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About The Oregon scout. (Union, Union County, Or.) 188?-1918 | View Entire Issue (June 6, 1889)
THE OREGON SC0U1 JONES & CHANCEY, Publisher UNION, OREGON. DINNER ETIQUETTE. A rirtiiro eif Iloimckerplnc In tlio lMy at Ororgo till! Thlril. A writer litis collected some facts about yo olden tlmo housekeeping, who nsks: How does tho housekeeping nt tills hour of writing compuro with that of ono hundred years ngoP Mrs. Papon dlek, in her "Journal of Court Life in the Time of Georgo III. and Queen Charlotte," which I havo boforo mo, mentions many curious facts us to do mestic economy of 1788. Tho dinner hour was two p. m., or for company at thrco p. m. Tho dishes and cooking were very much tho same as thoso in middle class housos now. Malt liquor, cider and sherry woro tho ordinary drinks at dinner, port and Madeira be ing' put on tho tablo along with tho Blight dessert. "If tho gentlemen wished to mako a drinking bout, which was often tho case, it began after sup per." Few families had moro than two femalo servants. Rooms wero very plainly furnished, and ornaments wero kept in closets or chests, to bo brought out only on stato occasion?. Littlo Bllvor was in dally use. Silver forks wero only scon in tho houses of nobles and foreign embassadors. Forks had threo prongs. Knives had broad ends for eating peas or catching up gravy, as dessert spoons wero unknown. Yet there was as much refinement in feel ing us now, modern fashion in comfort and luxury having gradually changed. Tho prlco of mutton or boof In 1788 was ton cents a pound; broad eight con to or ton cents a quarter loaf; eggs in spring, six cents a dozen; fowls, thirty cents a pair; loaf sugar, fourteon cents a pound. Wages of house-maids woro thlrty-llvo dollars to forty dollars, or eight guineas, with live dollars for ton or bcor. Washing was always dono at home. St. Louis Sayings. Tho Elm-Tree Beetle. ' TIiIb post of tho olm is tho European loaf-beotlo Galorucu xantlioiuolaeua. It is becoming a serious onoiny. It prefers tho European olms, but very likely will attack tho American when tho European 1b destroyed. TIiIb bootlo Is n, near relative to tho Colorado potato beotlo, which It much resemblos in Its natural history. Tho best remedy Is to spray with London purple. Wo find by numerous experiments that ono pound of this poison to two hun dred gallons of water is olTectivo, and loss injurious to foliago. Hy uso of our poworful force-pumps this can bo thrown ovon to tho top of quite largo trees. It is important that all affected trees bo treated, and so in cities it would bo wise for the authorities to take tho matter in hand. Tho spray ing should begin as soon ns tho leaves wro attacked. Prof. A. J. Cook. Virtue of Joli'k Tour. "Job's Tears for Sale," is tho legend displayed in tho window of nn up town drug store "What aro Job's Tears, and what aro they used for?" inquired a curious re porter, whoso eyes foil upon tho inscrip tion, Tho druggist In reply exhibited a small pasteboard box. Tho box looked liko other boxes, Btiggestivoof pills and other unoomfortublo things, but when tho top woh removed a number of small, bead liko seeds wero exposed. They wero about tho sizo of pea beans and shaped liko Prlnco Rupert's drops. "Theso aro Job's Tears," said tho pill compounder. "You boo thoy aro shaped us a tear is supposed to lo. Thoy aro tho seeds of a small, grass-like plant that is a natlvo of India but grows now largely in Now England. It is a com mon plant, but somehow, year by year, tho seeds boom to bo growing scarcer; that is, thoy are liardor to obtain in tho market. Ami year by year tho demand for them has increased among a certain class of pooplo. I In vo thoy any uiedieln.il properties? Well, only ho far as the RratUlcation of a whim may bo attended with good results. "Sometiuio a way back in tho shadowy post, soiiio grandnia started tho story that theso pearly affairs, If strung like beads mid hung about an infant's neck during the toothing period, would mako that operat ion a mild and pleasant pas tlmo, in fact almost a joy forever to tho child. I cannot say whether this is true or not, yet 1 know that lots of young mothers buy Job's Tears, and say that with their assistance it is really a pleasure for the baby to Introduce its molars to tho world. Job sutTered enough to bo of vicarious assistance to tho littlo ones, to say tho least, and there may bo something in tho whim. Balti more News. Nlnotoou years ago tho wife of u prominent Kingston, N. Y man ncol tleutly ran n noodle into her breast. Ah it occuslonod but littlo pain and