THE EDITOR’S SCRAP BOOK.

Southland Times, Issue 19553, 6 May 1905, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE EDITOR’S SCRAP BOOK.

Interesting Gleanings from Various Sources. Thera are 10,700 pieces ol wood, cloth and felt, and 1185 ft. of wire in a concert grand piano. The earliest recorded public performance on the pianoforte took place at CoVent; Garden on May 16th 1767. A botanical clock, a very pretty flower, has been discovered in the isthmus of Tehuantepec. In the morning it is white, at noon it is red, and at night blue; and the changes of colour ara so regular that the time of day can bo told from the tint of the flower. s s ® Tho favorito motto of Thomas A. EdiSQG Is »'■’** Think of the world as a hill, Mark where the millions stop, There is always a crush at the bottom,’ Push on—there is room at the top. “ H.B.M. Alexandrina Victoria, Queen, &C.,” and in all the ofHoial documents which were prepared on the first day of her reign she was so designated. Her majesty, however, signed the register at the first meeting of the Privy Council as “Victoria ” only, and signified her wish to be so called. Pigs 200, bullocks 52, fowls 5,000, rolls 65,000, bottles of wine 85,000, cigars 32,000, This is but a portion of the feast provided recently at a gigantic banquet given in Paris and presided over by the Prime Minister in celebration of tho jubilee of French Workmen’s Benefit Societies. S fl In the village of Altenburg, on whose boJ ders three countries meet, there are no soldiers, no police, no taxes, and its people are ruled by no monarch. The inhabitants speak a queer jargon of French and German combined, and spend their time cultivating tho land or working a valuable calamine mine. « « «. _ A Russian has devised a means for preserving dead bodies by embalming'jihcm in glass. The body is first covered with a'thin coating of liquid glass. It is then placed in a mould and melted glass poured round it. Tho body thus becomes inclosed in an airtight, solid, and transparent mass of glass, and would be preserved indefinitely. * When native lady enters Japanese railway carriage she slips her feet from her tiny shoes, stands upon the seat, and then sits demurely with her feet doubled beneath her. A moment later she lights a cigarette or her little pipe, which holds just tobacco enough to produce two good whiffs of smoke. AU Japanese people slli With cncil’ met Upon the seat of the car, and not as Europeans do. Galvani, a natural philosopher of Italy, was dissecting a dead frog one clay while a pupil was making experiments in electricity by his side. He observed that the muscles ol the frog, being exposed, gave signs of motion whenever the nerves came in contact with the scopel. Galvani discovered the existence of a new principle in this phenomenon, and originated the fertile branch of physics known by the name of galvanism. « * « The Austrian War Department has just sactioned the construction of an armoured motor-car, specially designed to carry n quick-firing gun, mounted on a pivot, capable of being raised or lowered, and turning on all directions. The driver’s seat is also so arranged that it can be lowered sufficiently to sink the man below the line of fire. Heavy hualage work, such as that of stores, munitions, and even heavy guns, is already done by motor in the Austrian army. * fl The word month is from the Anglo-Saxon “ monath,” and originally meant tho interval between two moons. “January” is from the Italian word “Janus,” who was god of the sun and year; “ February,” from the Latin word “ Februarius,” and means the month of expiation, because the Roman festival of purification occurred in February. “March "is from Mars, the god of war, and was the first month of the Roman calender. The Jews began their year at the same time, and “ July " was “ Quintillius," or fifth mouth—counting March as the first —and its name was changed to July in honour of Julius Cmr; “ August ” was “ Sextilius,” or sixth month, and in honour of Emperor Augustus the name was changed to August. Septem, Octo, Novem, and Decern —seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth—give names to September, October, November and December.

A Bicycle firm in Montreal is said to have received tho foilwing letter from a FrenchCanadian customer:

“ mister T. J. Jones and companee, Not--I'o Dame street Montreal,‘P. Q.—Dear Sir ; I receeve de bicykel witch i buy from you alrite but for why you dont send me no saddel. wat is de use of de bicykel when She dont have no saddel. lam loose tomemykustomer sure ting by no having de saddle and data not very plesure for Me. Wat is de matter wit you mister jones and companee. is not my moneys so good like anoder mans, you lose to me my trade an i am veree anger for dat an now i tells to you dat you are fools an no good mister T, J. Jones an companee. i send to you back at once your bicykel tomorro for shure bekawse you are such a foolishness peeples. your respectfulle J. B. St. Denis. “ P. S,—since i rite dis letter i find de saddel in de box. excuse to me.”