davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Pietermaritzburg Oldest
But One In South Africa

Although it is the smallest of the
four capitals of the Union Of South
Africa, Pietermaritzburg holds the
distinction of being the oldest and
most historic city outside of Cape
Province, for Port Durham, as Dur
ban was then called, consisted of
but handful of English when, in
1888, the Voortrekkers founded the
town of Pietermaritzburg.
Since that time one hundred years
ago, events have passed across the
page of history, like shadow pic
lures on wall, scenes of hopes and
disappointments and constructive
effort, says the Christian Science
Monitor. Today the town is known
as ''the Garden Colony of Natal"
a city of lovely residential streets
lined with blue jacaranda trees and
well-designed public and private
gardens among fine civic buildings.
The early Dutch settlers, called
Voortrekkers, came to Natal from
the Cape in 1888. Their new town
was planned and laid out with spa
cious streets and an open square.
A Volksraad was formed in 1889 a
year after the small township came
into being, and it received its Of
fetal name of Pietermaritzburg aft
er two former Dutch leaders.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
This Man Still Prefers to
1 Drive Horse and Buggy

NORTH EASTON, MASS.-This
moderr. world has the automobile,
the streamlined train and the super
speed airplane, but George W.. Nc
Lauthlen, 88, still lives in the horse
and buggy age.
For 80 years, up to a few months
ago, he drove a horse and buggy
six days a week to Brockton. Up to
10 years ago he was a shoe plant
superintendent. He retired but still
made the daily trips. Now, howev-
q, he goes to Brockton every other
day.
His horse is Hollywood Black
stone" a one-time record trotter,
who did a mile in 2:l0.
In the last 80 years McLauthlen
figures he has driven his horse and
buggy about 10000 miles. He add
ed:
81 hope 10000 more can be added
70 that before i hitch my buggy to
q star"
McLauthlen says he is always be-
ing urged to go modern and ride in
an automobile, but to every one he
says:
"I'n stick to my horse"
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Weights and Measures

A pint's a pound-or very nearly
--of the following: Water, wheat,
butter, sugar, blackberries.
A gallon of milk weighs 8.6
pounds; cream, 8.4 pounds; 46la
quarts of milk weigh 100 pounds.
A key of nails weighs 100 pounds.
A barrel of -four weighs 1876 lbs. !;
of salt, 280 lbs; of beef, fish, or
pork, 200 lbs; cement a bags)
376 lbs.
Cotton in standard bale weighs
480 pounds.
A bushel of coal weighs 80 pounds.
A barrel of cement contains 3.S
cubic feet; of oil, AZ gallons.
A bushel leveled contains 2,I50.42
cubic inches; a bushel heaped,
2,747.7 cubic inches. (Used to meas
ure apples, potatoes, shelled corn in
bin)
A peck contains 537.605 cubic
inches. A dry quart contains 67.2Ol
cubic inches. -Hoard's Dairyman.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Not Worth q Rap Came
To Us Many Years Aso

We often say thing is mot worth
a rap" meaning it is worthless.
Most of us imagine that the phrase
refers to rap on the knuckles or a
rap on the door knocker. But actu-
ally it originally referred to some
thing quite different, and if we wish
to be pedantic we would say, mot
worth an r. &. P"
This phrase came into our Ian
guage in curious way, says Pear
sons Weekly More than a hundred
years ago INSCRIPTIONS traders in
India discovered that worthless
coins which were being manufac-
tured in Ireland could be traded to
the natives and exchanged for good
Indian rupees, annas, and pice, the
local currency.
The government took steps to
stop the practice, but not before
many firms had suffered substantial
losses. AS the ledgers in which all
transactions were entered were
headed r. A. p. (for rupees, annas,
and pice) it stood to reason that
these sheets were worthless.
Among traders an r. A. p. sheet
was known as a ''rap"-the letters
being run together in somewhat
similar manner to the way we speak
OF { S. d. as ] d, and so when
anything was worthless it was the
custom to say mot worth rap"
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Turkey Put to Queer Uses
Not Found In Cookery Book