could not bo extracted, she paid but littlo attention to tho matter, hoping for tho bebU Ono night recently she was awakened out of a sound sleep by a peculiar pricking sonsatlon lu tho throat. Rising in bod she began to cough. Tho pricking became moro ovoro, but tho substance appeared to bo rising In her throat. Thrusting her fingers down as far us possible, sho caught hold of nn object and drew it nut. It was tho noodle that had boon Journoylng about under tho surface for nineteen yours. It npjionrs that tho British tmny li not only tho dourest in Europe, but tha -worst fed, bo fur us tho runic and Ilia nro concerned. A curious fenturo of tho theater! In Melbourne, remarks a newspaper writer, Is that thoy are mostly ull i..qulppod with billiard rooms. SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. Aniline was discovered by Nuvor dorben in 182G among tho products of tho distillation of indigo. Tho so-called antlnuo oak is ordi nary American oak sawed in a peculiar way and stained to look liko tho old English oak. A new process of hnrdening plaster of Paris has been discovered whereby it can bo adapted to the con struction of lloorlng in place of wood. Photographs of tho flight and ex plosion of dynamite cartridges aro among tho achievements of tho instan taneous method of photography. How our grandfathers would havo wondered at such pictures! The military engineers of Austria arfco experimenting with aluminum bronzo with a view to adopting it for gun-barrels, for which it offers tho great advantugo of not rusting when exposed to wet. Tho great improvements in tho construction of apparatus, and the ap plication of tho microscope to lithol ogy, liavo resulted in successful at tempts at tho reproduction of all the modern volcanic rocks. Southbridge, Mass., has the largest spectacle factory in the world. Moro than three-fourths of tho gold specta cles and eye-glasses made in this coun try are made in Southbridge. ono com pany alono in that town having turnod out 1,500.000 pairs last year. Over a million pianos havo boon constructed in and 200,000 imported into tho United States since 1780. So some careful observer Informs us. ""In vention" tells us that tho American pianoforte manufactories, now turn out 60,000 instruments overy year. The Chicago Sanitary Mews says that tho board of health of ono of tho Eastorn States, in a late report, gives an account of a well of water contain ing '111.2 grains of solids per gallon, yet tho pollution could not bo recog nized by tho souses, and several per sons lost thoir lives by its uso boforo tho cause was discovered. An interesting fact is that ono of tho greatest probloms now perplexing scientific mon tho production of heat less light has been already solved by nature. The light from a luminous beotlo sulllciont for rending u news paper is shown by tho spectroscope to bo all of ono kind, and jiibt tho kind for seeing, whilo tho thermopile finds no ovidonco of heat. Yot In ull our urtlflclal lights vast quantities of fuel aro wasted for usoless iioat. l'ho llghtnoss of snowflakes is tho results of their surface being so great when compared with their volume, and is accounted for in somo degree by tho largo quantity of air amid their frozen particles. Snowllukos contain about nine times us many volumes of air, entangled, so to speak, among their crystals as thoy contain water. Very fine and lightly deposited snow occupies about twenty-four times as much spuco as water, and is from ton to twelve times lighter than an equal bulk of that fluid. R. L. Weathorby, tho manager of tho ocean cable companies' ropuiiing service, has discovered that the cause of tho rapid impairinont of ocean cables is found in tho iron used to enwrap the cores of tho cables. The action of doop sea water on iron tends to soften Hand destroy Its coheslveness, whorcas hemp will remain at any depth in tho sea for scores oi years wimoui Doing injured. Hence, if tho cable cores woro wound and covered exclusively with hemp, instead of with hem)) and iron as thoy now are, their dostrueti- bleuess would bo very greatly lessoned. Tho average Hfo of a cable, as at pres ent constructed, is only twelve years. m SLICING TO DEATHi Itarhurln Modioli of Torturlni; ('iiikIimiiiuhI Alurilrrorit hi China, At tho back of this execution ground stood half u dozen wooden crosses. II you will take a piece of telegraph polo eight feet long and sot a similar pole live feet long Into It at right angles two feet from tho top, you will havo the Chinese cross. It Ik upon thoso crosses that the criminals tiro bound whon they aro to undergo tho punishment of Ling