Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1898-08-11
FACTS IN A FEW LINES.


found to be color blind.
In China horses are mounted on the
right side and ships ace launched side
ways.
IL is said that women criminals have
larger hands and feet than average
women.
Between the ticks of watch ray
of light could move eight times around
the globe.
The wall around the city of Babylon
at the height of its prosperity was 56
miles in length.
The Chinese fiddle, in the shape Of
an ordinary hammer, has two strings
and is played with bow.
The custom of keeping birthdays is
many thousand years old. Pharaoh
birthday festivities are mentioned in
the Pentateuch.
Spurious coins are legally made in
China. They are used to put i'll the cof-
fins of the dead and the superstition
prevails that they make the dead happy.
The lantern fly of Surinam, South
America, has two sets of eyes, SO as to
catch the light from all directions. Its
light is like that of the ordinary FREELY,
but it is much more brilliant.
A prize for an essay ON "The Duty
of Kindness to Animals, " offered by the
s. T. G. A. TO be competed for by Lon
don public school children, brought the
society 1876, 465 essays this year.
Bank notes were forged to such an
extent after the introduction Of el notes
that in 1902 no fewer than 20 extra
clerks were employed at the Bank Of
England merely TO detect them.
There are two great walls in China.
One is 40 feet thick and 80 feet high
and surrounds Picking. 1t is Is miles in
circumference The other-the great
wall of China-is nearly 1900 miles
long and was built 2, 1l5 years ago
2l7 years b. Q.
one thousand dollars was paid in
Boston for "A single sermon. The docu-
ment is known as the plymouth Ser
mon, " by Robert Cushman, and only
five copies of it are in existence. The
volume which contains it was printed
in London in 1862.
Diamonds are cut in three different
forms-the rose, the brilliant and the
table, of which the second is the pretti-
est 1t is double pyramid or cone of
which the top is cut off to form a large
plane, and at the bottom directly oppo-
site to a small plane.
The origin of the word sirloin of beef
is variously stated. One account tells
us that King James /, of witch hunting
memory, knighted loin of beef at a
banquet which joint was ever after
called sirloin. Another story ascribed
the freak to Charles III.
An extension of the definition Of as
sault has been devised by some London
low churchmen. They attended an
"asperges' service in spiritualistiC
church and later asked for a summons
for assault against the vicar, who had
sprinkled holy water on them.
Samarkand has cab service, but the
Samarkanders are obliged to go on foot
on Saturdays, as all the drivers are
strictly orthodox Hebrews. The town
authorities tried to force them to work
on their Sabbath, but the appeal court
has upheld the religious rights of the
drivers.
The authorities of Vienna have de-
creed that if the owners of 1858 speci-
fled houses will replace them with new
structures they will be guaranteed re-
lease from the payment of taxes for ls
years This offer has been made TO en-.
courage the removal of tumble down
buildings.
OF 30 flags shown in a flags of all ma
tions supplemnt to London weekly in
1858, barely 40 years ago II have dis
appeared, among them those Of the East
India company, of the lonian islands, OF
Tuscany, Naples and the States Of tn,
Church, of the Russian American com
pany and of Sardinia
Large portions of the old royal castle
in Berlin are to be remodeled to make
it habitable. The emperor's desire is tC
be able to offer comfortable abode tC
his guests ON great festival occasions
WIZ hetNC previously UGH II
various Berlin hotels at great expens,
to the imperial exchequer.
The conditions under which British
sailors and soldiers live are far NOR,
sanitary now than in the past. In 1861
more than | 4 deaths occurred in every
1000 men afloat, while ten years later
the number fell to 6.S, in 1885 to 81
and in 1895 TO 4. In the army the
figures are not quite so satisfactory.
Scott put no great value on his manu-
script, which was probably the mos
perfect and least erased and altered thai
any author of high rank can show. Tn,
copy of "Old Mortality" was sold the
first time for G33; last year it fetched
5000. 1.-The Lady of the Lake. ha,
brought e1, 300 Lockhart gave the
manuscript of Rob Roy" to Cadell
and it sold for 5000
The old time names of flowers are
said to be coming into use again. 1t i,
now more fashionable to say "daffa
down dillies" than jonquils, and "john