The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-12-03
Queer Things in Nature


 whose natural guardians are neglectfuI or cruel. This latter field of labor is vide one. as the average negro pa- rent makes a fetich of the rod and punishes his children brutally.
 Very senstbly. these sisters do not pay overmuch attention to book edu- cation. The catechism, of course, but after that little learning in their opinion goes a long way. eThey strive to give the children a. good industrial training and 1t is'a matter of common l report that the Cathoiic-br negro is generally the most trustworthy of all servants. Unless, though, a housekeep- CT happens to be a Catholic in good re- pute, as a strict follower of her reliR- ion, let her not hope to lure one of these black birds out of the convent nest eg
 | The sisters care for as many chill dren as they can house and feed and a comical-looking set these children are. | Tn color they range from coal black l through all the lighter shades up to a dirty. freckled. red-haiFed white, all | cieanly dressed. all well-behaved, all | quiet as mice-at least when visitors are present. There are children from Mexico the West Indies and South America, these latter the children of | weil-to-do parents, who pay gener- ously for their keep and insist upon those seductive accomplishments--fan cy work and plano music.
 The sisters dwell with great pride | upon the wonders they have done by faith in God and begging from friends | As regards the last, one of the sights l In the New Orleans customhouse are the sisters, white and black, who on each pay day mutely stand on either | sire of the corridor through which the | employees must pass on their way from the cashiers office. With outstretched hand each sister silently charms a coin out of some mans pocket. Few are brave enough to withstand that ap- peal. The negro employees stick to | their color and give their doles to the black sisters, while not a few of the | whites give also to the blacks The | Convent of the Holy Family has been lucky enough to haveaseveral bequests I increase its revenues There is no doubt the sisters are useful members of society.
 Theater nrogrames were known even in ancient times, although they were 1 then of a very peculiar construction. In Greece and Rome they consisted of small tablets, which were handed out to the audience at the entrance. Those 1 occupying the best seats obtained pro- | grams beautifying worked In ivory, | Wnlie lHOSo occupying lu6 cneapeF | seats were given tablets in bronze. l The bronze tablets were distinguisli- ed by dove worked in the metal and the term ''piccionerio," used in Italy today as designating the lower priced seats in the rheater. dates from this | antique custom.
 One of the most useful instruments in use by surveyors is the odometer for measuring distances by the combination | of a single wheel and cyelometer.
 This is trundled along the ground in a straight line and the readings of the | indicator show exactly the dtstance traversed. By this means the surface measurements are obtained with ex- actness even when the ground is So rolling as to be difficult of measure | ment in any other fashion. bat the sur, veying party for determining the shonn dry between the English and French claims in the Sierre Leone soon found