Chi or slicing to death, which is tho sontonco for nil who murder a brother, n parent, a teacher, a husband or an uncle. Tho criminal is stripped and his foot aro raised upon a brick or a stone, ills euo Is tied up to the cross and his arms aro stretched out upon its arms. A British naval olllcer, whom I mot at Hong Kong, described an execution of this kind which ho wit nessed u fow weeks ago. "It mado mo feel very green at first," said lie, "but uftor It wus begun 1 could not keep mv oyesotTlt, 1 have had the experience over again three times in my dreams, and 1 would not want to see it again. I had the best guide iu Canton, uud wo saw tho execution from tho roof of ono of tho buildings beside tho execution grounds. There woro two criminals, uud it took about thirty minutes to cut ouch of them to pieces. The first cuts sliced off tho cheeks and tho second tho eyebrows. After thoso u man held a fun boforo the faces of the prisoners, uud nil wo could see of them was tho blood running down upon their bodies. Tho next cut wus of tho flesh between tho hand uud tho elbow, uud tho arteries wero first bound above tho places cut so that tho man would not bleed to death boforo tho ceremony wus completed. Then tho shoulders wero cut off. Then tho flesh of tho thighs, and uftor this tho calves of tho logs. Tho bovoutcunth uud eighteenth outs removed tho bunds, uud tho lust cut took tho head from the body. "In both cases tbo men did not faint uwny. Tho pain wus too terrible. They could not ory out, us thoy woro gagged and their nrlthlugs wero horrible. The lust out killed thorn." F. (5. Curpou tor, iu Clovolund Lutidor. ABOUT CHAPERONS. Somrtlilni; About tha J'ororn Who Aro) licit (Juntlfleil to Act nn Such. Perhaps ono of the best chaperons, and ono under whoso wing a girl has a good chunco of thoroughly enjoying a ball, is a married sister, young enough to danco herself, to have many friends to whom sho can Introduce her sister. Smart and well drossed, she attracts notice, and going out with her make ball-going a pleasure and a success. A mother can not alwuys keep pace with tho times, and doei not r.lways know tho best men, as thoy are termed. Hut n, young married lady lias the support of her husband, many of his friends, and is nblo to make a strong party iu u bull room. It is nlmost needless to cay that nn mint is almost asirood a chaperon ns a mothor, and perhaps ovon moro hidul gent ton fuvorito niece, us regards to remaining for yet another dance, while as to securing partners for her, sho is in u better position for doing so than the most anxious of mothers. When relations arc not available for tho office of chaperon, friends aro pressed into tho service, and this request is mot iu different ways by different people. If a lady has neither a daughter or a sister of hor own to chaj) eron. she Is pleaded to havo the care of a pretty, well-dressed girl, or even two slstorsjnot only does sho wish to be good natured, but sho knows that this ad dition to hor party will incrcaso its im portance, and a ludy so situated is a general chaperon among her friends. Evon when a lady has a daughter or daughters of her own, she Is often asked to tako yot another girl to some ball to which sho is going, and a pleas ant, amiable girl is considered nn ac quisition to tho party, as she takes care to Introduce young men sho may hap pen to know to her young girl frionds. Rut somo girls aro too selfish and in considorato to do this, and rathor act the part of piratosand poachers toward thoir confiding young friends by ex clusively endeavoring to monopolize tho attention of tho young men of the party. Theso ball room tactics once Indulged in render tho fair tactician ono to bo avoided on futuro occasions by mothors with girls to chaporon. Girls should tako tho opportunity ol speaking a fow words to thoir chap erons as often as possible, and should sit or stand by thorn a fow mintitos from tlmo to time during the evening. Lon don Qucon. EGG-SHELL WONDERS Whcro tho Himi Cicit-i thn Carlmnato l.limi l.'ssi'iilhil to llnr Diitlrs. The shell proper of an egg Is made up mostly of earthy materials. The proportions vary according to tho food of tho bird, but 90 to 95 percent, is car bonato of lime. The remainder is com posed of from 2 to 5 per cent of animal matter and from 1 to 5 pot cent, ol phosphato of lime and magnesia. Now, Mr. 1. L. Stmmonds asks, where doet tho hen procure tho carbonate of lime with which, to form tho shell? If wt confine fowls in a room and feed them with any of tho coroul grains, exclud ing all sand, dust or earthy matter, thoy will go on for a time and lay