The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917, May 09, 1907, Image 5

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    THE TRAPPIST MONK.
SINGULARLY GEVERE DISCIPLINE
UNDER WHICH HE LIVES.
Monastery Near Rome Where Vows
of Silence. Penance, Self-denial
and Work Are Taken by
the Inmates.
In that part of the Agro Romano,
where malarial fevers reign supreme,
at a short distance from the Via
Ostensi high road, appears in its sol
emn solitude the Abbey of Tre Fon
<ane, at the end of a magnificent ave
nue. It is a tit place for meditation
and melancholy.
A Trappist never speaks—such is
the rule. His voice is only heard,
monotonous and weak, almost drowned
by the notes of the organ which ac
company his morning psalms or even
ing prayers in the large church of the
convent, with its huge arcades and
high, dark ceiling. Trappists do not
cultivate art. in their churches are
no imposing tombs, nor do they adorn
their choirs with those fine stalls that
are masterpieces of wood-carving and
inlaid work, and which are to be ad
mired in most abbeys of the Benedic
tines. The Trappists instead sit in
poor stalls, the boards of which are
roughtly put together.
The order of the Trappists is most
strict, and requires men having a true
vocation and strong will to persevere
in it. Silence is undoubtedly one of
the greatest punishments that can be
inflicted, even temporarily, upon pris
oners: we may therefore guess how
much strength of will and self-denial
are required to keep it spontaneously
during a whole lifetime. But this is
not all. The rule of fasting is peremp
tory. and is also observed in case of
sickness, unless the doctor finds it
necessary to order a different diet.
The cooking does not afford many re
sources. as meat, eggs, and even fish
are excluded—thus their meals are
purely vegetarian. Dinner consists of
a soup, vegetable, and fruit: supper of
potatoes, salad, and water—without
speaking of all the fasting days, dur
ing which they only take a little bread.
It could not, indeed, be otherwise, for
the orders of the Trappists, or. rather,
the order of the Cistercians, of which
the Trappists are a branch, was found
ed for penance, self-denial, and work.
The bed of a Trappist consists of a
plain pallet without any bedclothes,
for he goes to bed dressed, wearing
his everyday clothes. At two o'clock
in the morning a bell is heard calling
the monks to church. In the dim light
of flickering lanterns they go down to
church to recite, in a chorus, the seven
penitential psalms.
After the morning prayers have been
recited, they go to bed again, but not
for long; at dawn the bells are heard
through the convent. It is time to go
to church again to sing Matins. After
wards the Trappist attends to house
hold affairs, and then sits down to
breakfast, a plain meal consisting of
a piece of bread and a hot beverage,
nut the vineyards and the orchards of
the convent are of an abundance which
contrasts greatly with the poverty of
the monks' existence. The Trappists
cultivate a very extensive property,
where fruits of all kinds grow plenti
fully, the grapes being most abundant,
Under the Portico of the Abbey.
and of an exquisite quality. In the
outhouses there are over 100 cows and
about 12 horses. Every morning more
than 400 litres of milk are sent to
Rome, as well as hampers of fruits
and vegetables, carts of hay and wheat.
The monks manufacture from the
eucalyptus, a liquer known as eucalyp
tine, and they also produce an essence
and an oil of eucalyptus. The money
derived from the sale of these is used
for the payment of a debt to the
Italian government. The deb", was
contracted for reclaiming the Agro
Romano near the convent.
The reader may ask himself how
,he Trappists spend all their money.
This cannot be positively stated. At
Durban, in South Africa, in a place
which was once only a desert, the
monks bought 12,000 acres, every bit
of which is cultivated now. They
! founded warehouses, kitchens for the
i poor, mills, a telegraphic and tele
j phonic office, a hospital with iabora
| tories, and free schools, where thou
| sands of Kaffirs are fed and educated.
They accomplished all this with the
; money belonging to the order, the
| amount of which is not known to any
j body. Trappists never speak, as the
! rule says, but were they to do so they
certainly would not tell anybody about
I the mysteries of their “Rules.”
