HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1921-9-29, Page 3111)1E1
further apart M the tap than et the
bottom, frequent checking wiicali
alignment SAWS the wear. It is a.
faetor that :Medd not b regia tel
Rough pavesne]ite AD 'i aro-sines
tempt the motcrist to drive on mesa
car trade, While it i$ admittedly.
true that the occasional use of car
tracks where road conditions are a1.-;
most inhpassible is justified, it is also
true that the strain otz certain parts
of the tire due to continuous running
on car tracks will not only quickly
wear a depression in the tread rubber,
all around the tire, but thesharp
bending notion and ovcrlead on the
fabric directly }coder this depression
will produce : eventually an inside
fabric break. Running on car tracks
is an expensive habit and should be
indulged in only in extreme necessity;
A barefoot boy appreciates the need
o€ quick attention to his surface cuts
and bruises which, given temporary
protection, are self -healing. Tire tread
Buts are also self -healing if promptly
treated with heel -a -cut -material. If
not thus treated the elasticity of the
rubber allows the cut to expand under
load compression with every turn of
the wheel. Dirt, glass, sand and peb-
bles wear and tear away the rubber
until the cut has reached the first
layer of tire fabric where the foreign
material creeps along and piles up be-
tween the tread rubber and carcass,
forming sand lumps.
Cuts Can Be Avoided.
Most cuts are avoidable and the re -
sett of tire contact with sharp edges
of railway tracks and crossings, with
worn horseshoes, broken glass, wheels
spinning on wet pavements and in mud
boles, and by skidding the tire by
sudden brake application.
The remedy is to examine the tires
at regular intervals, with the object
of removing all penetrating objects,
sueh as nails and tacks; to wash out
the holes and cuts and close them by
properly prepared healing prepara-
tions. Investment in tires does not end
with the original purchase. To the
first payment should be added a re-
latively much smaller but important
care investment.
The use of chains or other anti-skid
devices is advisable under certain con-
ditions. Willie a well designed non-
skid tread is, where care in driving is
exercised, generally sufficient insur-
ante against slipping on wet pave-
ments and hard surfaced roads, yet
there are conditions of ice, mud or
deep snow when chains are a neces-
sity, and for such occasions they
should be carried as regular equip-
ment.
MORE .ADVICE ABOUT TIRES,
If you collect autoilro'bile racing sta•
'WARS you will And that the average
life of a high grade tire on a racing
ear is under 640 utiles—wliicfi is .about
one -twentieth the life of a tire op-
erated under mrdinary condttiobs, 'This
difference in ;tiro service is due di-
rectly to a difference In 'heat devel-
,v,1
Effect. of Heat
'Heat exerts a deteriorating effect on
vulcanized rubber in proportion to the
intensity and 1eaygth of time the rub-
ber is exposed to it. The source of
heat ithalt.does most damage is that
proihzeed at 'high running speed by
the 'internal friction oaf the tire ear.
ease. 'The 'heat developed by frictional
contact with the road when traveling
xapidhy •oleo has some influence. Tires
are so designed as to resist *e effects
Of ]beatproduced by ordinary every-
day
veryday oar operation. But tires cannot
long remain intact when highly heat-
ed by cenitinnous or even intermittent
speeding, and the results of such
practice are rapid loss of .elasticity
andexibility, which leads to com-
plete fire carcass break down. Front
Jeep standpoint of tire life, mechanical
-upkeep and gasoline economy car
speeds should be kept within Pre-.
serThed limits.
Among the tactors which have an
intimate relation to tire mileage is
wheel alignment. The free rolling mo-
tion of a tire is affected by a small
wheel misalignment and the result is
excessive tread wear. When the two
apposite wheels are not parallel there
Is a diagonal grind at the point where
the tires eine in contact with the road
iiurface which wears off the rubber al-
most as fast as if in contact with an
emery wheel.
Front wheels may be out of align-
ment due to chess rod, axle or steer-
ing knuckle'becoming bent by contact
with a curb or some other obstruction,
er the cross rod or knuckle may; be
anh,,rroperly adjusted. Also the tire
alone or the tire and rim may be im-
properly mounted on the wheel.
Checking Up Alignment.
