The independent., 1907-01-31

dence. In Italy, with her small Jewish
population, there is a large number
of Jews in parliament, and the most
important positions in the Italian cab
met of ministers are held by Jews,
who, moreover, take interest in Juda-
ISM"
There Is in London a cafe much fire.
quented by diamond merchants, and
known appropriately as the African
cafe, where it would seem that a ro-
mancer might find good material
Stevenson, for example, might we'll
have laid a scene in "The Rajahs Dia-
mond," there. It was farce, however, in
stead Of romance that blossomed forth
the other day, when an American dia-
moDd merchant, whose name was sup
pressed, but who may be identified by
the description-"tall and handsome,
with a prominent nose"-sprang to his
feet declaring that he had been robbed.
There were fifty other diamond ex-
perts in the cafe, but he barred the
door and declared that all must be
searched Luckily, when the police ap-
peared, he searched himself first. and
the missing stones came to light,
Whereupon he made a handsome gift
to the police orphanage, and clapped
his diamonds into his safest pocket
Snow is a well known meteor,
formed by the freezing Of the vapors
in the atmosphere" This is from a
scientific treatise of eighty years ago,
and the London Chronicle makes an
odd mistake in laughing at it: 1--WE
nave long since ceased to think of
snow as a meteor 1t is simply
nf
literally things in the air. and the
term was formerly applied to all at
mospheric phenomena, as when Bishop
Hall calls hail IAN ordinary meteor
This use is still preserved in the word
"meterology" The specific use of
meteor" for shooting star, which
tends to increase because Shooting
star is an entirely inaccurate term,
has naturally curtailed the use of
meteor" in a more general sense,
which Is rather a pity, because at
mospheric phenomenon" is a clumsy
and poor equivalent. 1t would be
awkward, for example, to get on with
out "meteorology," and it would be
convenient to keep in practical use
term to express the subject matter of
that science, which is precisely the
Greek "meteora.''
There is a strange jostllng Of the
medieval and the modern in the story
which comes from Italy Of the con-
troversy over the liquefaction Of the
blood of ST. Januarius. This miracle,
which takes place several times year
in Naples for the editicatlOn Of large
numbers of people, was Initiated some
time ago by Prof Giaccio, and he has
now been challenged by two Catholic
professors Of chemistry in Rome to re-
peat his experiment under conditions
prescribed by them-the material to be
prepared in their presence and then
shut up till next May in a safe with
three locks. The phenomena to be pro-
duced in May under these conditions
are variations of temperature within
the limits of Sc to So degrees Fahren-
heit; variations as to the time required
for the liquefaction from one minute
to several hours; variations in volume
and weight Professor Giaccio has ac-
cepted all the conditions except the
last which he holds to be not merely
contrary to the law of the indestructi-
bilty of matter, but to rest, in the
case of the Naples miricle, upon very
slender evidence
1t Is to be noted that the "Ameri-
canism" Jail is creeping into English
use, much to the Indignation of pur-
lists. The London Chronicle, for ex-
ample, has admitted 1t to its columns,
though an editorial paragrapher finds
IL necessary to protest. This is one
of the commonest of Americanisms
used day after day. and the reason for
its popularity is perhaps TO be traced
to the fact that many people are apt
to mispell 'gaol' by goal The facts
In the case, OF course, are that jail
Ia not an Americanism at all. but one
OF two variant English forms. "jail."
from the old French "jaiole." and
gail" or "gaol," which should be pro-
nounced like gale" IL never Is, ex-
cept by unInstructcd Americans who
come upon IL In print. and tho reason
for this anomaly Is that the archaic
form "gaol" (which was, by the way.
formerly spelled also goal" as bad
spellerN according To- the Chronlcla |