BANDON RECORDER.
FACTS IN FEW LINES
Tiger meat is popular with Chinese
of the straits.
King Edward Is said to have worn
shoes of hli own manufacture.
Rifle bullets are now photographed
In their course by means of the elec
tric spark.
The bessemer process of steel making
was Invented In 1S30, and it was not
until 1S7G that open hearth steel, which
caused such a revolution In boiler mak
ing, was introduced.
At Grahamstown, South Africa, a
pair of ostriches were sold recently for
$5,000, which is a record price. The
plucking from the chicks of this pair
realized from $50 to $G2.50 a bird.
To create butterflies of new and gor
geous colors in a city flat is the hobby
pursued by Dr. Otto Selfert of New
lork city. He has butterflies by the
thousands, and caterpillars are coming
to him from friends In all parts of the
world.
. A census enumerator at Montpeller,
Vt.. found a Spanish family with four
children, all but one of whom were
born outside of the United States. One
was born in the City of Mexico, one In
Montevideo, one In Madrid, Spain, and
one In Montpeller.
The motor boat has invaded the ro
mantic canals of Venice. The city of
Venice has just established a transpor
tation system of its own and is operat
ing flfty or more motor boats through
the canals and lagoons. The fare is
equivalent to 1 cent.
Maine school statistics show that on
, April 1 there were 207.44S persons in
the state entitled to "draw school mon
ey" against 20V.!74 in 1004. The state
school .fund and mill tax nets the state
. $TtS.347.47, or $2.74 per scholar. Last
year each scholar drew $2.7S.
Not one girl In ten thousand has a
. dimple In her chin, says Professor Jen
' kins of New Orleans. He believes this
kind of dimple to bev more common
among men than among women and
says It Is permanent, whereas dimples
in the cheeks come and go as the ex
pression of the face changes.
The latest historical personage to be
commemorated Is Archimedes, the
Greek who only wanted a place to
stand outside In order to move the
world with his lever. Syracuse. In
Sicily, has made him a monument,
representing the geometrician and
physicist with his inventions grouped
around him.
One of the big summer resorts In the
Thousand islands has been employing
Japanese waiters this summer, and re
cently one of them suddenly went to
the proprietor and said that he would
not work there any more. It was
learned that several of the guests had
offered him tips, and he thought that
this was Insulting to his honor.
In l.cr; William Reynolds of Dcrry.
X. II.. found a mud turtle in his
meadow and after cutting the date in
Its shell released it. A feu- years later
he found the same turtle again and cut
a second date. This time he notched
""the shell. The other day Mr. Reyn
olds son found the same turtle in the
same locality In which It was found
forty years ago.
In 11)04 British educatioual instuu
tions received nearly $50,000 for farm
studies, and social grants, aggregat
ing several thousand dollars, were
made to various agricultural and in
dustrial societies. Dairying and sheep
raising are receiving special attention.
and some important results recently
have been attained In curing or pre
venting diseases peculiar to sheep.
The clerk in a Bangor drug store saw
a young sparrow fluttering on tin
walk ami took It inside, placing it
among some palms in a window. After
ji thiii the mother entered the store
ami located the voting one in the win
dow. She made no effort to entice the
little one away, but came regularly
for three days with worms to feed it
At the end of that time It was able to
fly away alone.
The Japanese nightingale, or Peking
robin. Is becoming naturalized In the
parks of London, where some were re
leased recently. It is a charming little
bird, beautifully colored, being olive
green with orange bordered wings and
tinted on the throat and breast with
the most exquisite shading of prim
rose yellow and orange. It has' a
coral red beak. Furthermore. It has a
fine song and Is an Industrious destroy
pr of insects and an exnert liv catcher
Tiie plan of maintaining the children
of the poor or such as may be In the
poorhoues or "unions" In cottages
anil homes of that character Is finding
a very general adoption in England, no
less than 12S "unions" now maintain
lug the children away from the pan
perizing effects of poorhouse associa
tions. The comity of London paid out
72 cents u head of Its population for
the half year on poor account.
Bavaria has done much to attain
perfection in Its customs staff, for not
only has this state for years past made
the proof of having collegiate educa
tions obligatory before accepting can
didates for the customs service, but
also to further their efficiency in ad
ministering the new tariff the govern
ment has established a chemical labor
atory for the practical education of Its
customs. oJSicer at an expense of $71,
400. The Inhabitants of Abouklr. near
Alexandria. Egypt, were recently treat
ed to a wonderful spectacle. It be
came neessary to destroy some six
teen tons of powerful dynamite, and
the explosives, sufficient to blow up a
town, were taken to sea and placed
beneath the water. Something like a
submarine earthquake followed the ex
plosion, which was heard for miles
around. A waterspout shot Into the
air to a height of about 2,0K) feet und
fell back in dazzling spray. Simulta
neously the sea became a whirlpool of
seething water, as If agitated by a
hurricane.
