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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Advocate, 1918-8-29, Page 7r'IS) ERS OF' THE AIR. An Exciting Sport Peculiar to ""a. Sect tion of Italy, It is not often that one comes across a .little place that has an ingenious and exeitiug sport , all its own, At Cava (tel Tirreni, in Italy, howeveit, there has: for a thousand, years existed e. peculiar form o1 pigeon -catching. `lt was IOtrodnced in 892, say's Mr. Her- bert 'Vivian in Italy at War and it has flourished ever shies. At the begin- ning of every autumn great flecks of pigeons Migrate from Siberia to Afri- ca and pass' over t va and the Gulf of Salerno. They probably have other, routes, but Cava is the only place where they are waylaid with nets and, slings. The season is at its height -from the 15th to the 25th of October. The pigeon -catchers are mostly men of the lower middle class, who club to- gether to, form six - societies, or "games." A game usually consists of^' three or four towers and a clearing where the nets are set up. One tower is probalby a thousand yards from -the net, and the nearest perhaps seventy yards, but the distances vary. The towers are tall and slim, windowless and weather-beaten. There are steps about halfway up the inside, and; a rickety ladder leads to the parapet at the top. Each society"has also a neat little clubhouse, usually near the chief tower. In a merry mood the members take `their places inthe fresh morning air. Most of them are dressed in velveteen coats, top -boots and peaked caps. Two men ascend each tower arid the rest are distributed among the nets. In each of the clearings stands a small house from the centre of which rises a tall black'rnast. To that two huge" nets are fasteii'ed, stretching right and left 'to clumps of trees and spreading. out obliquely to the ground. Inside the house is a handle and a cogwheel for raising the weighted nets. .The lookout place is `a straw' hut two or three miles away in the direction from 'which the liikeons are expected. When the watcher sights a flock of birds he. gives a signal on his 'horn, which other watchers scattered about the woods take up. The birds travel-; at a tremendous speed, always with a •leader, and in flocks of from thirty to one hundred. Everyone takes to cover, for the birds are easily freightened, The men on the towersare provided ` with long slings and whitewashed stones about the size of small hens' eggs. These they discharge with great force. The ' pigeons, it is said, mistake the stones for hawks and make frantic efforts to avoid them,.` so the stingers must fling the stones where they do not wish the birds to.go; yet when they are flying high, a stone ?lung beneath thein will bring then hurtling down– ward. Then, with loud cries, the watchers drive then toward the nets. The stone -slinging is the essence of the sport, and it requires strong muscles, a quick eye and a steady ails. But the wetting is also difficult. The man at the ropes - is `white and ner- vous; everiything'now depends upon him. If he releases'"the weight at the right moment, the net comes down Instantly and the birds are bagged. A moment too so -di, and they sce the hanger and avoid ;it;e a moment too late and they pass in safety. It is a matter of an instant, and many more :locks escape than are taken./ The birds are gray and somewhat smaller th'a'hi._.the domestic pigeon. They cannot be trained or tamed. ' The - Sport is far: from being profitable, for even when they have good luck the pigeon catchers never take enough birds to pay for the elaborate prepara- tion they have made: But the moment when the nets whirl down at Cava is a moment of rare excitement. If your car is a new one there is some means provided for warming the inlet manifold, such as casting it insicle the cylinder block so that it will be warmed by the waterjackets. An old engine will have to be fitted with a manifold in which inlet and exhaust pass through the same casting, so that the exhaust heats the inlet and. sol warms the gas. • Children Isle the aktractive fla- vor of tlae healthful cereal drink sit MIA it's fine for them too, for it contains nothing harmful— only the. goodness of wheat and pure molasses. Pos ruM is now regu- larly used in plaice of tea and,coffee in many of the best of families. Wholesome econom- ic, t1 and healthful. There's a Reason A British naval gun that has "got" many subs. It is the chief weapon parent ship.—Admiralty Official .photograph. Crown Copyright. p£ what is known as a submarine OPINIONS ON WORLD PROBLEMS By Chas. M. Bice, Attorney -at -Law, Denver, Colorado. question of an early spring, a united German army on the western front, and a glorious victory at last. THE GERMAN PEOPLE. This war has ben a continuous suc- cession of startling events. The world has been given gasp after gasp, and the surprises never seem to end. It has witnessed on the one hand the Russian, convulsion, ending in the des- truction of monarchic autocracy and the' substitution ° of. anarchic autoc- racy; and on the other hand it has witnessed the, iron autocracy of Kaiserism forged more firmly than ever around the necks of !the German people. It is now witnessing the grad- ual, but certain dissolution of the last vestige of feudalism in Austria-Hun- gary., The Romanoffs have gone, the Haps- burgs are going, but the Holenzol-. lerns are mightier among their people than ever. Verily, Frederick the Great, were' he alive 'to -day, could learn much from his. descendants.. w _ * * * * Tliis of itself, is startling; but that which surpasses all other situations in"the element of surprise is the fact that the world, wise as it is, wiser as it grows, did not know that for 'forty- five years a very considerable