Democratic Sentinel, Volume 21, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 April 1897 — Current Condensations. [ARTICLE]

Current Condensations.

Detroit abandoned entirely the use of horse cars a week or so since, and tbe last of the antiquated relics of a closing era made a farewell trip over some of the city lines now operated by electricity amid a noisy and derisive demonstration. Dip ’the convex side of a watch glass into water so as to leave a drop hanging on the glass. Pour a little ether into the concave side and blow upon it. The rapid evaporation of the ether will render the glass so cold that the drop of wa*ey will be frozen. To prevent extravagant, pse of gas by turning it on full force a new tip is hollowed out on the under side to hold a ball and spring, a therirrostiA being placed Inside the tip to raise the ball and decrease the gas pressure as the burner becomes heated;' ; The pious cure of a fljJage in the Cevennes recently gave out an announcerrient of a procession to take place the next day, as follows: “If It rains In the morning the procession will take place * in the- afternoon, and if it rains in the afternoon it will take place In the morning.”

A fat man’s club (Les Cent Kilos) has been instituted In Paris with the novel ■aim of Increasing the weight of the members, the rules enjoining all the comrades to sleep, eat and drink as much as possible. Two house, dinners on Gai-ga lit tail scale are to beaten every year. A machine for drying the hair after a shampoo has been produced. A lower chamber containing a lamp is connected with an upper chamber in which a fan can be made to revolve at enormous speed. The hot air Is drawn up and forced through a perforated top over which the hair is spread. i Moses W. Donnelly, the State printer of West Virginia, has applied to the State Printing Commission to be relieved from his contract. All the funds available for printing have been exhausted, and there can be no appropriation for that purpose till the next session of the Legislature, which comes in 1897.

The Canadian department of agriculture estimates the population of the dominion to be 6,125,438, a gain of rpther lesg than 300,000 since the census of 1891. In 1890 there were two States of the Union that exceeded Canada in population—New York, with inhabitants, and Pennsylvania, with 5,258,014. During the last plague epidemic in Canton 70,000 Chinese died, while of .the foreigners, in their clean quarters, not one was_carried.off. As rats are the chief distributers of the disease Dr. Manson of London'thinks it is strange that measures are not taken in Bombay to poison all the rats, which could be done in a few days. A number of people In New York have formed a club called the Myeological flub, which will have for Its objects the “classification &$d identification of the larger fungi of the United States, the study of edible mushrooms and toadstools and also the poisonous varieties, and to arouse a wider Interest in economic foods.”