I'iivIiiic flic "Vnj-.
"lias Harold asked your father to
give his consent?'
"He told father last night that he had
made $5,000 in a real estate deal, so I
suppose he's asking him on the Install
ment plan." Milwaukee Journal.
No man Is matriculated to the art of
life till he has been well tempted. -George
Eliot
1 POLLY UHl t
I often wonder why it is, as we jour
ney through life, that we give our
words of appreciation and good cheer
so grudgingly, when it is such a simple
matter to make people happy by giv
ing n few encouraging words. It is so
easy to lagin the day with a kind word
and a smile for everyone. You don'
know how much this simple little ac
of yours means to people who hav
met with the ups and downs of life, or
to those who are embittered by disaj
pointments and failures that seem t
mark their pathway through life
Many times they are the plodders in
other words, they work hard, early
and late, and are so conscientious ii
the discharge of their duties for fear
they are not giving time and work for
value received, that they simply ruin
not only their health, but their tern
pers as well. They know how hare
they have worked to accomplish the
task that has been set for them am
how their companions or fellow work
ers quietly jeered at them for working
themselves to death for nothing, as
they term it. They can tell how one
they were just as enthusiastic and jus
as eager to please, and were willing to
work early and late, but they soon
found that the men who took things a
little easier, and did not hesitate
take their day oil" occasionally, got
along just as well, and probably a little
better, for they had become hardenet
ana niuiiterent to censure. iney
could recall the time, however, when
they looked forward to the smile given
or the word of appreciation for the
work well done, and how keen was
their disapiointment when it was
glanced at indill'eiently and they re
ceived the identical treatment of thei
fellow-workers who shirked and who
did their work in a half-hearted way
taking but little interest beyond the
fact that on Saturday night their
names would appear on the pay roll.
Many men, women and children
even, do their work through a sense o
duty; they are content to drag on in
the same rut, with never a thought o
advancing. Possibly when theystarte
in their hearts were boyant with hope.
as they dreamed of a reward in ia
crease of salary by attending strictly
to business mid taking the same inter
est in their work they would have
done had the business been their own
Year in and year out tound them in
the same groove, and there they re
mained until they had come to be
looked upon as a part of the machinery
Gradually their faces became careworn
and they became listless, and performed
their work in a mechanical sort of a
way. It was doubtless well done, but
it had become second nature to do it
that way. If it were not up to the
mark then the monotony of the every
day life was varied by the censure that
was sure to follow. One word of en
couragement, one smile of apprecia
lion would have lightened the day for
them, and stirred up the dead embers
of ambition that had died away under
the toil of years until hardly a spark
was left to be fanned into new life
There is not one of us who is not better
and happier to know that our work
has given satisfaction and that our ef
forts have been appreciated. It puts a
new song into our hearts and smooths
oil' the rough edges.
The man who hits learned that his
employes are not machines and who
takes the time to personally show them
that he appreciates their efforts to ad
vance his business interests has learned
a very important lesson. '1 wice the
work will be accomplished in his bust
nessthan there will be in a rival store
or factory where the proprietors are in
different. It is natural, I suppose for
them to take things for granted and in
the whirl of business forget that there
are hearts craving for words of kind
ness and appreciation that cost noth
ing. It pays, too, to treat an employe with
respect, and require that the other
hands shall treat each other with the
difference nie from one gentleman to
another. I knew a young boy who
gave up an excellent position recently,
not because the work was too hard or
that he did not like the business, but
because the whole firm, from the man
ager down, were a bullying lot of peo
ple. The manager or proprietor did
not believe in wasting words on a mere
employe by deigning to acknowledge a
cheerful, but respectful "Good mnrn-
ng." But it was a part of their creed
o be gruff' and wholly devoid of all
the natural acts of kindness that show
refinement by nature and mark the
true gentleman. They allowed the
men to order the younger employes
around in so cruel and humiliating a
way that it took all the sweetness out
of life and embittered their young
jearts to the extent that it soon told
on them, making hitherto lovable and
nippy natures cross and discontented
md this ltoy's confidence in men was
shaken like a reed in an unfriendly
breeze just as he stood on the thresh
hold of his business career. The boy
was ordered around and addressed
with such epithets as, "Here you
dunce, hurry up!" "lie quick about it,
you fool !" and one of the men highest
in authority used to, in his pleasant
and jovial (?) way and for the benefit
of his co-workers' enjoyment start the
loy on an errand with a kick. The
lxiy stood this treatment for three
months, and then his whole nature re
volted at the injustice and coarseness
of the men who called themselves gen
tlemen and he resigned his position.
