Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 January 1891 — Page 4

(njegmotratitSentinel RENSSELAER, INDIANA. f. w. McEWEN, - - - Vmßinm.

It is claimed that a Chinaman, Hee U, discovered America in the year 217 B. G. Perhaps he did; there is something familiar about the name. Tascott, the Chicago murderer, has l>een found again, this time in Colorado. This evasive criminal is a nineteenth Flying Dutchman. Ax Indianapolis man has constructed a bicycle of steel tubing and aluminum, which, though exceptionally light, is claimed to be practically unbreakable. Another “pretty woman” has been arrested in New York for attempting to swindle merchants. It is passing strange that the woman who gets into a scrape of any kind is always “pretty.”

Prof. Roberts-Austen, of the British mint, estimates tnatthe great smoke cloud that overhangs London is three hundred tons in weight, and contains a carbonic acid gas of the yearly value of £2,000,000. It is only within a few years that photography has been applied to the investigation of the heavens with so much success as to make it one of the most powerful and fruitful means of research in astronomy y yyy Americans who have affected to ridicule the young emperor of the Germans will change their tune when they learn that he has just borrowed about $6,000,000 on his note of hand. It is a big man who is able to do that even in America. Bill Nye stamps as malignantly false the rumor that he has until lately supposed that salt mackerel w r as served as an entree at sw ell dinners. Mr. Nye says he has known all along that the mackerel or other fish should be brought on just before the cheese or immediately after the ice cream. A pack of wolves attacked a man and his dog in Northern Michigan. The man fell down and prayed to be spared, and the wolves turned tail on him. His poor dog, not being able to pray, started off on a run, but was overhauled and devoured in" a fashion peculiarly characteristic of the Michigan wolves. No one ever talks out loud when taking dinner with Queen Victoria, unless in response to a direct question from her Majesty. The guests converse among themselves in whispers. From time to time the Queen speaks to some one of her guests; but as it is not proper to disagree with her the conversation is necessarily subject to strict limitations. The widow of General Custer says that he was the first of American army officers to experiment on the rattlesnake as an entree. His cook prepared the dish under protest, and as the General was eating the dainty he saw the alarmed negro cautiously peering in through a crack in the tent, doubtless expecting to see his master drop down in a fit. A desire for education* induced a young man in California to rob a stage. He wanted to go to college, and at the point of a pistol he forced a number of passengers to give him their valuables, which it was his intention to convert into cash to pay for his tuition. As the heavy hand of the law brought him up with a round turn, his education will now be imparted to him in a prison, and will take the form of a useful trade.

Gex. Francis A. Walker, in the Forum, makes an interesting .argument to show that very few men have capacity for great leadership in practical affairs, and that men who have this capacity are likely to win, by the help of or in spite of conditions and opportunities. There are men everywhere who can satisfactorily do the work of subordinates. but those that can do the work of leaders are everywhere very few. Gen. Booth’s remarkable book “In Darkest England” has achieved a wide sale. It is already being translated into several foreign languages. The General hit upon a splendid theme for his literary effort, and the lavishness of the subscriptions that are pouring in in support of the philanthropic plan he proposes shows that thousands of people are with him in his desire to improve the condition of England’s tiemendous army of starving paupers.

Even now we have some active volcanoes of no little energy on our earth, and we know that in former days the volcanoes must have been still more powerful ; that, in fact, the Vesuvius of the present must be merely a popgun in comparison with volcanoes which have shaken the earth in those primitive days when it had just cooled down from its original fiery condition. It Seems not impossible that some of these early volcanoes may in the throes of their mighty eruptions have driven up pieces of iron and volcanic substances ■with a violence great enough to shoot them off into space.

It is proposed in New York life insurance circles to organize a company to insure the lives of those who have been rejected by the regular companies. The plan of the company is to make flie premium correspond to the risk, as is now done by fire insurance companies. The owner of a planing-mill or other hazardous property can get in-

Rnramfte against fire by paying for the additional risk taken by the underwriters, but an applicant for life insurance who fails to come up to the physical standard laid down by the medical examiners is unable to get insurance on any terms.

The King of the Sandwich Islands wishes to have himself and his moist dominions in the Pacific o&ean annexed to the United States. This is, of course, a gratifying display of intelligence on the part of his majesty, but it might lead to queer complications in the legislative function. For instance, the only languages spoken in Congress are English arid Arkansas. Now, if the Senator from Hawaii wished to propose a bill to pension a native who knew a man whose friend’s brothei lost his breath in running behind, the sutler’s wagon, how could he express himself? If cosmopolitanism grows much further in this country it will be necessary to have a polyglot interpretei in the halls of the Capitol.