PARIS POLICE DOGS.
ANIMALS TRAINED TO RUN DOWN
AND “ARREST” CRIMINALS.
An Innovation to Be Tried in the
Suburbs of the Great French Cap
ital—Is Patterned After Dog
Police of Ghent.
ParL»police are keen, alert and en
ergetic, bin they have found them
selves unequal to the task of round
ing up the thieves and assassins ;
which thrive, seemingly, as never be
fore in her streets and the outlying
I
Training a Police Dag.
I
districts. Conscious of the fact that j
they had reached the limit of effi
ciency on the part of the policeman j
of the genus homo, the progressive !
and resourceful prefect of police, M.
Lepine, has turned hopefully towards !
the police of the genus canine. Dogs,
specially trained to the work, are to |
be enlisted on the force, and when i
they are fully trained and set to work
it is expected they will soon have
every venturesome thief and law
breaker literally on the run, with
every certainty of capture.
The idea of dog policemen came
from Ghent, Belgium, where such a j
canine squad is said to be a perfect I
success. In former days Ghent was a i
paradise for thieves and robbers. Now,
says Burgomaster van YVesemael. of
that city, it is perfectly safe and 1
tranquil. He declares:
•‘The police system of Ghent is erst
class because it is logical. It is
not insufficient personnel, but insuf
ficient method which is responsible
for the anarchy in many cities.
The dogs of Ghent s police force are
born and reared to the profession. Aft
er the age of three months they are
as carefully nurtured, fed and trained
as a young race horse. They are i
taught to know nobody as. acquaint
ance or friend except the human mem
bers of the police force.
The result is that they finally be
come automatons in the hands of their
masters and totally indifferent to in
fluences outside of their regular
work.
The dog force in Ghent now num
bers 30. When on duty at night the
police dog walks ten paces ahead of
the policeman. While the latter ex
amines doors and shutters the dog
carefully pokes his nose into all the
nooks and corners.
These dogs are not of any fancy
toy breed by any means, but belong
to that hardy race known in Eu
rope to the custom house frontier
service and closely allied to the sheep
dog breed. The dog force of Ghent
is to be increased to 50 soon.
Similarly at Paris it is expected
that dogs will prove valuable.
Three animals have been purchased
and are all under a year old, bright,
keen and intelligent. Their training
has been most careful, for it will be
highly necessary for the dogs to leave
the honest citizen alone while har
rying the thief. Their lessons are
given every day at Xeuilly, and are
most interesting.
The dogs are first taught to re
spond always to the cry of “Help!”
"Police!” "Robbers!" and "Ijlurder!"
As they fly to rescue they remain si
lent. but once in sight of their quarry
they bark loudly and continuously to
guide the police to them. Once they
have picked out the malefactor they
are to stick to him, no matter what
he does, and to pull him down if pos
sible.
Duke, one of the dogs, during his
training 'has gained the name of the
•‘climber,” because during the tests
he has learned to leap up the side of
a pole or tree to catch the fugitive by
the foot, to which the dog hangs
despite all efforts to shake him off.
The others will leap over walls,
fences or anything else. They are
stout-hearted dogs, and part of their
training is to learn to disregard club
bings, kicks and blows. They speed
ily become skillful at this, just as bear
dogs learn to evade the sweeping
blows of bruin’s paws.
Everything has been arranged in
the training yard as it is in the forest
or along dese-ted streets with walls,
sudden twists and turns. It is thought
the three dogs, Duke, Black and Bob.
will be detailed to active work within
a month.
Paris authorities are very reticent
concerning the dogs. M. Simard will
not ailow any persons to witness the
training, nor will he discuss the plan.
He refuses to tell the breed of his
dogs.
In His Opinion.
“Senator,” asked the sweet girl, “do
you believe all these stories of graft
are true?”
“Xo. My knowledge of politicians
causes me to l>elieve that a very small
percentage of them are fools enough
to let as much of their grafting be
come known as the newspapers are
showing up.”—Chicago Record-Herald.
Discouraging News.