One after another of the lxiys they got
to take the little lad's; pia'ce went
through the same experience and then
linally dropped out of the business
when their self-respect came to their
aid and helped them to decide that the
game was not worth the candle. Such
people have much to answer for. They
had the moulding of the Iniy's char
acter in their hands ; they could make
him a cringing, helpless man, embit
tered and his heart tilled with hatred,
or make him an honest, upright and
honorable man, read to take his place
in the progressive ranks and make him
feel that life was worth the living, but
they chose the former way. That Imy
lost a good position when he had to
leave this firm, but his self-respect
would no longer allow him to suffer
the humiliation that a bullying lot of
men saw lit to indict upon him. Some
one will have to answer for this even
tually ; it may be in the nature of some
of their own kin suffering the tortures
of mind and ootly that they inflicted
on this boy in their glee. It is all
wrong and something should be done
to correct this evil.
S'
BRIEF REVIEW.
Greek .Rules of Construction.
In constructing their stone edifices,
the (J recks, who were reasoners and
logicians, followed certain rules, and
adopted for each edifice, a certain fixed
proportion. What does this mean V It
means that the proportions of the dif
ferent parts of the edifice are simple
proportions, which can be reduced to a
common measure. Take as an example
the temple of Paestum, with which we
are now dealing. The module is the
mean radiousof tiiecolumn. This mod
ule measures three feet. The column
is ten times the module, or say thirty
feet. The distance between the axes of
the columns is live times the module,
say fifteen feet. The total height o
the entablature is also fifteen feel, the
width of the abacus is three modules.
equal to nine feet. It is thus seen that
all these numbers are multiples o
three, which is the module. In this
manmr the proportions of the differen
members of an edifice have a constan
relation to each other. It goes withou
saying that the module varies for eacl
edifice; there is no single and absolute
rule. For instance, in the Doric order
the length of the column varies from
ten to twelve modules; in the Ionic or
der from sixteen to twenty-one. Th
entablature of the Doric order measures
five modules, and that of the Ionic
only four.
How Old-Time Lawyer Got Acquittal
"Old-time lawvers in our state stil
recount with glee how a shrewd mem
ber of the bar saved a client from the
penitentiary," said M. V. Hastings, o
Alabama. "This lawyer had been em
ployed by a tough citizen to defem
him on a charge of horse stealing. The
state had a strong case, and it Iooket
as though with such positive proof the
accused was certain to go behind the
bars. Xow at that period the law w:is
such that a man could only be tried oi
an original indictment; in other words
if an indictment were lost or destroyed
the result was the same as an acquittal
Desperate conditions require desperate
remedies, and what does this lawyer
for the defense do after making a pre
text of wishing to examine the doett
nient but sit there in the court roon
and deliberately chew up that indict
ment and swallow the fragments. He
did this just as truly as Kat 'Em l
Jake' chewed and swallowed a sixth
card in a poker game, which every
port in the United States knows that
he did. "And this was the cause of
change in the statutes of Alabama,
whereby a new or substitute indict
ment can be got out and held as valid
in case of the disappearance of the ori
ginal."
Developing Thy X Ray.
Some:Lslonishing developments in X-
ray photography ale reported by Pro
fessor Heidor and Dr. Joseph Uosen-
thal, of Munich. These two scientists
have been collaborating in X-ray worl
and declare that they have succeeded
in obtaining in less than a second of
time X-ray photographs of the human
-hest, the patient ceasing to breathe
meanwhile. Having succeeded thus
far, they sought to take pictures of the
human heart between its beats, 'as it
was found that the beating of that or
gan impaired the exactness of the pho
tographs. Having fust of all accurat
ely gauged the time elapsing between
he beats, they, by the use of the most
ensitive films procurable, and the
strongest X-rays, obtained good photo
graphs in one-tenth of a second. It
uid not hitherto been thought possible
to take such photographs.
Growth of Human Hair.
Authorities differ as to the rate of
growth of the human hair, and it is
aid to be very dissimilar in different
individuals. The most usually ac
cepted calculation gives six and one-
lalf inches per annum. A man's hair,
tllowed to grow to its extreme length,
rarely exceeds 12 or 11 inches, while
that of a woman will grow in rare in
stances to 70 or 75 inches, though the
average floes not exceed 25 to ::o inches.