Dr. Rauch of the Illinois State Board of Health thinks there is a strong probability that the cholera will react this country next spring. The dreadful scourge has already stalked over its periodical route to the east of ns, and during the summer just passed ten thousand deaths were recorded againsl it in Spain, Japan and Syria, while it likewise laid low thirty thousand pilgrims to Mecca. "While it is not well to take undue alarm regarding' Dr. Bauch’s prognostication, it is undoubtedly the part of prudence to keep oui cities in good sanitary condition and tc guard against the introducton of disease from other lands. Through cars in the matter of cleanliness other dis eases may be prevented or their effects mitigated, even though there should be no danger of a cholera visitation.

Perhaps there i 3 at present no more interesting field for the ethnologist that that afforded by Eastern Asia and the territory of the Sclav. The Russian character is daily becoming more familiar to us through the spread of the national literature. But the more we see of it the odder it grows. Strange stories come daily from the Russian press; of peasants who flog themselves to repentance; of people who trade wives; of natives who plot against monarchy and secretly believe in it. An eminent noble recently advertised that for a ruble he would sell a powder which when put in warm water would breed chicks. And the rubles poured in by thousands. The gradual expo sition of this simple-minded, gullible but artfnl and partly insincere people is one of the most interesting studies of the time.

A compositor m the office of the New York Slant-; Zeilung, while at work at his case, fell and died befon aid could reach him. He had worker in the same capacity for the same pa per for thirty-five years. He stood al his ca ; e all through the war and did his share to tell the people the news oi each anxious morning. He worked be fore the perfecting press was dreamed of, and when the greatest papers print ed their matter directly fronythe type when the telephone was as |4r away as is aerial navigation to-day, and wher the steam service to Europe and to tlu interior of the country was primitive to the point of being but a shade bettei than the sails and the horses of the earlier days. The experience of thirtyfive years of such work in such a plact must have been marvelous and the weariness of it inexpressible.

Now that the French people art having their attention called to thf uses of hypnotism as a detector of crime the people of Muncie, Ind., are experiencing its value as a motive power in religious revivals. The veteran evangelist, Mrs. Maria Woodworth, has apparently dispensed with hysterics, short spasms, and the frothing at the mouth, which, when accompanied by an epileptic fit, gave sure tokens ol salvation. Mrs. Woodworth allows hei converts to lapse into a comatose state “for sixty hours at a stretch,” wher they visit heaven or the other place, just as suits them. As a matter of fact, they have seen everything, spoken tc the spirits of the just-made perfect, and recognized lots of American citizens—reputed good in the flesh —who are enjoying the blessings of a warm climate. Hypnotism that can transport a Christian at will to Dives or Lazarus from a town in Indiana has gone far beyond the limits laid down in Paris.

A Dubuque matron has covered herself with glory and has made herself a heroine in the eyes of all the married women. Her fickle spouse became enamored of a young lady, for whom, as a token of admiration and as a token of good faith, he had purchased a pair of shoes. When madame heai d of the transaction she donned her war paint and sallied forth. She met the young l lady on the street and at tongue’s point commanded her to stop where she was and remove the shoes. Madame went home triumphant with her trophies, and the young lady disappeared with what Amelie Rive 3 would designate as a soft-padding tread. If the victorious woman does not not wear out the articles which caused the trouble on her husband’s head she will appropriate them to her own use. Let us hope tljat they will be an elegaut fit, and that hereafter when she puts her foot down her husband will tremble in his boots. Madame’s course was perfectly justifiable, but should be limited on public streets ttf such things as shoes, sealskin sacques, bonnets, and so forth.

SIAMESE ROYALTY.

A Hasty Glance Land of the White Elephant. The Government "of Siam is vested In a duarchy, but practically it is a monarchy. There is a second or vice kirnr, but the first or senior king is the real ruler. The crown is hereditary, but any son of the queen may succeed his father with the consent of the princes and nobles. The queen consort, who is chief among hundreds, must be a native and of royal blood, and she is kept rigidly from all possibility of contact with inferiors of the male ncx. There are always numerous prinoosses of pare royal b'oad who are unable to find husbands of their own grade, and never marry at all. These arc always found in the court of the queen consort- The -numberof females within the palace is about 5,000. The present king ascended tlie throne on the death of his fattier, and while still a minor, in 1808. He was given the title of Pharabat fiorndetya Chula' Ban* karana. His dominions are of unsurpassed fertility, and his rule is liberal and enlightened. The religion of the people is Buddhism. The population is about 5,700,000. The civilization of the country resembles that of the Chinese, but the people are indolent and slavish. The conditions of life, owing to the fruitful soil and splendid climate, are on the whole very comfortable. Siam is famed for its white elephants, which are now