Yeast—DinUulu, the Zuly chief, has
a graphophone with which he enter
tains his guests, and also an organ of
English build on which he himself
performs.
Crimsonbeak—No wonder mission
aries are getting more scarce.—Yonk
ers Statesman.
Iri Dreamland.
“How does it feel to be counted
out.” they asked him.
“I don’t know," answered the de
feated pugilist. “I was a biliion miles
away while that was going on.”—Chi
cago Tribune.
. . Ijti.
1 ' -'ft ' ■" ■■■' - ■■■ ■■ ■- '■ ■ "■ ■
FAMOUS BRITISH PREACHER IN AMERICA.
l:tttzu
With a stirring message to the American people. Rev. Charles F. Aked,
for 16 years the pastor of the second largest Protestant church in England,
on April 21 assumed the pastorate of the Fifth Avenue Baptist church of Naw
York.
Dr. Aked's labors at Liverpool, where he was pastor of Pembroke chapel,
drew the attention not only of all England but even of Europe, because of his
extraordinary ability as a preacher, the wide range of his broad, practical
sympathies, and his energetic support of every movement calculated to bene
fit the people.
I
JUST SNIFFED THE WHISKY.
New Yorker Claims Act Gives Him
Pleasant Memories.
A man entered a down-town res
taurant the other day and ordered a
whisky, says the Xew York Times.
The waiter brought a bottle of it.
The man uncorked it, raised it to his
nose, and took a long sniff. Then he
took another. Then he took a third—
a long, contemplative sniff. Finally
he wound up the performance with a
fervent king-sniff, one that he seemed
loth to end. But he did end it at
last, with a sigh. Then he replaced
the bottle on the table, and called the
waiter.
“Take it away," he said.
The waiter removed the bottle.
“Well, upon my word," said some j
one at another table, “I certainly j
thought that old fellow liked that |
whisky front the way he sniffed at it,
but there he is sending it back. I
wonder what other kind the waiter
will bring him instead."
But the waiter brought him no
more whisky. The man ate his lunch
in silence, smoked his cigar, paid his
check, and went his way.
“He swore off long ago," explained
the waiter to a curious somebody at
another table. “But he always takes
six sniffs cf whisky at every meal.
Giges him pleasant memories, he
says.”
Cremation on the Increase.
Cremation is increasing in Great
Britain, the number of bodies cre
mated being 742 in 1906, against 604
in 1905. Consul Mahin of Notting
FATHER OF THE POOR.
Queer Charity Seen Every Morning
Near Paris Markets.
At a certain point of Paris, France,
near the Halles there is every morn
ing to be seen an instance for which
it would probably be difficult to find
many parallels of that benevolence
which combines with money expendi
tures the elements of personal serv
ice.
An old gentleman, well dressed, pre
sents himself at an hour now well
known to those concerned, and there
distributes with his own hands 100
large bowls of soup, which he first
tastes himself, to as many poor peo
ple, who, it need hardly be added, are
there waiting for him. '
Then he withdraws, walks for some
distance, and is taken up in a fine
motor car. which whisks him rapidly
away. “The Father of the Poor” is
the only name which can be given to
him.
“Going to the Dogs.”
The phrase, “going to the dogs,” with
which Father Bernard Vaughan has
been making effective play in connec
tion with pet-worship, has puzzled the
explainers of metaphorical expressions
rather needlessly. It has even been
suggested that it is a profane perver
sion of "going to the gods,” and an al
lusion has been detected to “canis,"
the dog throw, the worst throw with
the dice among the ancient Romans.
Shakespeare's "Throw physic to the
dogs,” and the Scriptural “Give not
that which is holy unto the dogs,”
have been quoted in connection with
the expression. But it seems a fairly
MARK TWAIN BUILDING NEW HOME.
Mr. Clemens (Mark Twain) has bought a 180-acre farm in Connecticut,
ind chose a hilltop for his new home. The plans of the house, recently ap
proved by Mr. Clemens, were drawn by J. Mead Howells, a relative of'Wil
liam Dean Rowells. There will be a rectangular pavillion with wings on
either side, the walls of cream-colored stucco, and the low Italian roof cov
ered with copper-colored tiles.
