Jasper Weekly Courier, Volume 63, Number 27, Jasper, Dubois County, 26 November 1920 — Page 2

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PISA: AN OLD CURIOSITY SHOP OF HISTORY A city of 10,000 skyscrapers before Peter Minuit bought Manhattan Island for the present price of a supper at a P roadway cabaret. A city that wurred and traded with empires, yet plunged into a disastrous strahle with a rival city over the rights to a lapdog. A city which was seized after a Florentine Hobson "bottled up" its harbor, entrance with sunken boats six centuries before the battle off Santiago bay. Such Is Pisa, whose leaning tower was endangered by recent earthquake tremors in Italy. Pisa's record abounds In Incidents as freakish as- Its famous tower; yet it poss.jses a history necessarily more ßigniilcant than any British or American city. Indicative of Pisa's importance In the thirteenth century was her sending an ambassador to Home. Thereby hangs the story of the lapdog. During the coronation ceremonies of Frederick II the Florentine emissary admired the lapdog of a certain cardinal, so that dignitary promised to give the tiny animal to its admirer. Next day the Pisan ambassador said a few kind words about the same dog. and the cardinal just as readily promised it to him. The Florentine sent for his gift, and got it ; the Pisan sent, and received an apology. Florentines began joking the Plsans about this Incident, and tights ensued on the Kornau streets. When the Pisan home folks heard this It gave them an excel'cnt chance to pick a quarrel that had long been simmering. A sort of medieval Boston tea party was staged by the PIsans, who seized all the enemy merchandise within their reach, and thus precipitated the tirst of a seriex of wars with Florence which culminated In the subjection qf Pisa by her long-time rival. The lapdog story seems trivial, yet characteristic of a certain childish quality noticeable among the Juvenile civic nationalities that preceded national Italy. As further proof one might recall the occasion when the victorious army of Lucca hung upon a IMsan tower a mirror with the inscription "Oh women of Pisa, use these to look at yourselves." No other challenge way needed for the Pisans to march to the gate of Lucca, and there to plant poles, topped with mirrors, bearing retaliatory comment. Were a super Itip Van Winkle of medieval Pisa to come with ids latterday compatriots to Hills island in 10'JO, not only the national bird of his adopted land, but the skyscraper line of New York might make him feel at home. Towers they were called, these Pisa skyscrapers, huddled together for all the world like prroups of tall apartment Ileuses'. Two reasons are assigned for this method of bnilding, common to Italian towns of the twelfth century. One was that the wall permitted only vertical expansion when population pressure increased. Another, believable in view of the constant factional lights and family feuds, attributed them to the necessity for protection. Bridges that could be thrown from tower to tower further suggested the skyscraper likeness. On these precursors of the modern tire escape, many a community battle has raged. The Leaning Tower of Pisa served humanity well, aside from becoming the most effective bit of city advertising yet devised, for It permitted Galileo, a native of Pisa, to carry on his experiments with the laws governing the pendulum. THE FLAMINGO, A BIRD OF BEAUTY AND MYSTERY, IS SAVED FROM EXTINCTION Assurance that the Hamlngo, bird of beauty and mystery, will escape extinction is contained in a letter from II. Vs. W. Grant, colonial governor of the Bahamas, which says: You will be glad to hear that an order in council has been 'passed giving complete protection to the llamingo. This glory of our marshes owes the expedition a debt of gratitude." The action of the Bahamas council was taken following an expedition, which trailed the tlanfingo, the most beautiful of the world's larger birds, to Its last stand, took motion pictures of the timorous creatures; and brought about a realization of how near they were to becoming extinct in the new world through annihilation by native rponge tNtiermen. These fishermen hunted them down for food puroses at the nesting and molting season. The llrst American naturalist to locate and study the gorgeous flamingo was Pr. Frank M. Chapman In 1P01. when he estimated that some i.mn) flamingoes were to be found on one of the little l;noun Islands of the Bahama group. Slnee then It Is believed that fully two-thlrd.H of the colonleV have perished. The expedition that Hpeiit ten days In th" abysmal salt MwampH nf AndroM liJand, llliuing Hie Hamlngo u:;d study

