yield. The crop is not
only much less than was estimated, but
the quality is poor, the average yield of
coloring matter being 80 per cent. below
the normal amount. The market IS also
said to be stocked with the crops of for
mer years and other countries to such an
extent that the exports for the season from
Calcutta to Europe and America will
amount to about 81 10000 worth of indigo
as compared with an annual average of S.
10000 during the past twenty-five years.
In olden times people were regularly
employed to keep dogs out of the churches
on Sunday. Dog whipping is the title
of accounts in many of the old sections
books. When John Ridge of the Parish
of Trysule, Staffordshire, England died
in 1925, he bequeathed to the church of
which he was a member the sum of 20
shillings a year, the same to pay a poor
man to keep the people awake during ser
mons, as well as 10 keep the dogs out of
the church. A similar bequest was made
by Richard Dovey of Farr1ote in 1853
and the records of Chislet Kent and Pc
tercnurch show that various philanthro-
pists were equally concerned as to the
comfort of the pensioners on the Sunday
AT Wolverhampton there was a salary Of
shiliings for that person who would make
it his business to keep the boys awake
during the services.
In Morocco everything is sold in the
name of the Prophet The storekeeper,
the auctioneer and even the peddler calls
upon Mohammed or one of the saints TO
aid him in disposing of his wares. The
auctioneer who sells slave girl or a rug
interlards his talk with many illusions to
the Moorish deities. In the streets it is
no uncommon thing to hear such cries as
I'm the name of Mulai Idriss! Roast
chestnuts!" "In the name of our Lord
Mohammed al Hadj! Popcorn. Pop
corn!" in the name of Sdua Ali-b u- Ria
leh! Melons! Nice, sweet melons" "God
is gracious! Beans! Fried beansT There
be no might nor majesty save in Allah!
Water! Cool water!'' To the stranger it
would appear as if peddler and prophet
were partners In business.
Whence comes the fire. of the opal"
There are numerous pretty legends for
answer. But science tells us that it is
| the water which gives to the jewel that
| shifting iridescent flame which has caused
| it to be known as "the moonlight queen"
The opal is composed of ten parts of wa
ter and ninety parts of silica. Why can
/ not we make the precious jewels to order?
I Echo answers, why? If we could only
| find that simple secret our fortunes would
| be made, since opals are worth lot of
money. There was one once for which
| 81, 100000 was offered 1t was not much
| larger than an ordinary hazelnut, and was
| Worn in the ring of Nomis, the Roman
senator. Marc Antony, saw it and wanted
| to give il to Cleopatra. But Nomis would
not sell it, and after his death it disappear
ed and was never seen again. What be-
came of it is a question that no one has
| ever been able to answer.
There is a region in Macedonia known
as 1.-THE Mountain of the Monks" because
there are no fewer than twenty magnifi-
| cent monasteries scattered in the sheltered
| recesses, or on the tops of the lofty crags
| There dwell in this secluded spot, cut off
| from all the pomps and vanites of the
| world, the devotees of an extraordinary
| system of asceticism, quietism and super
| stition. The town proper is called Caryes,
| where are to be found all the essential. fea-
| lures of civilized life-streets of shops and
bazars filled with bustling and eager Gus
| toners, coppersmiths plying them trade,
| and fruiteferS piling up their wares. But
never is seen the form or face of mother,
| wife, sister daughter, lover or infant. The
| Turkish garrison is collection of bache-
| Tor quarters for men and officers. Strange
to say, the superstition runs that it was
| the Virgin herself who banished her sex
| from this spot
| In several cases industry is indebted
to the insect world for unique substances.
| For many years the cochineal or cactus
scale plant was used as the basis of an
important red dye until practically super
| seeded oy the introduction of aniine dyes
| A single species of lac insect pro-
| duces practically all the shelac stick and
| button lac OF commerce. In Southwest
| ern Asia the creosote bushes are the
| breeding ground of enormous quantities of
| a lac insect, the commercial possibilities
| of which have not yet been developed. A
| species of scale insect in China yields
| pure white wax of great value and rarity.
| The Chinese wax is said to have ten times
the illuminating power of other wakes. 1t
| is a beautiful substance, resembling bees
! wax more than vegetable wax in its chem
ical composition, and is clear white in
| color. Now q discovery which promises
| to be of great economic value comes from
| Mesa Grande, Cal The vegetation in this
district is infested with an insect which,
| on being removed from the twigs of oak
| on which it thrives and compressed in
| quantities by the hand, becomes a more
|
rubber, but not possessing the same elias
ITCHY. Part of it has been proved by
chemical analysis to be true wax and
part resembles rubber in its physical prop
critics. The product is equally interesting
from chemical and industrial point of
view, and the supply is well-nigh inexhaus-
tible.
"A man who for many years was chief
of the claque at the Imperial opera, Wen
ma, died few days since in somewhat ex-
traordinary circumstances, says the New
| York Times. His post had recently been
| abolished by a new director, who on as
Stunning office issued a circular forbiddng
the artists of the Austrian Imperial opera
to employ paid claque at all. Neverthe-
less, the chief claquer, whose name was
! Schontag, was accustomed to go down to
| the theater nightly as usual, and sitting
| in his stall. would Though, of course, quite
| gratuitously) lead the applause, as he had
been accustomed to do for so long a period
! During a performance of die Meisfersin-