The Hastings Standard Published Daily MONDAY, SEPT. 27, 1897. CURRENT NOTES.

Hastings Standard, Issue 436, 27 September 1897, Page 2

The Hastings Standard Published Daily

MONDAY, SEPT. 27, 1897. CURRENT NOTES.

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrongs that need resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that we can do.

A certain Mr Max Rown, the cables tell us, is coming to Australasia to negotiate for the cultivation of Rhea fibre in the colonies. The news is good, and may Mr Eown succeed. By the Gomez process, the Rhea fibre can be dressed to prefection, and what can be done with the prepared fibre is shown by the following extract from a London correspondent's epistle in an Australian paper : —Mr George Musgrove, the Australian manager, went up to Rochdale the other day to look over a Rhea mill there. " I was," says Mr Musgrove, " very much surprised by what I saw. I am ordering all the tights for our next year's pantomimes to be made of Rhea, which is better than spun silk, and ever so much cheaper. When next we decorate either of our theatres in Australia the whole of our plushes for covering the seats and curtains I shall order to be made of rhea. Th 3 saving will be enormous," From rhea' fibre can be manufactured sailcloth or silk handkerchiefs, and a hundred other fabrics, with equal facility. Inventor Edison is having a bad time with the inhabitants of the New Jersey town of Edison, which is named after him. He has a huge factory and iron works there, and is working on a process which he has invented for extracting iron from a mountain rich in magnetic ore, called Ogden Mountain, by means of magnetic attraction. All about its circumference have been planted telegraph poles upon which insulated wires are fixed forming a circle more than four miles in extent. Since the erection of this enormous magnet, electric storms have been exceptionally prevalent in the neighborhood, and a great deal of damage has been done by lightning. It is said that there is not the slightest possible doubt but that the electric disturbances which have been set up by this artificial means have been the reason for the increased number of thunderstorms, and one man has even contemplated suing the famous inventor for damages. Not often is the demise of a cat regarded with keen expectancy by a whole community. This is what happened, however, in the case of Bis, the white coated representative of the feline tribe to which Mine. Pubrai in

18b2 left a life interest in the sum of 10,000f., with -an ultimate devolution in favor of the elementary schools of the Temple quarter of Paris. The local municipality, after some hesitation, accepted this singular trust, invested the money, boarded out the lucky puss, and duly paid over to the " committees of the person" each quarterly instalment of revenue. At the time of Mine. Dubrai's death Bis had attained the age of .10, and it speaks volumes in favor of the humanity and honesty of his guardians that he has survived his mistress five years. He died last month of senile decay. Some of the councillors seem to have thought that Bis ought to be buried at the public expense, but more sordid views prevailed, and his carcase was consigned to the municipal dustbin.

The British Central African (iazette contains some interesting particulars of the insensibility of the black man to pain. The writer gives several instances which certainly seem to prove that the colored man either does not feel pain as acutely as his white brother, or is possessed of a great amount of endurance. A Makau had his foot amputated. The following day he was found out of bed, stumping about the hospital floor. A Yao who had three damaged fingers removed stole away next morning to go on a journey of some weeks, using the damaged hand freely. After a bombardment of a slave rading chief's capital, some women who had been mortally wounded were seen going about picking up firewood, drawing water and attending to their physical wants. Next day they had died of their wounds. The children are not different from their parents, in proof of which the writer tells the following story:—A little girl, after having her leg amputated, made her way to a pool, where she sat with the stump dangling in the water, which she splashed over it with her hands, singing all the time as though nothing were amiss.

It will be of interest to learn how the United States Government assists its agriculturists. The Washington Star says : —Over 20,000,000 packages of vegetable, ilower and field seed have been distributed by the Department of Agriculture during the past spring. This distribution has given to each member of Congress 40,000 packages of seed at a total cost of 180,000dol. Over 1,000,000 of these packages were flower seed, and nearly 800,000 field seed, the balance being a great variety of vegetables. In the entire distribution nearly every variety of vegetable known to the agriculturist h i ; t»i butod. Then' were '■'>?. \ . - oi beau.-., JO varieties of i.-eets. 2 > v • ■> of cabb.-igv, II varieties of c»" 1 j variant:;. of corn, in kinds of cucumbers, Hu kinds of letiuce. 19 varieties of muskuioloas, 17 kinds of waturuje-ions, and lo varieties of onions. The entire amount of seeds distributed was sufficient to plant an area of 355 square miles, or about six times the size of the district of Columbia. This is the largest distribution of seed ever attempted by the Department of Agriculture, and it is said that seedsmen all over the country are complaining that they do not make sales to farmers and others because they are getting all the seed they want free from the Department of Agriculture. The distribution of seed in 1898 amounted to 8800 packages for each member of Congress, at a total cost of 66,548d01.; in 1891 each Congressman got 16,000 packages, the entire cost to the Government being 57,000d01. ; in 1895, the number of packages of seed distributed was the same as the previous year, but the total cost was reduced to 47,000d01. In 1896 Congressman got 15,000 packages each, and the Government paid 80,500d01. for the whole lot. During the past spring each member of Congress has received 40,000 packages of seeds, for which the Government has paid loO.OOOdol.