July, 1879.
THE WEST SHORE.
81LKNT WORKIN08 OF SCIENCE.
Mankind, in hot pursuit of pleasures and tho
wherewith to procure them, ire hardly aware
of the silent labor bestowed upon their amelio
ration ly those engaged in scientific investiga
tion, l'eiiodioally an astonisliing discovery is
made, soma hidden force of nature is utilised,
and the world amazed stops, adopts the conve
vicnt discovery, and then, condemning it by
reason of that familiarity which breeds con
tempt, rushes on again in ita mad whirl of
physical excitement. Too much devotion to the
purely physical development has always, and
perhaps will always, prevail. The pure, theo
retical pleasures of the mind sre to a great ex
tant wholly disregarded, l'erhaps scienoe is
not altogether blameless for this condition of
things. Monotony of any description cloys the
ressouing facultios, and exeitea finally distaste
aud abandonment. From the purely specula
tive philosophy of the ancients, we have as a
matter of course fallen iuto the opposite ex
treme, obeying, humanly speaking, that law of
nature which causes nil disturbed bodies to
gravitate, or vibrate until rest, equilibrium is
restored. Literally we are vibrating to and
fro, ou a pendulum, and have fallen asleep.
Some day acienoe will atop our pendulum, and
we will awake to discover, that in spite of our
iKidily activity, wa have really been sleeping.
Si lence ns well as common sense tells us that
vice is ruinous to the mind and body. Iteli
gion rebukea us if we go astray. We laugh at
both, and why ? The truth is our prejudices
sre still deep-seated, and wa are bouud to have
what we term pleaaure. All this is the result
of erroneous ideas imbibed perhaps in our
youth, from a too constrained watchfulness.
Science steps in and aids religion, while it has
nothing whatever to do with it; but ita aid is
not thst of violent denunciation, but the bring,
lug into submission to man's uses and enjoy,
ments all of the forms of nature The work
nun of science are 11 u let and peaceful, unknown
to the majority, but nevertheless effective, and
will accomplish more than prohibitory laws
ever .in, ami for the reason that they furnish
him with all ha requires or desires, and im
poses uo restrictions upon him. This is just
what the heart of man desires in the present
condition of the world, and when this shall lie
accurately known and underatood, mankiud
will awake from an unreasoning sleep and lie
improved iu health, morals and general intelli.
geuce.
ON DIPHTHKHIA.
Dr. K. M. Snow says, in Ins last report as
Kegieter of the city of I'rovidenca:
la connection with this subject I think it my
duty to ask the attention of the people of I'rovi
dence, and especially of parents, to the follow
ing statements:
I. No case of diphtheria occurs without an
adequate oauoe. Tbie is self evident
1 The eauae n( nearly all . of tbe disease
siista in the bouses or premises, or within a
few feet of the houses where tbe oases occur.
1 The oaaae of Dearly all eaese that r in
the i it v it breathing Impure air from privy
vaults or sink drains, or cesspools; or drinking
impure water.
Ortrln of 01 ph inert
Diphtheria is believed to bare originated is
Egypt more than 2,000 years ago. It prevailed
m Egypt and Asm Minor, to which it extended,
luring tbe first SOU yean, and basses was early
ceiled an Egyptian or Hyrtec dinsas Hsving
invaded Europe, tbe disease appeared in Knees,
AH. UO, and being highly camtegswis. m Ita
1,800 years transit on the continent of Earops,
it affected mainly rural districts and garrisoned
town. It extended to Holland, in which it
was epidemic in 1 137; to Far in I57, awl
agaiu appeared there iu 1771. It prevailed
more extensively iu France in 1818 and 1 8311,
and in England, the United States and Canada
from IfWW to 1MJ0, and more or less since
ffasninj Oaulle.
DUN TAKINtl MANIA.
Women are rathrr mure giveu to drug taking
thau men, though both are bad enough in this
n . . t. Here is what 0110 of our moat emineut
physicians has to say on this subect:
"Dr. Holmes has said that it would lis well
for the world if most medicines were throwu
into the sea; that it might lie bail for the tisbrs,
but it would Im better for mankiud. For this
unasked and imiertinciit suggestion hs has re
ceived a good deal of orthodox censure, which
1 sm hero now to share with him, for I am of
the ssmn opinion aa Dr. Holmes, and this opin
ion has long been a part of my Christian faith.
Tli.it the major iart of the world does not agtco
with us is plain. Indeed most people soem to
think that the chief end of man is to take medi
cine, llsbiea take it in their mother's milk;
children cry for it; tneii slid women unceasingly
aak for it. Shrewd men have taken advantage
of this instinct, and iu most civilised nalioua it
is to day one of the chief articles of mauufaature
aud commerce. It is one of those things which
is never permitted to be nut of sight; but is
thrust upon you iu the nursery, in the streets,
11 1 the lamp (Mists and upon the curbstones,
sloiig the higliwaya, from the rocks which bor
der the rivers; the medicine uhest follows you at
sea, aa if the sea itself, a vast gallipot of uau
seants, were not enough. One might naturally
suppose that the supply would at length exceed
the demand ! but it does not Everywhere the
(Miopia are stretching nut their arms aud beg
ging fur medicine, blessing him who gives and
cursing him who withholds. They believe, in
their simplicity, that if medicines do no good,
they can at least do no harm. Thsy imagine,
alio, that there is a metlicins which may lie re
carded aa aauecitio for every human malady,
and that these are known to science, and that
therefore we have the means of curing all ilia
eases; but the people imagine a vain thing.
