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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1950-6-7, Page 7U hFeesome Hy Richard 11111 Wilkinson "That HUM" Janiec thought as elle brought ler roadster to a . halt. "has possibilities;" It can't .be that he lives here." He stood just inside the picket fence ---six feet of tall leaness, Fair hair. Blue eyes, Bespeaking the easy arrogance of youth. 1 le wore a blue cotton shirt and Mae denim jeans, "You're not Janice Burdon??" he said. And then at her expression: -"Heavens, ydu arel Why coblcln't Aunt Bertha have warned me?" "Is Aunt Bertha your aunt, too?" "My real aunt, You only call her auntie because she's a close friend of your mother, That makes us not cousins," he added with frank relief. Janice rescued her suitcase frac the i ru nl>Ic seat. "This is like one sof those things you read about," he grinned, taking it from her, He Studied her with honest approval. "And I thought my vacation was .going to be one of those .dull, un- interesting things." Minutes later, Janice faced her Aunt Bertha in the bed chamber •over the front ario•. "Oh, Auntie, why didn't you tell me he was going to be here? I didn't bring a thing. Not a thing, except my shorts, two cot- ton dresses and a bathing suit" "Who?" Aunt Bertha asked in- . vocently. ."Phil? Land sakes, don't worry about him. He dropped in unexpectedly yesterday and an- nounced he was here for two weeks. He's a dear toy. You'll like him." The next day Janice accompan- ied Phil up to the north pasture incl watched him prune apple trees. "f thought this was your vacation,' she said, after a while. "It is," he told her. "I like work- ing on my vacations—out doors." He pointed away over the fields, "Sonne day I'd like to sec all those fields set out to apple trees." Two days ago she wouldn't have believed hint. She was city born and city bred. To her a farm had always symbolized. hard work and She wondered abort Phil. a poor living, bugs and snakes and• hot days in the sun, long lonely evenings. Even the thought of a farm had made her shudder. She Wondered about Phil. He claimed to be a law firm member on vacation. It occurred to her that for a lawyer he was nighty skill- ful handling pruning clippers, And bis knowledge of farming was profound. The second day of their vac- ation they knocked off early and went for a swim. The third day they played tennis,. . The fourth Aunt Bertha packed them a lunch and they drove to Mount Carter, climbed to its summit and watch a glorious sunset while nibbling delicious sandwiches. On the second Saturday follow- ing her arrival she was with Phil. They had climbed Mount Carter again, had sat for long, silent mo- i'lents w*atcheing the afterglow of blood -red sunset. Unexpectedly Phil said; "}Fell, it's gone, 'And our vacation has gone. Tonight winds up the two . eke." "There's always and end to nice things," she (old him evasively. "There doesn't have to be, Ever, Listen," lie went on eagerly: "I gave you the wrong impression about myself. I'm not a successful lawyer. I never should have tried to be a lawyer. Thank heavens, I realized the mis- take before it was too. late." "You mean you're not iceving? You're staking Isere?" Tie nodded.''Inc going to try and raise apples, Auntie and 1 are going to be partners, 1„hie fall I'll sell what we have and next spring set out new trees, He picked no her hand. "honey, let's make it a threesome, 1 know it's 1 lot to aslc,” he added wistfully, "A city girl like you. .it'll be dull. 130 c•rentually--" "1 could clip in my roadster," Janice cried exeiterlly, ""It's all I have, but it ought to bring $500, How many apple trees ran y0tt: Puy wish $5110, darling?" "Enough, said Phil, reacting he:• eyes, "to beep from being lonesome -.-1 .guess." • k1.Tjme Secrets Puzzle Us Moderns. Because we can llv faster than the speed of sound, we are apt to think that there are no secrets I:uow'n to the ancients that are hidden from us. But there are. Modern generations have not pro. duces! a mathematician the like of Archimedes, When Marcellus at- tacked Syracuse, the authorities. implored Arehinsedes to use his great mathematical lcnowledge to help repel the invaders. Archi- medes despised applied mathe- matics. Yet he applied his know- ledge of levers and pulleys so effectively that he launched e frilly loaded ship single-handed; de- signed super -catapults that hurled stones weighing a quarter of a ton on the invasion fleet, and cranes that seized ships, spun them round and sank or dashed then