Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-07-17
Odd Items of Interest

LII. T1eIlTV DdluW Ill " dIu, VIII va .
been dean of the college of medicine
and professor of zoology at the univer-
sity of Nebraska for many years, has
just accepted the position of professor
of zoology at the university of Illinois.
Prof. Ward is a graduate Of Williams
college in the class of S5. His later
studies were carried on at the univer-
stiles of Gottingen, Freiburg (Badan)
Leipsic and Harvard. At the latter
he took his doctors degree in 1892. In
1902-03 he was an instructor in the
university of Michigan. Prof. Ward
is a member of several societies and q
contributor of various monographs
and papers on biological subjects,
especially animal parasites and rela-
lions Of animals to disease.
The citizens home rule league OF
Sacramento, Cal, with a view to pre-
venting abuses now abundant, has
prepared saloon ordinance, which
will be submitted to the people to be
voted upon. The ordinance forbids
saloons in residence districts, orders
midnight closing and half-Sunday
closing, requires that licenses shall be
renewed yearly and causes dealers
who have violated the law to forfeit
the privilege of having licenses
renewed. And all this. which seems
tame and liberal to persons accus-
toned to the stricter liquor laws of
the East. is regarded in Sacramento
as a drastic measure of reform. The
ordinance directs that the character
of the applicant for license shall be
investigated and found to be good be-
fore the application is granted, and
also directs that any application for
license must be accompanied by a
petition signed by half the taxpayers
owning property in the block in which
it is intended to carry on the saloon.
A MAJORITY of these shall not be in
terested in the sale of liquor"
The readiness with which low forms
of life accommodate themselves to altered
environment. shows that they are capable
of. being trained or educated to certain
extent. Stahl has shown that a certain
plasmodium fees when sprinkled with
salt, but if the salt be added to the me-
dunn gradually the organism accommo-
dstes itself to the new medium. Purpose
full action is manifested by plans as well
as: by animals. and by both unicellular
multicellular.
Jumbo. the famous elephant, was killed
by a train at st. Thomas, Ontario, the
night of September Is, 1856. The Barnum
circus had given a performance in that
city and was packing up. Jumbo, &C
companied by a baby elephant was on
a railroad track when a special train
came along. Jumbo gave a shrek of
warning and ran down the track to the
"baby's" assistance. but was run down
by the train. The baby elephant was
thrown from the track by the pilot of the
engine and escaped with broken leg.
This refined cruelty is attributed to a
French gentleman who had finished his
holiday in England and had just paid
a very large hotel bill. He was indignant,
but his native courtesy was unmpaired.
Send re proprietaire to me-" he said to
the waiter, and presently the host en-
tered. 'Ah, let me embrace YOU the
Frenchman cried. But why do you want
to embrace me. sir? l don't understand"
"Ah. saire, but look at zee beel." your
bill! Yes. but what of it?" 'vot of it?
see you again, saire."
The White Star liners now under way
will not be quite SO large as was COM
mcnly supposed, although they will yet
be considerably larger than the Maure-
tania and Lusitania. They will measure
$50 feet between perpendiculars and 500
feet over all. The beam will be 81 feet
and they will have nodded depth of GA
feet. which is four feet more than the
depth of the Mauretania. A notable fea-
ture of the construction of these boats
will be the power equipment, which will
consist of two engines of 1900 horse
power driving the wing propellers and a
10, 0O0-horse power turbine driving the cen
trail propeller. This combination will be
sufficient to drive the ships at a sea
speed of 1875 knots.
The blue rays emitted by the mercury
vapor lamps have bactericial properties
which are being experimental with for
the purpose of making use of them III the
sterilization of drinking water. 1t has
been demonstrated that lamp of nine
amperes and 1875 volts, suspended in an
ordinary cask was very effective In puri-