Spray.

Lake County Press, Issue 906, 12 April 1900, Page 7

Spray.

Ecf >re a Y/estern Judge. "And. gentleman of the jury, as I stand at this bar to-day in behalf of a prisoner whose health is such that at any moment he may be called before a greater Judge than the judge of this court. I " The judge on the bench rapped sharply on the desk, and the lawyer stopped suddenly and looked at him quostioningly. "The gentleman." said the court with dignity, "will please confine himself to the case before the jury, and not permit himself to indulge in invid-iotis comparisons."—" Boston Green Bag." A Cute Precaution. A tourist recently returned from America tells the following story : —I came along to the gate of a humble cabin in a town in Alabama just its an old negro handed a couple of jugs to his son. who was .about 10 years of age, and said : " Now. Julius, yo' gwan down to the grocery tin' git a quart o' treacle in one ob dem jugs, and hurry back." When the boy Pad gone I said to the father. " You didn't tell him to get anything in the other jug : is he going to leave it at the grocery ':" " Xo. sah—gwan to bring it right back home," he replied. " But why send two jugs to get a quart of treacle ':" " It's jes dis way. salt; If he has a jug in each hand he can't go dipping his linger into the treacle and eating it as he comes along." Unconscious Association. Mistress : " Oh. Parker, I am expecting a prince this afternoon. I want you to be very careful to announce him properly—His Serene Highness The Prince Badkoffsky. Do you understand ?" New Butler: "Yes, my lady. Beg pardon, my lady, is he—ah—:s he a pusson of colour V" A Hint for Cyclists. Some'dogs take a violent antipathy to cyclists, and lose no opportunity of flying at them. Cyclists who are annoyed in this way are advised by a contemporary to arm themselves with one of the new dog scares. They tire In the form of a small gun charged with liquid ammonia. You squirt it in the dog's face, and he stops barking to sneeze. It makes him catch his breath, and nearly turn a somersault with violent cachinnation. Before lie has quite got over it you are safely out of his reach. Lady cyclists, who are having pistol pockets fitted to their bloomers, would do well to arm themselves with the new ammonia pistol. Porous Glass. Porous glass for windows is a new idea which comes to us from France. The pores in the glass are so line that, while they admit air freely, it enters the room in a manner which obviates draught, and keeps the atmosphere sweet and fresh. Probably this idea does no: represent a perfect system of ventilation, but at least it lias the merit of suggesting a means whereby .ho great problem how to maintain air purity may be attacked. The porous glass is, of course, quite equal to ordinary glass in it.s light-transmitting powers. Proud of Their Age. Over here we (says " Horn <"\ have a way of talking of women :;■*.tinsr on in life as of " doubtful ;iu r c." In Alaska women are so proud of their age that they won't allow there to be any doubt at till about it. They wear a piece of wood or bone in the under lip. the size of which proclaims the age of the owner. When a maiden weds, iter lower lip is pierced, and a wooden peg or a bit of bone the size of a pea is inserted. As years go mi the size of this ornament (!) is increased until it is a quarter of an inch high .and almost as wide as the chin. This to natives is no doubt very fascinating, but the effect on foreigners is mere easily imagined than described. A Model Friend. What true friendship consists in depends on the temperament of the man who has a friend. It is related thai ait Hie funeral of Mr. X.. who died extremely poor, the usually cold-blooded Squire Tightiisl was much affected. " You though! a great deal of him, I suppose V" some one asked him. "Thought a. great deal of him V I should thing I did. There was a true friend ! He never asked me to lend him a cent, though T knew well enough he was starving to death !" A Singular Lock. Pierola, the rebel 1 wider, who has been elected President, of Peru, is a handsome man. tall, erect, and well proportioned. His hair is slightly tinged with gray, and at the lop of his forehead is a white lock tlluiil is in singular contrast with the rest. Pierola is distinguished, it is sa.id, for his courtesy. lie was once a Professor of Philosophy in a Lima. Seminary, and he is a son-in-law of tin- Mexican Emperor, Iturbide. The Hydrometer. Experiments with the hydrometer as a chemical balance have been made by an English chemist. -Mr. 11. I. Phillips, ami have resulted in a simple instrument that is useful for certain purposes. Gilded brass bulbs are screwed to an aluminum stem floated in water in a glass cylinder, and kept upright in the centre of the vessel by two arms moving on perpendicular guide rods. A small aluminum pan is placed at the top of the stem. Under the guiding arms are needle points, and a movable needle is attached to one of the guide rods. In weighing out a definite quantity, the weight is first placed in the pan. The guide rod needle is then moved opposite the needle of the arms, the weight is removed, and the substance to be weighed is gradually dropped into the pan until the stem sinks to Hie point indicated. The range of weight that can be recorded is limited, and. with the delicacy, depends upon the size of the stem of the float. Cruelty. "Oil, dear." sobbed Mrs. IJunniuiune, " 1 knew it would come lo this, but I didn't expect it so soon." "Has your husband been mistreating vou V" asked her visitor solemnly. •• Y-yos," she sobbed. "He says I wan; my own way ail tic time." " And won't lie lei you havc it V" " That's the worst of it. He says that he doesn't 'are if I have my own w way ail ihe time : b-bul thai I won't make up my mind wh-what it is." There ere many reasons in favour of the supposition that Mars is more likely to have been inhabited in past ages than ;it the present time, in spite of its atmosoiivji'e or water or clouds. Three-quarters of a second is the time occupied by the full of the knife in the guillotine. The knife is weighted by l-oib. of lead, falls 9ft., and cuts through "■ esh and bones as easily as through a Lar of soap.