Because of the tendency of front
wheels to spread during driving, car
manufacturers set the wheels at a
toe -in of from three-eighths to one-
half inch, and when thus adjusted the
wheels are properly aligned. The
measurements showing these differ-
ences should be made between the
ie'.ines of the two front wheels at
points inside and on a level with the
axle. Alignment or the toe -in of the
wheels should not be confused with
dish, which is setting the wheels
You Can't Hoodwink Ants.
All needs and a certain number of
other animals are provided with ap-
pendages which the ordinary man
calls feelers.
These feelers provide their owners
with a mysterious sixth sense which
we ourselves lack—a sense which is
certainly not sight, hearing, or smell,
though possibly it may be a very
slight sense of touch.
It is by stroking with their feelers
that ants discriminate between friend
lend foe. You may paint an ant blue
or coyer hent with a strange smelling
Compound, but his fellows will never
shake a mistake.
The lobster, the prawn, and the
shrimp use their feelers to guide them
when they are swimming tail first at
top speed. Saes and butterflies seem
/o use them for beamining flowers be-
fore they begin to sip the honey.
The whiskers of the oat and the rat
aro •stiff hairs to the roots of which
are attached very sensitive nerves. It
is supposed that they act as guides
When their owner is moving hi the
lark• if they touch an bbetacle, en
instantaneous message to the brain
enables the 'cat or rat to make a quick
movement to one aide or the other. .
There ere ten.stripgera of pearls in
Leedom.
Ideals.
We built a shrine with bleeding hands,
We laid it carefully stone on stone,
And thanked the God to whom we built
We worked together, not alone:
We had no time for idly word,
For tree nor flower, for sky nor sun;
No rest from graying day to day. ,
We wrought until our work was
done.
We spent our lives In building thus;
But when at last the serine was
there
The God to whom we built looked
down,
Looked down and found the altar
bare.
Ashes we bad, but never fuel
To kindle fresh a living flame—
What could we give when this. our God,
Expectant through the morning
came?
We linked our weary, roughened
hands,
With lifted bade es if to Ding
We proudly brought ouftigeleee love
Unto our God as offering.
Love has failed when we espy no-
thing ;but faults.
Shining Through
Boucher geed to 'peak of sunny na-
4lires wbo moved through the world
tike Cheering musts, spreading joy and
gladnees wherever they went.
We have all met rare souls who live
en the sunlight all the time. They are
set aw,nys prosperous, surrounded by
luxuries and the things of the world
that most people are seeking; but no
Matter whet reverses or'eorrows come,
they manage to keep joy in their. heart.
No platter what plight they ;nay be
in, they see something to be thankful
for, They are always helpful, hopeful,
ent'eineging, happy, Wherever they
740 they scatter sunshine.
I know a girl whose laughter and
lhtoyant cheerfulness are so appealing,
to cntchieg,, that it is impossible for
any ono to fool blue, or out of sorts in
ere eresencee Tbere seem) to be no
Rud lo 'her ffow or good cheer. 13ee
joyous,:bubbling laughter is cotitagi-
eua. Ail Inc delude of despondency,
dlseauriigement, .and gloom disapponr
when f; be is mound. She makes' you
emelt in met' of ycln'aelt---even if
yen sem dejected beyond all hope,
Her face IC an inspiration. It is so
*Moulted, NO ]ia'hpy, so radiant that
IWib title Ittfhreely keep beet bets Sff
heir, You feel the joyous thrill of her
Itwctisenco lifting you ,out of youi'aelf.
She goes along, shining her *ay
through life.
As we move along ser hoparate
ways, we all leave a great stream of
something behind us, just 0s a ship
leaves a great white band of seething
foani in its wake when speeding
through; the water, Wo can leave a
Arena of blessings, of sunshine, of
gladness and joy, Or we can leave a
poison stream of pessihnism, of Sega•
tive thoughts, of bitterness, of envy
and gloom.
Wq can selene through life, - wee San
gloom, through-whicever We please.
et bus nothing to do with onr condi-
tion, whether we are rich or poor,
homely or bandsenl0, fortunate 'or un-
fortunate. We can bo a groomer or a
enter, just as we. please.