ing his habitat for scientific purposes, wa sent out by the Miami Aquarium association. A yacht was the mother ship of the expedition and an express cruiser was used as a scout boat. Canvas canoes were taken along to get Into the shallow salt creeks, and nose into the lagoons for deep entrances to the murky swamps where the ilamlngo hides. A Bahama guide, Peter Bannister, who had aided Doctor Chapman's party 19 years ago, also went with the party. After penetrating to the utmost navigable points with the canoes It was necessary to traverse miles of the "swash" or tidal marl marshes, carrying the heavy cameras and motion picture machines. In search for the birds. Wading in water up to the waist, knee deep In the marl mud, was the dally program, while blinding swarms of mosquitoes compelled nightly retreats to the yacht, anchored several miles off shore. But the hardships found a worthy reward when the party came upon colonies of several hundred birds, described by a member of the party as "a flaming mass of brilliant scarlet bodies, Jet black beneath the huge wings, with their long, slender necks gracefully lowering and raising their Itoman-nosed heads as they sought beneath the water the tiny spiral shell known to scientists as 'Cer'Unium,' upon which the Ilamlngo lives exclusively In. its native habitat."

SARDINIA: THE ISLAND OF PYGMIES AND WOLFRAM A traveler of fine imagination suggests that travel Involves a double journey "one forward through space, the other backward through time." Your steamboat ticket from Civitavecchia, the port of Borne, entitles you to an eight-hour voyage to Sardinia, but affords a premium of several thousand years backward to Europe's earliest traceable history. Sardinia has a double Interest just now because of the reported , native demand for home rule, and because Americans have found tracts containing wolfram, highly prized as a source of tungsten. Second only to Sicily among Mediterranean islands, Sardinia has been referred to as the lost isle of that sea. Geographically it has been said to turn its back on Italy, for its east coast is mountainous. This Isolation has a compensation In preserving the homogeneity, of a people who have a

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Sardinian Miners. special interest for students of racial history. Sardinians are small of stature. Even their soldiers have an average height a fraction under five feet, four inches. But the most conspicuous curiosities of Sardinia are its nuraghi, great round towers, relles.of the bronze age. which svrved as fortified dwellings for some prehistoric people. There are 5,000 or more of these towers, some GO feet high, usually about 30 feet in' diameter at the base, made of stone blocks and smeared with clay on the Inside. Stairways lead to upper chambers and platforms. Interesting as are these relics of unknown inhabitants, even more fn-oi-natinjr are tlio traces of ancient civilizations to be found in the daily life of Sardinians of today. One may find oxen plowing as they did In the days of the Homan empire, implements which were Introduced by the successive occupants, one Catalan town (Alghero) where there is no jarring note in the illusion of old Spain, and dances of the classic Greek period at the mountain feste. Only In Sardinia and Corsica is the miillonl. predecessor of our sheep, to be found. Wild deer and wild boar are plentiful in the mountain districts. Tunny fishing Is a major Industry. In area Sardinia Is comparable to Vermont, but has more than twice the population of that state. The Island lies directly south of Corsica, and is separated therefrom by the narrow straits of Bonifacio. In shape it has been compared to a human footprint.

AIRPLANES TO WHIR OVER THUNDEROUS FALLS While Niagara Falls will continue to hold their own n a mecca for hon-oy-mooners and other travelers, they must henceforth submit to comparison with another natural wonder, the Victoria Tails of the Zambesi, as Africa becomes frequented by tourists. From being a place of mystery, o feared that Livingstone, who dlscov cred the falls In 1 SV, had great dlllb cully In persuading hi follower to accompany him, the fall now are vIh-

