The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-03-11
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

he has passed his twentS-eishth year.
The origin of throwing rice at we'd
dIngS is to be found in custom that eN-
listed III early Rome of hurting wheat aft
tr newly -marriea brides and hrittegrooms.
Russians have long but beautifully
shaped hands. while those of Spa.liards
are often spoiled by the thickness of the
fingers, which are apt to round at the
tips.
An ingenious halter of Paris con-
structcd 4 house of felt made out of ~ ~,
coo old hats. This house consisted of
par.ur, dining room and bedroom; also 4
kitchen.
Postal cards with Autographed views
III color Of scenery and historical localities
have become so popular in Germany lately
that the income Of the postal service
shows Il decided increase.
AT Il recent Hancock county, Me-,
family dinner. dinner was announced by
pounding ON the ancient warming pan,
and coffee was served from the delft cof-
fee pot, over 1N years Old
"A small piece of cheese and an cleo
tric wire form the latest rat-trup. The
cheese is fixed to the wire, and the in
slant the rat touches the cheese he re-
rrivt> Il shock which kills him.
The camrhor trees of Japan China
ana t'"rmosa are beginning to fail. and
the experiment Of growing camphor in
f'lorl,ln. with encouraging success.
Among the Arabs the expression ito
have Il ring in ones ears" is Synonymous
with ITO be Il slave" and to the present
day an Arab who has been conquered b,
another places Il ring through his ear as
Il token.
The cult of the beard. according to
the ancient Jewish writer's, stated in
w.. II = A.
was OF prndiyinus height. and was furn-
!sh.,t with long beard which reached to
his middle.
y strange tree. styled the ''moosan-
ga. grows in the Congo. 1t belongs to
the order "Urticaceoe" When the tree is
cut at height of about five feet Il large
quantity IF water is observed to flow
from the section.
The great Sreed Of instruction in the
English language in Japan has naturally
led I" Il growing demand for English
hooks. Over 100000 English books of
all classes were imported last year, as
against $4,000 in 1896.
Chinese brides. when putting on their
bridal garments on the eventfu morning,
stand i'll round. shallow baskets during
their lengthy toilet. This is supposed,
t" insure them placid and wel-ruuntieu
lives in their new homes
-SW, den is the most Protestant coun-
try III til, world. Nf the population of
h.WN.WN. there are only two or three
thNu> and Roman C;,tholics-the remain
der of the people belonging almost entire
lv T" the Lutheran church.
Most of the cutting of whalebone is
done in Paris and Bremen, some in Lon
don and the rest in this country, where
there are seven establishments for this
lurpo>t-four in New York. two in Bos-
ton and one i'll San Francisco
The gradual cooling of France is
proven by its vegetation. The Italian
poplar. common in early French rtchingS.
Is now seldom seen i'll the country. while
the lemon has disappeared from Languc-
dec and the orange from Roussl!on.
u trase'lian recently playing Rich
ard Ill. III small town was waited ON
after the show by an honest farmer. who
said that IF the gen'lm who wanted Il
horse WAS still Of the same mind. he
would like to do business with him."
Thu. best co'lliver oil is made in Nor
way. For three months, beginning in
January. the fish come in from the Are
tic ocean t" the Norway fjords. or bays
to spawn. and sometimes as many as
sixty OF ~iNty-tive million fish are caught
i'll single season.
1t is rather trying for {; young woman
to be asked by young man to select an
engagement ring that will fit her. and
hen she has made the selection to be
Informed it is for another girl. Such was
the experience of White River June
ton 'Nt.) lamScl IL short while ago.
1.-The largest waves are seen off Cape
Horn. rising to rs feet in height and 7t5
feet lon: from crest to crest. Waves in
rise IL feet in height In the German
ocean the height does not exceed 1871,
feet and i'll the Mediterranean 49, feet.
\ beautiful sight is presented daily
by the wild ducks along the SchuylkiI
river. and especially at Duck island, near
Philadelphia \ lot of tame ducks sport
around the island and the wild ducks
come down and dwell IN perfect peace
and harmony with their domestica ed
kin.
Mrs. John Reinard of Louisville, Ky..
insists that she has live frog in her
stomach, and that when it is hungry ii
kicks and scratches until she partakes of
food to satisfy it's hunger She thinks
she swallowed Il tadpole while on ii visit
to New Jersey, and that it has been de-
veloprd.
AT the departure of the British
tr""'S from Cairo to the front the Amer
the ftrvor of their cheering. and some
appeared to be deeply touched. Like Il
distant relative attending il family gath
rring. they bore testimony to the cousin
ship Of race.
Mrs. Sarah Mcbride, who died at
burlington junction. Mo-, at the age of
-. weighed $50 pounds. 4 part of the
wall had to be cut away to get the corpse
mt Of the house. and. as no hearse could
be found strong enough to bear the bur
den. the body was conveyed to the cem.-
terry in dray.
The TranS-Siberian railway will omen
new and absolutely untricd field for big
game shooting to European sportsmen.
Besides the Manchooria mountains, there
Is the AMOR valley. which will be trav-
crSc'i by the new line from Eladiyostok
and tho valleys of the Sungari and Usur,
rivers.
The fav"rite Journals of French pee
pie. the Figaro, daily necessity of the
grand mnn,le.' and the Petit Journal rs
much Of a necessity of the workadav
world. are still strictly prohibited in Al
sar"-lAprraIne. Only one or two French
newspapers, among these being lie
TEMPS. are admitted beyond the frontier.
The postoffice establishment of the
nited States is not self-sustaining. The
excess of expenditures over receipts in
the fiscal year ended June 80, 1897, was
SILL 1,779:65. About the only other na-
tons III which the postal service does not
pay expenses are CANADA. Norway, Siam.
Chilli. Peru, Bulgaria and Bolivia.
The Russian soldier is more heavily
bnrdened than any other. A foot-soldier
in the army of the Car carries over 68
pounds. The weights borne by the foot
soldiers of the other principal European
nations are as follows: French. G2
pounds; British. 81 pounds; German, 81
pounds; Swiss. 50 pounds; Italian, SO
pounds; Austrian, Al pounds
Horace Greeley as an Orator.
Mr.. Greeley was not an orator in any
scholastic sense. He had Door and
somewhat squeaking voice; he knew moth
ing of gestures; and he could not take IN
orators pose, which adds such emphasis
sometimes to the matter and argument
to be :rt forth. Not all his years of
practice ON the platform and on public
occasions ever changed his habits and
methods as speaker. and he ended as
poorly equipped i'll the respects named
for the vocation as when he began But