Moet of Paul's wonderful epistiee
even written in an thrtdorground dun-
geon, Yet there is not a despondent,
Olscounging word in them; net a
single unitincl expression in regard to
his persecutors. There is eo trope of
gm -thing, fault-fltlding or self-pity'
anywhere in them, Through 011 his
sufferings and persecution, Paul made
the boat of everything, It le said that
Ile Weer *tett elite 6iltli a tlrb'ate 111
It; He won immortality by shining
through. Sueccss Mogasino,
"ind the wnrs-
F.�+
yet to Cnnie
"'Wit ltf. II In(le,/1!lIIU1�11,,,1,1 '�_i)y !„�M
u,n nn aunlw
^naatlrrluia Ilituaf�/ },.;.-,,n tun ,uou,dlunii,�`.
�•11{Ill/ lUllll 111 I.
.I um,uatminlatAs���
•,nulnw°mm �•�
X1teseeret►l .+o
•ifiE celfritiqE
rRotl A
`ti�a-Dotl-AP
1911-i- .
Site'of Magna Cnarta Sign-
ing
igning for Sale.
The exact location of the spot on
which King John and the confederated
barons stood at Runnymede at the
signing 6f Magna Marta has become
live issue in England with the di
covert' that the traditional site of th
concession has been offered for sa
by the government, says a London de
patch. The meadow in Oxfordshir
which las been called "the cradle
EngIfsh liberty," was placed under th
hammer last month, but owing to th
lack of suitable bids the transactio
was not concluded.
flats With Eyes and Ears.
- How can a bat, flying at top speed
in a room, successfully avoid contact
with any of a number of fine silk
threads strung across the room? The
a bat's wings (according to Prof. Remit-
s_ ton Martridge, of Cambridge, Ein-
e land), produce by their vibration
le sound -waves too high 1n pitch to be
audible to human ears, but which send
back echoes from all solid objects
nearby. The bat has ears peculiarly
e,
of
e attuned to catch these echoes, and so
e may be said to receive sound picture's
e of surrounding objects. In other
words, it "sees" with its ears,
Bats, while abnormally sensitive to
such sounds, inaudible to human ears,
have little or no capacity to hear cer-
tain much louder sounds. Experiments
have shown that they are not disturb-
ed by the voices of persons speaking
The Marquis of Lincolnshire calls
attention to the fact that"Lot 8, colo
ed yeIlow," a section of the land offe
ed to the highest bidder for the oak
of "raising every shilling" and redu
ing the taxpayers' burdens, was actua
ly the Hold on which the baro
wrested from Ring John the signature
limiting his powers. Strenuous pr
tests against the sale, which is still b
ing contemplated by the officials hay
been made by the press, while th
vicar of Eghanh has gone so far as t
say that a group of citizens will tllro
the auctioneer into the river.
Lord. Lincolnshire, opposing tbe sale,
has replied that the actual signing of
the charter took place on an island in
the centre of the river bordering the
meadow. An important piece of his-
torical evidence has been cited to this
effect. Two other documents, how-
ever, including the °barter's text, des-
cribe the signing as having taken
place in the meadow itself. It is on
"Charter Island," that the stone is
found whichthrough the centuries has
been reputed to have served as "the
hese of English liberty."
Lord Lincolnshire opposing the sale
of the historic landmark along with
the rest of the crown lands, urges that
the government meet the anti -waste
cry, not by selling the lands, but by
holding them and donating their re-
venue to the ex•sdldiers.
d
r-
r-
e
c-
1-
ns loudly, but are greatly disturbed when
hands are clapped or paper is torn.
o -
Tearing of paper causes them to flut-
e_ ter and slacken their speed. Bats
e move their wings very rapidly, mak-
e ing ten or twelve strokes per second.
This produces a evry high note that
is not generally audible to man, but
which easily becomes so with the aid
of the microphone. Naturalists have
long realized that the bat must possess
some extraordinary means of guiding
its flight, but they failed to realize the
true nature of the apparatus. Cuvier
thought that the creature's power of
finding its way about in the dark wee
due to an exceptional development of
the touch sense residing in the deli-
cate
elicafe membranous wings. The hearing
of buts seems to be more acute than
that of any other kind of animal, and
it is observed that the outermost parts
of their ears are movable and extreme-
ly sensitive.
When An Elephant Has
the Toothache.