ible from a railway that crosses the river half-mile below them, and they lie under the route af the proposed Cape to Cairo aerial service. Louis Livingston Seaman, in a communication to the National Geographic society, describes a visit to Victoria Fails and contrasts them with Niagara, as follows: "Early In the morning of the third day, we were suddenly awakened by the guard and treated to a scene of beauty never to be forgotten. Some ten miles distant tive enormous columns of vapor were shooting their roseate-tinted shafts hundreds of feet heavenward, while the faint roar of the falls told us the Mosioa-Tunga the smoke that sounds was no longer a mystery. "Each moment Increased the beauty and vividness of the scene. With the flrsft rays of the rising sun came a picture of color of wondrous loveliness. Delicate tints of violet, crimsou. and beryl played through the mounting spray as It shot higher and higher, ultimately disappearing as virgin clouds In heaven, while the ever-in-creasing thunders of the waters lent an added solemnity to the view. "Hardly could we wait to reach our destination, so. great was our enthusiasm. But our hopes were doomed to momentary disappointment, only to be more than realized after a study of the environment; for, notwithstanding their magnitude, the first view of Victoria Falls Is decidedly disappointing. '"Although nearly a mile in width and 400 feet in height, the grandeur of their proportions is eclipsed by the sudden disappearance of the river, as It plunges Into a narrow, rocky fissure extending across its entire width. Only at a single central point is there a breach in this fissure through which the falls can be seen and appreciated in their full proportions, where the converging waters rush madly to the zigzag canyon below. So restricted is this view that there is an entire absence of that awe-lns'pirlng and most paralyzing effect which strikes the visitor dumb with wonder and amazement when Niagara bursts on his near vision. "On first sight of the Victoria Falls one Involuntarily exclaims, 'Oh, how beautiful!' but they lack the majesty of our grand Niara.' "No single visit can adequately reveal the fullness of their charms, but repeated excursions must be made to their Islands and precipices, their grottos and palm gardens, their rain forests and projecting crags, their rainbows and cataracts and many-sided views of their exquisite setting In the emerald framework of tropic forests, before their Indescribable beauty can be appreciated. "Had the falls been In America, the Indians would surely have named them Minnehaha. Laughing Waters."

THE MARSHALL ISLANDS The Marshall islands, along with the Carolines, were seized by Japan soon after the outburst of the war, and their permanent disposition has been under discussion. Their proximity to the Philippines has been referred to in this connection. The two chains of curiously-shaped atolls, or coral islands consisting of low-lying coral reefs encircling lagoons, known as the Marshall group, lie a little south of the center of an imaginary line between the Philippines and Hawaii. Guam, Samoa and Honolulu form a triangle of trade routes, with its sides not penetrated by important steamship lines. Near the center of this isolated Pacific zone are the Marshall islands. Before the war Sydney was reached by steamer, a voyage of more than 3,000 miles. The only other egress is a steamer to I'onape which connects with the French line to Singapore. Like two loosely-strung chains of jewels, the islands1 stretch from northwest to southeast, each with its lagoon setting encased by a strangelyshaped circlet of coral, some like triangles, harps and stirrups, and one outlining a bull's head with Its horns. Straight-haired, dark-brown natives, still preserving the religious significance of tattoo and taboo, are to be found. Woman was given a higher position than among most savages because succession was through the female line. lut the chief's power was absolute, to tbe point of life and death. One ambitious ruler learned an alphabet and Ivj said to have beheaded all his subjects who seemeu likely to acquire more knowledge tin n he had. In some islands the mother was allowed to keep only the first three children. She had to bury the fourth. Skillful and fearless navigators, the natives used bread-tree wood to make sailing canoes in which they would voyage for months. They devised charts, made of sticks, showing the locations of islands and the directions of prevailing winds. Ancestor worship was their predominant religious sentiment. With petitions and gifts they worshiped the departed whose spirits were supposed to return to earth In certain palm trees which they set oil in stone Inclosures. Birds and fishes sometimes embodied these spirits, they believed, and thus certain species became taboo. Homes of the natives were not pretentious. Floors were ralsvd above the ground to escape the rats, and thatched roofs covered the combination house and storage room. The two Island group are known as the Batak and Ballk chains. Their entire area is not more than H square miles; their native population l.'.ooo, with fewer than oxl foreigners. The seat of (Icnnnii gowrntuent wns on .Talult and the most poputoiw Islam! I. Majeru, with but 1 . persons.

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A HOPELESS CASE. A teacher could not get a little girl to remember the number four. She would count, 2, 3, 5." Finally In desperation the teacher asked her If she had a cat at home. The little girl said she did. "Then run along home and count the cat's feet, then come back and tell me how many she has," said the teacher. The little girl returned to the schoolroom promptly. "Well, did you count the cat's feet?" asked the teacher. "Yes, ma'am." "How many has It?" "Two In the front and two In the back." Kansas Citv Star.

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ANOTHER She I was a fool to marry you. He No doubt; but I am not willing to let you bear all the blame. I asked you to.

