WHY

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXVII, Issue 25, 22 December 1906, Page 31

WHY

WHY are wc nnabh- to see when we turn from a bright light to a darker object? BECAI SE when we look at a bright light the iris, or coloured projecting curtain. contracts annual Hie pupil (which is only a window), thus keeping too much light from striking’ the retina or sensitive part of thr eye. A< soon as the eye’ turns to a darker object, the pupil is so small that it does not admit a suhuient number of ra\s to enable us to see. We must wait a few seconds for it to expand. WHY do clergymen habitually wear black? BECAUSE when Marlin Luther, in 1524. laid aside la? habit of r. monk ami adopted the style of dress prevailing at the time, the Elector of Saxony used to send to him from time to time pieces of black cloth, that colour thru being fashionable at the Court. Luther’s disciples thought because he wore black, it became them to do so. and thus it came about that the clergy generally grew to ivgard it a-> the only proper colour fur the tit to wear. WHY is an unmarried woman called a ’’spinster”? BECAUSE women were prohibited from marrying in olden days until they had spun a full set of bed furnishings and thus, until their marriage they spent much time at the spinning-wheel ami wen*, therefore, ’’spinsters.*’ WHY do thr hind legs of an elephant bend forward? BECAUSE, its weight bring so great, wlu-.’i it lay down it would rise with great difiiculty were its legs bent out ward like those of other animals. Bring bent under the body their power of pushing directly upward when the powerful muscles arc exerted is*greatly increased. WHY do we use the expression “apple pie order” when we mean that things are.exactly in their right place? BECAUSE every Saturday a certain Puritan dame. Hepzibah Merton, made a practice of baking two nr three dozen apple-pies which were to last her family through the week. She placed them on the shelves in her pantry. lal»elling each according to the day of the week on which it was to be used, and the pantry, thus arranged, was said to be in applepie order.