THE QU. EN OF SIAM AND TWO OF HER CHILDREN.

bJcoming very scarce, and are all the property of the king. The national standard is a white elephant on a crimson ground., and the royal seal and the coin bear the same device. The people believe that white animals are the abode !>f transmigrating souls. There are numerous European and American missionaries in the country, but they have made few converts. The heir apparent to the throne is named Sotndet Chowfa Malta Vajirunhis. He was born in 1878 and has numerous half-brothers and sisters who are debarred from the succession. The Vice King is Kroma Pharateha. He assumed the title in 1875 and had a conflict witli the first king, which obliged him to seek refuge with tins. British Consul. The trouble was settled by a compromise and peace has sinefe reigned. Siam has an area of about 300,000 square miles. The people are of Mongolian origin and somewhat resemble their neighbors, the Chinese. They are olive-colored with thick lips, capacious mouths, large heads, broad faces, low foreheads, prominent cheek bones, thick ! nosos and black eves without the Chinese turn of the lid. They sUin their teeth black, the hair is all plucked out in /outli and the head is shaved twice a month. They are of medium height. The national dress consists of a cotton waist cloth, to whicli the women add a silk shoulder scarf, a jacket for cold weathf r and a straw -hat for summer. Child)en under seven years of ag% arc arrayed only in palm leaves, jewoiry and flowers. Polygamy prevails among the well-to-do Siamese, but the common peot pie rarely practice it. Marriage is permissible at eighteen- for males and at fourteen for females, and is performed without the aid of priests or public functionaries. Social distinctions are very numerous and slavery is common. The military force is small and is officered by Europeans. In time of war every male Siamese is liable to military service.

Sleep.

Wliat sleep is no one knows. The prevailing theory as to its nature is that of the physiologist, Preyer, who »holds that refuse matter accumulates in the nervous centers in such quantities as to bring about insensility, which continues until the brain has been relieved of the waste matter by its absorption into the circulation. Whatever feats of endurance men may accomplish they cannot live long without sleeping. L T nder every condition of bodilv and mental suffering, men sleep. Those condemned to die, although thev fear their fate, generally sleep the night before execution. Soldiers havAbeen known to sleep, when on a long and wearisome march, while walking in the ranks, ol lying on a bed of stones, or in the mud and water. The question is often asked, “How long can a man live without sleep?” The victim of the Chinese “waking torture” seldom survives more than ten days. Those condemned to die bv the waking torture are given all they wish to eat and drink, but sleep is denied them. Whenever the poor victim closes his eyes he is jabbed with spears and sharp sticks until he is awake. There is no torture more horrible. Painting, of all the fine arts, is most ease’ly acquired.

TRAINED CATS AND RATS.

i Wsnderfit Result* Secured by Education and Association with One Another. There is a remarkable show at the Crystal Palace, London, which represents the millenn|um on a small scale. The lion does not lie down with the lamb, but the cat and the rat, the mouse and the canary, all live iu peaee and

ON THE TIGHT ROPE.

harmony together and enjoy the benefits of a good education. The educator of the animals is Miss Tina, who has taught them some remarkable feats. The cats walk the tight rope, which has white rats and mice and chirping

canaries strewn all over it. The cats pick their way carefully among their natural prey without molesting them, and will even carry some of them on their backs without being once tempted to gobble them up. They walk over the tops of chairs, pick" their wav among a mass of champagne bottles without displacing a single one of them, and jump through rings of fire without the slightest hesitation. Miss Tina trains her cats, rats, mice and birds from a very early age. She begins with a kitten when it is about four months old and manages them by

THE BOTTLE TRICK.

kindness. She never beats them and says they can be trained to almost anything by perseverance. The rats and mice become accustomed to the cats and lose all fear of them. All are well fed and seem to enjoy their life.

The Direction of Growth in Roots.

While it is the rule for primary roots, or those, fi)cst developed, to grow downward, the secondary branches usually tend to assume a direction almost at right angles to the vertical, and so grow outw'ard and a little downward, as if they were but slightly susceptible to the action of gravity, while tertiary branches, and the farther branches to which these give rise, grow in all directions quite independent of grayity. It is plain that as a result of these peculiarities the active parts of the roots are distributed in such a manner as to searph the surrounding earth more thoroughly than otherwise would be possible. In case a stone or other obstruction is encountered by any of the branches, the tip is turned aside and follows the contour closely until the edge is reached, when it soon assumes its proper direction. Not infrequently it must happen that some root - eating animal will destroy the end of a young primary root, and so endanger the proper development of the whole system, but experiment has shown that, in the event of such injury, one of the younger secondary branches changes its direction of growth, so as to point directly downward, and thus assume the function of the primary root to promote the search for food in the deeper regions. - Popular Science Monthly

Among the Lapps.