against jagged cliffs. Who knows what 'wisdom was lost when the library of Alexandria was sacked and burned Six books we have of Euclid; what secrets did those contain th troyed. at were des - We hold various theories about the way in which the Pyramids were built, how the vast blocks of stone were hoisted one on top of the other; but no one knows for certain, In India there were even better mathematicians than either in ancient Egypt or Greece, They designed the great stone pagoda of Tanjore, nine hundred years ago. It is an immense-pillar-likeaffair rising 216 feet—and crown- ing it is a massive block of granite weighing eighty tons. How did it get there? What knowledge did they have which we do not now possess when they built the 238 -foot Kutab-Minar Tower, near Delhi, erected at the whim of the monarch as a vantage point from which his daughter could view the holy River Jumna? For eight hundred years it has resisted sandstorms and violent rain; extremes of heat and cold; yet the surface is as perfect as when built, Many modern ideas are not as new as we imagine. In 1943 it was announced in triumph that "refrigeration is being used in a new shockless, drugless, almost bloodless surgery, Ice numbs the nerves that carry the reaction of a wound to the brain. and helps to Prevent shock, which is one of the chief dangers of an operation, Also, as bacteria are living creatures, cold inhibits their growth and spread through an infected wound." If we turn back the clock many centuries, we find Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, was using ice and snow to numb limbs before operating! Since the first world war, plaster of Paris has been widely used for the immobilization of , broken' bones. It was hailed as something entirely new. But the aborigines of South 'Australia, the oldest living members of the human race, have encased broken Limbs in clay for centuries. Another innovation is the use of tiny clips instead of stitches for holding together the edges of wounds, •But explorers tell us that South American Indians do the sante thing in a different way. They collect large ants with powerful jaws. Then they. press the edges of the wound together' and place ants on it, These insects clip their strong jaws .into the edges of the wound, effec- tively closing it, after which the "surgeon" cuts off the bodies of the ants, Scientists at Cambridge are now investigating old superstitions be- cause 'they believe that many have a sound foundation. Much old lore has been preserved by gipsies. Recently, a young soldier blinded at Dunkirk by the concussion of a bomb was sitting by the fire at his home in Cardiff wondering what fate had in store for him, when a gfpsy, who had wandered in to sell something, turned to his father, "Why does the young ratan sit so aimlessly?" "He is blind," explained the father, and related the story. "I know ]tow to help hint," volun- teered the gipsy, "Get some white flowers of elderberry. Put them in a sieve and pour boiling water over them. When cool, squirt the water into his eyes three times a day." The father was dubious, for sur- geons held no hope for his son. Hon+ever, the treatment was tried till the sot complained that the lotion made his eyes smart, Months later the. gipsv called and inquired after the young man. The father explained what bad hap- pened, "But that," insisted the giPsy, "is a sign that the inflam- mation is beim drawn OU" M1 out." t So they persevered. severed. Gradually the son began to see. In eighteen months his night was . perfect. In Southern Ireland it Inas been t customary for cottagers to cover their land with seaweed- and sand, as fertilizer. But not all sand will do. They first boil a sample with vinegar and, if it bubbles, use it. If. it doesn't, the sand is rejected. Scientists investigated thisold cus- tom before the war and found that sand that bubbled contained calcium carbonate, and that if boiled with vinegar, which con- tains acetic acid, it will bubble. Calcium carbonate is good for crops. Blackleg is a terrible cattle dis- ease. But the Irish had a way of immunizing their cattle. They cut off the leg of a cow that died of blackleg and hung it for a month over a peat fire. Then they cut . off strips and inserted then under the skins of healthy animals—pre- suntably without knowing why, Scientists who investigated the custom soon realized that this was merely a crude way of placing the pure culture of blackleg germs in a chloroformed atmosphere, and then injecting them into healthy animals. The