HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1949-7-27, Page 7!Laughter Can Kill
When the United States held a
National Laughter Week recently,
everybody was asked to begin and
end as many conversations as pox-
sihle with a joke and a laugh, Jimmy
Fannie, the comedian, was crowned
;fling of Laughter, gag writers
staged a banquet at which they
/roared with laughter at their own
Jokes, and it was pointed out that
the world is unhappy because it
doesn't laugh enough,
What is laughter? A medical
book has analysed it as "convulsive
action of the diaphragm, violent ten-
sion of the larynx, contortion of the
features and secretion from lach-
rymal glands." Doctors agree that
laughter is good for us and tones
up the system.
Yet laughter can kill. In 1862
John Davis of Birmingham gave a
roll of tobacco enclosed in bread
to an elephant, and laughed so hear-
tily at the animal's displeasure that
he fell dead from heart failure. A
(;reek artist who painted a portrait
of an old woman was so amused
by the leer he had given her fea-
tures that he laughed for 22 hours
and died from exhaustion.
Dctors all over the world discussed
the case of a New Jersey girl who
in 1908 went to have a tooth out.
"What a good thin,/ it would be",
she remarked to the dentist, '9f
we were all born without teeth!"
"Well, arent we?" queried the den-
tist, The girl began to laugh and
continued to do so for eight hours,
while two doctors tried vainly to
quieten her. Finall, she stopped
from sheer fatigue.
Sonie people rarely laugh. Moltke,
the German military strategist, is
swill to have laughed only twice
after reaching manhood—when he
heard the news of his mother-in-
law's death and when someone told
him that a military construction just
outside Stockholm was considered
by the Swedes to be a strong fort-
ress.
Baby, is:tit Cold?—Micky Coua-
tms, out in the Cheyenne, Wyo.,
sunshine to get a tan, runs into
a three-foot snowdrift. The
white stuff, still lingering from
last winter's devastating bliz-
zard, was covered with a light
layer of cinders which was
responsible for its long life.
h It The Weather?
1 -las the weather gone daffy or
have we? The air waves carry the
hourly history of every "storm" be-
tween Toronto and Timbuktu, The
headlines daily blazen and bemoan
some queer quirks of seemingly
fickle nature. There is a flood here
or a drought there; this crop is
about to be ruined by rain, that
one by the -tack of it, No wonder
people get the notion that the
weather is going to the dogs! Yet
the Weather Bureau records say it
isn't so. There are exceptions, of
course—like California's last winter
—but in general, the climate is
changing little.
!-low, then, shall we explain all
these unseasonable seasons, these
extremes of heat and cold,, that we
hear so much about? Apparently
that is just it—we hear so much
more about any unusual behavior .of
the weather than our grandfathers
did. And the unusual or the ex-
irenle is often Unpleasant. As with
so mach that is considered news,
the impression is that of bulletins
from the sick room. Sticking a
thermometer under Old Sol's
tongue every hour is not a cooling
exercise. ITolding the wrist of J.
Pluvies and trying to count his
pulse doesn't improve the picnic
plc: urs.
Of course, those backward folk
who went ahead of us were really
mach more at the mercy of the
weather than we are—or should be,
They had neither automatic furn-
aees nor air-coollng. systems. They
hhad •to survive without ice cream,
electric refrigerators, and flying
box cars carrying frozen food,
Their heavy transport depended on
wind and water - a drought often
spelled famine. But one gets the
Impression that they had a better
opinion of the weather—anti of the
world—than we dol Could it be
WO arc using ant improved know-
ledge and communications mainly
to emphasize troubles and keep
ourselves stirred up?
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HRONICLES
INGERFARM
evtzndol.in.e P. C lea1ce
And still no relief in sightl The
sun blazes mercilessly down upon
the bleached parched fields. The
cows, poor things, spend mach of
their time on the shady side of the
barn, after wandering . aimlessly
about the pasture fields, nibbling
here and theres at a few green
chicory leaves still surviving among
dried-up brittle grass. The dogs
dig around under the chestnut tree
trying to find a cool, moist spot in
which to sleep. The birds drowse
lazily in trees where the foliage is
thickest—too hot to even bother
much with the cherries that hang
red -ripe from a number of small
trees near the house. Ah, those
cherries. , I picked some yes-
terday for stewing and found them
about the size of currants, But
they are sweet so if I have patience
to pick and pit them, we shall prob-
ably eat them and be thankful, Ansi
do you , know what? We actually
got two pickings of peas from the
garden. I knew pea -pods had
formed but 1 never expected them
to fill. So that was a delightful
surprise. Maybe there are even
beets and carrots under those two-
inch tops which we can find in the
garden if we look hard enough.