eggs, each ono having a perfect shell, made up of the sumo calcareous olomonts. Vanquollii shut up a hen for ten days and fed her oxeluslvoly upon oats, ol which sho consumed 7, 171 grains in weight. During this tlmo four eggs woro laid, tho shells of which weighed nearly 109 grains; of this amount 27(i grains wero carbonate of lime, 17 1-2 grains phosphate of lime, and 10 grains gluten. Hut there is only a littlo car bonate of lime iu oats, and whence could this -109 grains of tho rocky materia) havo been derived. Tho answer tt this question opens up some of the most curious and wondorful facts connected with animal chemistry. Tho body of u bird, like that of a man, is but a piece of chemical apparatus, mado capable ol transforming hard and fixed substance? Into others of u very unliko nuturo. .In oats there is contained phosphate ol lime, with an uhumluuco of silica, and the stomach and ir-slmilut'ng organs ol the bird aro mado capable of decompos ing tho lliuo salt im'.I forming with the silica a sllicato of Lino. Tho new body is itself nuule to undergo decomposi tion, and tho. baso is combined witn carbonic acid, forming carbonate r, litno. The carboirc acid is probably derived from tho u inosplioro, or moro directly, perhaps, from tho blood. These chemical changes 'among hard inorganic bodies tiro certainly wonder ful when wo reflect that thoy arc brought about iu tho delicate organs of u coiupnrntlvoly feoblo bird, under the iulhumco of nntmul heat and vital forces. Thoy embrace a Tories of de composing and recomposing operations, which it is difficult to imitate lu the laboratory. Popular Science Monthly. Tho Position Was Opon, Ono cold day during tho war u fugi tive slave was standing before n tiro lu Washington, warming himself. "Where did you conio from, Undo?" usked u pro-shivery bystundor. "From Culpoppor, sub." "Lenvo your mas loip" "Yes, Biih." "Wus ho bud to youP" "No, sub; very good, kind master, Biih." "Givo you nil you wunted to cut and wear did lie?" "Yes, suli; novor wanted for much of any thing, salt." "Well, don't you think you'd bo much better off with him as n slave than grubbing around Washington for yourself?" "Well, sub, do job tip dull is opon for any ono dnt wants it," responded tho tiogro.culmly, uud iu tho laugh that went up the ad mirer of slavery disappeared. Chicago Mall. A burglar, arrested iu Boston, had m his breast tin India ink pluture of a gravestouo, on which wn- nmrkud "In UiO.m.or.yjjfiuy fathom . y.." ESSAY BY A KING. a rrMtrlitt nf Sentlmpntlir the Klnff ol Norway and Stvviln. Ono nutumn morning, as the sun had just lifted its golden orb above tho horizon, without, however, its rays having as yet warmed the cold nir, behold standing by the roadside some birch trees, already covered with yel low leaves. Their day was drawing to a close, thoir life of bloom, though brief, had been a lovely ono; a life passed in tho glorious nuturo of the North. Whon the rays of tho vernal sun had i molted snow and Ice, when unchained rivulets prattled plcasuntly.und the lark struck its notes in tho azure sky, ten der buds had como forth from the cold branches and twigs, tho buds became leaves; they throve in tho balmy spring breeze. The young trees clad them selves in tho green color of hope. So long us summer, the golden-tressed goddess, ruled in the North, thoy on joyed their own blooming loveliness. In innocence and simplicity thoy caressed each other, and offered a delicious shade to tho wanderer fatigued by the fierce sun. Now, when tho summer tho too brief one in tho North has fled, behold! with what humility they bear their fato and shed tho treasures of their crown. In their dceader.cj, in thoir misfortune, they stand yonder as if noiiQ tho less admiring tho silent morning hour. They seotn as if speak ing to tho traveler, who hastens by to his daily calling after h's Sunday rest. And they awaken in him wonder, and call forth thoughts that aro less of this world. Brother! Man has also his spring, his summer and his autumn. Spring is his youth, summer his mnnhopd and autumn his old age. Hut in the hey day of man's springtide there may bo autumn; in his autumntido a gleam of dawning spring. Sorrow may change morn into ove, spring into autumn. Tho tree of lifo struck by tho storm raises itself again with difficulty, or re quires, at all events, time to do so. It might, indeed, be an impossibility but for Samaritans ready to give a helping hand. Even the solitary desert palm may bo shaken by tho sirocco till it falls, be it over so tall and strong. But in tho depth of autumn there may, God bo praised! also bo spring. Behold