The Savannah morning news., 1902-02-04
ITEMS OF INTEREST.


hight. OF sixteen-story office buildings
there are in that city seven; of fifteen
story, three; of fourteen-story, six, and
OF story, seven. A renewed eff
fort is being made to prohibit the ex-
ceeding of the present limit of hight in
the future building operations.
The electric current has recently
been put to novel use-that of warm
ing beds. The apparatus for this pur-
pose consists of coil of wire covered
with asbestos. The electric current
passes through this wire and heats up
the asbestos. This method of heating
would seem to be a great advance over
that of using hot water bottles.
In the prohibition town of Port
land, Me-, some of the restaurant
keeper obey the liquor law, but they
try to be good and have things con-
vivial, too, as witness such advertise
ments as these: Have you tried cur
birch beer in steins?" After the thea
ter have a welsh rarebit with root beer
drawn from the wood" Order a toby
of lemon soda with the lobster"
There was just one case before the
recent session of the Cumberland Quar-
ter Sessions Court, in England. the
other day, that of an old woman who
was charged with stealing sixpence.
But no departure was made from the
regular procedure. A grand jury, thir-
ty-s1x common jurymen, an array Of
lconstables and clerks and Bench of
Justices, under the presidency of the
Right Hon. James Lowther, member
or Parliament, dealt with the matter.
-Ex-Mayor Osgood of Norwich.
Conn, who passes much of his time
in New York, is an inveterate smoker
and has recently learned how he can
safely satisfy his appetite for the weed
even when in bed or reclining ON a
lounge, says the New York Times. He
has discovered that, like the very large
majority of men, he cannot drop a Gig
arctic or cigar if he places it between
the second and third fingers of the left
hand, particularly. So he feels that IL
he should fall asleep while smoking
there would be little danger of ignitingT
the furniture, while he might be
quickly aroused by the burning of his
fingers. To prove his assertion Mr.. Os-
good had a score of men at the Fifth
Avenue Hotel try to drop a cigar or
cigarette held between the fingers des-
ignated. But one of. the score sue.
ceeded in dropping the weed. Mr.. Os-
good thinks this information, to smok-
ers especially, is worth knowing.
"A theory of progressive taxation
capable of representation by simple
ma thematical formulate is worked out
by Mr.. G. Cassel in the Economic
journal. He points out that the same
results that are obtained by means
of graduated income tax can be bet
ter effected by levying a tax at con-
slant rate per cent. and allowing suit
able deductions to be exempted from
taxation. Moreover, if tax is to pro-
duce equal sacrifices the amount
that should be exempted from taxa
ton should be larger for large than for
small incomes, as the cost of living
consistent with efficiency increases
with the amount of income to be earn.
ed. Mr.. CassePs proposal is based on
the supposition of a minimum of
subsistence" representing the income
exempt from taxation, and a maxi
mum of subsistence" representing the
cost of living consistent with efficiency
in earning an infinite income The
amount deducted for subsistence and
the rate of taxation are then repre-
scented by formulate of the form known
to mathematicfanS as "homogra phic
TRANSITIONAL tons"
1T has often occurred to me"
writes London correspondent, chat
there must be an enormous quantity
of waste tobacco in the shape of cigar
and cigarette ends lying about the
streets of the Metropolis So purely out
of curiosity / engaged the service of
a man to pick up within eight hours
as many cigar and cigarette ends as
he could find in that time. The person
whom 1 deputed to perform this pecu-
liar task provided himself with an old
brief bag, and left my house at 8
O'Clock in the morning, the under
standing being that he was to start
searching" at once, and continue 20
do so up till o'clock in the afternoon.
At O'Clock the man returned, mucd
to my aStonishmet, with the bag full
of the articles he had been in quest
of. Not only was the receptacle full,
but both of his overcoat pockets in adj
dition. l instructed the. man to undo
the cigarette ends in order that I
might ascertain the weight of the to-
bacco, of which, as may be imagin I'd,
there were many kinds. The actual
weight of the tobacco proved to be 8
pounds l ounce. The cigar ends turned
the scale at one pound and one-half
ounces
So-called infant prodigies so seldom
turn out in after life to be at all re-
markable for their attachments. that
cases to the contrary are of interest
The lamp of life burns too briskly at
first lighting and the oil is soon vast
ed This waste may be sometimes
traced to want of care at a critical
age OF the prodigy, but in the great
majority of cases the special cells
as the biologist would say-increase at
too rapid a rate, and either the prod
ICY sends his career as an idiot, or, at
least, without any special faculties to
distinguish him from the ordinary ruck
of human beings. The case of Joseph
Burks, who died at Batavia, N. Y, the
other day at the right age of 81 years,
was a notable exception to the general
rule. At years old he was so remark
able violinist that a professional tour
in Europe won him the pIaudits both
of critics and the general public. Two
years later he became an actor, play
ing Shakespearean roles with amazing
intelligence, and at IA he was wealthy
as the result of his performances. In
his twenty-fifth year he was sue
cess as a member of the bar. He was
the accompanist of Jenny Lind on her
American tour, and for years was
president of the New York Philhar-
monte Society. He retained full control
of all his senses, and his mental pow
ers were unimpaired to the day of his
death.
In his recent review of the ART of
War" Sir Charles Dixie expresses
doubt whether in future war IL will
be possible ito employ cavalry on the
field of battle" and thereby implies a
doubt of the usefulness of the pistol