Last Thursday a friend and I
went across country visiting a W.I.
Branch in another county —and
that, friends, is a good way to
get ideas to take home to your own
branch. It was a lovely drive— but
it would have been a lot nicer in
a normal year. Of course we man-
aged to lose ourselves— sort of
went around the co ntry in a circle
— but that didn't worry us one bit,
Most•of the we were on very high •
ground overlooking country that in
some parts was heavily wooded.
We had dinner at a delightful old-
world farm house that was just the
coolest spot we had hit in a week.
The reason wasn't very hard lo fin'd,
Standing' just a little piece away
from the house was a short row
of lovely did maples. From dawn
to dark those beautiful trees kept
the glaring sun from striking the
main part of the farm dwelling. The
Lady of the House said she wouldn't
part with those trees for anything.
I could quite believe it. Not only
did they keep the house cool but
they provided a good playground
for one nice little boy who lived
there, as well as a shady parking
spot for cars. I could also imagine
quite a few picnic meals would be
eaten under those trees. And I am
quite sure itwould be just the place
to do the family darning, read a
book, or peel potatoes for dinner.
Or again, how lovely to sit under
those whispering leaves and do
nothing—just sit . . . and think
and plan for the future—as
one would be so inclined to do
with a small boy playing contentedly
with his toys under the same trees.
Such a difference a few trees can
make.
Sometimes in comparing houses
old and new it ds hard to make vp
one's mind about them—which one
would rather have. The new houses
are so well planned — compact,
convenient, and with big picture
windows that are most attractive.
But still they lack character, and
naturally there are no trees that
have stood guard over previous
generations. You feel it will be
many years before these new houses
will have any worthwhile stories to
be picked up by the listening walls.
In fact, in some cases one wonders
0 the houses will last long enough
to hear any stories at all.
But old houses. . . . 1 love old
houses — only with modern con-
veniences, present or pending, I
love the big farm kitchen which
many ingenious housewives manage
to remodel, making them more con-
venient without . detracting from
their character. But right now I
would trade any house or kitchen,
old or new, for anything that was
cool!
Hot weather is bad enough when
one is alone, but with visitors in
the house, keeping them cool and
comfortable is absolutely impossible
with the thermometer registering
over 90° in the shade. My sister-
in-law returned yesterday and niece
Betty arrives on Tuesday.
One thing we have to be thankful
for — we have finished haying. Or
maybe we shouldn't be so thankful.
Had there been more of it, we
wouldn't be finished yet. There were
15 low's altogether, and none of
it got wet! I was watching them
take off one load and it looked as
if it was almost impossible to pick
up a real forkful of hay, ft was
so short, dry and brittle that with
each jab of the fork more hay
seemed to roll off than was picked
up. But eventually the job was
finished, so now we'll keep on pray-
ing far rain and hope for better
luck with our second cutting.
One Way To
Kill A Queen.
How to kill a Queen? That was
the problem facing a Hamilton
Laboratories organization,
1t has long been known that an
ant colony cannot survive 'ong if
the Queen ant is killed. To build
a better Ant Trap, they wanted a
food that would attract the worker
ants —who feed the Queen — and
a poison in the food strong enough
to ]till the Queen.
The problem was turned over to
the firm's research department.
Their job was to find a food that
would be attractive to as many
species of ants as possible, and a
poison of maximum effectiveness to
put into the food. The mixture had
to be crumbly enough to enable the
tiny insects to carry it off easily ...
since most ant food is stored in the
nests before being eaten. It must,
on the other hand, be solid enough
to resist disintegration and weather
change which would make it in-
edible.
This meant studying the ways of
ants. It meant transporting huge
colonies of
o s ants is to tate research
laboratories. Since the experiment
began in winter—when ants hiber-
nate— the insects had to be brought
from warmer climes.
Housed in artificial hives of
plaster of paris under glass, the
reactions of ants to various foods
and poisons were studied. Experi-
ments were carried on mainly with
Canada's three most common spe-
cies: Pharaoh's ant, the Thief ant
and the black Carpenter ant . .
Which nest in logs, posts, trees and
house timbers,
It was well known that some ants
have a sweet tooth, while others
preferred fat or greasy food. The
aim was it. please all the ants and
devise a poison that wouldbe equally'
effective in all eases.
To find a combination that all
ants preferred, the colony was given
a choice of common foods, as well ,
as one of the firm's ant traps.
After several days the ants died,
Then they performed a post-mortem
on a queen ant, removed the con -
>^d
V 'It Ke,Vtis..