"I'lic sport oi Eiiujjs." Modem usage unquestionably gives this title to horse racing, but it is just possible that hunting has quite as uiucli claim to the title. At any rate, honours, I think, should be easy. From "The Field Book," published in is:;:;, one can glean much valuable information as lo the origin of horse-raeiug and hunting, li is recorded that as early as the twelfth and thirteenth centuries there were horse races in I'Jnglaml. bill these appear to have beer principally conlin nl to trials of speed and continuance tor endurance) over uncertain grounds between native horses. In the reign of Henry VIII. horses either procured from Barbary, or bred from such, were expressly lused for this purpose ; and we may date a systematic improvement in the breed by the admixture of what we call blood to 'nave its origin about this time. James I. pursued the system, and imported from B.iroary a set of the finest mares for purity of breed and excellence of form which could be procured : these, known significantly as the Royal Marcs, greatly assisted the general purpose, .lames also imported an Arabian, whose own qualities, as well as those of his produce, not answering to the expectations raised, the breed for many years became in disrepute. Regular racecourses were now established, and racing was conducted on tixed principles, and confined within rules. Charles I. encouraged these sports, and to him we owe the establishment of the Newmarket cour.se ; and in such estimation were they, as connected with the national good, that even the fanaticism of Cromwell gave way to it, for he also had his stud of racehorses. The Restoration gave a new impulse to racing, and a new impetus to the improvements meditated. The Arabian was again resorted to, and on the renewed trials his proceeding justified former expectations. From that time,' by a judicious mixture of crossings of the native and Eastern horses, in different degrees of consanguinity, according to the different purposes for which they are required, we now stand almost unrivalled among nations, and we now send our breeds back to Eastern countries to meliorate that blood which we originally borrowed from them. At what precise time foreign horses were introduced into Britain is uncertain, but it is known they were in use here when Julius Caesar invaded the island. In A.D. 030' King Athelstan prohibited the exportation of horses, so fully alive had lie become to the importance of cultivating the breed. It was not, however, until 1121 that the Arabian steed was first brought into Britain. Thus we see that horse-racing has played a big part in the production as well as the survival of the fittest, and if the ill-starred monarch who met with such an untimely end did nothing else to perpetuate his memory, lie at lease should gain the good word of race-goers for establishing Newmarket. And now let us turn to hunting, and see how a few of our kings have patronised the chas*.