HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1955-10-26, Page 7NDAY SCHOOL
LESSON
4 ,,,Prella,c warren 811i, H.9
TIE FARM FRONT
Can You Prove The
World' Is Round?
Human beings can live on the
sun — so said an amateur as-
tronomer in Germany, He
formed the theory that there
were "holes" in the sun which
were cool enough to be inhabited
by Men. He beCame so obsessed
with his theory that he offered
to pay 'anyOrie who could dis-
prove it more than five thousand
dollars.
The German Astronomical So-
ciety promptly produced the
proof and an independent jury
of experts decided they were
right. German court 'ordered
the astronomer to pay up. Be-
fore an .appeal could be heard
the astronomer :died in. an acci-
, dent; but the Federal Supreme
Court haS just upheld the ruling
that the sun is uninhabitable and
ordered his heirs to pay the re-
ward he so rashly offered.
Can you "square the circle"?
This means producing a formula
for erecting a square containing '
:exactly the same area as a given
circle, If you can do it — and
prove your solution is correct;---
there is a prize worth $200,000
Waiting for 'you.. Twenty years ,
ago a wealthy
'you,.
.mer-
chant left over three-quarters of
his fortune to anyone who could
solve the problem of squaring
the circle,
His helps tried to get the courts
to set aside the will on the
ground that squaring the circle
Was inipbsaibie. But the court
Held there was nothing inlirerit,
IY impossible about it and only
modified the bequest to the ex-
tent that proof must be - pro-
duced within fifty years. So, if
yell think you can do it, you
have thirty years left to prove
it and collect the money 'from
behind the Irbil Curtain.
A Squaring the circle is a pith-
lein that has fascinated
niaticlaris front the tithe Of, the
ancient Greeks;. Plato, Arehi-
Medea and Pythagoras tried it
and failed. Centuries later 'Gali-
lee and NeWton had a et) and
failed, It came to be realized
that:.the PrOblein waS ithnossible
Eta that hak not prevented th-
thUalastic • atrial:60s Oterkteina
their "titer:ifs:" A Fraliehtheti
tined 'Offered a,Stilliett trends in
anyone who could ProVe the
circle could not be squared;
A ' inathothaticiati
gaw the bred, which .denends
on' the fact that thatiV
hiltidredS of pladeS of decimal
YOU work test the' relatiohshib
'the 'diameter' arid elettinferctimri,
of a circle', it riCVer "erenriq
The Frenclithen Went4 ho'
up and WO With '040,1`1 .ttet
Was Itielcier theft the Verna"
P. A. (Bud) Lawson, Hydro's
Harrow Area Manager, empha-
sizes,that the Commission recog-
nizes the importance of the
laboratory. A new line was con-
structed two years ago in. the
vicinity of the laboratory, while
the building is only a short dis-
tance from two substations.
The years to come may bring
even more startling develop-
ments at this important agricul-
.. tural research centre, with sci-
ence and 'electricity worlcing to-
gether as 'the farmers' friends.
•„ •
FINELY-STITCHED RIBBING outline the neck and pockets, of this
light grey suit. The fabric is a blend of terylene and wool.
The slim skirt has a box pleat in the back for easy-walking.
Fash on Hints .
"Modan. agriettiture iS big
business" that's the highly un-
original statement of an article
by Horace Brown in Hydro
f'iews, an elegant slick-paper
magazine put out by the Hydro-
Electric Power Commission of
Ontario at regular intervals,
Seeing that our Hydro has—and
brooks — no opposition we fail
to see why they should spend
such money convincing what
might be called a "captive audi-
ence." However, it is an ungrate-
ful thief who criticizes the suit
worn by the man whose -pocket
he is picking; so, continue Mr.
13rown.
:you doubt that statement,
look at the record of farm pro-
duction in Ontario since 1918,
when the total output of the
province's farms was valued, at
about $595,043,000. Actual. fi
gures are not available for 1954
as yet, but they are expected to,
hit about the same level as 195,3
when the gross value of agricul-
tural production was set at $1,-
022,501,000, *
Despite its successful record of
growth, Ontario agriculture is
still in a constant battle with a
number of hazards, ranging from
insects to weather.
Insects and plant diseases are
the implacable enemies of the
farmer, but fortunately the mod-
- ere man of the soil has found in-
valuable allies in the federal
and provincial laboratories,
which labor on a 12-month basis
seel-eine ways to protect the
harvests.