If you are the right kind of a boy be
thankful that you are poor and have to
rustle and make j'ourown way. This
leads to success and useful happy mid
dle age.
The continuous sheet mill of the
American Steel and Tin Plate company
at South Sharon, Pa., built three years
ago at a cost of $1,500,000 but never op
erated, is to be placed in operation.
Federal authorities in Chicago are
preparingcoutempt proceedings agains
interstate railways forgranting rebates.
Between spells of work mix a little
fun.
LIFE ON A WARSHIP.
Why the Men Arc Allowed to Infinite
In At. let lis SiMirtH.
To see a thirteen Inch gun loaded
and tired Is a sight not to be forgotten.
The projectile Is thirteen inches In
diameter, about three feet In length
and weighs 1,100 pounds. The powder
charge for target practice Is 250
pounds. The cost for each shot is
rtbout ?500. When all Is ready on the
range the signal siren sounds, there Is
a blinding flash, a roar like thunder
and a jarring shock. Then you hear
the whining screech of the shell, for
all the world like a fast express round
ing a sharp curve. The projectile is
visible almost from the time It leaves
the gun. You see It rip through the
target and strike the -water beyond,
throwing up a column of liquid many
feet high. The shell skips, much like
the flat stone "'skipper" of our boy
hood, and again a column of water
shoots up two miles or more farther
out to be repeated time and again.
The shell in Its flight can be watched
without ho aid v of glasses for eight
miles or more In clear weather.
While the life of a sailor, from cap
tain down to apprentice, is an almost
continual round of work, some time Is
found for athletic sports, such as
boat racing, football and baseball. The
object of this is to give the men rec
reation and at the same time to foster
the spirit of competition. Besides, it
m iikcs ho men easier to manage. The
shin with a strong football or basebal
team or the fastest race boat almost
Invariably has a happy and easily
managed crew a crew that will swear
that Its otllcers are the finest men In
the world, and likewise the officers
swear by such a crew. Some ships
have training tables for their athletic
teams, the expense usually being de
Craved bv the otllcers. The team or
boat crew, as the case may be, I
petted by the otllcers and Idolized by
the crew, and for some time before a
hard contest the men are excused from
various duties In order that they may
give more time to training.
Everv battleship and cruiser has Its
race boat, purchased by contributions
from olllcers and men. The prices pan
for these boats Is, as a rule, contingent
imon their winning certain speclfiei
races. The builders are willing to take
a chance, knowing that the crew will do
Its best to win. For a winning boat the
price Is often as much as ? 1.000. while
for a boat that proves less speedy the
builder will accept $500 or less. On the
result of a licet boat race as much as
:?0.000 has been known to changi
iiMiuls and larce sums are also
wagered on baseball and footbal
games. This Is, of course, contrary tc
the letter of the regulations; but the
cnm-thiL' instinct Is as strong in the
- I r
navy as elsewhere and It Is not a I way
possible to hold down the lid. Leslie'
Weekly.
STYLES IN COATS.
Origin of the Cutaway l'riick, the
Sack ami the lire Cnut.
The modem cutaway sprang from
the hotly fitting justaucorps of the
French as known to the courtiers of
Louis XIV. and Louis XV., and the gar
ment was in turn probably evolved
from the frock or tunic worn lu the
fourteenth century.
The first trace of a cutaway in any
thing like Its present form, says the
Sartorial Art Journal. Is seen in old
prints of French military uniform.'
early in the eighteenth century. For
civilian use it was worn In F.ugland
about 17S5 as a riding coat, the tails
being very long. In lS'.Kl It was adopt
ed in France for walking as well as for
riding and was then In shape and cut
much nearer the modern cutaway than
any of Its predecessors, though it wa
usually double breasted.
Karly In the nineteenth century the
cutaway had eight or nine buttons.
only the fourth, fifth and sixth being
used. This admitted of the wearer
showing his neckcloth, fancy waist
coat and frilled shirt to the best ad
vantage. Not till 1S40 or thereabout
did the cutaway become almost identi
cal with the modern garment and since
then fhe changes In Its shape havt
been comparatively slight In 1S-11 the
word "cutaway" became a fixture hi
the language.
The old colonial uniform worn by
Washington, with Its flaps buttoned
back; the coat worn by Nelson at the
battles of St. Vincent, the Nile and
Trafalgar, and the coat worn by Napo
leon when on his way to St. Helena
were all In a general way similar to
the cutaway frock.