tho charming birch tree in the grove yonder! Thoy are going to rest through tho long winter night, con tented with thoir summer lifo, for thoy hope that whon winter has exhausted Us fury, a still moro balmy, and a still moro glorious sun. and a more enchant ing song than tho howling autumn storms shall summon them to a new lifo, to fresh joys! And such is thoir ex istence, an unbroken chain of births and deaths. And wo? Wo, who aro often ungrate ful whon tho world goes against us wo, who grumblo and rebel against tho wise dictates of Providence and in self-conceit wish to build up n world ourselves, which wo imagine would bo a bettor ono what ought wo to remomber? Is not tho promise sown in our hearts of resurrection and spring, after the autumn of lifo and tho grave of winter! Is it not surer and more blessed than that of any creature in tho realm of nature? Havo wo not been endowed with the gift of living iu sympathy hero below and of walking together along tho road of lifo in lovo and friendship? And is not this gift a greater treasure than all thoso which tho man of pleasure deems priceless? Why do we, then, despair? The spring following upon our winter's gravo will not depart from us, for it is otorual. Far moro glorious is it than any earthly spring. Tho sun is God, and we aro angels thoroin. Should wo boliovo that' friendship formed horo below shall also follow us thither?- Why should wo not boliovo that it shall become oven stronger than here? Ay, friendship, which lias united mankind throughout ull ages, iu which thoy have lived, labored and struggled to reach the same goal, al though by different roads that friend ship will cortainly remain with us whon the heaven is reached, and it shall, on a brighter spring morn, and to a more glorious spring chant, follow us into tho Eternal Spring, and be the most cherished and joyful recollectiou of our past life on earth of a chilly autumn tide! Oscar Fredrik, iu Nineteenth Century. A Cheery View of Life. Our estimates of "good" and "bad" nro largely influenced by our porsonal feelings, and by the effect on our indi vidual comfort of that on which we puss judgment. When tho farmors are longing for tho spring winds and rains, to do thoir work of preparing for a fruitful season, persons iu tho city nro likely to speak of an uppropritito March or April day as "very bad weather," or as a "wretched day," in a tone that would indlcato tho thought. "If I hud tho weather in charge, thoro should bo neither wind nor ruin from year's end to year's ond." An author is pretty sure to count prulso of his book us "u good review," and censure or criticism of it us "u bad review." Tl.o man who is spokon of us "a very disagreeable man" is ordinarily a man who is known not to deem tho speaker us tin ugrtvnblo man. And so ull tho way ulong in life. It rarely occurs to us that what wu dislike may be the best thing in tho world for tha world. Yet tho truth is, that there is nothing for which wo have more reason to bo grateful than the fact that things aro not Just us wo would like to havo them S. S. Times. A handy thing to havo Is n box containing an ussortuviot of bolts, mile, rivets, nails and u hammer, pinchers uud cold-chisel. SENATOR VEST'S JOKE. How tho Mlmourl Statmiimn Caino to KmlRrate from Kentucky. Whilo Polk Laffoon was waiting for his train last evening ho entertained a party of friends in the rotunda tit Al cxnnder's Hotel by relating sovoral hito of unwritten history about somo of tbo big guns us Washington. Ono story In particular will bo of intorcst to tho admirers of Senator George G. Vest, of Missouri. It Illustrates how trifling tilings turn, nt times, tho whole course of a man's lifo. Mr. Laffoon said tho story was told to him by Mr. Vest him self. "Ve3t was raised in Owonsboro," said Mr. Caffoon, "and when ho was a young man ho was fur from being an angel. In fact he was very much of a ake, and ardently addicted to both cards and whisky. About tho timo Vest was indulging his tasto for tho paste-boi rds most unrestrainedly, one of thoso spasmodic moral waves struck Owonsboro, and all tho gamblers and gambling places, then enjoying a heydey of prosperity, woro ban ished. Tho boys wero hard up for a pluco to satisfy thoir thirst for pokor, and thoy looked nbout for somo pluco to play, without running tho risk of being seized by the dreaded hand of tho law. An old follow, who had somo sort of nondescript craft anchored at tho wharf, camo to their relief, and tho boys woro in tho habit of playing iu tho cabin of his boat every night. As happens everywhere where cards nro played, thero lived in