The new age. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1896-1905, 1907-01-12

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weather. This stone was found in Fin
land many years ago by an explorer,
and has since been watched by sclen-
lists with great interest. 1t presents
white, notified appearance in sun
shine, gradually turning from gray to
black as rainstorm approaches. The
stone is composed of clay, inter and
rock salt. In dry weather the salt IN
the stone Is prominent, but when the
air is filed with moisture the salt abb
serbs the moisture and turns black,
thus forming the barometer.
At Strasburg. Germany, a dental
clinic has been opened at the university
for the treatment of school children.
Hitler all the school children are sent,
in order, by their teachers. Each child
is quickly examined, as many as eighty
children being dealt with In an hour,
and nearly 300 a day, by a single doc
tor. Teaching goes hand in hand with
treatment. The doctor tells the child
how to use a tooth brush, sees that he
uses one, and sends him home to prac-
tice with it, The movement is spread
ing In Wiesbaden and Mulhausen
school dental clinics are to be erected.
Among the natural curiosities dis
covered by the Belgian exploring eXpe-
dition in the country lying between the
basins of the Congo and the Nile was
wild ig-tree-Figuier du diable-
which, having by the chance
of the winds had its birth on the sum-
NIT of AN enormous rock of granite,
and finding no nourishment for its ex-
panding roots near by, sent one long
root in search Of soil down the face
of the rock until 1t reached the rich
earth at the bottom. There it buried
itself in the ground, and thus estab-
lished a chain of life for the depend
ent plant above.
Fluid resins or oils from several diff
ferent trees are extensively used in the
Philippines as varnishes. One Of them,
called oil of supa, is pale yellow
liquid when fresh, but it becomes dark
and viscious after contact with the
air. Spread in thin layer, it dries
slowly and forms a hard varnish. 1t
is also capable Of being burned In a
lamp. Another natural varnish Is ba
lao, also called oil of apitong. 1t is
white when fresh, but darkens after
exposure, and makes very tough var
nish. OIL of panao is a third variety,
inferior to the others in Its drying
properties Chemical analysis has
shown that all these wood oils consist
entirely of hydrocarbons known as
sesquiterpenes.
Many of the scientific journals IN
Europe lately have given attention TO
curious discovery reported to the
Paris Academy OF Sciences by Profess
sor Bouchard. This discovery is that
under the action of the X-rays gray
hair, on the head and face Of patient
treated for lupus, gradually assumed
its natural color, and retained it with
surprising tenacity. But only the hair
directly reached by the rays was thus
affected, and it is pointed out that it
would be dangerous to employ such a
method to restore the color of a per
sons hair. The fact is regarded as
interesting in itself, but should not be
accepted as a basis for the opera
tons and claims Of quacks. Professor
BOuchard said that he did not wish 10
base any practical conclusions upon 1t.
DR.. Guthnick of the Royal Obserya-
tory at Berlin has recently announced
the result Of his photometric studies
of six of the principal satellites of Sat
urn. He confirms the previous conclu-
siOns of other observers that several.
and perhaps all, Of these satellites be-
have like our own moon in keeping al
ways the same side toward the planet
round which they revolve. In regard
to the satellite named Tethys, he Of
fers an interesting hypothesis to ac-
count for its very marked changes Of
luminosity. His idea is that Tethys
possesses the form of long ellipsoid
the two principal axes of which are
" OhS phNAhSA III luC- TdllO Vi I'VE 10
two. 1t will be remembered that a sim
liar suggestion has been made concern
ing the shape Of the asteroid Eros.
which likewise exhibits great variations
Of light, according to its position In It's
orbit about the sun.
All the ingenuity that has been en-
pIoyed in the past few years In the in
vention Of submarine boats would be
wasted but for the means that have
been found to bestow upon the sub
merged vessel, or upon those who nayi-
gate it, the ability to see what is go
ing on upon the surface Of the water.
These means are simple in principle.
as they depend only upon the reflection
and conduction of light, but almost
every nation has its own methods of
supplying "eyes" to its submarine war
boats. and the details are kept more
or less secret. Universally, the anna
ratus comprises a tube rising above
the water, and carrying rejecting sur
faces by which the images of ships and
other objects above are carried to the
watchful eyes beneath Mirrors nnye
usually been employed, but the French
navy has substituted for Them total