The turkey Is put to some queer
uses that you will not find in any
cookery book. It has an extremely
powerful gizzard, lined with horny
substance, forming a natural mill
stone good enough to grind down the
points of lancets and needles. Now
there is constant demand for seals
and small gems from Pompeii and
Herculaneum, demand far exceed
ing the supply. Most of those sold
are fakes, cut in Italian workshops.
The peculiar dull, semi-corroded ap-
pearance of the genuine article is
got by making turkeys swallow
these fakes, which stay IN the giz-
card until they are given the final
convincing touch, and deceive the
expert.
Turkeys feathers are the finest
flor arrows used in archery, except
ing peacocks. Of which, the supply is
too limited. Only about five feathers
from each wing are suitable, and
these have the barb on one side only.
Their particular virtue is that they
stay quite stiff after being glued to
the wooden shaft. Even eagles
feathers are too weak for. this tpur-
pose Before the value of turkeys
feathers was discovered about cen
fury ago, goose-feathers were used
for arrows.
The smaller feathers of the tur-
keys are used for stuffng mat
tresses; the lighter ones for max
ing brushes for busting furniture.
The Indians of the wild turkey coun-
tries weave the feathers into net
work made of the bark of the null
berry tree. And turkey feathers are
used extensively in making fans, es-
pecially in France.-Tit-Bits.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Famous Thorn Bush

According to tradition the famous
thorn at Glastonbury cathedral was
brought and planted there by Joseph
of Arimathea, and was part of the
crown of thorns which was pressed
upon the brow of Christ. According
to tradition it blooms at Christmas
time and the possession of piece
is said to insure good fortune
through the year. There is also a
slip which has grown from a gift
from Glastonbury, at the Cathedral
of Saints Peter and Paul, now in
Washington, D. c.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31

CLEEPINESS is produced by lack
- of blood flowing to the brain. In
order to overcome this situation, the
body reacts by yawning, in an eff
fort to stay awake Yawning is a
stretching of the thoracic cavity
(chesD so that a greater flow of
venous blood enters it from the alb
domen and viscera. The heart then
has more fresh blood to pump to the
brain, as the circulation of the blood
is speeded up by pumping the blood
from the abdomen into the thorax
during the yawning movements.
When person awakes, after sleep,
yawning helps to wake him further.
Thus, yawning does not make peo-
pie sleepy; it helps keep them
awake.
Copyright -WNU Service
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Odd Hobby Becomes
r Vocation for Clerk
Retires to Devote Time to
y Masking Violins.

FORT WORTH.-The life Of J. E,
Stamps Of Fort Worth, who for the
last IS years has repaired and built
victims for great contemporary mas
ters solely as q hobby, is changed
now.
He has quit his job as a railway
mail clerk and set himself up as a
violin 'repairer and builder at his
home.
Many secret dramas important to
The world Of music have occurred in
the little workshop at Stamps home.
An artist, In a At Of temper,
smashed his $50. 900 violin. The in
strument "a Stradivarius - was
brought to the stout, beaming, be-
spectacled amateur, Stamps, for re-
pairing. Within few weeks it was
returned to the musician and still is
IN use.
Stamps has worked on the Stradi-
JSarius, valued at 500, 900, of Fran
els Macmillan. He handled another
famous instrument owned by the
late Nicholas Longworth.
And hundreds of people have
come with violins which they hoped
i would identify as Stradivarii, -
Stamps recalled. But almost in
Variably they were disappointed"
He argues that violins 200 years
old are not sweeter i'm tone, neces-
sarily, than cheaper and newer
ones. Fifty years of seasoning is
enough to give a violin a perfect
tone" he said, and pointed out that
several radio artists and symphony
violinists use instruments he has
made.
Stamps favorite is the Guarnerius
violin, although he seldom plays one
himself. 1T is more fun to make
them" he explains, land besides
i do that better"
Stamps imports seasoned maple
from Germany and Czechoslovakia.
His instruments contain materials
valued at about $50, and he sells
them tor as much as $780,
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
!! Rhodesia Ruins Doubted
As of Ancient Origin

CAPE TOWN.-The mysterious
ruins at Zimbabwe. Southern Rho
sdesia, thought to be the creation of
;long-lost civilization, may be only
100 years old and built by Zulus.
That Is the belief of Servaas D. le
.Roux, Rhodesian big game hunter.
writing in Die Burger" He re-
3ects the theory that the ruins are
thousands Of years old.
He bases his theory on the bo-
tanical growths on the walls.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Cranberry Boys Built BIZ dan

