The Savannah morning news., 1902-05-04
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

speed gives less trouble from heating
and cutting than did the slow speed
of former years.
1t appears that there are only 100
merchant steamships in the world of
over 1000 tons and capable of MAX
ing twelve knots or over an hour.
OF these, 597 are British, 10 French,
LOG German, "a American, Al Japanese
"a Italian, 20 Dutch and 81 Russian.
Great Britain leads all at speed, even
in the fast ships of twenty knots or
over, the number in this class being:
British Z, German 5, American 4,
French 2. Russian /.
"A housewife, says the New York
Post, tells this story with proper hesi-
tation: About a year ago a new but
ter dealer asked for her trade. His
father was a farmer up in Orange
county," whence shipments of fresh,
sweet, Country butter were made
three times a week. One order salts
fed the woman as to the flavor and
quality, and her family found no fault
during several months. One day the
dealer failed to deliver his weekly sup
ply. Wonder at his absence changed
to dismay when the next days newSpa-
pers told of his arrest for selling oleo-
margarine as butter. He admitted lat
er that he had been selling counterfeit
butter, keeping customers contented by
playing on their imagination, using
plentifully such words as dairy, clover.
meadowsweet, country, farm, Aldernay,
etc, in speaking of his product.
james Preston, who has just re-
turned from a visit to Porto Rico, tells
the Philadelphia Record: There are
about fifty American school houses in
Porto Rico now-the Washington, the
Lincoln, the Penn, the Mckinley, the
Jefferson, the Irving, the Hamilton,
and so on-and about 1900 pupils are
attending them. One of the principals
pointed out to me a young girl of II,
very pretty, who walked, he explained,
twenty miles to and from school daily,
slept on a bare floor and begged nearly
all her food, she was SO poor. This
was one of his best students. A boy
had on shirt so much too big Tor
him that his whole person could have
slipped easily through the opening at
the neck. What's the trouble with
your shirt. my lad?' the principal
asked. The boy answered: This amt
mine; it's fathers. Mines in the
wash That boy would have come
naked rather than have missed a les
son. In a town I visited there is
night school. The men who attend it
bring their own candles and sit on the
school room floor in groups of. three,
one candle to each group. The intelli-
gence of the Porto Ricans, their teach
ers say, is as remarkable as is their
thirst after knowledge. No truant Of
flcers are needed down there"
Must the American girl reduce her
weight? That is the question, says
the New York Post. If not, will the
American man be willing to take her
to ride in his automobile, when there
is danger that he may have to push
the vehicle home with her in it when
the power gives out or some of the
mechanism breaks down? That is an
other question and an important one.
1t is no use to dodge the issue and say
that the girl might walk and help
push. This would be very we'll If it
were possible, but those who know
about automobiles declare that they
have to be guided, and no man can
both guide and push. So weight is an
important consideration. A harrow
ing tale comes from the West. A man
named Cuthbert Williamson went out
one afternoon in his automobile, hav-
ing secured as his companion for the
ride a young woman of rather unusual
ly ample proportions. When they
were eight miles from town the ma
chine broke down, and Cuthbert had
to push the thing back to civilization
and the blacksmith. his companion rid
ing and guiding. 1t was IL o'clock at
night when they reached home, and
Cuthbert was weary and wan. He sold
the machine the next day, from which
it is inferred that he was devoted to
the lady, but the less appreciative par
agraphers of his vicinity are laying it
all to her weight, and are raising the
burning questions mooted above.
The Times of India, tells the fol-
lowing story to show the character of
the Arabs of Yemen, among whom
there have been some disturbances
lately. A man of the Zarauiks, who
has several times cut the new tele-
graph lines and who was punished
more than once, was caught on one oc-
casion by an Arab Sheikh in charge
of the lines. The Sheikh intended to
send him to Needy for imprisonment
but the wife of the accused came in
and stood as a guarantee for his future
good behavior. The Sheikh accepted
the bail and released him, but shortly
afserward he again resorted to his old
practice of cutting the wires, and bolt
ed away to another village, at a dis
lance of one days march, where he has
another wife. The Sheikh then sent for
Ills lTSl vile, WHO SlOOQ security LOT
him, and told her he would disgrace her
among the Arabs if she failed to bring
in her husband. The woman asked the
Sheikh not to spread the black Sheet
Ca custom of the country when any one
commits breach of trust) till the fol-
lowing day. She started that night
taking a sharp dagger concealed under
her clothes, to the village where her
husband was staying. She found him
asleep in his abode, and stabbed him,
cut his throat and carried his head
back to her home. The next morning
she went to the Sheikh and presented
the head of her husband, saying:
Here is your criminal, and am freed
from the bail. Please do not affix the
black Sheet
THE fruits of Java" writes a cor
respondent of the Pittsburg Dispatch,
form an interesting study in them
selves, there are so many and of such
strange varieties. The most common
is the strangest of all 1t is called the
DURAN, and grows like a huge excre-
sence from the trunk of a tree some
what similar to our pear tree The
fruit which is pear-shaped, grows to
a great size, often several feet in
length, and has a yellow skin, rough
like pineapple. The most remarkab bic
thing about the DURAN, however, is
its odor. To say you can smell it a
block off is putting it mildly. A com
bination of aged eggs and the ripest