The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-15
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

by the Institution, and the secretary was
empowered at the last meeting OF the
trustees to arrange for the reinterment
OF Mr. Smithson's remains and the re-
moval of the monument
One hundred and sixty miles an hour
is the speed aimed at by new electric
railway company in Germany under the al
rect patronage of the Emperor. Cars WITH
accommodate tons for fifty persons each are
now being built and will be tried on
thirty-kiiometer track. 1t is intended to
use electricity only for the express pas
senger service, as for freight and local
traffic steam is expected TO remain the
power for long time.
Prisoners in the county Jail at Grand
Rapids are firmly convinced that one can
nave too much of a good thing-even of
religion. For some time it has been the
rule to allow the Salvation Army and
other similar organizations 20 hold rel
yious services there on Sundays, an hour
oeing granted to each As result the
prisoners have usually been subjected to
4 steady bonn bardment of sermons and
prayers all day long. Naturally they have
protested. and now only one hour each
Sunday will be allowed for services.
Having continued its efforts to punish
Mr.. Dannecker for eating cats, the New
ark Board of Health now sees succ- IS
within its grasp. 1t appears that che OF
the felines slaughtered by DAM ecker was
i'll, and there is a law against killing dis
eased cattle" for purposes of food. Now
it only remains to prove that cas- are
cattle, and that seems easier tnan it
sounds, for section of the sanitary code
says, That the word cattle snail be
neld to include all animals except birds,
fowls or fish, of which any part of the
body is used as food"
Among the early processes used by the
Romans to extract metals from ores was
that of cupellation, which is known TO
aave been practiced as early as 600 B. c.
The process was used to extract silver
from the ore in Spain and at Laurion,
and recently from the remains at Siches-
ter, England, it has been found that tbs
method was employed there to extract
liver from argent4ferous ores. The re-
mains of the silver refinery examined
seem to indicate the ore was cupeled
on hearths made of bone ash, material
which has the property of absorbing nth
age and other oxide readily. A some
what similar process was formerly prac-
decd in Japan. The conclusion drawn from
the remains is that the copper coins of
the Romans issued in the third century
A. d. were melted so as to oh n the sill
YER which amounted to about per cent.
The metal was cupelied in three furnaces
in succession, a small quantity of lead be-
ing added from time to time.
Patent office reports at Washington
show that in proportion to population the
District of Columbia is now in the lead
with regard to inventiveness. Oddly
necticut holds third place. New York is
only seventh in the list. 1t is easy to
explain the primary of the District of
Columbia, because many applicants for
patents take up homes in the national cap
Ital in order to watch closely and con-
stantly their interests in the patent office
But it is astonishing that Colorado should
hold a higher place in the roll of inven-
tors than any state in New England So
long renowned for Yankee shreWdness in
the finding out of new things. And that
New York is only seventh in the table is
no matter for pride among the people of
this great state. Possibly ii may be
thought that New Workers are doing so
well with the inventions already in use
that they are not so restless and impa-
tieRt in looking for new ones as the citi-
zens of other states.
THE experience of. many churches
with the Endeavor societies." says the
Christian Intelligencer, proves the pos
sibility of a breach between the society
and the church, despite the pledge and
the avowed aim of the society to be q
helper in all the work of the church. The
tendency to put the society first and re-
gard its meetings and methods superior
in value and importance to the regular
services is natural, and when the .eaven
OF pride and youthful confidence is in
jected the rightful relation of church and
society is reversed, friction ensues and
injury rather than benefit is the result
The very obligation to take some part in
the meetings may become snare, since il
may lead to saying and doing what ought
to be, rather than what is, felt 4 fur
Iher danger lies in the preponderance of
girls over boys, of women over men in
the membership, a condition which has
called for and led to the organization of
societies for men, and still further low
ring OF male membership in the Chris
tian Endeayor societies. +"
An interesting description of the raw
ages of white ants, or termites, in Rno-
desia is furnished by the Rev. A. Leboeuf
of The Zambesi Mission Record" for
January, says Nature. The special in
terest of the contribution centers in the
account OF the damage done to properly
Dy WHITE ants in Rnodes.a, which seems
60 be even greater than in India 1t is
no uncommon thing, says the w.iter, fer
the colonist, on returning from mis- day
labor to find the coat he left hanging
on nal Of his cottage wall and the
books on the table absolutely destroyed
by these tiny marauders, Nor is his all.
On awakt next morning." writes Mr..
Leboeuf, you are astonished to see in the
aim light cone-shaped obi ct ris ng f. ON
the brick floor short distance from your
bed, with two holes on the top ike the
crater of a miniature volcano Upon
Closer examination you discover that the
holes have just the size and shane of
the inside of your boots which YOU in
cautiously left on the br ok floor the night
before. They have given form and pro-
portion to an ant heap, and nothing Is
left OF them exc pt the nails, eyel Is, and
maybe, part of the heels" And as the
same dismal story--wth variations-bas
10 be told about every ether article of an
parel and all perishable objects. 1t must
be admitted that there are drawbacks to
the lot of a settler In Rhodesia.
During the last year the direct pro-
duction Of positive photographs by the
over-exposure Of dry plates in a camera
has been investigated by Prof F. e.
Nipher Of st. Louis. and he is now able
to produce them In bright light A plate
10 FRO rs 49, t.,