Loading...
Zurich Herald, 1955-10-06, Page 6Staging The Drama Of Sun And Moon Walter Folger's astronomical clock was built by himself, and for himself. His objective was not to teach or tell anybody something that he thought it would be good for him to learn, He wanted to provide a me- chanical representation of time man uses, an exact mechanical representation of what took place in part of the solar system, and resulted in man having years, hours, days, and months. He wanted to reproduce on a clock's face, the marvelous dra- ma that is played, in three epi- sodes — one lasting twenty-four hours by the sun, another lasting a matter of twenty-eight days by the moon, and the third, by the sun, lasting 365 days and a fraction. And of the three, Walt- er's greatest interest was the challenge in the second episode, the moon and its curious move- ments which form a cycle only repeated in 18- years .. . Walter Folger had found what he wanted. With satisfaction in every movement, he took the works oi' a grandfather's clock out of the blanket in which they were wrapped, and set them on bis bench. They were good works; the- brass was tarnished, but the wheels were well cut, and the pinions well set; in every re- spect the works filled his dreams. As he sat quietly gazing at them, the whole plan which he and his father had discussed be- came clearer to his mind. He would build an astronomical me- chanism that could be attached to these works, and while the clock would show the hours and minutes (he wouldn't bother with a hand and dial to show 60 seconds in a minute), the as- tronomical additions would show the exact time of the rising and setting of the sun; it would also show the rising and setting of the moon. The moon must be put on a spindle; half of it must be black, the other half silver, and it must turn on the spindle to show the new moon and the quarters. Day after day and month after month followed, as every spare moment of Walter's time was spent in cutting wheels with his "cutting engine" brought from England in one of the whale - ships. Some wheels and parts were made by handfiling with careful accuracy. The pins to hold the wheels were turned and polished; their sets in the brass plate bored; and little by little the astronomical addition took shape and was placed in front of the works of the grand- father's clock, and the connec- tion . . . established. The arrival of the case from Boston was an event — it was stately design, and well made, but too tall for the low room where Walter worked. By cut- ting .holes in the floor, and notches from the corner beams, it was finally made to stand in its place, and the works, dials, and weights were inserted. On July 4, 1790, Walter hooked on the pendulum, and ticking began.—From "The Clock That Talks and What It Tells," by Will Gardner. The heaviest uying bird in America is the trumpeter swan with a maximum weight of forty pounds. HOBBLE — Norman Hartnell, H e r Majesty's dressmaker, brings the hobble skirt to the fore for autumn wear in Lon- don, England. Model shown is in white jersey, with "wing" and flying panel of grosgrain. Fashion Hints GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT . . such a pretty blouse as this! Fashioned from the newest man-made fibre, arnel, it's grace- fully styled with a gently draped V neckline and push-up sleeves. TABLE TALKS For parties, or for any time when you want to have your meal prepared well in advance, there are few things to equal loaves or salads molded with gelatin. Veal, chicken, fish, vege- tables, eggs, and cheese may be successfully molded in this manner and used for a main dish. This main -dish, loaf combines eggs and vegetables. Unmold it on lettuce leaves or watercress and serve with either mayon- naise or French dressing. EGGS AND VEGETABLES IN ASPIC 1 envelope unflavored gelatin 1/2 cup cold water 3/ cup hot water 1 bouillon cube i/ teaspoon salt ee cup tomato juice 8 canned or cooked asparagus spears 2 hard -cooked eggs, chopped ? cup cooked peas Soften gelatin in cold water; add hot water, bouillon cube and salt, and stir until dis- solved. Add tomato juice. Pour gelatin mixture into mold to depth of Y4 inch. Arrange as- paragus spears in mold. Chill until almost firm: Chill remain- ing gelatin until consistency of unbeaten egg whites. Fold in eggs and peas; put on top of stiffened gelatin and asparagus. Chill until firm. Unmold. Chicken is a favorite of those who love loaf. Make a design on the bottom of your mold, using 2 hard -cooked eggs, sliced, x cup cooked or canned peas and 6 stuffed olives, sliced. Then proceed as directed below. CIHICKEN SALAD LOAF r. cup vinegar ?i: cup salad oil ? teaspoon each, salt, pepper and paprika 3 cups chopped, cooked chicken 2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin X s cup cold water 21 cups hot clear broth 3,4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon onion juice 1/2 cup finely chopped celery Mix vinegar, oil and the 'le teaspoon salt, pepper and pap- rika and pour over chicken. Al- low to stand 1-2 hours, turning occasionally. Drain just before using. Sprinkle gelatin over cold water and soak a few min- utes. Dissolve in hot broth. Add salt and cool until slightly thickened, Carefully cover de- sign made with eggs, peas, and olives with a thin layer of this thickened broth. Chilluntil firm. Mix onion juice, celery, and drained chicken with rest of thickened broth. Carefully pour this mixture into mold and chill until firm. * * * Make a simple ham salad by combining 2 cups cold, diced ham, 11/4 cups diced celery, salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 3/4 cup mayonnaise, and