Few of us think of elephants having
the toothache, but they 'often do in
captivity, and soon let their attend-
ants knew it by little meanings and
toseings of the head.
Now comes the difficulty of having
the 'bad tooth extracted.. The huge
creature .has to be thrown on the
ground, and he must be shackled to
four stakes driven so deeply into the
ground that there will be p0. chance
of their being upheaved by struggles
during the operation.
The 'yob" is often done with a huge
pair of blacksmith's pincer's. After
the operation more time is taken up
by enshackling the animal and remov-
ihe the stakes:
The teeth of elephants differ con-
siderably, the enamel en the molars
of the African animal being in five or
six diamond-shaped, folds, while the
Palmation on those of the animal from
Asia is moulded like a number of nar-
row ribbon bands.
Unlike ourselves, the elephant has
six or seven sets of teeth during a life,
time, a new tooth replacing the old
ane as soon as it wears away, lOow
many of us wish we resembled the
elephant in this matter!
How English and aAmerican
Differ.
"1 speak four languages," proudly
boasted the door man of a hotel in
Rome to an American met."Yes,
four -Italian, Frencb, • English- and
American."
"But English and American are the.
same," protested the guest,
"Not et ail; replied the man. "If an
Thnglisleuan should come- up now, I
sbeeld taut like thly'; 'Oh, ,0 say, what
extraordlnariy sboaldng weethee we're
tuvingl I dare say there'll be a bit
of it ahead•' But when you °arae tip I
wale just getting ready,to say; 'For
Ole levo o' Mike! Some day, ain't it?
Gude' tilde le the scoond f10od, all
right'
France Really to Try War
Criminals.
German war criminals on France's
list will be tried before courts martial
in military districts where the crimes
were committed instead of before the
civil courts. The Ministry of Justice
here has, already prepared for the first
trials in Nancy early in November,
says a Paris despatch .
The first of the Germans to be sum-
moned—and they will he tried in their
absence if they refuse to cross the
frontier into France—will be General
von Oven, Who 18 accused of ordering
his troops to make attacks on the in-
habitants Of Nomey and Jarny during
the burning and pillaging of Nancy
suburbs; General von Montgelas, who
directed pillaging bands In Alsace-
Lorraine, and Major-General Riede,
whose order to the Bavarian Eighth.
Brigade was to ''burn all the houses,
kill all the males and force the women
and chidren toward the French lines,"
Legal experts here are still divided
Whether if the Ministry of Justice
ratifies the military judgments of the
courts martial it will be possible for
Prance to demand the extradition of
the men convicted, but the consensus
is that the trials will give France an
additional lever to be used against
Germany in case there are in the fu-
ture evasions of other clauses of the
Versailles treaty.
Mottoes on Money.
The Germans have adopted the idea
of stamping a eopybook motto on the
face of tbe hew llfty-pfennig piece
which has just been leaned.
This coin, worth about a halfpenny
at the present rate of exchange, is
very light, and appears to be a nickel
alloy, The device illustrates a sheaf
of wheat, across which is streak the
simple. German phrase: "Sicht ragen
br]ngt Sevin," This means, "Self-help
brings bre»eing,"
A Saving Clause.
"Pa, why is a wife called the better
half?"
"In order, my son, that she tray not
get the impreadlon that she's the whole
thing, ,.
Interesting Stories About Animals
The eagle, according to neronautists,
zemailis not merely the Icing of birds
but in flying quality the swiftest of all
blydt, A Frames "flyer" - from the
Fronds naval station et Saloplea in
February, 1010, had a match with an
eagle near Mount Olynpue, The eagle
competed of his free will.
"I was followed by the eagle,"
writes Commander Larrowy, "at a ills -
twice of ztbout 100 feet. our machine
was snaking her full measured sixty
nautical miles an hour• In comparison
with us the bird seemed so perfectly
at a standstill that I was able to photo
graph it with an exposure of a half
second, no the sky was cloudy, and the
plate gave an absolutely neat repro-
duction,
"For two minutes the bird practical-
ly did not move its wings, and seemed
to glide, except every ten or twelve
seconds,' when it made it very slight
and careleze sort of rowing motion as
if to keep lit.
"When the bird abandoned all
thought of attacking its strange rival
it went full speed ahead, and cover-
ing much more than sixty miles an
hour soon disappeared."