The conventional dress coat of our
time Is a refined younger brother, so
to speak, of the cutaway frock, and
for It we are indebted to the French,
who on the other hand credit the Kng
Hsh with originating the coat that has
evolved Into our double breasted frock.
The coat last named was Introduced
into France by .Montesquieu In the
year 1750.
Incidentally, we may add. the pres
ent black dress coat has by the Kng
lish speaking nations been restricted to
evening weaj little more than half a
century. In some continental coun
tries the dress coat Is "proper form"
for wear at court or other Important
formal assemblages held In the day
time. The sack coat probably dates from
the ".Macaronies," who Introduced It
into Kuglaiid In 1772, though a gar
ment somewhat similar was worn by
the Roundheads of Cromwell's day.
Ancient IlrldRe Superstition.
A primitive notion existed among the
Romans and other races that a bridge
was an offense and Injury to the river
god, as It saved people from being
drowned while fording or swimming
across and robbed the deity of a certain
number of victims which were his due.
For many centuries In Home propitia
tory offerings of human victims were
made every year to the Tiber. .Men
and women were drowned by being
bound and flung from the wooden Sub
llclan bridge, which, till nearly the end
of the republican period, was the one
and only bridge across the Tiber In
Home.
Authorship nn n Profenlon.
Nobody should write who Is not firm
y possessed of the idea that he has a
vocation for literature and Is not will-
ng to endure the penalties 6f art for
the sake of serving au art If a person
who writes In that spirit makes a liv-
ing he earns it If he makes a fortune
he deserves It -New York Times.
I FEATHERED GLUTTONS.
Some Very Greedy IMrdu That Are
Tremendous Feeder.
Despite the fact that "the appetite
of a bird" has become a common phrase
for light eating, Investigations show
1.l,..ld iipu rTTinm1ii11l fceilerS. '1 llC
diet of the average kestrel (a small Eu
ropean hawk) is calculated at i.ooo
mice a momu, to say uuuun& ui
and worms. The barn owl Is as vora-
clous as the kestrel. An investigator.
after caging one of these birds, gave It
snvon mice one after the other, lne
first six Immediately disappeared, each
with a gobble and a gulp, and the owl
did its very best to treat the seventh
in a like manner. Limitations of ab
dominal capacity, however, prevented,
and though the gobble came off the
gulp did not, so that for twenty inln
utes or so the tall of the seventh mouse
dangled from the corner of the bird's
beak. But In due course It swallowed
the body, and three hours later the
pangs of hunger reasserted themselves
and the owl ate four more mice,
Four pounds would be a heavy weight
for a heron. Yet one of those birds,
which was trapped in England, dis
gorged two recently swallowed trout,
one of which weighed two pounds and
the other one and a half pounds. An
other captured had contrived to put
away three trout averaging threi-quar
tcrs of a pound apiece, although It was
onlv four months old, and another bad
dined unon seven small trout, together
with a mouse and a thrush.
Among the greediest birds are wood
nlceons. which will continue to gulp
down food until their crons are almost
at tl.o burstimr nolnt From one of
-
Miimw birds shot as It was returning
fro,,, , r,.M m tho fiplds. no fewer than
sno imifiiM of wheat were taken. An-
ntl.or l.nd contrived to cram down no
O '
fWor th.m i00 neas. A third was en-
deavorlng to sustain nature with ISO
beech nuts and a fourth with sixty
ncorns. .
A PERFUME THAT SMELLS.
The
Awfnl Odor That Come From
I'nre Attnr of Ilonen.
The perfumer took from his desk a
small flask of copper.
"In flasks like this attar of roses
comes to u.i," he said. "Attar of roses
Is worth from $10 to an ounce, ac
cording to the market This flask Is
empty now, but In it a little odor still
lingers."
The visitor smiled delightedly. He
had never smelt pure attar of roses be
fore. Now he unscrewed the snipper
and, closing his eyes, with an ecstatic
look he applied his nostrils to the flask.
Hut only for an instant. Then he
threw back his head, twisting his
features into a grimace of disgust, and
he exclaimed:
"(larbage! Hone yards! Glue fac
tories!"
The perfumer laughed.
"All essential oils ntnell like that." he
said. "Yet no good perfume can be
made without them."
He took from a shelf a cut glasi jar
til let 1 with a thick, yellowish oil that
looked like petroleum partly refined.
"In this Jar." he said, "there are forty
ounces of pure attar of roes worth
over S300. You know how the attar
smells alone. Now watch me make
rich perfume by adding things to It."