Romans bored wells to great depths. How, we. do not know. They ,rade glass that bent, but did not break. Their Tyrian purple, made from the shell -fish, murex, has not been matched for beauty. We know that swords made in Damascus could sever a hair float- ing it air. Whether science will be able to investigate the formula by which they, were made is doubtful. There are many such things we should like to know. Professor Lindner discovered that in the days of Nebucadnezzar the Babylonians° possessed a secret for making solid beer, called saviq, which tltey car- ried on long journeys. .All they had. to do was to drop a brick of saviq into water; when it dissolved, the result was beer, MAGNETIC CLUTCH Two General Electric engineers ' have improved on a magnetic -fluid clutch which was .originally devised by the National Bureau of Standards and which, though only six inches long and six inches in diameter, is able to carry enough power to lift a 'ton 1,000 fest in a minute, Two metal cylinders, each able to rotate independently on the same axis, are separated by a magnetic mixture of oil and finely divided iron pow- der. When the unit is energized, the fluid instantly solidifies so that the two cylinders are held tightly to- gether. As one revolves its motion is transmitted to the other. The clutch is still in the experimental stage. I wm _ 5.311 r LeftIt HereSo ne where .. , , — Two bicycle owners appear puzzled as they seek their vehicles among hundreds of others wheels took place when cycling fans flocked to the Southern parked in a lot at a racing meet in Loltdon. The tangle of Comities Cycling Union International Racing Festival, Predicts Rockets To Moon Within Seven Years Time Egerton Sykes, F.R.G.S., is a member of the British Ipterplane- tary Society, Founder and Chairman of the Research Centre Group. Writ- ing in a recent issue of TitBits he makes the following predictions. isfan's conquest of space, ince planetary travel, and the.commerc exploitation of the vast mineral r sources believed to be waiting the surface of the moon, are anion the glittering prizes held out b modern scientists if—and only if the nations of the worll abando their dreams of subjugating a fe paltry thousand miles of each other territory and turn instead to th far greater challenge of the sola syste. Evenmsince Jules Verne envisage travellers being fired in a shel to the moon, and H. G. Wells con ceived his gravity -resisting materia called.Cavorite, -the idea of visiting the noon has captured the imaging tion of mankind. Now it seems to b in sight of fulfilment. Experts be Neve that a guided rocket, equipped with robot observers, will make the first tour round' the noon and back again within the next seven years. Once that has been done, and the recorded data has been analyzed, the way will be wide open for the most dramatic voyage of discovery in the world's history—the launching of a giant rocket -propelled spacecraft which will convey a human passen- ger to the moon and back. The blue -prints for such a space- craft are already in existence, pre- pared on similar line by both. Brit- ish and American scientists. Their translation into the first actual ma- chine will begin only when the gov- ernment of one of the great powers dec£10ides,000,0to00,_necessaryallocate the _necessary That estimate, huge as it is, as- sures that most of the component parts would be obtainable . from existing factories. If they had to be specially builtt•tJJe,cost would be as high al'dthai,'Of producing the first atom Squib, and a similar vast plant would be -needed. Not un,iaturally; the Germans were first in the field with research. Thea Von Harbou's famous filth "The Girl in the Moon," shown in England in the late 1902s, was based on the work of the German Rocket Society, who later perfected the V-1 and V-2 for their assault on Britain. That Society has recently been re- formed and, in addition to the Brit- ish Interplanetary Society, there are a number of Rocket Societies in the A typical blue -print for a space - raft designed to take a crew of two to the 1110011 and back shows, seven -stage rocket powered by quid fluorine, hydrapine and other els, arid, fitted with ejection cylin- ers to enable the seven parts to be ttisoned one after+another during e journey. It is 352 feet long, venty-four feet round, and weighs er 19,000 tons. In its nose is the turn vehicle, a supersonic glider eighing ne more than ten tons—a ere twenty-five' feet long with a ngspan of fifteen feet. The reason for this