* * * *
F. C. Cornell, Fellow of the Royal
Geographical Society, who recently re-
turned to England after spending
twenty years in practically unknown
parts of South Africa, le author of a
story about an unknown monster that
had been seen near the Great Palle of
the Orange River. It has a huge head
and a neck ten feet longlike a heed-
ing tree. It seizes the native cattle
and drags them under water. The na-
tivesThing. 0011 11 "Kyman," or the Great
Last May Mr. Cornell, accompanied
by two white companions, W. H.
Brown and N, B, Way of Capetown,
and three Hottentots, went tothe June -
Site of
uno-
lion et the Cub and Oraugo revere to
see the monster if posa1ble, He
writes: "At the cries of the natives I
WY something black, huge and einu-
ous swimming rapidly against the our -
relit in the swirliug rapids• The mon-
ster itopt Its enormous body lmder
water, but the neck was plainly visible.
"The monster may have been a very
gigantic python, but 1f It wee it was
of an incredible size, This monster
may have lived for hundreds of years,
Pythons approaching It 1n size have
been said to leave lived that long."
* * * *
One naturalist considers that it le
pretty certain that at least seine mem-
bers of the crow tribe possess a mea-
sure of reasoning power, and he re-
lates an incident in this relation that
occurred in hie own household,
A crow had been captured by the
children and brought home and tamed.
They were very fond of it and, of
course, treated it with kindness. As
in most !louses where there are child
ren, there was also a pet cat, The cat
and the crow were friendly.
One day an unusually nice morsel
was given to Tabby. This the crow
not only looked at with envious eyes
but made several attempts to secure,
Tabby beat off each attempt, however,
and the crow had to resort to strata-
gem
Disappearing through the open door,
ho returned in a few minutes with a
long string that had been ravelled
from an old sweater, Placing this on
the floor, some little distance in front
of the cat, he proceeded to wriggle 1t
as he had seen the children do when
playing with Tcbby. The cat instant-
ly jumped to catch the string. This
was, of course, exactly what the crow
wanted, and he, with equal dexterity,
pounced upon the coveted morsel and
flew away with it, leaving Tabby to
the enjoyment of the string,
A Friend or Two.
There's all of pleasure and all of peace
In a friend or two;
And allyour troubes may find release
With a friend or two;
It's in the grip of the clasping hand,
On native soil or in alien land,
But the world is made—do you under-
stand ?—
Of a friend or two.
A song to sing and a crust to share
With a friend or two:
A smile to give and a grief to bear
With a friend or two;
A road to walk and a goal to win,
An inglenook to And comfort in,
A pipe to smoke and a yarn to spin
With a friend or two.
A little laughter, perhaps some tears,
With a friend or two;
The days, the weeks, and the months
and years,
With a friend or two.
A vale to cross, and a hill to climb,
A mock at age, and a jeer at time—
The prose of life takes the lilt of rhyme
With a friend or two.
A Third United States.
Yet another nation has been born.
Its official title is "The United States
of Centrat America," and it comprises
at present the former independent and
separate republics of Guatemala, Sal-
vador, Honduras, and Costa Rica.
These four States have already
signed Articles of Federation at San
,Tose, in Costa Rica, for their union in
one Federal Government, and a fifth—
Nicaragua—will join in shortly.
For the time being the capital of the
new nation will be Tegucigalpa City,
in Honduras. When, however, the
new constitution has been drawn up,
and a national congress elected, a
brand-new Federal capital will be
built, following the precedent set by
the Austraian Commonwealth,
There will thus be throe "United
States" in America: the third one be-
ing the United States of South Ameri-
ca, *hick is the official designation of
the Republic of Brazil.
Not the Ans'Wer He Expected.
Proud Citizen—"So you've been
visiting our anode, eh? Splendid,
areh't they? Magnliiceht discipline,
superb buildings, beautiful furuish-
iingO. By the way, I want to ask you
*hat was the first thing tbat struck
you on entering the boys' depart-
ment?"
Visitor (truthfully)—"A pea trom a
Ilea -shooter,"
London Bank Holds Royal
Carpets.
In one of London's largest banks
are ten wonderful carpets, valued at
more than $40,000, which. have had
some curious adventures, says a Lon-
don despatch.