Lapland is so far out of the world that the natives seem almost like another race of beings. Their manners and customs are very peculiar, and many are extremely unpleasant to more civilized people. An English traveler thus speaks of some of their curious table habits: “I was taken into one ot the Lappa’ huts. In the center a wood-fire was burning brightly on some stones, and at first the smoke was very unpleasant,but soon one became accustomed to it, and it served the useful purpose of driving away the winged plague which had followed us all day. “The man proceeded to boil Borne coffee, which in a few minutes was set before me, together with a woodea bowlful of reindeer's milk. The coffee was not very palatable, but under the circumstances worse fare would have proved acceptable. The milk I found too thick and rich to drink much of. “A sugar lmif was produced from beneath in a corner, and a few pieces chipped off and handed to me. “I accepted them with my politest smile, accompanied by a bow; but when I proceeded to sugar my coffee in the orthodox style, the action caused much amusement to the juvenile Lapps, who roared with laughter, and appeared to enjoy the fun immensely. “I found that I ought to have eaten the sugar separately, as they did, and they evidently considered my way of sweetening coffee irresistibly funny. “Cakes were then served to each one. These were ahout the size of a penny bun, but of the consisteney of putty or dough, which they somewhat resembled in appearance. Sour cream was eaten with them. So ill-tasting were they, that a mouthful gave me ‘ quite a turn,’ and I was glad to smuggle the" remainder underneath the rug on which I was sitting. “I did not like to throw it away, for fear of offending my hosts, but trusted to the sharp noses of the dogs to get me out of the difficulty.”

The Boy Got It.

It was in a passenger coach on the Delaware and Lackawanna road. A woman who had a seat alone had a covered basket on the other half of it. Across from her was a mother and her boy, the latter about eight years of age. Ho had been asleep, but awoke just as the woman with the basket got comfortably seated. For about two minutes he wondered over the contents, and then he settled down to the belief that the basket held half a peck of fried cakes. The thought made him hungry, and he whispered to his mother: “Ma! Ma! I want it!” She was leaning against the window, and half asleep, and she made no reply. “I say I want it!” exclaimed the lad. “Yes, Charley,” she sleepily replied. “I’m hungy!” “Yes.” “Will she care?” No answer. “I say, will she care?” “Don’t bother mamma now, dear.” “But can I get it?” “I—l guess so.” The owner of the basket was looking out of the window. The boy watched her for two or three minutes, and then carefully slipped out of his seat to the one in rear of hers. . From that point he could reach the basket, and he lost no time. A peg held the cover in place, and he drew.it out and carefully pushed his hand under the lid. It was only fairly in the basket when there was a spit and a hiss, followed by a wild yell from the boy, and the next instant a thumping big tom cat, which had nearly bitten a finger off, leaped out of the basket upon the boy’s head. It stayed long enough to draw blood from half a dozen scratches, and then bounded to the floor, ran down the aisle, and leaped out of an open window. The boy’s yells roused the car in an instant, and his mother soon had him in her arms. It took several minutes to explain the situation, aud then the woman with the basket added: “I was a-takin’ that cat up to my sister Mary. So it was my basket the boy wanted, eh ? I heard him teasin’ and teasin’, and his mother said he could have it, and I guess to swum he got it, and all there was in it!”

Became Gray.

Jaw son, who is an inveterate yarnspinner and a bore of the first magnitude, had been retailing to his friend some harrowing- story of a woman whose hair had turned gray in a single night. “Fact, I assure you; I knew the party,” he concluded. “If you say you knew the lady in qnestion, I can quite believe your story to be true, ” commented the friend in a tone which made the story-teller feel rather uncomfortable. “Of course I know her,” was the testy answer; “and it’s not such an uncommon occurrence as you seem to imagine. I knew a man also ” “And his hair turned gray, too?” interrupted the victim. “Well, I don’t wonder at it in the least.” This made Jawson a little sulky, but he speedily became interested when his friend remarked: “Your stories remind me of a lady I used to know, but she became gray in a single hour—in less than an hour, in fact.” “Some terrible shock, I suppose,” remarked Jawson. “I daresay it would be,” continued the friend; “at anvrate, it happened while she was getting mariied.” “Oh, I understand,” said Jawson, sagely: “the inan would have another wife alive; it would all be discovered at the eleventh hour; a terrible scene would ensue, and all that sort of thing.” “lou’re not within a mile of it, Jawson,” was the unfeeling answer. “This lady I refer to married a fellow named Gray, and she of course, became Gray as soon as the knot was tied.”