fantastic con- st in size between the two craft that, until we can devise some mpler and less expensive method of shaking free of the earth's grav- ity, an enormous amount of force is needed to start the rocket on its journey. On the return trip the trav- ellers will have the earth's gravity to assist them. r- And what of the physical effects sal on the first moon -travellers, of being e- • ejected at 360 m.p.h. on a journey of on 240,000 miles?? g Unless the strain of acceleration Y when the rocket is launched can be — offset by the use of inflated cush- n ioning inside the cabin and the use W of drugs, they would almost car- 's tainnly "black out" for perhaps the e first three hours. They would be r entirely dependent on the pressure apparatus and humidifiers to supply d them with compressed air. 1 They night encounter the danger- ous effects of cosmic rays beating 1 on to the rocket with no external atmosphere to cushion them. Once clear of the earth's sur- - e rounding atmosphere, at a height of fifty miles, they would be flying through perpetual night in which the sun, lacking any atmosphere to diffuse its rays ,is no brighter than a large star and daylight ceases to exist, Just what effect on the heart, digestive organs and other bodily functions the falling off of the gravitational force of the earth would have, nobody yet knows. Assuming, however that the ex- plorers succeeded in landing on that barren satellite, they would be more dependent upon their own resources than any two living creatures have even been in history. Wearing their electrically -heated suits, never without their portable oxygen supply and air -compressors, they would hr ve to go to work to build some form of shelter and grow atmosphere -producing plants before any serious study of metal and min- eral resources could be undertaken. The hazards are incalculable but not, I am convinced, beyond man's ingenuity to. overcome. And once the outside edge of the earth's at- mosphere fringe has been penetrat- ed, still further journeys, of 240 days each, to Mars and Venus will be planned. One not -far -distant day the world will wait, tense with excitement around its raidio sets and television screens, for news of the first two moon explorers. Despite the dan- gers, such is the pioneer spirit of ratan that every Rocket Society has already tete names of thousands of volunteers whose ambition in life is to take the first step in man's conquest of space. 111 — By Harold. Arnett a li fu PROTECT PLANTS PROTECT NEW TOMATO PLANTS AGAINST CUT- WORMS BY WRAPPING STALKS WITH CIGAR- ETTE PAPERS OR STRIPS OF OLD NEWS- PAPERS. CAPSULE BEADS EMPTY MEDICINE CAPSULES CAN BE LACQUERED,WITH NAIL POLISH TO MAKE .. A NOVEL STRING OF ,. BEADS . USE CONTRASTING SHADES OF LACQUER.' d jc th se ov re w ,n w, tra is si BIG METEORITE Australia's half -utile -wide Wolf Creek Crater was blasted .out by a meterorite, Dr. Edward P. Hen- derson told the Geological Society at Rs last meeting. The 'big ]tole was found in 1947 in the Western Australia wilderness by .three Am- erican geologists who were pros- pecting for oil by plane. The crater has a diameter of 2,800 feet at the bottom and a depth of 150 feet, The meteor that ,nada the crater is the second largest that oder hit the earth. The biggest struck in Ari- zona. Queer Lawsuits A claim for $25,000 .which grew out of the complaint of a man about the small amount of ice cream he got in a cone recently, came before an American court. The man thought he hadn't had his money's worth, and said so. The ice cream seller sued him for disorderly conduct and the man was fined $10, whereupon the seller hint. self was sued for $25,000 on the grounds that the dissatisfied custo- mer suffered a recurrence of heart trouble and damage to his reputa- tion through the incident. He capped this claim with an- other one for an additional $7,500 for mental anxiety caused by riding in a police van, loss of earnings, and medical expenses. Some claim—some cone! People sue other people for extra- ordinary reasons, and sometimes judgment is given in their favor. There is a case on record in which an American jury, trying a man for grand larceny, was sent to a hotel to spend the night. Next morning they returned to court and found the ,ran guilty. Two days Later, the court received a bill from the hotel for on a long t of articles s,tolen bythe jury! I ! Y A settlement for an undisclosed amount was announced at Stafford Assizes in an action by a miner who was struck on the head by a cricket ball hit for