portion of its affairs had been intrusted to the keeping of a nation absolutely dedi- cated to ideals that had been swept aside at Runnymede, England, during 1215 --did not know that medievalism flourisled`stronger than ever before, but under the alluring ,name of "Kul- tur." Perhaps the verygrotesque- ness of the idea disarmed suspicion.' -- - While the .world at large -the world of civilization and spiritual ideas, has been consecrating itself to the task of freeing mankind from the bondage of materialism, giving increased expres- sion to the principle of the brother- hood of man, to which even China has awakened, , we find Germany, hypno- tized by the Nietzches, Trietsches and Bernhardis—a willing, servile dis- ciple of the doctrine that might makes right, and that the golden rule -"was never intended to apply as between nations. Hence the hatred universally di- rected against Germany is a hatred of her idols and ideals, and the more bit- ter it is the more it' reflects the free- dom of Germany's foes. '' Little wonder then, that the ques- tion is oft repeated: "Are ' Kaiser - trained Germans aisertraiiiedGermans fit for civilization, or citizenship in civilized nations?"' Not unless they can be made to see the folly of their vassalage and sub- serviency to autocracy, and the utter idiocy of the thought of themselves as "supermen," can any hope of their re- formation. be entertained. t * * * Great thirlgs were accomplished in this war by tlho German "machine" that caught other nations unprepared unheard of slaughter is to her credit, or disgrace, as we may view it, bar- barities that will rise to plague the German :people for generations to come, destruction on land and sea that is bound to affect the future at- titude of all nations dealing with her. forgotten by the rest of the world very soon. But Kaiser Wilhelm, In the face of it all, like .Macbeth, con- jures vain hopes and appears. to have met the witches on the heath. Tile will soon be disillusioned, and then' what? Time alone can answer. y, * A year ago France was suffering from the Aisne disaster, and the morale at the army waS' lower than it had been Since the war started. The Russian situation was rapidly growing worse, and if the allied cen- ters did not know it, Berlin did, that Russia as a factor in the war would 50011 he nonexistent. Later in the year the Isonzo disas- ter came upon the allies without warning, and Italy seemed to be near- ing the chasm over which Russia and Rumania had disappeared; The enemy -Ives scarcely to blame if it decreed last autumn that Italy as an antagonist need not, be counted. The winter months gave Germany pos- session of What she •required in Rus- sia, and relieved' her of holding an arsny on the eastern front. It was a This record cannot be .condoned or * * * • When March came and Germany struck, the blow made the 'allies' reel, the blow falling most severely on the British lines with very heavy losses, and consequent danger to the Channel ports. Two months later, the French arm- ies to the south were assailed, and it its only recently that Paris could be considered as: safe from German in- vestment. During the,•war year just..efided, .the losses from submarine attacks were at the highest point, and the London Times is authority for the statement, that during' the Picardy assault that came so close to a Waterloo for the allies, .the United Kingdom was never so near the door of starvation,- dueato railroad congestion near New York, Iso But, thank heaven! the fifth year opens with a clear sky. France, Italy and Britain, politically and militarily, are stronger than they were 'a year I ago, and more united and determined 1 to prosecute the wad to victory. The submarine menace has been met and solved, the allied shipping has lin-' mensely increased.' The Atlantic bridge is effectually maintained. Only in recent months has. Ameri- ca's contribution been powerful or ef- fective. A. year ago we were unable to do aught but grant credits to our allies; to -day we are dispatching men by the hundreds of thousands. The Fech counter attacks in the Soissons litheims salient have staggered the Huns, while their retreat : from the Marne is little short of a rout. a * Foch is in This element in assuming the offensive, and he appears to be a great general, far outranking anything Germany has produced. Flis recent victory is the,niost brilliant in the an- nals of war. America is building a magnificent army in France, and .the portion of it now .on the firing line has demonstra- ted its courage and spirit in a' manner that has elicited the highest 'praise from Military circles. We will have. an army , of over 4,000,000 men in France by next Spring. ' Huns, please take notice. "`FISH THAT CARRY LANTERNS, Strange Animals That Inhabit the Depths' of the Ocean. Up to within , very recent years it was believed that the d"eptlis of the sea were uninh bit 0. b li i creatures But it is now known that the marines°'^abysses have a fauna of their 'own, consisting of animal species wholly .unfamiliar torts, N,. Among theseanimals are many kinds of fishes, most weird and strange -for instance, sharks that in shape. resemble huge eels. A striking finny type is the "black swallower," which spends its time buried in the sltelly ooze of the bottom. It is nearly all mouth, and gets a 'living by waiting for prey to walk into its covernous laws. Another species is able literally to Swallow fishes ten times as big.. as it- self, its ,jaws being enormously ells - tensible, so that it clhnbs around the victim, so to, speak, and" envelops 11 general, the fishes of the ocean depths are bl a k , and either blind or else provided with huge eyes to catch every ray -of light. The marine absses are a region of total and absolute darkness. Bat this darkness is illuminated' by the phos- phorescent torches which the fishes and other creatures carry. Even the jellyfishes are luminescent, and at moderate depths the bottom is eov- ered over wide areas with seafans and other .