Owonsboro a shark. He plnyod close and generally won, lotting no chance escapo him. Every timo ho got about $25 or $.10 winnor ho would suddonly remomber that his wife was sick and had sent him for medicine, or would havo somo other excuse for quitting. Ono night Vest and a friend, both of whom woro broke and about half full of corn-juice, sauntered down toward the boat whore thoir slieoklos had disappeared into tho old shark's pocket. Thoy saw from tho light aboard that a game was in progress, and thoy know tho old shark was playing. Vest and his com panion both 'blessed' the squeezor in the unstinted manner their condition would suggest, and finally Vest said: 'I'll fix him.' Taking out his knifo he severed tho cable which hold tho boat to tho shore. Out into tho river tho craft drifted. When it had gone about five miles down 'Old Shark' made his usual excuse and rose to go. Out of tho lighted room into the darkness ho went. He mado a step whcro ho thought tho gang plunk was, but it was, of course, not in its place, and with u yell ho went down into tho river. Tho others heard his cry, add by means of ropes rescued him. Tho game had been so absorbing that no one had noticed tho motion of tho boat after its releaso from tho wharf. Whon tho shark reached shore, wot and mad, ho secured a buggy and drovo back to Owonsboro. 'It was that follow Vest that did this,' said ho, 'and I'm going to kill him.' Ho secured a double-barreled shotgun and started to look for Vest. Tho old shark was -a dangerous man, and Vest, being warned by his friends, concluded he had nothing to tie him to Owonsboro, so ho loft at once. Ho wont to Missouri, where ho had a cousin who was clerk of one of the local courts. Vest went into his office, thoro began to study law, and Inter commenced to practice. Ho be came a "loader in politics, was elected to ono office after anothor, and to-day is one of tho ablost mon ever in the United States Somite. If ho had stayed in Owonsboro ho would probably have gono on iu tho old rut and never amounted to a hill of beans. Hy tho way, Senator Vest novor drinks now." FACTS ABOUT SALT. ."Many Intrntliir 1'nliitt Tor SccIuts After lii'lluhlti information. Thoro aro many interesting facts connected with salt which it is well sometimes to roinonibor. To begin with the name itself, a curious fact is to bo noted. Salt was formerly re garded as a compound rosulting from the union of hydrochloric (or, us it used to bo called, muriatic) acid and soda, uud hence tho generic term of halt was applied to all substances pro duced by tho combination of a baso with an acid. Sir Humphrey Davy, however, showed that during thoir uc tion on each other both the acid and tho alkali underwent decomposition, and that whilo water is formed by the union of the oxygen of tho alkali and tho hydrogen of tho acid, tho sodium of the former combines with tho chlo rine of tho luttor to form a chloride of sodium, uud this term is the scientific designation of suit, which, paradoxical us it may seem, is not u salt. Chloride of sodium must bo considered economic ally under two heads, relating respect ively to sea or bay suit, and to rock or mineral salt. Tho ono is probably do rived from the othor, most rock-salt deposits boarlng ovidonco of having been formed at remote geological pe riods by evaporation from tho sea. At ono time nearly the wholo of the salt used us food and for Industrial pur poses was obtained from tho seu, and In many countries whoro tho cllmuto is dry und wtirm, und which havo n con venient seaboard, a grout quantity of salt Is still so obtained. Iu Portugal more than two hundred und fifty thou sand tons tire annually produced, und tho sumo quantity approximately is obtained on tho Atlantic arid Mediter ranean coasts of Franco. Spain hfts salt works in the Balearic Islands, tho Bay of Cadiz and elsewhere, which turn out annually threo hundred thousand tons, and even tho small seaboard ol Austria produces overy year from sev enty thousand to one hundred thousurid ton j. Lo.ndon Standard. ORIGIN OF ELEPHANTS. A Rnco of Miimmnli That First Appeared In the Mlocnnn I'erlod. The origin of tho grout proboscidian rnco in general, nnd of tho mammoth and elephant group in particular, liko tho early history of Jeamos do la Plucho, is "wrap iu obscurity." All wo can s-.y nbout them with any corrti denco is that they form a comparative ly Into order of mammals, whose earliest recognlzablo representative in geological timo is tho monstrous dino thcrluni, nn aquatic animal with n long trunk, and with two immense curved tusks, projecting downward paradox ically from his lower