The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-12
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

SolHS up IdpuIy, largely on account OF
the increasing demand for the libraries of
rich Americans.
A German periodical declares that the
rubber industry in Mexico, Central Amer
lea and the African coasts is in danger of
extinction. but expresses the belief that
the Brazilian sources are inexhaustible.
The free distribution in San Francisco
Of anttoxin to sufferers from diphtherla
who could not afford to pay for it has re-
suited, as elsewhere, in having the death
rate from that disease, reducing it to I'LL
per cent.
Statistics which have been collated in
Wisconsin show the average cost of rails
ing wheat to be "a cents a bushel and the
cost of corn q cents. In both cases there
are included interest on the value of the
land, with the cost of implements ana
horses added in.
-Bathers along the New Jersey beach
are sorely tried this year because, while
the average temperature of ocean water
in July and August has been IA degrees.
this season the average has been only GS
degrees and at times as low as 80 at mid
day. The temperature of the water, in
deed, has been so low that physicians
have advised frequently against bathing
and dry baths" in the shore sands have
become quite a fad
A negro of pious mien was recently
arraigned before Kansas City court on
a charge of stealing clothing on Sunday.
lie StroVe to impress the judge with his
piety. Being asked what he was doing
on Sunday, when the goods were stolen,
he replied that he was in his room read
ing the Bible. The judge asked him what
part OF the Bible he was reading The
negro hesitated, then said: "The-the ten
commandments, sub" The Judge offered
to let him go if he would repeat the deca-
logue but as the negro could not even
quote one commandment he had to go TO
Jail.
The New York Court of Appeals has
rendered a decision which affects the Ger
~ Association. 1t holds that societies for
the prevention of cruelty to children have
not absolute authority to determine wheth-
er they shall keep or return children who
have been committed 10 their charge In
the case under review it is held that the
Supreme Court has power TO intervene
in this case and restore these children to
the custody and care of their parents. It
certainly is most startling doctrine that
a child, who is a public charge and has
| been committed for such reasons as are
disclosed in this case, cannot be restored
to parental care and control where con-
ditionS have changed and are such that
neither in law nor in morals the separation
of parent and child should be continued"
According TO the American Machinist
Tennessee company proposes TO make
vaults secure against burglars without and
Jails secure against prisoners within by
system of construction which employs
vertical steel tubes and hollow floors and
| ceilings, all kept constantly charged with
| compressed air. The pressure of the air
| intended to be carried is only about fifteen
| or twenty pounds, the escape of air at
| any point when a break is made in the
| system instantly causing a fall of pres
| sure and the sounding of alarms at diff
| ferent points. Another burglar discour-
| agement purposed to be used in connection
| with the air is a loose hardened steel
| tube within the air tube. If any attempt
| at saving a tube were made, as soon as
| it was penetrated the saw would encoun-
| ter the hard, loose tube within, which
would roll around under the saw aud pre-
| vent all further cutting.
Of late women have been making their
way into the scientific branches of the
| government service. The bureau of eth
| nology has the services of two women of
| recognized reputation in ethnology. The
| Smithsonian Institution has a woman eX-
! pert on Holsters and crabs In the
! tiOnal museum is a woman who is an
| authority on mammals and one of the
| most skilful chronological artists i'm the
| world is a woman employed by the bu-
| reau of entomology, The chief librarian
! of public documents is a woman. 1t was
| but recently that the Bureau of Ameri-
| can Republics required couple of trans
! lations of French and Spanish. Two mere
| girls won the prizes in competitive eXami-
! nations. These two are the highest-paid
! women in the governments service. Each
| receives g. 400 a year. A few months since
| a woman expert in grasses was appoint
ed in the department of agriculture.
There is in the Far West a little insect
called the "tue gnat," which is remark
abe for it's almost total lack of weight
observed naturalist to the Washington
Star, This tiny insect has a nearly mi
| croscopic body, but a relatively large
| spread of wing, which give it the appar
| ent size of a mosquito. In some parts of
| California l have seen the tule gnats
| swarm densely about burning lamps
| that several times during the evening the
dead had to be cleared away to give the
| lamp a chance to burn. In brightly
! Illuminated stores the gnats are veritable
| pests, and ii was in a Lake county (Cai)
| drug store that I recently saw a curious
| experiment made with the insects AS
many gnats were collected as could be
| heaped on the delicate apothecary's scale;
the smallest weight, used in measuring
| the lightest drugs, was then put upon the
opposite pan, and it was found to overbal-
ance the mountain of gnats.
The way that some artists can distort
features without making them unrecog-
niable is certainly very remarkable says
| the New Orleans Times Democrat. Thom-
as Mast possessed that faculty TO an extra
| ordinary extent and he had a very pecu-
liar way of adding new faces TO his men.
| tai portrait gallery. When a fresh sub
ject would arise in politics. for instance
! q would an
| HIM at his office or house and hold him in
conversation as long possible, study
ing his features. When he took his de-
parture, he would purposely leave his cane
! Once outside, Mast would make a hastv
| pencil sketch on a card, and would usual
ly find that his memory was deficient as
| to some detail. He would then return, os-
| tensibly for the cane, and another look AT
| the victim would enable him to perfect
his sketch After that he had the man