He put a few drops of the attar Into
t int Tin nih.ii tiw. x-ifii ..viii. sulfite
i m v- a i i-mii ito
I
of musk, another of orris, then one of
neroli. one of rose, of violet, of oramre.
of vanilla, and. finally, the oil of cloves
and bergamot.
"There." he said, "smell that. Isn't
it exquisite":"
"Exquisite!" said the visitor
"Well, without its foundation of the
malodorous ami costly attar of roses it
wouldn't smell any better than a platf
of south"- New York Herald.
THE DOCTOR KNOWS.
He !. N"nt Deceived hj- the Story
I'ntlent Iliiudr Htm.
Ilia
It was late, the doctor's patleuts had
either hissed away or were mending,
anil he was sitting with a number of
his acquaintances In a corner of the
club room.
"It's a strenuous life we lead."
droned the man of medicine, "with the
grim side turned uppermost as a rule,
but n w and then we get a laugh out
of it a laugh with the lid on, of
course: we can't afford to show we're
amused. 1 often wonder," he went on
genially, vl.y s.inn of you chaps ever
send for a physician. You don't tell
him the truth once In twenty times.
You're lu a bad way and you're sorry.
and to hear you talk I'd think your
mouths were cold storage boxes for
butter. You suspect that lobster or a
rich sauce you ate day before yester
day is at the bottom of the trouble.
You know what's curled you up, and
you're frightened out of a year's
growth for fear I'll learn.
"Accordingly, Instead of taking me
into vour confidence, you tell me an
Impossible story. And If I cross ex
amine you closely and hedge you In
you'll reluctantly admit that you've
been somewhat Indiscreet. on smoked
four cigars Thursday and took six
drinks. Doesn't it ever occur to you
that I know by your flutters that you
smoked from breakfast to bed and
took sixteen drinks and six more for
.T.....1 1...... II.
"If I were to believe you and dose
you for your ailments as you describe
them you'll never get well. Now and
then I have to give you strychnine and
nitroglycerin to restore the action of
conclude that you'd had too much pink
Ice at a children s party.
"As I hinted, we doctors get some
fun out of It, but what do you do It
for? We were not always doctors, we
haven't always taken the best care of
ourselves,- and we're not fools."-
Providence Journal.
CrrntliiK the F(in1iIoum.
Who sets me fashi.msV Sometime
au original Idea emanates from a hum
ble workwoman, and after fusion In
the brain and Improvements and sug
gestions given by the great autocrat it
emerges, Minerva-like, In full panoply,
complete and victorious. Numbers of
diligent seekers, a horde of assistants.
,l , 7, ; wlic c i i
pressed Into the service. Artists lend
their willing services, while the sarto
rial adent combines, exaggerates, al-
lcrs 0itl modes, culling, like the bee,
uow-ers of fancy here and there until
t,e bright vision of beauty Is realized
aml tj,u forthcoming styles are decided
on. Loudon (Jrauhlc.
ABOUT THE ORIGIN
OF GOLD PENS
The First Ones, Which were
Made in England, Failed to
i
Fill Requirements.
Tnen an American Discovered Iridium
Could Be Used for Protecting
the Points of Pens.
To an American is due the credit
for having made the fountain pen the
useful article It has come to be, for
without the gold pen point, which can
not corrode, the fountain pen would be
useless.
The manufacture of gold pens was
commenced in the United States In 1S3j
by a watchmaker of Detroit Attempts
had been made In England to make
gold pens prior to that time, but they
met with little success. Alloyed gold
Is too soft to make a durable point and
this circumstance made It necessary
to protect the pen points with dla
monds or rubles until John Isaac Haw
kins, a citizen of the United States, .but
residing In England while the expen-
ments lu the manufacturing of gold
pens were In progress there, accidental
0 discovered mat me native auoy oi
I. . - ... -
Iridium and osmium ore, one or the
nartiest ami most reiruciorj oi uu iu-
tabic alloys, eouiu ue used ror protect-
. . . . t
big the points to mucn oetter auvan
tage and more cheaply
Hawkins- rigius were purcnaseu uy u
clergyman or ucirou. uu nmuccu un
. A. 1 li -i
watcmnaKer aoove menuoneu 10 maim
facture gold pens, me urst pens mane
hy him were poor substitutes for the
QUiu men m use. iu itu ui piain.