instoad of his up per jaw. The dinothorium makes his first nppearaneo upon this or any other stage in tho Miocene pe riod; but as ho conldti't, of course, havo appeared thero (liko Aphrodite and Topsy) without any parents, and as ho was thou al ready a fairly specialized and highly developed animal, wo must take it for granted that his earlier ancestry, though ancient und respectable in its own time, had long passed away, leav-V ing not a wreck behind, so far as yot known, in tho matter of tangiblo geo logical vouchers. Theso unknown an cestors, in all probability, gave birth during thoir earlier 'and moro plastic stage for species, liko individuals, aro most readily molded in their green youth to threo main family branches. Tho senior branch produced tho di nothorium, a vast brute, who, finding tho world too full to hold him about tho close of tho tertiary period, de mised suddenly without issuo, leav ing tho honors of tho family in sub sequent ages to tho junior mem bers. Tho second branch pro ducod tho mastodons, huge creat ures of elephantine outline and ma jestic tread, most of them with tus ks in tho uppor and lower jaws, though tho undor pair wero always tho small est. 1 ho third branch produced the truo elephants, including both our modern Indian and African species, as well as tho mammoth himself, and many othor extinct congeners. All tho elephants proper havo but ono solitary pair of tusks, and that pair is quite correctly located in tho upper jaw ins ad of tho under one. Thus is Evolution justified of all hor children. Tho truo elephants made their first ap pearance, as far as known, in tho Pliocene period that is, tho epoch preceding tho Groat Ice Ago. They blossomed out at once into an alarming number of species. Cornhill Maga zine. THE AGE OF "SPECIALISM A Tendency Which N Itccomlllir Mor6 rroiioiiiiccil ISvery l)aj'. Hero is an old story iu point, illus trating conditions: A certain man, a 6ort of scientist after his fashion, found an insect which in his crude way ho could at onco determine to boa beetle. But ho wished to know just what kind of a beetle that particular one happened to bo, or. in other words, to find out its name. So, liko a good and patriotic citizen, ho referred it to a specialist just as a sensible minor with u broken leg would call in tho service of a surgeon. Ho went to a friend and said: "Hero is a beotlo. Now. you nro an entomologist; please tell mo what that is." "Oh, no," said the referee. "I am not an entomologist." "Not an entomologist? Why, I thought that was your lino." "No; I only wish I woro," ho said, sadly. 'Woll, what aro you? What do you call a beotlo sharp a colcoptorist?" "No," said ho, modestly, and with u deprecatory air, "no, I'm not u colcoptorist. If you insist upon know ing, I might claim (now brightening up) to be a scarabiulsl; that is, you know, altogether dllVetont from being a regular colcoptorist." It is not so long ago that a single great mind, liko that of Humboldt, could tako in tit u single comprehensive glance almost the sum of human knowl edge. There can bo no Humboldt now. Engineering and Mining Journal. The Mail Service in 1775. Whon Benjamin Franklin was ap pointed Postmastor General of th' Col onies in 1775 ho wont down to tho office in Philadelphia, hung his coat on u peg boliind tho only door of tho one room which constituted tho depart ment, and wont to work. Ho procured a small book of fifty-three pages, in which ho opened nn account with each postmaster for tho forty odd post olllces in tho thlrteon colonies, and kept It himsolf. Unliko tho present Postmaster-General, tho old Pennsyl vanian was not bothered to appoint assistants, and as for clerks, lie did not have any. At odd times, und when he was feeling lonesome because somo of tho neighbors did not como in to bore him to appoint John Smith post master at Junipervlllo, Franklin would go down to tho city post-otllco and as sists to mako up tho mall, which left by stage coach every weok. In a gluss case iu tho Post-otllco Department the curiosity seeker can seotho old leath ern bound book in which Franklin kept tho accounts of tho Government. 'JUko transactions for thrco years from lBf to 1778, Inclusive aro included In Its fifty-throe puges, und tho mull truns actions seem to havo cut but an in significant llguro. You can ulso seo tho record of tho uncalled for or mis directed letters that woro returned for tho oloven years from 1777 to 1788. Tho book covers forty-four puges, nnd during that timo 3C5 letters woro re ceived. Tho number of lottors ro turnod to tho Dead Letter Ofll9o duby now averages 18,000. Washington