The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-07-31

Through four long years of study
| Atnletlcs prove the key.
With drafts on fathers check book
To get glad A. 3.
Next stage, the honorary,
Is made both wide and free
Few men who gain distinction
Escape the Ill. D.
But morning, noon and evening
The hardest work we see
Is keeping daily hustling
To hold a J. o. B.
-AdcLandburgh Wilson IN the n. z sun
Popular Errors Concerning VoIcanos.
| The eruption of a volcano is an oc-
! casion for the reiteration OF fundaTnent-
al errors concerning volcanic phenom-
ena-
The official dispatches and the most
serious reports say that the crater
'yonlits flame, that black smoke
escapes from the mountain, and tnest
showers of cinders" are thrown OUT
by the subterranean fires. There are as
many errors as there are words IN these
statements. The fact 1s-and saVaI4es
know it-that there is no combustion II
volcanic phenomena; there is no eruP-
4 ton of fire or fame: d volcano never
discharges either smoke or ashes
LIQUID lava is a n0ncombust1ble rock
which 1nelts at high temperature
/ Thus heated. when red-hot, lava burns
cornbustible bodies: herbs, grass, wooo
even men and animals, If 1t comes IN
contact with them In other words
lava burns things. but it never Is con-
sumed.
T1his statement may raise an outcry,
because every one who has seen vol
cano in action has seen the fiery light
from the crater. But flames never issue
from the crater. What looks ike nre
| is lurid light reflected on the CLOUDS; the
| reflection of incandescent lava. Lava
is often seen through the lateral assures
in the tanks of the volcanic mountains,
| but it seldom OverfoWs. The raise loea
that lava overf10Ws a crater, just as
water escapes from an overful pitcher,
| is firmly fixed in the human mind The
newspapers recently stated to the world
/ that "a new crater had formed at the
| base of VeSuyius." Error there IS no
! new crater; the simple fact is this: lava
/ had found its way out of one OF the rs
| sures on the slopes of the volcano. The
lava was in the mountain, and the rs
sure was there, but until recently the
| lava had not reached the assure. But
| the smoker, How do we account for
| that? No one can deny that Etna's
summit is always pluned with black
smoke, even when the volcano sleeps,
and did not Pliny the Younger compare
the smoke of Vesuvius to a gigantic
pine cone on fire?
Wen, yes; 1t looks like it, Appear
ances are against me, but appearances"
lin this case particularly ARE deceit
| ful'-there is no smoke in a volcano, be-
cause there is no combustion in progress
and there cannot be smoke where there
is no fire. What the ill-informed take
for volumes OF smoke is cloud formed
| by vapor-stea.n escaped from the vol
canO- Steam escapes from the crater,
and when 1t enters the cold air is con-
denses and forms minute drops which
| mass and look like clouds of smoke
Castor BONNER in Harper's Weekly.
4 Bishops Adventures on the Plains.
Bishop Talbot, of central Pennsylva-
/ MIA rela ties, in Harper's Magazine for
July. some of his amusing experiences
in the west during his missionary days
| out there in the eighties A character
istic experience is the following:
Reaching Clayton about 1 O'Clock, I
was met cordially by my host. who
bade me alight and partake of his hos
pitafty. was somewhat late for din
ner, but the dining room was still open,
and soon found myself seated at the
table. Scarcely had I begun my din
ner. when q man in the far corner of
the room hailed me in loud voice.
Hello, Bishop said he, is that
.i%Yes. I replied.
9 Bishop come over this way and
eat with a feller.' reckoning to me. BY
this time l had easily discovered that
my friend was far from sober. I de-
clined the invitation to join him by re-
minding him that I had already been
served, and that it would be inconveni-
enL TO nave my Q1SheS carried over 10
| his table / added that I would see
him after dinner That suggestion did
not at all satisfy him. He said:
Bishop, are you going to talk to
the boys here tonight2' 1 told him that
| was my object in coming to the camp.
Well he added, I am glad, for God
knows these fellows here need it. You
see, bishop. the trouble with the boys
here is that they drink too much He
was obviously the last person to COM
plain of that tendency on the part of
his brothers. So I ventured to say,
Well, my friend. I am very sorry to
it seems to me that you are suffering
from that same trouble yourself just
now
He saw my point, but was ready for
my sally. and quickly rejoined, You
are right. bishop; but don't you see.
when the bishop comes, a feiler just
has to celebrate -
| Tho Now sssv, E-av,<;eco