•animal growths that,.. counter- felting plants, bear their oevn, lights. One understands, then, why the depth -fishes (when not wholly blind) have suolr great eyes. Soine of them also carry lanterns, seemingly design- ed, to help thein 10 looking for prey, 'hese lanterns, in some species, are ED. 7. constructed much like eyes, with a lene, a nerve -entering at the back like the optic nerve, and even a muscular arrangement :for turning the lantern this way and that. A species named by the scientists Argyropelecus has : more than two- score such lanterns, each of them is Provided with ' a brilliant reflector. They are veritable bullseye lamps, with double -convex lenses of crystal- ! clear substance. To make each re-; fiector more efficient, there is behind I it a layer of black pigment, which, in I fact, envelops the whole of the globu- lar -shaped lantern, just as is the case with a human eye. Another species offish has on either side of its head a double lamp, with reflectors, the two pointing different ' ways. That is to' say, one pair of lan- terns points ahead, like the lamps of an automobile, while the other pair ; is directed downward to illuminate the bottom over which the fish is passing. ; The lanterns carried by the abyssal fishes give lights of different' colors- { silvery, golden or greenish. They mast lend to: the scenery of the ocean depths a weird and wonderful effect. 0-0-- 0-0 0 0 0 O--o—o—o--o—e pI i YES! MAGICALLY! CORNS LIFT OUT WITH FINGERS o You say to the drug store man, "Give me a small bottle of freezone." This will cost very little but will positively remove every hard or soft corn or cal- lus from one's feet. A few drops of this new ether com- pound applied directly upon a tender, aching corn relieves the soreness in- stantly, and soon the entire corn or caIlus,' root and all, dries up and can be lifted off with the fingers.. This new way to rid one's feet of corns was introduced by a Ciuciunati man„ who 'says that freezone dries in a moment, and simply shrivels up the cora or callus without irritating the surrounding skin, Don't let father die- of infection or lockjaw from whittling at his corns, but clip this out and make him try it. If your druggist Hasn't any freezone tell hint to order a small battle from. his wholesale drug house for you. A Fatal Pudding. Conversation' overheard in a muni- tion canteen after a serving of some pudding: AIf-This "ere puddin' ain't half 'eavy stuff. Bill-That;s nothing, My missus made some one day that we could not eat, so we gave it to our ducks( A few minutes later a little boy knocked at the door,- and said: "Missile Jones, yer clucks have sunk." etnaara'c Mament Cares Distemper, Ohi, Those Farmeretts! warmer: "Just hold that horse's head while I get down, will you, miseie?" New Land -worker "Which one?" Farmer, "Why, the off un, to be Sure:,, Lhncl-worker: "I'm ttwfu]ly sorry, but I don't know anything about horses, so 1 can't tell which one of them is an orphan l " A�irtard'o. flatulent Cures Diphtheria. Pneumatic balls help the springs to support a new bicycle saddle. Greek capitalists' plan . to exploit the famous petroleum springs of that country, which have been regarded as curiosities of nature for more than 2,- 800 years. 1)`EATIJ IN `filE i'UBL i'C CUP, Even. rl'lie "Babble I+onnin n"is�Not Entirely Satisfactory. " Tf it.'vere practicable, the publlc- heal.th segvice would have every PO - .,The. fountain clip made in the esliape of a •death's head, It would be appro. appro- priate. .,The public cup isa disease carrier. You drink from it. But who was the. last user? A sufferer from diphtheria or some other }torrid complaint? You can't tell. The "bubble fountain" has been in- troduced to do away with this kind of nr. is mmense im- proveclamgeent, butIt not whollyanisatisfac tory. Commonly it happens that a drinker brings `his lips into contact with the apparatus, and thus may in- fect it. But, as experiments have proved, the bubble may itself carry germs, They may literally "dance about" on the surface of the bubble, for easily minutes, and so convey disease to"the next comer, GIRLS!, WHITEN SKIN WITH LEMON JUICE Make a beauty lotion for a few cents to remove tan, freckles, sallowness. Your grocer has the lemons and any drug store dr toilet counter will sup- ply you with three ounces of orchard white for a -few .cleat's. Squeeze the juice of two fresh lemons into a bot- tle, the put in the orchard white and shake well. This makes a quarter pint of the very beat lemon skin whitener and complexion beautifier known. Massage this fragrant, creamy lotion/ daily into the face, neck, arms and • hands and just see how freckles, tan, sallowness, redness and roughness disappear and how smooth, soft and clear the skin becomes. Yes! Itis harmless, and the beautiful results will surprise you. Saving the Eyes. The eyes were made to use with- out a doubt. - So were the hands and feet, and all can be abused and be- come sources of pain forever. A life time of just ordinary vision, Just see- ing what goes on about us, is about all we can expect from a pair of nor- mal eyes. Added strain like fine sew- ing, too much reading and poor light will .use them up so much sooner. Wage-earners haveto sacrifice many things, including eyes, but for absolute waste of vision there is no excuse. Lachute, Que., 25th Sept., 1908. Minard's Liniment Co., Limited. Gentlemen, Ever since coming home from the Boer war I have been bother-, ed with runniii'g fever sores on my legs. I tried many salves and 1ini=