The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-06
ITEMS OF INTEREST.


ton at Martinique a strange phenom-
enon was noticed at certain mineral
springs near Prague. The water first
turned brown and then red, retaining
this latter color for a full hour. Scien-
fists are unable to account for this
sudden change in the water, but those
who reside near the springs are GER
tain that II was caused by the vol
cano. and do not fail to point out that
a similar phenomenon was observed in
1888 on the day when there was ter
rible earthquake in Lisbon.
The Japanese dentist does not
brighten his patient with an array OF
steel instruments. says the Indianapo-
lis News. All his operations in tooth
drawing are performed by the thumb
and forefnger of one hand. The skill
necessary to do this is acquired only
after long practice, but when once 1t
is obtained the operator is able to ex-
tract half a dozen teeth in about thir-
ty seconds without once removing his
fingers from the patients mouth. The
dentists education commences with
the pulling out of plugs which have
been pressed into soft wood; ii ends
with the drawing of hard pegs which
have been driven into an oak plank
WITH neaVy mallet.
Few men in the present United
States Senate are farther up" in mod
ern English literature than Senator
Quay, of Pennsylvania, says Leslie's
Weekly. and he has something more
than a passing acquaintance with
Wordsworth, Tennyson, Carlyle and
kuskin. For Herr Teufelsdroch and his
philosophy of clothes he has special
liking, and Ruskin's Ethics of the
Dust" is one of his favorite works.
The senator is rarely without a book
in his pocket. On railway journeys he
always takes up book as soon as he
has finished looking over the newspa-
per. Thus it will appear that Mr.. Quay
is not, as he has seemed to the gen.
eral public, exclusively immersed in
politics.
"A queer concert reform has been
fairly launched in Germany. The sug-
gestion grew out of something that is
said in wilhelm Meister" about man
who could not live without music. and
who, to fully enjoy it, had to listen
without seeing the singers or the nu :
sicians. He contended that, as music
is intended for the ear only, it should
rot be made to minister to the eye,
as it is ir concert rooms, where the
blaze of lights and the beauty of the
surroundings produce a pernicious eff
feet. This so impressed a concert giver
in Darmstadt that he adopted the plan
of lowering the lights while the music
was on, and the reform has spread so
far that in some halls the lights are
eXtinguished Enthusiasts are pleased
with the reform; ordinary people are
rot.
1T is a proper source of pride to
this country that Col. Kitson, who has
been appointed to the command of the
British Military Staff College at Sand
hurst, declares that he shall take West
Point as his model, and reorganize the
famous British institution on the lines
Of our military academy, says the
Boston Globe. The appointment of
Col. Kitsou to this position is consid-
cred the strongest proof yet given of
the intention of the war office of the
empire to really institute some reform
in the military establishment. The
war in South Africa developed the fact
that the officers educated at Sandhurst
do not know their business. They are
great swells. we'll acquainted with the
mysteries of fashionable life, but they
have only smattering of the art of
war. There is no little interest to see
whether Col. Kitson will be permitted
to remodel the Sandhurst establish
ment according to his desire. 1t was at
Sandhurst that the attempt was late
ly made to compel young officer to
leave the army because he was not
rich enough to keep up the style.
Fatal accidents are inseparable
from many sports of the thrilling sort
when they are in their infancy. One
hears much just now of the dangers
of the automobile, and long screeds
are written after each accident, which
make these familiar with the subject
groan in anguish at the unjust and
untruthful alleged evidence dished up
to the general public, says Leslie's
Weekly The unfortunate death of
Mr.. and Mrs. Charles L. Fair abroad
is case in point. Singulariy enough,
most of the severe accidents which
have happened at home and abroad
during the last year took place when
an amateur was at the lever of the
machine. Most of the millionaire own
ers of automobiles quickly learn to
send the machines along at a great
speed without fear. 1t takes time.
however, for novice to learn how to
think quickly in an emergency. Had
leux, when the Fairs were killed, the
chances are that the machine would
have been brought to a stop in a few
yards and nobody would have been Sc
riousiy injured. 1t is the quick think
er who excels in all sports. To keep
cool and act promptly in an emer-
gency comes naturally to some men.
and can never be acquired by others
Inc element of danger is present in
the most popular sports, but the per-
centage of fatalities grows consolinelv
less each year. Learned men have said
that football is really more dangerous
than prize-fighting and it is. to an
unframed man or boy.
quite recently Western newsna-
pers gave considerable space to what
was described as the discovery of the
remains of a prehistoric man. near
Lansing. Kan. The story was put for
ward with every show of probability
and was even vouched for by certain
well-known scientific men. These lat
ter, 1t is but reasonable to state were
not identified with the study of an
thropology nor it's special branch Of
ethnology, and the circumstances nm
der which the find was made wouId
even have led an expert in the above
branch of scientific study considerable
OH his base. This individual of a by-
gone age was found deep under the
surface in what was termed the drift
that stratem which biologists and pa-
leontologists have led us to believe
ION he ole