six on a cricket club ground The defence stated that the plain- tiff was hit on the head in a public road by a cricket ball "which was most magnificently hit for six and cleared either one or two pavilions, according to which side of evidence you accept. Defendants feel he suf- fered great misfortune and are glad to make amends." Not long ago, a sensation was caused by a case in which a man who stepped off the curb into the road without looking was ordered to pay $9,000 damages for causing the death of a pillion rider. In giving judgment, the judge said that lie thought when the pedestrian step- ped off the pavement his mind was on something else, and he did what people often do when hooted at— he did not stop, look and listen—but hesitated and then went on. The pedestrian was in the wrong and there was no negligence proved against the motor -cyclist. A few hundred years ago, it was quite in order to sue animals and insects. Complicated laws gov- erned the misdoings of such wild creatures as rats, locusts and cater- pillars on the assumption that, as God cursed the serpent and Christ the fig -tree, so the Church had legal jurisdiction over both the animate and inanimate in the entire field of nature. In 1445, for instance, a crop - eating beetle was sued and a lawsuit started which was to last for 42 years. The plaintiffs, the Commune of St. Julien in France, finally agreed to give up part of a fertile district to the exclusive use of the insects, "William" Drops To Seventh Place The favorite boy's came for babies born last year was joint, Favorite girl's name was Ann or Anne, Order of popularity isofficially, given as follows for boys: John, Richard, Peter, David, Charles, Michael, William, Robert, Christ- opher, James. For girls: Ann or Anne, Mary, Elizabeth, Jane, Susan, Margaret, Sarah, Caroline, Jennifer, Frances, William And Mary Richard climbed from fifth place in 1948 to second in 1949, while Tony (Anthony) fell almost to the bottom of the list. Among the girls, the first six were the same last year as in. 1948. Mary is always within the first three places. From the very earliest times the word has held sway as the commonest female name, no doubt because of the Christian reverence paid to the Mother of Jesus. The drop to seventlt place of William is remarkable, for through- out centuries, res this name has tie with John more than any other in popularity. There is a marked tendency in the U.S.A, for parents to name- their children "Duke," `King," "Prince, "Earl," "Bishop,' "Judge" possibly in the belief that their fore- fathers must have borne those titles. The truth is that these names can be traced back to the actors who appeared in the roles of kings, dukes or princes, and the rest in the Mir- acle Plays of the Middle Ages. Playing the same part in every play the actors become known to their friends not by their real •Christian name, but by the name of their stage character. In the U.S., it appears that there is no legal objection to parents christening their children with the most outrageous names they can think of. There was a court case over the christening of twin daugh- ters Kate and Duplicate. The cler- gyman refused to perform the cere- mony, so the mother sued him. An- other case occurred soon afterward when a parent wanted her twin sons christened Peter and Repeater. Sensitive Stars Filen stars are notoriously sensi- tive about their own names. The ones with which they were christ- ened often are considered notto be "box office" so they change them. Isere are some examples, real names first: Frederick Austerlitz, Fred Astaire; Claudette Chauchoin, Claudette Colbert; Mary Magda- lene von Losch, Marlene Dietrich; Pauline Levy, Paulette Goddard; Archibald Alexander Leach, Cary Grant; Charles Edward Pratt, Boris Karloff; Frederic McIntyre Bickel, Frederic March. Witness: When I said a fool and Ms money are soon parted my wife said, "Turn out your pockets," Strange Carving Discovered—.In the jungles of Southern Mex- ico lies a huge, 15 -ton stone head, believed carved at the begin. Hing of.tlte Christian era by an ancient people: 'This reproduc- tion, now on display at the American Museum of Natural History was made by Dr, Gordon P. Ekholnt, right, after the mammoth carving was discovered by Dr. Matthew Stirling, left. The original stone measures nine feet high, six feet wide, and 20 feet in circumference. JITTER YOU CAN GO WITH ME TO THE WINTER SPORTS CARNIVAL IF YOU'LL BE CAREt'111,. .d SkIING IS DANGMROUS FOR BEGINNERS. By Arthur Pointer Ja "a