The sun., 1908-02-16

the advertisements Of commission agents
| (bookmakers' touts) has likewise been under
consideration.
The Salvation Army as a matrimonial
agent is the latest possibility suggested by
Gen. Booth. He has been stating his views
! on the subject Of the decline in the birth rate
] in England and Wales. and his censure has
/ fallen heavily upon the head Of the bachelor,
whose selfishness he regards as responsible
in large measure for the condition Of
things.
The General not only expresses himself in
favor Of the imposition Of a tan upon all
bachelors, but thinks that the law should go
to the extreme Of making them marry.
Men who are unable to select wives for
themselves, he adds. should apply TO the
Salvation Army
II il announced from Stockholm that the
invitation extended some time ago to Prof.
Oscar Montelius, the Swedish archeologist,
to lecture before the Lowell Institute OF
Boston has now been definitely accepted.
The arran gements are that a series Of six
lectures shall be given, to begin in October
! next. Two Of the subjects will be The
| Mycenic Period In Greece" tho other four
being Pictures OF Life During Prehistoric
Times in Scandinavia"
II Prof. Montelius can spare the time to
extend his visit 1t Ia possible that he will
deliver some further lectures in Chicago.
John Gardner OF Fleetwood has invented
a mechanism which enables him to accom-
plish the feat Of steering boat by singing
TO it. He has succeeded in condensinE the
L., II A..
tions produced by sounds and thus OBJ
tanned power which he can turn to many
uses.
He sings on a certain musical note-it
must be a fixed note-by the side Of pond,
and the rudder Of little boat fitted with
Mr. Gardner's mechanism turns and steers
her around, or at his pleasure he can
start or stop the propeller by the same
mechanism.
Mr.. Gardner can fire a gun, light lamp,
or ring a bell at a considerable distance by
means Of his invention.
There 10 far more important future
before II. he thinks, than is shown by these
minor feats. Water is an excellent sound
conductor and by means Of his invention
which practically amounts to a very
elaborate system of mechanical sound sig
nals-Mr. Gardner believes he will be able
to insure almost complete safety for ves-
sells on the sea.
The booming of a submerged bell through
the water from a hghtship would set
mechanism at work in the submerged re-
ceiver Of an approaching ship. which could
be made TO blow a whistle or give warning
in some other unmistakable way. Thus the
human element. with its chance OF error.
as well as the difficulties Of fog. would be
removed.
Submarine wireless telegraphy-of in
calculable value to war vessels-can also,
Mr.. Gardner declares. be established by
means OF his invention.
DR.. B. p Grenfell has just returned from
Egypt and made public some translations
Of the interesting papyri which DR.. Hunt
and he discovered recently at the ruins OF
Oxyrhynchus. In the rubbish mounds
there they found all sorts OF documents in
little worse condition than when they were
thrown away. Among them were mar
rage contracts. invitations to dinner and
weekly bills for cooking.
One Of these manuscripts. OF which DR..
Grenfell supplies the date as the second
century. runs:
Chaeremon invites YOU to dine with him at
the table of the Lord Scraps In the Scrap
cum tomorrow. which il the 18th Of the
month. at . O'Clock labOut O'Clock in the
afternoonl.
Another translation runs:
Herats invites you to dine with her at the
marriage Of her children IN her house to-
morrow. which is the 5th, at O'Clock.
1t will thus be seen that the phrasing of
an invitation issued some eighteen hundred
years ago differed very little from the form
used in modern times.
A letter written between the second and
third centuries by a boy Of IL to his father.
who was going to Alexandria and could
not take his son there to live with him,
reads:
This is a Fhe thing-y not taking ma
TO the city. IL you won't take me to Alex
andria ! won't write you a letter or speak
to you OF say good-by to YOU. II
you won't take me l won't eat, won't drink.
There. nowl
But these extraordinary finds contain
nothing quite so remarkable as the ire
fltable evidence that the simple life move
ment was advocated 1000 years ago, and
that to-day its disciples are only rejecting
the sentiment Of one Of Pindar's odes,
which, at the hands OF DIR. Grenfell and
DR.. Hunt. is now laid bare.
This manuscript is a poem written for
the people of Ceos. which was celebrated
as the home Of athletes and poets. The
central idea Of the poem is the virtue Of
contentment with a simple life like that OF
the Ceans in their rocky island. The papy-
rus runs
Verify. though live on a rock. am known
for prOwess in Hellenic contests. ana known
for some display OF the MUSES. art; verify,
too. my acres bear a measure Of Bacchus's
nfegiving cure in extremity.
| have not horses nor share In the pas
turage OF kline; but neither would Melampus
leave his fatherland to lord II in Argos. The