*
One such research centre is
the Science Service Laboratory,
operated by the Federal De-
nafttnent of Agriculture at Har-
row, Ontario. Its corps of scien-
tists has many notable achieve-
ments to its credit in the con-
stant war being waged' to re-
duce crop losses.
This highly-geared operation
would be impossible without
electricty, according to the Of-
ficer-in Charge, Dr. L, Ward
Koch. Enjoying .an international
reputation as an authority on
field crop diseases, Dr. Koch re-
ports that the use of electricty is
vital to most experiments, and
that much of the research would,
in fact, be impossible without
electrical energy.
The white laboratory building
is a familiar and welcome sight
in the Harrow district. The staff,
which 'is composed ' 12 fully-
trained scientists, five techm-
eians and „ether a§rvice 'person-
nel, carries out 'several 'of its
experiments in an adjacent
greenhouse, as.well as field tests
m 10 acres ,Of property sur-
'ounding theSe, buildings. , 4
Established in 1938;,the Sci
:nee Service Laboratory', has
movided invaluable assistance
;o the farmers,, not only of 'On-
:ario; but even actress the hord-
e:. For instance,, the Harrow
scientists discovered a method
,f controlling the black root in
ugar , beets a 'funguS disease,
which, was causing incalculable
larnage to this Important crop.
They determined that .the di-
tease could be cont'rolled' by the
tpplication of a chemical fertili-
ter mixture at the time of seed-
jug, The Method has now spread
beyond Canada and is being used
in the humid areas of the. United
States, particularly in California.
The chemical was dubbed }'Thin-
am," from the initials of its va-
rious components, although it is
sold under a number of trade
names. * • •
Further research established
that "Thiram" could be adapted
for the control of vegetable
seedling diseases. One teaspoon
of the mixture is now added to
a greenhouse "flat," a box for
growing of seedlings. *
Research at Harrow has also
provided controls for a number
of serious tobacco diseases, most-
41y soil-borne. Another notable
achievement was the control de-
veloped for some of the cucum-
ber diseases. This has brought
Dr. Koch and his associates many
commendatory letters from
grateful farmers of the district,
where about 125 acres of this
vegetable are grown under glass.
Cucumbers, in, this area, repre-
sent a cash crop of about $3,-
000,000 annually.
Fluorescent lighting fixtures
are employed in the laboratory
for plants requiring constant
temperature and moistur e.
Equipped with electric timing
devices, the fluorescent fixtures
simulate daylight, thus making
studies of their growing habits
more intensive. This electrical
application, Dr. Koch said, is
essential for investigations into
the relationship of diseases to
crop plant's.
Another important use of elec-
tricity is to steam and disinfect
soil. The disinfected soil then
becomes part of the experiment,
with disease organisms deliber-
ately added for study under va-
rious conditions. This provides a
number of checks and -enables
the assessment 'of injuries to
plants caused' by diseases.
In the spotless, well-appointed
laboratory, electricity and its
uses are ever-present. While the
scientific equipment may prove
somewhat bewildering to the
layman, it is easy to understand
the importance of lighting, the
cold 'storage rooms, and the
small research rooms where light
and heat are electrically-con-
trolled and humidity is kept to
a minimum.
4 * * •
Clean test-tubes and bottles
are essential to scientific work,
and the Harrow laboratory
washes its bottles with an elec-
trically - operated revolving
brush, while autoclaves are used
for a variety of sterilizing opera-
tions. A Warburg apparatus
measures the respiration of
plants and plant tissues, provid-
ing one idication of plant health.
High speed centrifuges, special
electric heaters, constant-tem-
perature tanks where experi-
mental work on soil-borne
troubles can be carried through
On a yearly basis, electrically-
operated ventilation in the
greenhouse and many other ap-
plications of electricity are in
constant use in the laboratory
and greenhouse, * *
Whire a power failure during
research would be disastrous,
Dr. Koch said- no experiment has
ever been, ruined in this manner.
astronomer with his inhabitants
on the sun. The French court
held the • mathematician's proof
of the impossibility of solving
the problem was good. But it
argued that only a fool would
have offered the prize and it was
the duty of the court to prevent
a fool being -parted from his
money. The mathematician was
given the verdict — but no
money!