8Y TOM GREGORY
IF YOUR ICEBOX LEAKS IT CAN
USUALLY BE REPAIRED er COATING
THE INSIDE OF THE LCE COM-
PARTMENT WITH PARAFFIN. TAKE
OUT THE. METAL STAND THAT
SUPPORTS THE CAKE OF ICE,
PLUG THE DRAIN WITH A CORK;
AND THEU POUR MEL7EID
PARAPFftrOVER. THE LEAKY
PART. AFTER THE .WAX HAS
HARDENED, CAREFULLY REMOVE
THE CORK FROM THE DRAIN
AND REPLACE 1140 STAND.
Fa re E TIE
APPROPRIATE TIE-
BACKS FOR KITCHEN
CURTAINS CAN BE
MADE FROM SUCH
INEXPENSIVE UTENSILS
AS PANCAKE TURNERS,
FORKS, OR SPOONS.
DRILL EACH HANDLE
FOR A SCREW AND
BEND IT INTO A F'LA'T U SHAPE..
7
CT
SALAD PLATE? NO! HONEST, IT'S A HAT—An apple,
beets and a carrot are as good trimmings as any for the Trim
Your Own. Hat contest at this year's CNE. Judges will award
$5a for best trimmed and modelled garden creation. Above
Florence Owens models hers.
tents of her stomach and assayed
this to determine the amount of
poison she had consumed. From the
quantity , of poison found in her
stomach, the' total weight of the
bait she had eaten was calculated.
The results of the assay were
checked with an authority in an-
other organization . . , and proved
that it was the bait from the ant
trap that had killed the ants. It
was painstaking work , Mut the
poison -food formula was found.
Today the proven combination of
food and poison is embodied in
Wilson's latest Ant Traps, And out
of the research comes a tip on de-
stroying ants quickly. Place ant
traps outside your house, near
where the ants enter. Otherwise
ants will still be coming in the
hoose until they are killed .
which often takes two to three
weeks.
Climax
Tommy was showing off his new
bicycle. He went up the road, and
on conning back shouted to his
mother: 'Look Mum— no hands!"
"Oh, be careful, Tommy!" said
his mother. "You'll hurt yourself!"
Tommy laughed and cycled up
the road again. When he next ap-
peared he called out: "Look, Mum
—no feet!"
"Oh, be careful, Tommy!" re-
peated his mother. "You'll hurt
yourself I"
Again Tommy went off up the
road, and it was some time before
he reappeared. When Ile did, how-
ever, he, called out, not quite so
cheerfully: "Look, Munn — no
teeth!"
Need Extra Salt
In Hot Weather.
The body is actually a "heat ma-
chine" which goes through a process
of demineralization during hot sum-
mer weather.
This is the claim of R. M. Rowat,
an expert who states that when the
body is affected by external heat it
loses much of its salt content
which is essential for the proper
functioning of its cooling system,
He explains that excess perspira-
tion (luring hot weather carries
minerals out of the body —particu-
larly sodium chloride, chemical
name for comtnon salt. If the nor-
mal intake of salt is not increased,
its lack may show up in a variety
of symptoms, the most severe being
heat prostration.
In industrial plants where hot,
humid weather often cuts working
efficiency in half, many employers
have placed salt tablet dispensers
beside water fountains, Resultant
jump in efficiency was amazing.
In rural areas both stock and
farmers suffer from heat clue to the
strenuous work in open, sun -beaten
fields. `Salt supply of animals can
be taken care of by having salt
blocks or licks made available to
them. Farmers and their hired help
can retain their comfort and energy
by using more salt on their meals
or carrying a small salt shaker in
the hip pocket when out in the
field and taking the odd lick of salt
crystals, Salt tablets can also be
purchased in most drug stores.
When you're in Spain, it's easy to
recognize a Canadian at a bull fight.
He cheers for the bull!
HELPFUL INTS FOR
a p HOMEMAKERS . e e.
You know how a 4 -year-old girl
will wiggle while you're trying to
hang her dress. I've shortened the
task by slipping a dress that has an
even hem over the one to be hung.
• * *
When a roll of waxed paper has
been used, save the little "saw" from
the box to cut your angel -food cakes.
It makes much cleaner pieces than
a smooth-edged knife, since saw-
ing doesn't erush the cake.
* * *
When you want to hang a picture,
you can prevent tiny bits of plaster
from falling and making a mess on
the floor if you place a small piece
of adhesive tape where the picture
is to he hung. 'then drive the nail
through the tape.
* * *
Here's a trick I use to distribute
the wear evenly on an innerspring
mattress: 1 have embroidered the
numbers 1 and 2 on the head and
foot, respectively, of one side of
the mattress, and numbers 3 and 4
on the head and foot of the other
side. By placing the mattress so
that number 1 is on top at the head
of the bed for a week, I know the
next change will be with number
2 at the head. The next week I
turn the mattress over so number
3 is in position, then 4, and then
back to number 1.