Birds are the only animals which can be taught distinctly to articulate and . utter sentences, which, though of, course not understood by the birds themselves, are none the less supriaing to listen to.

NO CHANGE IN FASHIONS.

Men and Women in Lapland Have Dresset the Same for a Thousand Years. The costume of the Lapps has not altered very much for the last thousand years, ' says Demoresfs Magazine. Their summer garment is usually of coarse woolen goods, and has something the cut of a shirt with a high collar. Among the sea Lapps it is for the most part undyed; among the other Lapps usually blue, sometimesgreen or brawn, and even black smockfrocks have been seen. Around the wristbands, along the seam in the back, and on the edgesthis smock is ornamented with strips of red and yellow cloth. Under thisgarment is a similar one, either plainer, or older, worn next the body, for the Lapp never wears lineSf underclothing. The trousers, or drawers, are of white woolen goods, rather narrow and reaching to the ankles, where they are tied inside the shoes with long, slender, shoestrings. Over these drawers are usually worn leggins of thin, tanned skins, reaching from the ankles to the knees. Stockings the Lapp never wears. He fills the upward-curving tip of his shoes with a sort of grass, which is gathered in summer and beaten tomake it soft and pliable. The winter costume only differs from that worn in summer in every piece is made of reindeer skin with the hair on.

DRESSED FOR THE THEATER.

The dress of the women differs very slightly from that worn by the men. The smock is somewhat longer and is made without the big, standing collar, instead of which a kerchief or cape is worn ahout the neck. To the woven and often silver ornamented girdle hang a knife, scissors, key, and needle and thread. The head-covering is not only different in the two sexes but also differs according to the locality.

A PRETTY SHOT.

“Did you ever Bee a man shot?” was asked of the countryman, who was sitting on the rail fence entertaining the crowd with stories. He straightened slightly and replied: “Yes; onst. Hit wuz when I wuz er livin’ - on ther river. I wuz er plowin’ an’ ther she’it'f er ther county rid up ’ith fo’ yetber fellers, an’ ’e says, s’s’e, ‘Hello, Thompson.’ I lef’ mer boss an’ plow an’ went ter ther fence an’ tol’ ’em howdy, an’ ast ’em whufc they wuz atter. They wuz a huntin’ uv er hossthief ’at wuz er hidin’ at ol’ Nath Simpson’s. None uv’em knowed ther road an’ they wanted *ne to show hit ter ’em. Co’se I did. I tuck mer hoss outeu ther plow au’ got on ’im bar’back. Simpson’s cabin sot in er cle’rin’ ’bout fifty yards f’orn ther fence. We hitched our bosses ’bout two hund’ed yards erway. Ez we clum’ ercrost ther fence, ther do’ er ther cabin opened an’ out steps mister hossthief ’ith er shot-gun. ’At didn’ skeer nobody ’cep’n hit ’uz me, an I wouldn’t er bin erfeard es I’d er had er gun. Ther

“AT THER LAST SHOT THER FELLER DRAPS.

She’iff’s brother Jim wuz clostestto Tn an hollered halt. Ther feller jist raised “is gun easy like an’ shoot at Jim an’ down ’e goes He jist ketched ’is foot onder er root an’ fell, tharbv er savin’ uv ’is life. Ther She’iff bust out er cryin’ when he seed Jim fall an’ ’e says, s’s’e, ‘Shoot ’im! He’s killed Jim.’ Ev’vbody ’gin ter shoot then ’cep’in’ hit wuz Aleck Weldon. He jist sot ther butt uv ’is Winchester on er stump au r stood thar, Ther She’iff seed ’im an’ s’s’e, ‘Why don’t yer shoot ?’ Aleck says, s’s’e, ‘D —n hit, wait twell he gits fur ernougb erway ter make er good shot/ When ’e gits erbout er hund’ed an’ fifty yards off, Aleck ups with ’is gun dn’ shoots three times jist like he wpa er shootin’ at er mark. At ther las’ shot ther feller draps. Time we got ter ’im ’e wuz dead. They wusn’ but three bullets hit ’im, an’ them wuz all Aleck’s. Het jist put ’em in er row erbout fo’ eenehes er part right side ev ’is back bone. ’At’s ther on’y time I ever seed er man shot, an’ nobody hain’t ever seed one shot purttier an’ ’at un

HUGH BLAKE WILLIAMS.

wuz.