If this discourages you from
trying to square the circle what
about getting in touch with one
of the planets and winning
$15,000. This sum 'has been on
offer since 1900 through the
French AcadeMy 'of Science for
anyone who can prove he has
signalled to a -planet and re-
ceived a reply.
The Guzman prize was, left as
a legacy in 1889 and at first the
Academy refused to accept re-
sponsibility" for -it because they'
considered signalling to a planet
was impossible. But at last, in
1900, they agreed to judge the
entries on condition that if the
prize was not woo the interest
should be paid every five years
to the scientist making• the
greatest contribution to know-
'ledge of the stars and planets.
There have been thousands of
entries from cranks and mad-
men, -but none has given the
necessary proof.
At school you were no doubt
taught that the earth is round,
If you Ten prove it you can
earn $5,000. There is just one
snag.
The reward was e)ffered by
Mr. Wilbur Glenn Voliva, of Zion
City, U.S.A., on condition that
he was judge of whether the
proof was satisfactory.
As it is a fundamental belief
of the sect that the earth is flat,
no one is likely to convince the
"flat-earthers" that it is a sphere
Once Mr. Voliva made a trip
round 'the world, 'Did it convince
him the earth was round? Not
a bit! "The earth is‘aa fiat as
the plate you eat your pie from;
the captain of the ship was just
steering round the rim," he said
when he returned,
In a different category is the
million roubles offered for news
leading to the discOvery of the
fate of Caotain Jaseha. Dschu-
gaschyili of the Red Army and
eldest son of Stalin. He quar-
relled with his father and de
liberately used his real name
instead of Stalin's. He• disap-
peared at Smolensk and probably
Was buried in an unmarked
grave.
* But the rumour was that he
had. been taken prisoner, had
given 0 false name and at the
end Of the war elleneed his iden .
tity to escape the family Cbti-
riorition, So far as is known, the
million roubles have never been
clairtiod.
HADN'T TOE TIME
A Masi who had been oak.
brating 'Unwisely but well tathe
. upon a workman digging a hole
"Whash you 'doing'?" he asked,
"D4nq a funnel," said the'-
workman affably.
4 'Wheres it goingr asked line
jolly one,
"Under the river'"
"And how long Will it take?"
"About tht ee^ or four Yeara,"
"Well," said the persistent one,
can't Wait all that tithe,
take a taxi,"
'Ugly-Mug' Actors.
Make ,,Coliite*Back
if s9ORPOPO had told YOu a
:poetamli,seme iciii,dlle;sagaedd maacnto,pr rwolg
c ouple of years ago that a not,
would soar to. Stardom as a
Twentieth Century Romeo in an
International Award winning
film, You would have thought he
was off his nut, to put it frankly,
Yet, this is exactly what Er-
nest Borgnine — remember Lim
as the brutal police-sergeant in
"From Here To Hternity"?-ehas
done in "Marty," In this filnt he
plays the part an ordinary,
lonely John Doe of a butcher
who falls in love with an erdin-
ary,,lonely Jane Smith of a girl.
"Marty" has no sizzling gla-
mour. No rip-roaring spectacle.
No bronzed torsos or romantic
embraces under waving palm
trees, with the, soundtrack going
off into a nice, smooth line in
romantic music. Ala just a real
film about real people. Those
getting ,at.
aaevtelys,ewenhatthewlieline
''i'v°iWilye9kuthniownikhrolet'xhs safelo 'say it will
be a long time before you forget
this haunting story of a down.
to-earth courtship in which, for
well Over an hour of sheer en-
chantment, Borgnine lumbered
heavily' across the screen to win
the girl in the end — and the
tumultuous acclaim of audiences
and critics alike the world over.
For, make no mistake, every-
where "Marty" has been shown,
it has been a sensation. Women
in audiences have cried openly,
and men have had 'the heck of
a job wiping their eyes dry un-°
der the pretext of looking for a
packet of cigarettes on the floor.
Is "Marty" an omen? Are
people getting fed-up with all
these screen glamour boys whose
dramatic know-how is, to put it
in a nutshell, more often than
not in inverse proportion to
their chest expansion?
Are people demanding, instead,
real-life situations about real-
life people played by experienced
actors of talent, even if, in the
majority of cases, their looks
put them in the "Ugly Mug"
class?