WaS UlKeU lO .U'W XOltv, Wilt-IB UJU
business was enlarged
Quite an Improvement was added to
the plant by the machines for the mak
ing and tempering of the pens, Invent
ed bv John Rendell, one of the em
ployees of the establishment. This es
tabllshment soon produced a gold pen
so perfect that It combined the elas
ticity of the quill with the permanency
of the metal. About 1SJK) it was (lis
covered that by Imbedding the Iridium
points In the gold instead of soldering
them on the corrosive Influence of the
Ink on the two metals, the solder and
the gold, was avoided and a firmer
hold In the pen was given to the points.
The gold pen has been brought to Its
present degree of perfection by the
American manufacturer, and the In
dustry from Its Inception has been
characterized by the use of American
methods. For the production of the
gold pen a high degree of skill Is neces
sary, and only experts are employed
in tho different plants.
The gold used In the making of the
pens Is obtained from the United
States assay ofllce. It Is then melted
and -alloyed about sixteen carats fine
and rolled Into a long, narrow ribbon,
from which pen blanks or fiat plates
In the shape of a pen, but considerably
thicker than the finished pen, are cut
by means of a lever press or die and
punch. The blunt nib of the blank is
notched or recessed at the end to re-
I A I f " 4.1 . A L
ceive uie lnuiuin mat lonns uie ex-
. .1 1 . 1 1 1 I A. I. I . 1 f
.-"KiJ point ivuitu an goou
I)ens possess.
The Iridium Is coated with a cream
of borax ground In water and laid In
the notch formed In the end of the
blank. It Is then secured by a process
of sweating, which Is nothing more or
,tlS3 than melting the gold of which the
pen Is formed so that It unites solidly
with tho Iridium. The blank Is then
passed between rollers of peculiar
form to give a gradually diminishing
thickness from the point backward.
The rolls have a small cavity In which
the extreme end of the Iridium pointed
nib Is placed to prevent Injury td'fhe
Iridium. After rolling the nib of ever.v
pen Is stiffened and rendered spong.,
by hammering.
This la the most. Important process
In the manufacture of the pen, as the
elastlclt- of the pen depends entirely
upon this operation. The pen Is then
trimmed by a press similar to that
which Is used for cutting out the
blanks or by automatic machinery.
When the blank has been trimmed the
name of the manufacturer and tue
number of the pen are stamped on It
by means of a screw press.
The pen Is given Its convex surface
also bv means of a screw nress. tho
blank being pressed letween a concave
die beneath and a convex one above.
Quite a little force Is necessary to
bring the pen to the required convex
ity, and when this operation Is com
pleted two Jaws approach the blank
and press It up on opposite edgei, thus
giving the pen Its final shape.
The next step Is to cut the Iridium
Into two points by holding It on the
edge of a thin copper disk which Is
charged with fine emery and oil and
revolves at a high speed. The nib Is
then silt by n machine and the silt
cleared by means of a line circular
saw. After slitting, the nibs are
brought together by hainmer'.n. ami
the pen Is burnished on the Inside by a
concave form and on the outside by a
convex form. This Is necessary to give
the pen a uniform surface and greater
elasticity.
These nlhs are then set by the lingers
alone, after which operation the pen Is
grouml by H ntho with a thin steel
disk and a couner cylinder, both charg-
0(1 wth flnp emerv nnd 0I1. The silt
. thpn hv fln0 disk, and the
B,dcg of the nl,,s nml the ponts nre
upon ti,e copper cylinder. After
lho n.,.... lg llone the nen Is iMlshcd
upon huff ,;.hoeIs wujcn completes the
procesH of nianufacture.
Before the pen Is placed upon the
market, however. It Is given a thorough
Inspection to see that It possesses the
proper elasticity, fineness and weight.
then pasfled to an Inspector who tests
It and weighs It Chicago Chronicle.
Ilia Past and nin Prenent.
"What do you know about his past';"
asked Mabel.
"Just enough to make me a little
suspicious about his present," said
' , ,, ... ,, ,
Maud, examining with a magnifying
glass the diamond ring the young man
had sent her.
A dwarf sees farther than the giant
when he has the giant's shoulder tc
mount Coleridge.
IN THE BASQUE COUNTRY.
The Peeullnr Laincnaue and Odd Cni
tomi of the People.
Of the strange scenes and customs of
Uie Basque country a traveler writes:
"I was struck by the way the women
walked and carried themselves. A fut
old woman with a huge tray on her
head walked along at a swinging pace,
shouting her wares meanwhile at the
top of her voice. I saw a woman car
rying on her head first of all a large
tray of fruit (Its size can be imagined
when I tell you that it was afterward
her stall). On the top of this were a
basket of washing and .a big umbrella
to be used to cover the stall. Then in
her left hand she carried a supple
mentary stall, and by the other she
led a little child which could Just reach
the mother's hand by holding Its own
up as. high as it could stretch.
