The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-18
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

M. Der IHelol, Tencn SdVdnt, mas
discovered platinum in Egypt Exam
lining a metal box, once the property
of an Egyptian queen in the seventh
century B. c., he found a plate sup
posed to be silver. Closer examination
showed that the plate is made of an
alloy of platinum and gold. The box
| itself is otherwise interesting, its sides
being covered with inscriptions and de-
signs in gold and silver. 1t halls from
Thebes. The platinum probably came
from the alluvial deposits in the valley
of the Upper Nile.
For it's railroads Chile purchases
only the best and most expensive roll
ing stock, says the Bulletin of South
! American Republics. The locomotives
have the best crucible steel boilers,
| with copper fittings, such as would be
| considered too expensive for general
use in the United States. The car
| wheels are of cast iron, with steel
| tires. The passenger cars are the best
that can be made and are handsomely
| finished in mahogany. The reason for
| this fact is explained by Mr.. j. Suto-
mayer, representative of the Chilean
government in Europe, with headquar-
| tiers at Brussels, when he states that
| Chile is so far distant from manufac-
| turing countries and freight charges
! are so excessive that only those equip
| men\s which will endure the greatest
| amount of wear and tear are the most
economical for use in that country.
President Roosevelt has decided
that his official residence shall be call
ed the White House. Heretofore the
| stationery on which the President con-
| ducts his correspondence has had
neatly embossed Executive Mansion"
| at the top of the page. When the ques-
ton of printing the new letterheads
which are to take the place of the
mourning stationery was discussed
with the President he told Secretary
Cortelyou that hereafter white
House" would be used instead of FIX
ecutive Mansion" President Roose-
welt believes that the former name is
more distinctive than the latter. So
far as he can learn there is not an
other public building in the United
States called the white house. while
the residences of all the governors of
the states are called executive man
sions. Hence the change.
The Belgian Royal Meteorological
Observatory has published the esti-
mates made by various mathemati-
clans and physicists regarding the
depth of the atmosphere surrounding
| the edrIn. Inc CdlCuldLiOIlS Oh Tie Va
rious saVantS upon this subject are
widely divergent. Blot estimated that
the depth was only about 40 miles;
Bravais, 20 miles; Mann, 81 miles; Cal
landrau, 100 miles; Schiaparelli, 125
miles Marie Davy, 1877, while Ritter
stated that it reached to a hight of 216
miles. In Great Britain, during the
early part of the last century, the
depth of the atmosphere was general
| a w z hut
that meteors became incandeseent at
a much greater altitude incontroverti-
bly, proved that this calculation was
faIlacious. Sir Robert Ball states that
meteors have been observed at a celsi
tude of more than 200 miles, and since
they only become incandescent when
they come into contact with the air,
the calculation of Ritter appears to be
the most correct.
The Rev. Charles Henry Brent, who
has been nominated for Bishop of the
Philippines by the Episcopal General
Convention, was born in Newcastle,
Ontario, in 1852, and was graduated
from Trinity College, Toronto, in 1884.
His first clerical charge was at st.
Pauls Pro-Cathedral, Buffalo, where
he was an assistant for the first year
after his entrance into the ministry.
In 1883 Mr.. Brent went to Boston to
work in the High Church parish of st.
John the Evangelist, under Father
Hall, who later became Bishop of Ver-
mont In 1891, on Father Halls eleva-
ton to the bishopric, Mr.. Brent was
transferred to st. Stephens Church,
where he has since remained. st. Au-
gustines Episcopal Church, in the
West End, is monument to Mr..
Brents zeal and energy among the col
ored people of Boston. In the early
part of last month he was nominated
to the chair of pastoral theology in
the General Theological Seminary in
this city, the election to which is to
take place in December. He has done
considerable work of a literary nature,
having been connected editorially for
some time with the New York Church
man. He is the author of the book,
with God in the World"
"A correspondent of the Philadel-
phia Record calls for reform of the
alter programmes. "Have you ever"
he asks, experienced the annoyance
of being unable to quickly follow the
action OF a play because you can't de-
termine which of the minor characters
is on the stage? Take a show with a
dozen small roles for example. At the
outstart the minor parts generally
carry the action, and unless the play
| Wright mas DeSH I0OuSnCIul cHOuSn 10
bring names into the dialogue it will
puzzle anybody to find out who's who.
OF course, after the appearance of the
stars the relation of the parts is usual
, ly adjusted. but in some shows I've
had to worry through a couple of acts
without getting a line on the minor
roles. Now, my idea is to have the
cast set up and printed in the order in
which the players make their first en-
try. Then the audience could at once
determine the character and get into
immediate sympathy with the lines
This idea of tickling the vanity of the
high priced players by heading the
cast with the stars and ranking the
members of the company on the pro-
gramme according to the Importance
of their roles should have been aban-
doned long ago.
) No matter how we'll educated. Gull
tured and generally logical she may be,
a woman is all but certain slave TO
small superstitions, says the Chicago
Chronicle. There would seem to be
some odd twist in her cerebral con-
volutions that produces this condition.
Even in these days, when she has full
advantage of the higher education she
clings to charms and amulets. George
Eliot, the immortal author of Adam
Bede," possessor of the most masculine
mind that took feminine form in En-