Could be. Perhaps the Iron
Rule of the Hollywood Beefcake
Brigade is buckling, And the
broad-shouldered lads , of the
wide open screen are going to
be forced to abdicate in favour
of these.: "Ugly Mugs," who hold
to the view that acting consists
of rather more than wearing r
sports vests and flexing your big
muscles in a close-up. '
COme to think of it, the trend
has been:moving this-a-way for
some time now.
Look at Humplirey Bogart.
He's been popular ever since be
stepped in 'front of a camera in
the early thirties. But in recent
—years he's hit new heights of
popularity, Yet you couldn't
even call 'him a poor man's ver-
sion of .Rock Hudson, with his
lined face, hunched shoulders,
bleary eyes, and corncake rasp
of a voice. Everything's against
him, in fact. Yet, as the dirty,
unshaven riyer-boat skipper in
"African Queen" he got the boat,
Katie Hepburn, Academy Award,
and all. And deserved to thor-
ougvhelyn. E
the current wonder boy,
Marlon. Brando, althmigh he is
unconventional in practically
everything else, conforms to this
new kind of appearance. Fpr
Brando is far from handsome,
and Rudolf Valentino might have
had a thing or two to say about
his profile. But does this mattes'
-*a hoot? Does it — When you
remember his incredibly moving
and powerful performance as a
young dockfront thug in "On the
Waterfront"?
Paul Douglas may have more
-in common, as regards looks,
with an all-1n wrestler, but when
they wanted to make "Joe Mac.
bath" in Britain, he was the Star
they pulled over from Holly-
wood. Why? Siinple. Because
he packs "em in. the box oflice
— far more so than many a
Pretty Boy.
The rugged features of SPen
cer Tracy are far from being an
oil-painting of beauty, but we
can't detect any sign of his popu-
larity waning.
Whether Tracy is villain ca
hero in a film, we expect -- and
get — a first-rate, workmanlike
job of acting backed by real
talent, sincerity and Wareith —
things that often you'll look fat
in vain among the modern Beef-
cakes,
Astaire may not exactts,
be an ."Ugly Mug," but, On-the „
other, hand he wouldn't walk off
With the title of "Mr. Handsome
Of 1955." Yet there he was iii
"Daddy Long. Legs," dancing
away as blithely as ever With
actress I.16846 Carob,
And se one'cthild.g0 on, There's
ChM :tea Latghton, for eXarriple
and James Cagney, Handsome
and hefty/ Not a bit of itr Why,
at titheS .he looks just like an
angry-. ferret.
„ „
Shine Have TV Sets
Ivo Radio, Telephone
CI the 820,000 Canadian homes
that had television sets last 8ep-
teniber, 22,000 had no radio and
84,000 had no telephene„ aCeord-
ing to a sample survey.
Modern Etiquette
'pialiceo'newbitreeattat
fat
ahliPtatebrs
iio
containers, is eiravei4t
little ,paper
tu t
the knife rest .on tote pat when
nol inue A. Never. The knife, when
PO in use, should rest along the
upper right part of the plate
and never, of course with the
handle of the knife resting on the
table.
Q, Is it required that a bride
return all her first calls, or just
those she prefers?
A, The bride should return
all these calls, and as early as
possible. It would be very rude
to return some, and omit others,
Q, Is it ever proper for a
girl to ask a man to dance with
her?
A. Only if the man is her
husband, brother, brother-in-
law, cousin, or perhaps an old
childhood friend.
Q. When •you have been ask-
ed to pass a dish at, the table
and you were just about to par-
take of that dish yourself, is it
all right to help yourself first?
A. No; this would be very
crude and ill-bred, unless of
course -the other person insists
that you help, ypurself first,
Q. When it is necessary for
a male member of a dinner party
to leave the table, should all the
putahreterdrn rise until he has de-
A, This is not necessary.
Q. Who stands the expense
of a wedding breakfast in a hotel?
A. The parents of the bride,
Q. When one receives an in-
vitation to an "open house,"
does this mean one is obligated
to bring a gift? •
A. No. An "open house" is
simply an invitation to come and
see the new home. It is neither
expected nor customary for the
guests to bring gifts.
Q. How much time is the
bride expected to spend with
her guests at the wedding re-
ception?
A. She dOesn't have to remain
more than two hours. She may
then retire to her room with her
maid-of-honor to change into
her travelling costume.