Whatever medicins is capable when proiwrly
administered, of doing good, the same medicine
is equally oapahla, when improperly admlnis
tered, of doing harm; and drugs often eubsli
lute a malady more serioue thsn thst which
they were intended to cure. The Irishmen said
his physician stuffed him so with medicine thst
he wss sick a long tune after he got well. Ihr.
Frank Ilnmillon.
Hkain Won An Inu Omwtm, Tbt
I ...nil hi Unllfnl ' "' sums up as follows the
results id some very interesting mrssuretnrulaiif
heads by two French physicians, Messrs. lo
sssaguc and Cliquel Hsving the patients,
doctors, attendants, and officers of tbe Val de
(rare at their disposal, they measured the heads
,,( HO doctors of medicine, I XI soldiers who hal
received an elemenlsry instruction, UO soldiers
who could neither lead nor write, and 91 sol
diers who were prisoner The Instrument used
waa the same which hatters employ in ineeenr
mg the heeds of their customers; it Is called the
oonformator, and gives a very correct Idsa of
the proportions ana dimensions of the heads la
question. The results were in favor of ths doe.
tuts; the frontal diameter waa also much more
considerable than that of the soldiers, etc. Nor
are both halves of ths head symrnetnoelly
developed; in students, ths left frontal region (a
more developed than the right; in illiterate Is
dmdiiala. lbs light oeetpiUl region Is larger
than ths left The authors hsva derived the
following conclusions from their experiments
I. The beads of students who nave worked
much with their brains are much more devel.
oped thsn th.ee of illiterate indliulaaia, or snob
ss have allowed tbet! brains to tetania Inactive.
0 la students tbe frontal region at seers devel
oped than the occipital region, of, If there
should be any differ as n la favor of the latter,
it is vary email; while In illiterate people the
teller regno is the largest
DARIEN CANAL
We shall have occasion to present to our
readers in a abort Urns a complete siposiiioo of
the pmpoeed canal. In the meanlime ths reso
lution offered in the last Congress by Senator
llitrnaidn with reference to the foreign owner
ahip of the Parian canal Interfering with the
Monroe doctrine, has been ottliciesd by ths
press of France in auch a manner aa can laava
no doubt that Senator Hurnside's ideas were
correct. It appeara from fVaieWrcas Ana-ruisr-
that the canal will be aheolulety neutral
territory, and that In consequence Amertoa
need lint fear eulruatiug the management
thereof to fureign hands Una absolutism is
just what America lias always and will alwaya
contend against. Its dsstruotiou waa the ran
sou of the Monroe doctrine, and the true doc
trine of national free will llnda an at. lent expo
nent 111 the American nation. Hampered 00
every side by the restrictive tiee and contract
with nations foreign to thla onnllnenl, how can
this country hope u maintain lla prestige. ?
This Parian canal quealion comes home to our
interests, if not more, as much, at least, aa our
war with England. What the nation eaiiunt
accomplish by brute force, thsy are now at
tempting to accomplish ly diplomaue skill and
Uncase. "The l ulled Stales must be cheeked."
It lias ienetrsted to every quarter of the globs
with its mechanical and industrial produota,
and is fast crowding nut of ths markets of Iba
world the products that heretofore have given
Euroiieau nations their greatness, Wa cannot
afford to permit this thing, and on our own
coast ths matter ia of great importance. Th
Orient ia open to ua, and wa are gradually
commanding ita trads. Eerntie cat on by the
natural obstruction of ths V astsrn continent,
aeeka by every effort to cut ua off. National
ambition to grssp the commerce of the Kaat la
the mainspring that movea northwest passage
ciKxlilions, anil years ago me Penan canal
as hroeched but suspended laseana it was
thought a passage through the I'olar asa would
lis dlsoovsred and mails available, list now
there is no hops of a highway In that direction,
so the Darlen canal has assumed Its complete
feature Upon the assumption that the United
Slates can control eventually the commerce of
lha world, the foreign element no Ibis heime
phsrs must bs kept si a d Islands, and to Atner
1 aiis bslong lbs right of controlling a highway
tin ns naturally. The eeme pulley that Euro
au nst sdopl to ptolsHil their .omnieree,
must be adopted and enforced by as; and there
Is sol a nation on the earth that would oppaaa
us in our ! man. la. or that would raset ..m
snforcemenl of the Monroe ileetrtn Tbe sier
of Europe la sstitag, while oar star of empire la
ascending, bene live struggle of Earops to fa
ns w lu luster al lb sspeos of oara. JfrVeaen
oaif SrsVafigr 'rrss,
I'rnur ItrrUM 111 ft so A nrnjset to learo
das public steam healing in New Voth baa
heen sanctioned by Ins t ommissosasra aa aba
Sinking Kaad. The system la known as
II nli st' an. ...oil. iiiatiou s)sum" for beat
ing, ooohiug, nod other purposes). It la slalmed
that by It there will bs a saving of f 10,000 a
year la tbe heating of lbs pabiie building ll
will also savs Iheeity from n.0Ui to J0.tJ0U
per annum in lha removal of ashes from lbs
dwellings ami snow end lee from the prtaeipel
streets and avenue Tbe steam will bs aaav
veyad through pi pee laid la tbe stress, and sap
piled for aay par puss Its cleaallnsaa and many
sdtsntegae to the hoossksepef caaaot be eslt
melml ton highly. Tbe eily as to rsssivs iU,
W0 from the company lor permission to Lay lb
pipes, and a further npaesaleoa al t it lb
earnings of tits sompaay. That ssetaaa of lb
city so lb of Caaal street as set apart lor Iba
IT
Oua, lb pros! act of ailka and aa alkali,
waa known pew to l.UOO Jl (.'. ; mads la Alex
andria, and sat, colored and glided Ml yean
M, S