Cranberries require an = id. peat
soil. Cedar swamps makN deal 10
cations, provided they he level
areas suitable for flooding. lus res
ervoirs of fresh water, fac ties for
draining and a good s. ply of
sand. Contrary to popul belief,
cranberry bogs are buik-ts man,
not by nature.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Beginning of Olympic Games

The modern Olympic games be-
gan with an international athletic
meet in the stadium at Athens,
Greece, in 1896. This was made
possible largely through the munif-
icence Of a. wealthy Greek; of Alex
andria, George Aberoff,. and the
Greek national committee. Baron
Pierre de Coubertine, a Frenchman
and promoter of international good
will, was chiefly responsible for or
ganizing the International athletic
committee in 1895 to- re-establish
these games, to be held every four
years in some country chosen by the
committee. It is a counterpart of
the ancient Greek Olympic festival,
intended to contribute 10 the cause
Of sportsmanship and International
friendship.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31

According to the book, e lerican
Glass, lone famous old b lie dis
plays horse drawing or ais a
-four-wheeled cart loaded w-dh bales
OF cotton and Jumps of Goa It sig
nalized the completion of 2 Balti-
more & Ohio railroad in 80. :. &.
The design was impress on a
panel lengthwiss Of the b tie and
the legend, Success to zee Rail-
road was shown on the Ee.Argin of
the panel"
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31

Soap an Old-Timer

Soap is one of the oldest products
used by man, says Industrial and
Engineering Chemistry" Funda-
mentally the chemistry Of the soap
reaction is essentially the same as
it was IN the prehistoric days when
the first soap was made by the
spillage of melted wax from altar
candles on wood ashes, but the
methods of manufacture have
changed to the extent that a mod
ern soap factory is a model of engi-
neering skill and efficiency.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31

The Indians domestic s.eimals
were the dog and the horse I'D he
liked them both. But So pgely
enough, while he provided 20 | and
shelter for his dog he provids J nei-
Their Of these for his horse. . l11spite
the fact the dog was more OF less a
companion and the horse prs tically
a necessary asset for transp alton,
the redskin let the bigger animal
look out for itself. In sum ner the
horse could eat grass and 4 ,liage,
but in winter the animal U.S. lily got
pretty thin-and cold, while re dog
stayed warm inside the wigf n and
fat on the food its master f ished.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Makes Home in Mudban

One of .Africa's most famous fsh
is exported in mudbans. This freak
of nature, the mudfsh, burrows into
river beds when the dry season ap-
proaches, and can live there Tor
months at a stretch. Should any
visitor to Africa wish to bring back
a lungfsh, it need only to be inn
prisoned in a solid block of mud and
may thus be shipped safely to al
most any part of the world.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Enxland,s Barring Panic

The Barring panic occurred IN
England in 1890 and came at the
end Of a period of violent oyerspec-
ulation. The failure of the broker
age house of Barring Bros. precipi-
tated the panic which. spread ITO a
number of other banks and broker
age houses. The intensity Of the
crisis was alleviated by loans Of
gold obtained by the Bank Of Eng
land from the Bank of st. Peters
burg and the Bank of France.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Message to Garcia

Lieut.. Andrew S. Rowan was sent
by the United States government
with the message to Garcia, leader
of the Cuban insurgents, when war
between the United States and Spain
was imminent early IN 1893. Rowan
left Washington April 8 and after
many hardships reached Garcia's
headquarters in the mountain dis
tricts Of the island May /. The
message was verbal and was not
committed IN writing, as often has
been stated. :
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Human Body l. the Most
Consolidated of Machines