Q. When a man takes another
man to lunch, who should give
the order to the waiter?
A. Each man gives his own
order.
Q. Is it proper to invite peo-
ple to a shower '-who you know
are not being invited, to the wed-
ding?
A. Most definitely not! Un-
less, of course,- the wedding is to
be so small that only the im-
mediate almilies will be included.
HIS CHOICE
Bernard Gimbel,
merchant and sportsman, tells
about octogenarians who were
asked with whom they'd like to
be buried. "John D. Rockerfel-
'ler," said the first. "fie not only
made fortunes, but gave them
away." "Franklin D. Roosevelt,"
said the second, "He was one of
the greatest Presidents of all
time." The third man said, "My
choice is Marilyn Monroe." "But
Marilyn Monroe isn't dead yet,"
pointed out the questioner. "I•
k n w," was the answer.
"Neither am I."
Jesus PracialinS Ills Mission
Lttke
Someone has said that an ex-
pert is an ordinary fellow away
from home, Jesus said, "Na.
prophet is accepted, in his ow*
country." He made this state-
ment after his first sermon la
the synagogue of his home tOvirmt
of Nazareth. He had read a very
significant passage from thlw,
prophecy of Isaiah, He *as the
one of whom the prophet had
written hundreds of years be-
fore; the one who had come be
preach the gospel to the 004
to heal the brokenhearted, t
Preach deliverance to the cap-
tives, recovery of sight to 00
blind and set the bruised at
liberty, The people marvelleti
at the gracious words he spOkc
They said, "Is not this Joseph's
son?" They apparently did not
know or did not want to be-
lieve of his supernatural birth
by 'the virgin Mary, When he
reminded them that it was a
woman of another people, a
widow of Sidon, who sustained
Elijah in the time of famine and,
that the only leper healed hi
Israel in Elisha's day was Ne-
maan, a Syrian, the people were
angry. They proceeded to illus-
trate the truth. that Jesus bat
spoken. They, too, would reject
their own prophet. They let*
him to the brow of a hill and
would have cast him down fronts
it but he, passing through 'their -
midst, went his way. He went
on to. Capernaum and taught
them on the Sabbath days.
Why are people so often blind-
ed to the presence of greatness
from their own midst? It is pride
and prejudice? At any rate
others were. glad to hear Jesus.
His own home town would have
terminated his ministry when
it had, barely started. )Elut pot
even a mob could thwart God's
purpose. Jesus, the Son of God,
would not give up his life till
he had accomplished the work
he had come to do. He said, .11
lay down my life, that I might
take it again. No man taketh it
from me, but I lay it down of
myself. I have power to lay it
down, and I have power to take
it again." We worship a living
Saviour who still ministers to
the brokenhearted and the needy
in body and soul.
PERPETUAL
It was one of those association-
of-ideas Army tests where the
examining officer makes a com-
mon-place gesture and asks the
recruit to fire back at him the
first thought it provoked. Oa
this occasion he waved a hand-
kerchief.
First two men gave the formal
reply:. "Waving good-bye, sir."
But the third offered the startling
retort: "Women, sir."
"Women!" echoed the officer.
"What is there about 'Waving e.
handkerchief that could pos-
sibly make you think of women?"
Replied the recruit blandly:,
"I'm always thinking of wo-
men, sir."
•
THE "itiNeGETs W. G. H, Lathani, housewife who
hunts 'in the Peruvian jungles as a hobby, gives good-iii lit
kis§ "Hone"y BUriek," a kinkajou, 'The pet likes to be dressed
in .4:IOWS clothing, responds to affection and quickly adjusts, to
bidl effect`,,, this is what Bell lineman W.
kenrion is doing as he-aalusts this device 'atop d telephone pale.
He is tuning iii oh Solar POWer (check numbere on our own
telephone diatj hi a key ekperithent to tap the Sun!s,.fiiiit-4y for
a new type Of' enrol
'
telephonee terVite, The device,, solar'solar'
'battery, converts the suiVs energy &redly into utdble amounts
of 616th-icily, add ekteiS current feeds into of 's'torage beittery
for use at , night add' ,clutiii4 periods of bad we:tet:sir', The bat.
fety, ,deveidod' by Bell 'Laboratories, is said to be of least lt
tinier snore effitlent then previous Toler' energy Converters,
•ar