The San Francisco call., 1909-12-07

wear long hair over the whole head
and to arrange it in tuft or coil on
the top AS might be expected. the ar
bitrary command to change from the
national costume TO the shaven pate
and the dangling queue was quite M
welcome. The change was gradual. but
finally prevailed throughout the EN-
pire-so gradual that at the commence
nnent OF the reign OF Kanghf in 1852. the
second Tartar emperor, very few at
Fuhchau had adopted the custom Of
their conquerors. At first those who
shaved their heads and conformed TO
the laws received. 1t is said, the pres
ent Of tael (about so cents. United
States value-) OF silver; after while
only half tael. and then only a tenth
of a tael. and afterward only an egg.
Finally even an egg was not allowed
The law requiring ths people to shave
the head and braid the queue was not
rigidly enforced by the penalty OF i'm
mediate death. but il became very
manifest that those who did not con-
form to the wishes OF the dominant dy-
nasty would never become successfrI
in a lawsuit against those who did con-
form. nor would they succeed at the
literary examinations. Soma of the
proud iterati and gentry who refused
20 conform TO the degrading and for
eign custom not only lost their hair.
but their heads. Ever since. in sections
VI tAC clIRlIc loyal 10 the EefEnlnE
family, the present fashion Of the ton
sure and the queue has been accepted
by the Chinese as the badge OF servi-
tude to the Tartars."
POLITICS R. City. What is the correct
Pol-i-tiks. with the sound Of 20 as
in odd. and that of ~ as in ILL.,
ANTS-Subscriber. City.
DR.. W. F. Browning in a letter TO
this department on the subject OF
methods to destroy ants says. You viii
find the following most rapid ant d.
stroyer. Make a solution OF bichlorfde
OF mercury in nitric acid saturated So
lution). Dilute one-half with water.
Apply wifh feather wherever the
tracks are found and around snch
kitchen articles as are usually in
fected. as sugar and sour barrels. etc.
This solution is very poisonous. so care
must be taken that the bottle Is Ia
beled Poison" 1 have seen this mix
ture used with marvellous success in
the kitchens OF Manila, P. t.
PENsroN--A. s.. Rsdwine. Cal 10 wAcu,
should apply about the right q one vho en-
listed In the California volunteers tnrin< the
civil war. to pensions
To the United States pension agent,
k~@~
declared that IL Is lawful to break promises
You probably refer to what Michel
ssfgneur de Montague. 1533-15SS a
French lawyer. and author OF "Essais.-
published in 1850, wrote but il is not
quite SO strong as you put IT, He wrote:
In matters OF private concernment we
can only excuse breach OF PROMISE
when we have promised something that
is unlawful and wicked In itself. for
the rights Of virtue ought to take
precedence of any private obligation OF
ours.s
MODELLING cLAY-A Reader. santa Cruz.
Cal. How is modelling clay prepared;
BY kneading dry clay with glycerine
instead OF water.
THE PLAY-Subscriber. City. What IL the
origin Of the phrase. '-rhe game is not worth
1t is an old French saying based on
a proverb the origin OF which can not
be traced Pierre Cornefl1e. born tn
1905, died 1854. one OF the leading play
writers OF his time. has in the comedy
lie Menteur" 1.-The L1ars) EFT le ieu,
CONNIE on dit, nen vaut pas les chan
delies. which literally translated is
and the play. as It is said. Is not
worth the candles" This has been
translated freely TO mean the game
is not worth the candle and the
business, as the proverbs says. viii not
pay the expense 1t Is asserted that
in the days that Corneille wrote. the
playhouses were lighted up with can
dies, and his reference was that GER
tain play put on the stage was not
worth the price Of the candles used to
light up the house