* * *
For safety's sake, hang a flash-
light just inside the door of an un-
lighted closet. This will discourage
the use of matches when hunting
for a lost glove, overshoe, or cap,
* *
Ill a hone where several persons
wear about the same -sized hose or
socks, it's quite u job to know
"which are whose" after washday.
Maybe you'll find this system of
colored toes practical for your
family. It worked for me. Mark
the toes of all the socks with yarn
or embroidery floss, a different color
for each member of the family. If
socks are hand-knit, the last few
rows of the toes can be knitted in
the colored yarn. Then, after wash-
day, you'll find it easy to match the
colors and thereby hose and socks
belonging to each person.,
* * *
An old tube can cake pan makes
a fine stationary cat or dog feeder
or chicken waterer. Drive a stake
down through the center. The Ran
can be lifted off for washing, but
pets or chickens can't dislodge' it.
* * *
-you won't have trouble with veils
becoming wrinkled and wilted if you
provide each hat with a hat rack
Answer to Crossword Puzzle
OLE
tall enough to keep the veil from
touching the closet shelf. .I've found
Mat empty, tall fruit -Juice cans
make ideal hat racks. Wash and
dry them, then coat with enamel; or
paper them to match your bedroom
or closet. These decorated cans add
to the attractiveness of your closet
and keep your hats looking new,
* + *
On rainy days I mix a mild'scour-
ing powder with food coloring and
a little water, in the lids of jelly
jars. Then I let th, children paint
on the kitchen windows with this
mixture. It's easy to apply and
remove,
*
Here's an easy frosting secret.
Top chocolate cupcakes with marsh-
mallow halves before baking. Marsh-
mallows melt as the cupcakes bake.
Easy
The manager heard that the $30
a week clerk had a car, and asked
him how he could afford it, with
four children,
"Oh, that's easy", said the clerk.
"There are 500 of us employed at
this factory. I raffle my wages
every week at a quarter a go."
To Relieve TORTURE—
ITCH
i<'ORi'URE—
ITCH of ECZEMA
Try This Simple, Easy Way
At Home — Tonight
Ston 1n at your druggist and get a
mall bottle of Moons',/ namoraid 011,
Apply liberally at bedtime and get real
relief 1n double-oulek time. No matter
what you've triad there's nothing better
than EMSIRALD OIL at any price.
Inexpensive — Satisfaction Guaranteed or
money back. Good druggists everywhere. '
No Pile Torture
Now that modern science hoe the new
Bslteno Treatment, a common-aenaa way,
removes the Inside
Internal
treatment aiby moth), lavob
amaema restate even with the fat bottle,,
Pprat efunded
t
1tone that torture lnedles. Today,
$1.55. Ask your draeolet: IIs knows.
Orions 0
Tuck'ralleB
(irenseless,
roar -d in
PY e
no strong odor.
Ecanomlml dee6$c
TQ get 50%klORE
Jar oJej from gour fruit
use either
ER or
k RTO Crystals
Quick
Easq,. gesultsare SURE
There's nouesswork in making ,lam or jelly
with Certo Fruit Pectin or "Certo" Crystals.
It takes no snore time than to make a simple
dessert. You get better set, better appearance,
better taste , . , and about 50% more jam or
jelly from the same amount of fruit/
Please yourself which you use. Certo and
"Certo" Crystals are both nothing but fruit
pectin , .. the natural substance in fruit that,
makes jams "jam" and jellies "jell" ,
extracted and concentrated for quicker, cosier,
better jam and jelly -making, ;'The Word.
"Certo" is a trade mark.
RIO 'TEDIOUS LOIED-BOILII D
One Minute only
for both Jams and Jellies
When' you use Certo or "Certo" Crystals your
jams and jellies need only a ONE -MINUTE
full, rolling boil. This short boil does more than
save you time and work.
Since so little juice has time to boil away,
you get an average yield of 10 glasses where
old, long -boil would only yield about 6.
And the lovely taste and
colour of fresh fruit stay in your
jams and jellies because the boil
is too short to spoil the one or
dull the other.
SURE RESULTS EVERY TIME
If you follow EXACTLY the recipes
that come under the label of every bot-
tle of Certo or in every package of
"Certo" crystals, you'll have no fall••
ores. 'You'll get lovely, sparkling Jame
and jellies every time. Different fruits
need different handling, so .there's a
separate, easy -to -follow kitchen -tested
recipe for each fruit:.
00000.404
ask our avoeer fodat{ for dm eler r{oil prefer•t, SCalE``` or•
COVE morals Products of
&wet foods
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