The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1920-05-13


the Oriental method of extracting teeth is,
to say the least, a triAe maddening. In
several parts of China the forceps en-
ployed to perform the disagreeable opera
ton are simply the human fingers.
Trained from youth to pull pegs from a
wooden board, the hand-training gives
him fnger-grip equivalent in its strength
to a lifting power of between 800 and
400 pounds. For toothache he employs
opium, peppermint oil, cinnamon oil, and
Glove oil. He sometimes fills teeth, but
does it so carelessly that the filings stay
in only few months. An element of
superstition runs through all the work.
According to the system all dental woes
are brought on by tooth worms. The
nerve pulp is such worm, and is always
shown to the patient. For humbugging
purposes also, the dentist carries about in
his pockets some white grubs, and after
he has extracted tooth he shows a grub
to the sufferer as the cause of all the
trouble.
Chinese writing used to require a
knowledge of 100000 signs or characters,
which could only be mastered after five or
six years study. A new national phonetic
system has now been established by
government decree. 1t is called Chu Yin
Tzu-Mu, and makes learning easy. The
new writing, already widely taught all
over the country, uses only 80 symbols in
stead of as many thousands. This alpha
bet consists of "a initials, IL finals and
three medals or connecting sounds. The
new system, it is believed, will have
profound influence on the future of China.
Books and magazines have already come
into print, newspapers are finding wider
and wider constituencies, the type writer
has entered Chinese business, while week
by week a larger number of Chinese be-
come able to read.
A turtle measuring six feet from head
to tail and five feet across its shell, the
head being fifteen inches in circumfer-
ence, was caught recently by japanese
fishermen and released by All Long,
Chinaman, who paid $50 for the privilege
of giving the turtle its freedom. The
turtle weighed 900 pounds, and some have
guessed its age to be anything up to 1000
years. The probable reason for the pur-
chase and freedom given to the turtle,
says Daily Express writer, is that the
reptile is a sort of sacred emblem, and the
Chinaman who can set one free in the
ocean considers himself especially blessed.
An interesting ceremony followed the f.
rancial transaction. All Long fed the
turtle with several bowls of sake, the fav-
orite alcoholic drink of the japanese, and,
accompanied by as many friends as could
be accommodated in two sampans, sailed
out to sea. The turtle was released after
many prayers had been said.
Umbrellas are by no means modern
contrivance. They are found sculptured
on the monuments of Egypt and in the
ruins of Nineveh, and their use in China
and in India is very ancient. In Greece
they had part in certain religious cere-
monies, and there is no doubt from the
paintings on ancient Greek vases that UNI
brellas were known centuries before the
Christian era. They were also used
among the Romans, but only by women.
An English dictionary published in 1908
defines an umbrella as "screen common
ly used by women to keep off the rain"
Umbrellas were introduced in America in
the early part of the Eighteenth Century,
but their use at first was confined exclu-
sively to women, as it was considered eff
Terminate to carry one. Jonas Hanaway is
said to be the first man who walked the
streets of London with an open umbrella
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