A certain Russian count, famous in
the days of the Czar, was forced to
flee from the Bolsheviks. He escaped
with his carpets. These had been 1
given to one of his ancestors by a
Souls in Prison, maws "I can't mawsmyseifi" we bear
people see, somethrees in the themes
of a 1101,00 indignation that stragglers
for iso outlet in languago,
Some 011e liars called music "Lotto in
amenof a word;" A novel about
music has the title "Where Speech•initis•"
Suds oxpreesione as tboae bear wit -ch
nems to the wept that with Of ue hon
felt fromtime to time to mike our
needs, our aeplrations or our nature
attdible•
Prayer canto because the Seal bad
to find an outlet skyward; and Prce
frailty is prayer upside down,
Moot books that are worth rearing.
are written because the writer hadd'
ecenethiug he felt 000stratnoto utter.
Tire tragedy among wi'itore in Russia
tomimeo
le that they have to mo
their own amok° when their imagina-
tions are aflame, It is no use to look
for a publisher. Only the Metal tree-
taten of bolaizoviele have any cbanoo
of finding their way into print.,
It is more than exhibitlee portional
vanity that tomtit ono to learn the
violin, the piano, tbe art of song. A.
stronger Incentive 1e the yearning to
give expression to the Silent, stilled:
feelings.
We cannot °elven our$oivea to
everybody. 'ionto audiences of one--
or even of thousands --are (=genial;others are cold, and we urs mute. We
feel "bottled up" in the preeene0 of
those wbo misconstrue, We feel than
we a11a•11 only have our trouble for our
pains 1f we speak, So Ivo say nothing.
The very clothes we wear are a
mode of self-expression. Our houses
and our habits are tongue eboquent
to tell others what we are. The action
louder than the word brings to con-
fusion our most elaborate artifice for
hiding our intentions or our essential
character,
No phase of iho world we live en is
more 1`.theric than tee inarticulate
woe of many helpless, bopeieso, voice-
less. A p1't;en sentence for the body,
if the victimis innocent, is sorrowful
enough; the incarceration of the spirit
is a matter far more dopirable. Wo
value preacher or poet, statesman or
philcsoplher, in proportion to his abili-
ty to express in words—carried into
acts—the will, the hope, the faith, the
vision of the many, The "gifted" ones
become the leaders; they are the
voice for the multitude. You cannot
crush out 0f the crowd the desire to
be led until you have extinguished life
itself. These who lead will be those
whose lies and words ring forever
former Czar of Russia, who had re- true.
ceived them from a Shah of Persia of
that time—several hundreds of yearsr
Biros Cross Lake on
made for his harem or castle. Stemmer,
ago. The Shah probably had them
The count eventually arrived at Ba-
kum, and, discovering that he was
without money, handed over his trea-
sured possessions to a Russian Jew
who was an his way to England, in-
structing him to sell then. The Jew
took the carpets, paying the count a
substantial deposit, and brought them
with him to London.
The carpets are still here, and no
one knows what Anally will become of
then. At present their trustees have
considered the only safe place for
then; Is the strong vault of a bank.
Servants in Eternity.
Recent discoveries is Egypt have
disclosed curious burial customs of the
anelents among the most fntereseing,
perhaps, being a Large number of ser-
vant groups•
These consist of little wooden ser -1
vants to serve their master in after-
life.
A boat formed the principle item in
one of those groups. Five or six little
wooden figures make up the crew. The
boat is, of course, sail -driven, and Is
steered by a long rudder oar from the
stern,
Another group is seen carrying a
chair for the spirit's use when. it tires.
Fan -bearers accompany the chair
party. Cooks kneading bread form the
subject of another group, while a
fourth group deplete a eellarer and as -
detente with wine -jars. The wine -
jars have even the year of vintage in -
seethed on them,
Woman Cabinet Minister.
The new farmer Premier 0! Alberta,
Mr. Herbert Greenfield, has included
a farmer's wife, Mrs, Mary Irene Pae -1 -
by, in his new Cabinet as Minister
without portfolio.
Mrs. Pa'riby is the second woman to
hold Cabinet rank in a Canadian. pro-
vincial Parliament, Mrs, Ralph Smith,
of Vancouver, having been chosen as
Minister without portfolio in the Bri-
tieh Columbia Government.