"I was waiting once at a little way
side nn iu tho village of Ascaln when
1 siw an old lady, followed by two
great fat white pigs. They all three
waddled over to the village pump, and
then, procuring some water In a pall,
the old lady proceeded to wash her
charges. She cleaned them most as
siduouslyeyes, ears, tail, back, hind
quarters and feet.
"There Is a dignity of carriage about
all the women in this country. I fan
cied It might be due to the fact that
formerly, before the "Code Napoleon'
came into operation, the law obliged
the firstborn, whether boy or girl, to
Inherit the patrimony and continue the
head of the family, the husband taking
the wife's name when the inheritor was
a woman, thus giving the woman a
perfect equality from her birth The
matrons are not less beautiful than the
younger women.
"Quite unlike any other language la
that of the Basques. Although when
hearing the people talk a Spanish sound
seems to be occasionally emitted, It Is
not really at all like Spanish. I was
amused to find that 'no' is ess' in
Basque, and when I asked what "yes
was I thought at first the answer was
'na,' which would have been very curi
ous, but it turned out to be 4ba,' with
the 'b' softly pronounced."
BITS FROM THE WRITERS. "
There Is nothing In life worth mak
ing a secret of except one's income.
Seton Merriman.
Civilization means universal civility,
and to be civil to everybody argues a
great power of telling lies. Eden Phlll
potts. How exquisite in life is the art of not
seeing many things and of forgetting
many that have been seen! James
Lane Allen.
Truisms, whether they He In the
depths of thought or on the surface,
are at any rate the pearls of experi
ence. George Meredith.
Have you never observed that if you
conscientiously neglect to do your work
It somehow manages to get done with
out you? Henry Harland.
Relations, as somebody said, are dis
agreeable acquaintances Inflicted upon
us byProvIdenee. But It is no use
losing one's temper about what they
say. It only pleases them. Richard
Bairot
SOURCES OF COLORS. .
Blue black Is the charcoal of the vine
stalk.
Raw sienna Is the natural earth near
Sienna. Italy.
Ivory chips produce the ivory black
and bone black.
Turkey red Is the madder plant,
which grows In Hindustan.
Prussian blue is made with impura
potassium carbonate. This most useful
discovery was accidental.
Cochineal Insects furnish many of
our most gorgeous colors carmine,
scarlet crimson and purple.
India Ink Is made from burned cam
phor. The Chinese are the only manu
facturers of this and will not reveal its
secret.
Cuttlefish give us sepia, which is
nothing more nor less than the Inky
fluid which the fish discharges to ren
der the water black when It Is at
tacked. Joot "IV hut He Meant.
An American In Loudon once attend
ed a dinner where Henry Arthur Jonea
tohl a story about Becrbohm Tree.
"Mr. Tree." said the playwright, "met
a friend of his one afternoon in Kegenl
street.
"The two stood and conversed a little
while, and then Mr. Tree said:
" 'Have you been down to see me act
lately, 1113- boy?'
" "No; too poor,' said the other.
" Too poor,' Mr. Tree exclaimed.
'Why, you spend enough on wine and
cigars'
"But the other, nettled, interrupted.
" T don't mean I'm too poor. I mean
you're too poor,' he said."
Am a Clincher.
"I'm not so particular about speed,
but I must have a gentle horse," re
peated Mr. Green. "My wife wants
to drive, you see. Will you warrant
this horse to be safe?"
"Certainly," said the dealer reassur
ingly. "He's a regular lady's horse."
"You are sure he's not afraid of any
thing?" asked Mr. Green anxiously
and for tho tenth time.
The dealer assumed an air of reflec
tion. "Well, there Is one thing that he has
always appeared to be afraid of ever
since I got him," he admitted con
scientiously. "It seems 'as If he",
scared to death for fear some one
might say 'Whoa!' nnd he not hear It."
Womnn'i Presence.
What a consoler Is woman! No pres
ence but hers can win a man from his
sorrow. The soldier becomes a light
some boy at her feet; the anxious
statesman smiles himself back to the
free hearted youth beside her. and the
still and shaded countenance f care
brightens beneath her influence,as the
closed flower blooms in the sunshine.
American Queen.
Ilerole Sarsrerr.
When the Medical and Chimrgical
society of London was founded In 1805
the barber-surgeon was still more or
ess tolerated. At one of Its early meet
ngs one Dr. Wardrop advocated the
'excellent custom" of bleeding patients
till they fainted, so that they might be
the subject of surgical operation -while
n an insensible condition.