Your body is one Of the most I'M
teresting machines ever seen; q ma
chine so complicated that the chief
wonder is that it does not give trou-
bic more often, says Tit-Bits. It
contains about $500, 900 pores
about 5000 to the square inch
and the human skeleton has more
than 200 bones! All the blood in
your body is pumped through your
heart once every minute, and your
heart beats about 20 times a min
ute, or 100, 300 times a day. The
average person can hold about go
cubic inches of air in the lungs,
and at each breath about $3.50 cubic
inches is inhaled and exhaled.
Most men breathe about 10 times q
minute; women slightly faster.
Your body has more than 500 mus
cles and about an equal number of
nerves and blood vessels, and your
normal temperature is $50 degrees
Fahrenheit. Every day your body
throws OF about four pints of water:
20 ounces from the skin, ten ounces
from the lungs and so ounces from
the kidneys. In addition to this you
lose about half an ounce of nitrogen,
an ounce Of mineral salts and eight
ounces Of carbon.
To counterfeit this waste the aver
age person takes in about 5h pounds
OF food and drink a day, which is
almost ton in a year.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Bretsn ana Cernxan Alike

The charm Of Frances Breton
coast makes strong appeal to Eng
lishmen, for its gray granite rocks
bear q striking resemblance to the
widest parts Of the Cornish and
Welsh coasts, likeness that is fur
Their strengthened by the rocky reefs
with which the coast is. strewn and
the innumerable bays and creeks
with which it is indented. st. Malo
is an excellent center for the full
exploration Of this area.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Fish Tale: Pigeons
Report His Catch

PASS CHRISTIAN, MISS.-Bid-
well Adam, former lieutenant
governor Of Mississippi, is great
believer in telling your fish sto-
ries while they're news.
He carries two horning pigeons
on fishing trips in the Gulf and
dispatches his messengers with
tidings after each big catch. A
few minutes later, Mrs. Adams
receives the news and gets the
skillet hot.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Plant Called Colts Foot

The galax aphylla is commonly
known as colts foot because the
shape of the leaf resembles the i'm
print of colts hoof. Galax is
beautiful evergreen which thrives
in the Allegheny ranges, being es-
pecially abundant in North Caro-
lima.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
General Grants Slang Words

General Grant was never known
to have burst out with any honest
to-goodness cuss words, despite the
occasions when he must have felt
like doing so. The closest he ever
came to it, as far as is known, was
during the wilderness campaign,
when several times he was heard
to say, ''doggone it, and CON
found it."
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31


The "Olive Branch" petition,
signed by John Hancock, and IS
other members Of the congress, Is
considered by many historians sec
ond in significance only to the Dec
laration of Independence. Signed
at Philadelphia on July Q, HTS, it
was almost the last effort Of the
United colonies to induce the stub
born George III to avert the inn
pending revolution by repeating the
statutes which were distressing his
transatlantic subjects. Twenty-Five
Of the delegates who subscribed
their names to it were to sign the
Declaration a year later. The doc
ument, engrossed in a bold round
hand, covers seven pages.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Buildings Sing. Speak

The French writer Valery has one
character ask another, in one of his
books, If he has not noticed Sin
walking about the city that among
the buildings with which it is peo-
pied certain are mute, others
speak and others-and they are
most rare-sing?"
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31

Bowling ia Fire IS done on the
open roadway and .beers no resem-
blance 10 the more sedate variety
popular in America. In Eire il 10 q
game Of strength assvell as skill.
Usually two Tpen from widely sep.
arated places are the cQnfestants,
each being backed blythe entire
population q his own town. The
course is Of three to four miles in
length, the iSlea being to negotiate
the distance 10 an agreed upon pub.
lie house IN the fewest number q
throws using a 2S-ounce iron bali
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Made Clocks 10 End

Eli Terry, the famous& )nnecti-
cut clock maker, invented wood
en- shelf clock that he Z ed the
"Pillar Scroll Top Case" = 1914. In
spite of the elaborate Gag .ng and
good workmanship in thstst clocks
Terry sold quantities Of 7ttsm and
many are in use today.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
The Great British Empire

The British empire or British
Commonwealth of Nations is the
largest aggregation of land and peo-
pie under any single jurisdiction on
the globe, comprising about one
fourth of the earth's surface and
one-fourth of its inhabitants.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Visibility From Ship

A person standing at height Of
40 feet aboard ship can see the
horizon at distance of TIA nautical
miles, and can see the top of an
object 40 feet high at distance Of
14Lz nautical miles.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Blue Eyes at Birth q Myth