Near Neighbors in the Sky
There are so many stars in the sky
that it is possible to devote special
study only to a relatively few.
Thus, until the other day, no par-
ticular attention was drawn to Bar -
nerd's star, as itis called. That it
finally attracted notice was due merely
to observation of the fact that it seem-
ed to be travelling through the horn -
ens at extram'dinary speed.
A passenger on a retiroad train tees
the telegraph poles flying rapidly past.
Houses in the middle distaooe seem
to move more slowly; a steeple ill the
far background of the landscape much
slower yet. The effect would be the
same if the train Were standing still,
and the poles, houses and steeples all
in motion, at equal speed.
The inference, there in the case of
the sear, wire• that it Was probably
rattler tear to ue; but it was a sur.
prise to discover, eh Measurement of
its parallax, that it was only six and a
third "light years" distant from the
earth.
It is a small sun much .less in size
than oar own solar orb and our near-
est neigbbor'in the heavens, with the
exception of Alpha Centauri, which is
four and a third light years distant
from us. Alpha Centauri is a "double"
ortwo ante, each about the saline size
ae ours, which revolve about a com-
mon centre of gravity.
The next nearest star is Sirius,
which is the brightest stellar luminary
in the northern h ev000. It is nonny
nine light soars distant. Next come
Pisces Australis, tweetyelve light
years; Aeeturus, forty-three light
Years; Bata Crudie, elxty-four lightyears, and Alpha Ithedanl, 100 fight
Years.
A light pear la the diatelle° travelled
in a twelve-month by a ray Of light
shoving 180,000 miles a second.
Land birds far from land form one
of the sights to be witnessed by ,pas-
sengers on board the steamboats
crossing Lake Michigan, says the De-
troit New,'•. This is said to be es-
pecially the ease on the steamboats rf
a line plying between Muskegon and
Chicago, a distance cf 100 miles. The
steamboats- sail after dant.
At sundown the spars and rigging
of the vessels in the dock term good
renting places for the land birds.
When darkness cranes and the boats
begin to move it is too late for them
to go ashore.
It is said to be no uncommon thing
for the passenger to see a strange
sight jest between daybreak and snu-
rise• The birds are walling up and
And themselves some thirty odd miles
from land. They circle about the boat
until they are compelled to rest on the
rigging, some of them seeming much
perplexed, while others mike the beet
of circumstances.
On one trip two yellowhammers, or
flickers, were among the company, as
well as a silent little sapsucker that
pecked away at ropes and spars, as if
he were breakfasting heartily on
grubs. There was it frightened brown
thrush, as well as a pair of they wrens
and einem.] grass sparrows,
The birds accompany the vessel un-
til it reaches the outer port and then
fly ashore.
Mistakes Worth Mbny.
Several 'examples of "freak" -editions
of the Bible recently came under the
auctioneer's hammer in London,
Ono of the most retnsrirable Is
known as the "Bug Bible," In this,
the context of the 81st Psalm runs:
"Thou shalt not be afrayde for eny
bugger by night"—"bugged;" In
mediaeval times, Meaning nightmares
and other terrors.
Another curious example in the 001-
leotion Is the "Treacle Bible," in which
the passage, Jeremiah VIII. 22, nada:
"There is no more tl'iace at Gyleed."
Tho "Murderers' Bible" takes its. title
from an error in the translnticn of
Jude, verse XV]„ wince 1n the Auth-
orised Version runs; "There are mgr-
murors, complainers"; while a curious
misprint In the Beatitudes, "Blessed
are the place -makers," gave else to
one.set of Bibles being known as the
"Places -takers" edition.
Altbgetb.er there are IDS fewer than
ten "freak" editions' of the great boort,
some of them of considerable value,
Corncob Chemicals.
A new specles of bacterium has been:
found that dos remarkable things to
cos'neobe•
When the cobs are cooked with '
enter in it cloned receptacle, at a tem-
perature considerably above boiling
Debit, all extract is obtained from them
which, upon introduction of this "lite-
tobacillus," readily farmenla,.
One toe of cob* treated in this. way
will yield, as a result of terinelftetien,
000 pounds of a atie, add and -020
pounds of ;actio acid, both of which
ere Veluable mi merolat products,