The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-06-20
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

it has assumed such dimensions in Maine
that 1t may be classed as one of the lead
ing industries in that state. The saving
OF spool bars is kindred Industry and
no less than 100000 feet are exported
annually. chiefly to Scotland. Maine is
well-wooded state, and many of it's tim
Der varieties, such as yellow birch, curly
maple, brown ash. white pine and spruce
are rapidly coming into favor with house
decorators and furnishers- Until quite re.
Gently the woods. native to the state were
little known, but of late years there has
been increasing activity in the way of
erecting plants exclusively devoted to
woodworking. This increasing activity
has its drawbacks. for the state is but
small, and the supply in proportion. How
long this supply will last, and what will
become of a prosperous industry when
the raw material is no longer to be had,
is a problem which will have to be
tackled by some forestry commission, and
that in comparatively short time.
If any one should speak to you about
know that they were talking about The
Hague, says the New York World, but
they would be, and would also be per-
fectly right according to the second re-
port of the American Board of Geographic
Names just issued from the government
printing Office at Washington. Though
the board does not hope for a reform in
such matters, it says that the custom of
Anglicizing names of foreign places is
absurd, and hopes we will go no further
in that direction, though we continue to
say THE Hague" Germany instead of
Deutschland Italy instead of
Italia" and so on through the list. We
must not write Pittsburgh" for the
board says the final "h in ''burgh'
should be dropped Further, the board
says, we must, as far as possible, avoid
the possessive forms; spell centre as
here given, in geographical names; change
borough to "boro;' drop the hyphen
entirely; also drop the words CITY and
town" as parts of names, and entirely
eliminate diaeritic characters.
The Cocopa Indians of the Lower Col
orado lin both Baja, California and Son
ora) are of interest partly because they
have practically escaped attention on the
part of scientific investigators until with
in few months, and partly because of
| the customs which distinguish them from
most neighboring tribes, says the New
York Tribune, They are essentially an
agricultural folk, though their agricul-
ture is of the most primitive sort, afford
ing, indeed, better picture of prehistoric
agricultural methods than those Of any
other known tribe Their customs well
illustrate, too, the dependence OF primitive
industries, modes of life and even habits
Of thought, on surroundings; for, like
the fellaheen of the lower Nile, they are
creatures of the river along which they
live, driven from the bottom lands by
the annual freshets, and brought back by
ensuing droughts to plant anew in the
soil fortified by the annual silt deposit
Perhaps of primary interest among their
customs is their disposal of the dead. They
not only distribute the property of the
deceased among non-relatives, but burn
the body and the habitation together. A
considerable part of the tribal lore is
connected with the mortuary custom and
custom and lore together afford remark
able insight into the esoteric life of prim-
tive peoples.
"A dispatch from Washington, D. c.,
says: The new Fire Chief of Washing
ton, former newspaper reporter, Mr. R.
w. Dutton, has decided to use automo-
biles instead OF horses for himself and
his aides to run to fires. The cost of an
equipment using horses is for each Off
cial, about $1,000. Two wagons are neces-
sary, one being used in reserve, and two
horses are assigned to each assistant and
to the chief. An automobile can be bought
for this sum- and it is estimated that the
expense of operation and maintenance
will not come anywhere near the cost of
horses and the attendance necessary for
them. A careful report was made to-day
to the District Commissioners on the
subject, and 1t looks as if the change
would lead to the proposal to substitute
automobiles for horses in every branch
of the Fire Department. The face that
the price of good horses has gone up
considerably of late vs. having ITS infu-
ence on the matter Great difficulty is ex-
perienced in getting horses capable of
performing the duties required of them in
the Fire Department. 1t often occurs that
there are two fires at the same time, and
when a horse has been winded by one
run he is practically unfit to make any
speed in the second 1t is argued that the
automobile will not get tired and can run
to any number of fires in quick success
sion.
An interesting project is on foot in
the proposal to found college in Nor
mandy, which shall combine the best
elements of the English pubic school
system of education with those of the
French. Whether the project will be
success or not time can only prove, but
in the meantime it has many supporters
1t has often been said that the English
method cultivated the body at the expense
of the brain; that while every encourage
ment was given towards the development
of the physical qualities and character.
intellectual culture was neglected On
the other hand. it is claimed that the
French system paid more attention 10
mental culture, and let the physical and
moral side look out for itself. The at
tempt to blend the two such opposite
methods will be watched with interest
not only in England and France but In
this country. The project is having the
support of many influential persons, and
will, at least, have a show in the teach
ing world that it is not dream Of the
sentimentalist, but that there is good,
sound, common sense at the back of it,
Each country can learn from the other,
and the sooner the project is proved fea-
sible the better il will be for both, at
least that seems to be the opinion of NJ.
Paul Cambon, the French ambassador to
the Court of St. James, and he is in a
fair position to judge of both his own
countrymen and of those 20 whom he Is
an accredited representative.
AN EXCEEDINGLY clever swindle has been
worked on a Paris physician. whose spec
ielty is the cure of kleptomania by hyp-
notism It cost the doctor $4,000 to satis-
fy himself that he couldn't cure ALL cases.
One day recently a man of gentlemanly
appearance and a woman of mature age
accompanied by pretty and fascinating
girl, were ushered into his consulting
a.. al. t-tt-