The popular theory that all new
born children have blue eyes has
been disproved. Careful examina-
tons under modern illumination re-
vealed almost 200 different hues in
their eyes.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Mettlach Pottery

Mettlach pottery was manufac-
tured in the town of the same name
in Germany, which is noted for the
fine color achieved in its pottery.
Usually beneath this Identification
there is a number.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
UNIQUE WAY Of Folding Wings

The earwig has the ms unique
way of folding its wins. of any
known insect. The wing = Is like
fan until nearly closed, t, is bent
back and tucked under S'le wing
covers, almost completf out of
sight.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Worlds First Written Ceei.sitution

In 1886 a band of abou 90 Eng
lish colonists settled in w u is now
the Connecticut valley a 2 within
three years, according (. Golfers
Weekly, wrote and &C ted the
worlds first written con ution of
a sef-governing people.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
During the Time Of {

There are no actual st;e.stics on
the population of the wosM during
the time of Christ. Lit1it of the
world was known then. A. estimate
placed the number at 1910, 900 in
the known world.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Vocational Educ.

Vocational education is 'chooling
to prepare students for .munera-
tive employment, as contf ;ted with
education intended prima ny to fur
nish culture.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Oririn Of Knishthood

Knighthood arose among the class
Of men who forswore all that was
low and debasing when the world
was sunk IN ignorance and sensual
ity, and the word remains as q title
Of the best Of the race.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Urban-Area DeRi y

The urban area, as def ID by the
bureau of census, include. all cities
and other incorporated ces rhav-
ing a population Of $500 more.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Procrastinatioi

Representation is L ) thief of
Time" said Uncle Eben. But then
de time of people dat pre- rastinates
ain very valuable nohos =
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Goose, Geese and Goo

One goose added to anot may
make two geese, or it ms make
two gooses. II all depei upon
what kind of a goose is nier :, says
Pearson's London Weekly-sn you
are speaking Of the kind Ssst you
roast and serve up, sH sulently
stuffed, il is geese, but if J "a mean
the kind of goose that q tAzsar uses
to shape the shoulders -of~a coat,
these are gooses. People q geese,
but they have never gon. i'm for
roast gooSes.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
u. s. Uses Much Soap

It takes about ten billion pounds
of soap a year to keep the world up
to its level of cleanliness, says one
authority. The United States uses
nearly one-third Of this amount.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
LES Reveal Piane,s Arc.

The age Of an antique piano 10
best determined by the legs. The
earliest pianos had four slender legs
similar to those Of the spinet or
harpsichord.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31

1t is not what we read, but what
we remember, that makes us learn
ed. It is not what we intend, but
what we do. that makes us useful.
It Is not q few faint wishes, but q
lifelong struggle, that makes us val
iant--Henry Ward Beecher.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31

Britain Produces China Clay
Next to coal, Britainps most inn
porfant natural material industrial
y b china clay, most Of it found IN
Q small area in Cornwall.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Hourglass Buried With

Centuries ago in severas. nropean
countries, an hourglass w usually
buried with the dead to ,mbolize
the passing of their brief noun" of
life, says Golfers WeeB6
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31

The chemicals in food we eat rep
resent q cross-section or the earth's
materials.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31

Colombia Recognized in 1Szz
The Republic of Colombia, at that
time made up of Venezuela. Colon
bia, Panama and Ecuador, was the
first Latin-American government to
have its independence recognized
by the United States (1822), reports
the Pan-American Union Bulletin.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31

Luzon is the largest q he Philip
pine islands with an ar Of 40,814
square miles.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31

The Spanish governors palace, in
the heart OF San Antonio, was used
BY Spanish viceroys as early a. 174Q
perhaps earlier. 'f'
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31

San Antonio was resort for
Comanche and Apache Indians be-
fore Columbus discovered America.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Cleaning Firms Long in U. s.

Cie2nlns Firms Long In u. ,.
The cleaning, dyeing and press
ing establishments which are found
in all American cities and towns are
by no means Of recent origin. There
was one in 17l3 in Philadelphia.
The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-31
Fur Seal Speedy Svs inner

A fur seal can swim 4 consid-
cradle distance at the 81 aimed rate
of so miles an hour.