serve it in an avocado ring mold for a fresh luncheon idea, AVOCADO RING MOLD 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin t/e cup grapefruit juice • 1cups hot water IA cup lime juice 11/2 teaspoon geated onion 11/2 teaspoon salt 1/16 teaspoon red hot sauce cup salad dressing 3 cups ripe sieved avocado (3-4 avocados) Pimento strips for garnish Soften gelatin in grapefruit juice. Dissolve in hot water. Add lime juice and seasonings. Stir in avocado puree and salad dressing. Cut pimento in 3/4 - inch strips and lay 'in pattern in bottom of oiled mold. Carefully spoon 1 cup of avocado mixture over strips. Chill until firm. Pour in remaining mixture. Chill. Unmold onto serving plate; garnish with curly en- dive or watercress. Fill center with ham salad. Serves 6-8. * Mold ethis salmon -with cream- of -celery soup either in a loaf or individual molds for pretty party food. SALMON SALAD 1 envelope unflavored gelatin i cup cold water 1 can (1% cups) condensed cream of celery soup 1 cup drained, flaked salmon 3A cup chopped celery % cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons sliced stuffed olives 1 tablespoon lemon juice Soften gelatin in cold water, then set container of gelatin in a pan of boiling water until gelatin dissolves. Combine gel- atin, soup, salmon, and remain- ing ingredients. Pour into in- dividual molds that have been rinsed in cold water. Chill un- til firm. Unmold on salad greens. Four servings. k * k MAYONNOISE VEAL LOAF 3 cups diced cooked veal 3 tablespoons gelatin 3 tablespoons water 1% cups hot meat stock lee, cup diced celery % cup sliced olives 1 cup peas 3 diced hard -cooked eggs 2 tablespoons capers 1 cup mayonnaise Cut meat in cubes. Soak gela- tin in water and dissolve in hot veal stock. Cool. Add re- maining ingredients to veal. When gelatin mixture begins to congeal, combine with meat mixture. Pour into 5"x9" loaf pan. Chill in refrigerator until firm and then slice. Serves 12. Silence, Please Fish hear by feeling the vibra- tions of sounds. Any noise on or in the water will frighten them. Few fishermen realize just to what extent this particular type of quietness plays in the differ- ence between a full and an emp- ty stringer. Talk as much as you like, but hold noise that might have any contact with the water to an absolute minimum. When fishing from a boat use an old piece of carpet under your feet to muffle the noise of scrapping shoes. Keep oarlocks from creak- ing by "greasing" them with a piece of paraffine. It is more effective and lasts longer than oil or grease. Fish toward the sun. The moving shadows of a fisherman, a boat swinging at anchor, an anchor rope, a rod or even your line puts a warry bass on guard. Quiet, please -.- and watch the old stringer till faster! MODERN WITCHCRAFT Recently at Beauvais a farm labourer of thirty-two, Henri Freines, was jailed for four years for murdering a woman df sixty-three 'known as "The Witch of Noailles." They had been drinking together in her house, which was filled with stuffed owls and pictures of skeletons. Nearly a century ago there was a similar murder in Shrop- shire. A young man, William Davies, killed Nanny Morgan, a crone of sixty-eight in whose house he lodged at Westwood Common, near Wenlock. She was a much -feared witch who kept a box of toads under her bed as "familiars"—demons that are petted by witches—and was credited with occult knowledge acquired in her youth from gip- sies whom she joined after be- ing jailed for stealing. No one dared oppose her or refuse her anything she wanted, for she was believed to possess the Evil Eye. All kinds of pea- ple consulted her, and after her death letters from even the local gentry were found in her home, with jewellery evidently given her in return for occult services. It is astonishing, but true, that witchcraft still survives in out-of-the-way places all over the. Continent, and in Britain. In Balkan villages I knew of more than one old crone whom the peasants held in awe, be- lieving they possessed super- natural powers. By this means they were able to exercise au- thority and inspire ,terror in- stead of being merely ignored old women. They were , assumed to have power over flocks and crops, over =love affairs and marriage matches, even over life and death. In some cases they were local despots whose word was tantamount to law, for super- stition dies hard in remote hill villages, where there is still an implicit belief in charms, talis- mans and magic philtres. In this country one might look for : survivals in wild Wales or the Highlands and Western Isles; hardly in the smiling West Country. Yet as recently as 1924 a Devon farmer, pro- secuted for wounding a woman in the arm, claimed that she had betwitched him. Writing of the North Devon where he has lived most of his life, Ronald Duncan tells of local cases which had come un- der his notice, including a neighbour who consulted a widow after his sow had pro- duced three dead litters, and was advised to drive the sow down to the beach and leave. her there for four turns of the tide—whereupon she produced ten fine piglets. He also consulted her about his habit of sleep -walking, and was told he would get over it if he never crossed the road any more. He followed this ad- vice so rigidly that he neglect- ed to feed some young steers in a field the other side of the road, and was summoned for cruelty. Another case mentioned in his book, "Where I Live," con- cerned four patients the local doctor was treating for . a baf- fling wasting illness involving lack of appetite, insomnia and sharp pains, either in the leg, arm, foot or ear lobe. Mr. Dun- can took the puzzled