The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-19
MAGIC IN A LOOKING GLASS.
Queer Conceits That Are Found in ORR
entail Mirrors,

Queer Conceits That Are Found in ORR
entail Mirrors.
Every girl who wishes to try the eX-
pertinent can possess a magic looking
glass on Halloween night, but in China
and Japan magic mirrors are among
the daily possessions of the bright-eyed
oriental women. The ladies of Japan
use in making their toilet small round
mirror, several inches in diameter,
made of a. kind of speculum metal,
brightly polished and coated with mer-
curry. At the back there are various
devices, including Chinese and Japan
ese written characters. emblems, land
scapes, etc. These stand out in bright
relief and are polished like the front
surface. Now, if the direct rays of the
sun are allowed to fall upon the face
of the mirror and are then reflected
in a screen in many cases, though not
IN ALL the figures at the back will ap-
pear to shine through the substance of
the mirror as bright lines upon mod
erately bright ground. These are so
called Japanese magic" mirrors. but
we believe they are found in China as
well, and the example which we illus
trate is surmised to be of China origin.
There have been many theories as to
the process of endoWing mirrors with
this peculiar property we have mention
ed Some writer's consider that the
pressure to which the mirror was sub
jected during the polishing, and which
| is greatest on the parts in relief, was
concerned in the production of figures.
If the back of the mirror is rubbed with
a blunt-pointed instrument bright lines
appear in the image corresponding to
the position of the part rubbed. This
experiment is quite easy to repeat. 1t
would seem as if the pressure on the
back during polishing would cause some
han tph in hh tio1
spending to the raised parts whereby
the amount of light reflected was great
ef, or SuppOsing that of the light which
falls upon the surface a part is ditfuSed
and the rest concentrated, those parts
corresponding to the raised portion on
the back are altered by the pressure
in such a way that more light is re-
flected and therefore a bright image
appears. The theory now generally ac-
cepted is that Professors AyrtOn and
Perry in 1878. They showed that the
patterns seen in the reflection were due
to differences in the curva ture of the
surface produced by bending and sub
sequent polishing. Warming a mirror
also alters it's possibilities A thick
mirror which gave no patterns when
cold sometimes developed one upon be
ing heated. Professor Thompson has
shown that a glass mirror having
pattern cut on the back developed i'm
age properties when the mirror was
bent By using very thick glass, pass
ing spirit lamp behind a strip of mir
ror dark band may be caused to pass
along the screen. illuminated by light
reflected in the mirror. Professor
Thompson has also found that Japanese
mirrors when imported could be made
so by bending them mechanically SO
as to make them slightly convex.
Number 1875.
One human beings consciousness of
another, however brief, often makes
some difference in life. Mutual intiu-
ence is a mental and moral fact. A
lady gives a pleasant example of this
in the Universalist Leader. A house
keeper, after several complaints to her
grocer because unsound fruit had been
sent her, was one day offered a basket
of peaches and a basket of gem melons,
accompanied with this assurance:
You will not find a single damaged
peach or melon in either Of these pack
ages. If you do l will gladly refund
the money you pay for them"
She found every peach and melon per-
feet. The housekeeper reported this
on her next visit 20 the dealers store,
and asked why he was SO positive in
warranting his goods. "Why?" ex-
claimed the man. why, because I
have found that the farmer who fur
honest packages to market.
The farmers number, among the COM
mission dealers consignments, was
"135." After that the lady always
bought Number 1856, and the contents
of the baskets never failed in meas
ure, condition or in quality.
Admiration for the conscientious
farmer grew upon the housekeeper and
literally made her more conscientious
herself. She felt ashamed whenever she
was attempted to slight or scamp
her work. No. 1876 seemed to be looking
at her
One particular that depended this i'm
preston was the non-appeara in
market on Mondays of any baskets
bearing the faVorite mark. Farmer 1875
would not pack fruit on Sunday, the
dealer said. The housekeeper felt her
face flush when that was said. She
had never been so scrupulous.
The summer and autumn passed, but
the sermon of the faultless fruit con-
tinued to preach to its buyer when she
could buy no more. Careless lapses of
duty frequently brought up the
thought. NO. 1856 would not have done
that She remembered and thanked
the unknown man whose integrity had
strengthened and helped her. His rec
ttude represented to her the presence
of the Sinless Teacher
The above instance is but one among
thousands of the power involuntary in
tluenCe. A good mans life is one of
the moral tOnics of society. His silent
example is in itself a blessing to the
world.
VERY KIND HEARTED.