At the Zoo. See the critters at the zoo See the panther and the bear; Then the thought occurs to you. What expensive furs they wear!

The Other Kind. "I hear food is going to take a drop all over the country." "That is more than the consumer can do unless he goes outside the three-mile limit"

Satisfactory. "Is your husband voracious In his appetite, madam?" "Not a bit of it, doctor. He'll eat anything and everything as long and as fast as he kin git It."

At the Club. "How far have you proceeded In your discussion of intimate domestic problems?" "We have just gone through the trousers pocket matter."

Naturally. "What are the best export places for cork?" T suppose It's where they have the largest floating populations.'

Porch Ascent. Knicker Did he begin at the bottom of the ladder? Bocker No, you might say he started at the bottom of the front steps.

Contrary Hopes. "Funny, isn't It, when a throws his hat Into the ring " "Well?" "He wants a square deal."

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FAIR Fortune Teller You will marry a rich man who will give you a princely allowance. Two dollars, please. Customer I'll pay you out of my allowance.. Good day. G&od Idea. To have no noiion is a bore To all us writing men. I'll po into a notion store And fill my fountain pen.

Familiar Appeal. "Do you believe you can get women to understand a blanket ballot?"

Sure, If it is marked down."

Mistook Its Sex. "Kings has a clever parrot that remarked the other day It wasn't worth while talking when you had nothing to say." "Then what does he call It Sally for?"

Certainly. Tair Playgoer (to friend' examining post.r f famous play being performed by equally famous netor) Who llat'det d u like l ed, dear? Friend h, Mhakept al e's, by all meat'.

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REALLY NOTHING MUCH DOING

Llge Parsons Was Not Actually on the Warpath, but It Seemed There Were Casualties. "Everybody expects a Kentucklan to tell a feud story," stated Governor Morrow of Kentucky recently. "The thing has really been much overdone, but the story of Lige Parsons may be worth telling. Llge dropped Into the courthouse to see his friend, the probate judge. "'Howdy, Lisc!' greeted the Judge. "Howdy, Judge V "'What's doln down your way, Llge? " 'Nuthin,' Judge, nuthinV "'T'other evenin' I was n-settln areadln' of ray Bible, judge, spoke up Llge, 'when some shootin begun. One of my gals siid 'twas the Harris boys down by the middle .pasture. Now. judge, I didn't mind them Harris boys a-shootin but I was afraid a stray bullet might hit a calf or one of the kids, so I picked up my rifle and dropped a few shoots down that way and went back a-readin of my Bible. Next mornin I went down that way nn they was all gone 'cept four.' " Harper's Magazine.

HONORED AS GREAT TEACHER

Works of Euclid, Ancient Mathematician, the Foundation of the Science of Geometry. Euclid was an ancient mathematician, who Is said by some to have flourished in the third century before the Christinn era. It Is generally held that he was a Greek, but the dato and place of his birth are unknown. It is generally held that much of his work was done at Alexandria, Egypt, which In those ancient times was a famous seat of learning and the center of extensive commerce. The most famous work of Euclid that has come down to us Is the Elements of Oeometrv In 13 books. The first six are the most valuable. They contain the

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based several branches of higher mathematics. These books are still used In schools and colleges. The next three books deal with the properties of numbers but they are superseded by modern arithmetic. Euclid also left other works, such as treatises on harmony and optics.

Diagnosis. The telephone rang, and the bookkeeper answered it. "Yes, madam, this is ,Vilkins market." "This Is Mrs. Blank. I want you to know that the liver you sent me is most unsatisfactory. It Is not calf's liver at all; calfs liver Is tender and" "Just a moment, madam, and I'll call the proprietor." "What is it!" Wilkins asked. The bookkeeper surrendered the phone. "Mrs. Blank," he said, "Liver complaint." Boston Transcript.

It Was Potent. "How about the bootleg goods In this town?" asked the stranger. "In what particular?" said the old Inhabitant. "Is it potent?" " 'Potent Is. the wonl. A gentleman of my acquaintance stepped out of a theater one night during an intermission and purchased a few drinks In a near-by alley. Then he returned to the theater." "Well, what Is so remarkable about that?" "He didn't know, until the doorkeeper kindly to:d him, that it was the next night." Birmingham Age-Herald.

If a man falls oft a roof he certainly has an excuse for eavesdropping.

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