The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-02-11
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Last year sixty ocean going steam
ers were engaged exclusively in the
banana trade.
Husbands in I4uneburg, Prussia,
must be home at II o'clock at night, or
pay a fine of about 80 so, half of which
goes to the complainant, who is usually
the wife.
In Guatemala primary instruction
is obligatory for all children of from
6 to IA years of age, and that given by
the state is laical and gratuitous. In
1900 instruction was being impaired in
1,4l9 national schools, distributed thus:
Four hundred and ninety-three for
boys, 4S4 for girls, 1884 for both boys
and girls, 9 kindergartens and 80 night
schools.
According to the Express Gazette,
there were sixteen train robberies last
year and twenty-nine in 1900. In the
past twelve years SOC trains have been
held up by robbers, and ninety-fiYe
persons killed and los injured by be-
ing shot In the past two years five
train robbers We're killed and two
wounded, and two passengers and
trainmen killed and ten wounded.
There are 900 halls and corridors
In the Vatican, and II 900 rooms, count
ing everything, the quarters for the
Swiss Guards. the stables for the
horses, the storehouses for gardeners
tools, the mosaic factory and other
workshops, and it is said that an aver
age of 1900 people are employed un-
der the roof, most of them being lodged
there. This includes the Swiss Guard.
"A writer in the New York Sun Of
fers this sartrial information: A SAIL
or's trousers are cut wide at the bot
tom so that in holystoning and wash
ing the deck, also in wading ashore
from small boat, he can pull them
up to the knee, the full part fitting the
thigh, and a small cloth strap~buttons
to the waistband, holding them up.
They just fold back, or up
There are many professional 'bee
hunters" in the western and south
western parts of Texas. Small caves
and dark recesses, formed by shelving
rock, abound along the tributaries of
the Texas rivers. They are the natur-
al hives of the wild bees, and take the
place of the hollow tree trunks of the
forest regions of the northern country
These caves are used year after year
by the bees. and in many instances
have been found to be literally filled
with honey.
The temporary binding of steamer
pilots by the searchlights of other
steamers has occurred so frequently
since the general introduction of this
device that the Treasury Department
at Washington has during the past
year received great number of COM
plants. These seem to come chiefly
from the great lakes, where it is said
the light is often maliciously used
against vessels of opposition lines. As
result of these complaints the Treas
ury Department has recently issued
the following order: THAT masters.
mates and pilots of all vessels be re-
CURED to exercise due caution in the
use OF their searchlights so as not to
throw the rays of light into pilot
houses of passing steamers,a A wilful
violation of the above requirement will
subject the offender to a suspension or
revocation of license"
The following graphic description of
curious insectivore of the bug world
of Provence, the Prego Dieou, or
Pray God" is given by DR.. j. III.
Fabre in a recent volume on insect
life. Its long pale green wings, like
ample wells, it's head appraised to heav-
en-, it's arms folded and crossed on. it's
breast, give false resemblance to a
nun in ecstatic devotion All the same
1T is ferOcious creature, bent on car
mage. Although not especially favor
lite hunting ground, the workshop Of
various burrowing insects are often
visited by it. Posted on some bush
near the burrows, it waits until chance
brings some bug returning home, with
in reach, thus achieving a double cap
ture, catching both the bug and its
prey. It's patience is often long tried
But finally one comes along. A sudden
rustic of half-spread wings terrifes the
victim, and then with the suddenness
of spring the toothed forearm of the
mantis folds back on an arm also
toothed, and the insect is seized be-
tween the blades of the double saw az
though the blades of a wolf trap were
closing on the beast as it takes the
bait. Then without Enclosing the
cruel machine the mantis gnaws little
mouthfuIs of it's victims. Such are
the ecstacies, the prayers and the mys-
tic meditation of the Prego Dieou.
The guide books are responsible for
the popular impression that there are
365 churches in Rome, one for every
day in the year, but that is a mistake,
says Rome letter to the Chicago Rec
ord-Herald. The exact number, ac-
cording to the recent census, is 352,
including the four great basiicas out
side the walls. Besides these there are
about 91S chapels connected with mon
asteries, nunneries, schools and pri-
Vate palaces, and a large number of
shrines erected by individuals in diff
ferent parts of the city to fulfill vows
or show gratitude for deliverance from
peril or sickness. There are sixty
eight monastic establishments, forty
two for monks and twenty-six for nuns.
The number of inmates varies from
= time to time with the season, and aver
ages about four thousand. Before the
establishment of the civil authority in
1870 there We're 1852 monastic estab-
lishments in Italy, of which 1,506 were
for men and 376 were for women. The
number of monks was 14,SO7, and the
runs 14,1S4, of whom S220 belonged
to what are known as the mendicant
orders, and were supported by aims
or voluntary contributions. Many OF
these institutions were suppressed by
the civil authorities and the property
was confiscated. Several were tenn
porarily set aside for such monks.
friars or nuns as had reached great
age, and were allowed to occupy them
until their death. Two such institu-
tons still remain in Rome, with few
inmates who are very old.
"A recent case brought before a
London magistrate is rather too anus
ing perhaps to be considered scien-
tfdo and vat hos so,,,o