doctor to the widow's cottage when she was out, and on a dusty shelf in the loft they found six roughly - made wooden dolls, each label- led with the name of one of the doctor's patient's, each with a pin driven through leg, arm, foot or ear! George Bailey, of Wimpstone, gives this instance of modern withcraft. One snowy morning he called on a woman carrier trading between Audley and Coventry who claimed to have occult powers and undertook to prove it by fetching his sis- ter ten miles to him. Thursting twelve new pins into an apple; she muttered some charm, then put it into the fire. Within a few hours the sister walked in having trudged ten miles through snow in very bad weather. The only explanation she could offer was that she had suddenly been seized with an irresistible impiuse to come! A few years ago, in his book "Witchcraft," William Seabrook confessed that he once tried the doll -magic himself against a supposed "priest" who had up- set his wife by telling her she was fated to die within a few months. Dressing a doll in black robes and hanging a reversed crucifix around -its neck, he drove brass -headed tacks into the region of the kidneys and stomach, then sent him a photo- graph of the doll and . got a friend to play on his fears. The effect of all this was that in August, three months before Mrs. Seabrook was due to die, a letter came from the "priest" withdrawing his prediction and apologizing. In September came news that he was in a Paris hospital, suffering from kidney trouble, and when the time limit was nearly up, a despair- ing message through the friend, for he was now in grave , dan- ger of dying. Mr. Seabrook accordingly agreed to lift the curse provided his wife was alive and well on the day predicted for her death. Soon after that day had passed the "priest" began to recover. It seems incredible that, as recently as 1936 in Woodbridge, New Jersey, three neighbours should have brought charges in a magistrate's court against a `Mrs. Czinkota accusing her of being a witch and werewolf and going about on all fours dressed in an animal's. skin, one witness alleging that she had changed into a horse and walk- ed on her hind legs. It savours of witch-hunting in the 17th century, when hun- dreds of old crones were hounded to death and an Ips- wich lawyer, Matthew Hopkins, elected himself Witchfinder- General and• scoured East An- glia with a hangman and woman assistant, nosing out suspects. He stayed at the best inns like a judge on circuit, all expenses paid by the local authorities, plus $5 for every witch brought to judgment and execution! The surb . bird nests on the mountain tops of central Alaska but winters in South America., For nearly 150 years after the bird was given its scientific name, ornithologists were un- able to locate its breeding ground. Finding the Bard In His Own Work Contrary to the received opin- ion that Shakespeare did not reveal himself in his plays, Frank Harris maintains that he did so, not once, but again and again. After reading and re. _reading them many times, he became aware, he tells us, of a certain untidy underlying all the diversity of Shakespeare's char- acters, "And, at length," he adds, "out of the myriad voices in the plays, I began to hear more and more insistent the accents of one voice, and out of the crowd of faces began to distinguish more and more clearly the features of the writer." This voice and this face were, to put -it briefly, Ham- • let's face and voice; in Hamlet, Shakespeare, he said, had por- trayed his own soul, the very essence of his nature; and when he wrote Hamlet's speeches, was his own heart he was writ- ing down. This is made plain, in the first place, Frank Harris says, by the fact that when Shakespeare's characters fall, as they so often fall, out of character, and say things which such personages would never say, they are apt to drop into Hamlet's way of talking—to think his thoughts and express them in his langu- age. Shakespeare portrays, more- over, not once, but many times, figures that resemble Hamlet, dreamy contemplative beings given to irony and melancholy brooding. Romeo is the first of these; and Romeo, as Haz]itt said, is Hamlet in love. He is, indeed, Hamlet's young brother, less ma- ture and less complex, but ab- sent-minded like the student prince, and living, like him, in a world of his own imagination, Richard II, in the play of about this date, is another Hamlet, a passive contemplator, rather than a master, of his fate. A more mature character of this cast is Jacques, whom Shakespeare ad- ded to the figures in the old story from which his later play, "As You Like It," is derived. Jacques, who finds that all the world's a stage, possesses Ham- let's detachment, his wit, and his lightning -like intelligence, and is, like him, wrapped up in a humorous sadness of his own. Indeed in the whole progress of Shakespeare's plays we no- tice how more and more men of action and resolution tend to be replaced by dreaming and brood- ing heroes, who have mostly failed in one way or another, and prefer to look on life as ironic spectators. From "On Reading Shakespeare," by LO - GAN PEARSALL-SMITH. TIME FOR THE ARTS—Blobs of markings on the plastic -glass modernistic clock shown at the Germany. Bamboo "brushes" piece. paint replace conventional hour palet which is the dial of a Frankfurt Autumn Fair in West form feet for the table -top time - AFTERMATH OF HURRICANE HILDA—Children play in the flood waters as rescue workers labor in the debris lefi by death -dealing Hurricane Hilda which struck Tampico Mexico. The hurricane took 11,9 lives of 179 persons in Mexico and hundreds are missing.