Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-02-01
BIOGRAPHIES OF OLD
SURPRISING BITS OF INFORMATION
THEY IMPAIRED.

Some of the Questions and Answers
Contained In an Eighteenth Gem
fury Publication Two Curiositics
That Were Located In France.
For score Of years after geogra-
phies began to be introduced into the
schools of America they depended
largely on the use Of a globe to make
clear the divisions of the earth. It
was not long, however, before nearly
every book was accompanied by an ut
las, and this continued customary to
about 1850.
Jedidiah Morse was pioneer among
American authors OF school geogra-
phies. The earliest rival to contest the
field with Morse's books was small
volume of questions and answers COM
piled by Nathaniel Dwight and pub
lished at Hartford In 1895. Below are
some of the curious bits Of information
the volume imparts:
Q. What are the Russian funeral GER
emonies? A. They are singular. The
priest prays and sprinkles the corpse
for eight or ten days. 1t Is then bur-
led with passport to heaven signed
by the bishop and another clergyman,
which is put between the fingers Of the
deceased, and then the people return
to the house whence they went and
drown their sorrow in intoxication.
This they commonly do for about forty
days. during which time the priest
says prayers over the grave.
Q. Are there any lakes in Scotland?
A. There are many, but two are very
remarkable. One near Lochness Is on
the top Of hill almost two miles high.
This lake Il small. but it has never
been sounded, nor does it ever freeze.
About seventeen miles distant is an
other lake which is frozen all the year.
@. What are the persons and charac-
tiers Of the Scots? A. They are gener-
ally lean, rawboned and have high
feature.
q. What are the diversions of the
Scotsi A. They are all of the vigor.
GUS, athletic kind-such, as dancing
golf and curling. The golf is species
Of ball playing performed with a bat
and ball. the extremity Of the bat
being loaded with lead, and the party
which strikes the ball with fewest
strokes into hole prepared for the
purpose wins the game.
Q. What are the customs and diver.
sions of the Irish2 A. There are few
customs existing in Ireland peculiar tc
this country. These are their funeral
bowling and presenting their corpses in
the streets to excite the charity Of
strangers; their convivial meetings or
Sunday and dancing to bagpipes, which
are usually attended with quarreling.
@. What curiosities are there in
Francei A. A fountain near Grenoble
emits a flame which will burn paper
straw, ETC., but will not burn gunpow.
der. Within about eight leagues of the
same place Is an inaccessible mountain
in the form Of a pyramid reversed.
Q. What do you observe of the inhab
itants of Guinea? A. They are chiefly
pagans and idolaters. In Ego, where
the people are governed by king who
is not absolute. when they are tired Of
him deputntion waits on him and in
forms him that it is fatiguing for hin
to bear the burden of government any
longer, advising him to take rest. HI
thanks them and retires to his apart
ment as II to sleep and directs his wo
men to strangle him, and after he ex
pires they destroy all things which be
longed to him or to themselves ant
then kill ono another. His son sue
ceeds to the government and on tn.
same terms.
Q. Give concise description of the
Giages and Annlansi A. The first in
habit part Of the Kongo coast; tn.
latter live in the Macao. The people
are cannibals. They kill and eat theil
frstbon children, and their friends
who die are eaten by their relations
The king of Macao resides in Monsol
where there is market in which hu
man flesh is sold, although other meat
exists In plenty. They esteem 1t lux
ury, and 1t is said 100 prisoners o.