The farm is called the Glen.. In one of the valleys, however, is a noted
natural fountain known as Beach Spray Spring. This will not only furbish a
water supply of exceptional value, but wTill probably give a name to the
country house.
ham writes: “There are crematories
at Leicester, Hull, Leeds, Ilford, Brad
ford and Sheffield, owned by the re
spective municipalities, besides sev
eral conducted by companies in other
cities. The operation of cremation re
quires about an hour and a half; the
ashes are perfectly white and weigh
four pounds, and the cost^is about $25.
Cremation is now fully recognized by
law in Great Britain, though strictly
guarded.”
The Scotch Juror.
In Scotland in a civil case jurymen
get ten shillings a day for their serv
ices and the litigants must in addition
provide them with lunch. If two cases
are tried consecutively and the same
jurymen officiate, they get ten shill
ings for each case.
But the most important difference
between an English and a Scottish
jury is this: An English jury when
returning their verdict must be unan
imous, and if they fail to agree after
a certain length of time they are dis
missed and the whole proceedings are
begun again de novo before a fresh
jury. This is a most expensive mode
of administering justice. In civil
cases, in order to avoid this result,
the litigants sometimes agree to ac
cept the verdict of a majority. In
Scotland the jury can always give a
verdict by a majority in olvil cases
after the lapse of three hours.
Find Check in Church.
Just after the pastor finished the
dedicatory prayer one of the ushers
spoke quietly to him. The preacher
then announced that a check had been
found, and could be recovered by the
owner at the close of the service. The
j congregation stared, wondering who
had feen fortunate enough to drop the
check, as the majority were plain work
ing people. Their anxiety was soon
relieved by a further announcement
from the pulpit:
“1 shc«ld have said that it was a
laundry check."—New York Post.
obvious reference to the fate of the
worn-out horse, condemned to be
slaughtered. The old Greek curse, “Gt
to the crows!” may be compared, re
ferring as it did to the Greek’s horror
of having his body left unburied
food for carrion birds.—London Chron
icle.
Rival of Beeswax.
A substitute for beeswax has been
discovered in the leaves of the rafia
palm, a product of the island of Mad
agascar. The wax is extracted by
the simple process of beating the
dried leaves on a mat to small bits
The particles are then gathered and
boiled. The resultant wax is knead
ea into small cakes. Experiments
are being made with the new sub
stance to find out its commercial
value—whether it may be used for
bottling purposes, in the manufacture
of phonographic cylinders, etc.
Justifiable.
The cat had eaten the canary.
“I haven't any compunctions about
it, either,” she said, picking her teeth
with her claws. “I couldn’t eat the
pianola on the first floor or the graph
ophone on the third, but I could make
a meal of the musician on the second
floor, and I’ve done it.”
With a satisfied grin on her face
she curled up on the floor behind the
gas range and went to sleep.—Chi
cago Tribune.
Germany’s Various Rulers.
Germany is ruled by one emperor,
four kings, six grand dukes, seven
princes and one simple count. These
sovereigns occupy very different de
grees of importance, even in the eyes
of their own immediate subjects, but
in one degree or another they all enjoy
the dignities and privileges of king
ship, and all have to face some of the
responsibilities of state. Every one of
them has a capital and a court at his
own. Some _ of the -capitals are not
very big cities, bnt they are all very
proud.
SEEDS AND BULBS
WITH THE SPRING, THOUGHTS
TURN TO THE &ARDEN.
*
The Daffodil Grows to Beauty With
Very Little Trouble—Nasturtiums
and Dahlias Have Much to
Recommend Them.
With the spring the housewife has
a longing to dig in her garden and
plant her various seeds and bulbs. The
old-fashioned sigle hollyhocks, cosmos,
golden glow and asters have been un
usually popular the past few years.
Poppies, sweet-peas, asters, cosmos,
'and nasturtiums bloom through to
September. Asters are getting larger
and more beautiful every year.
There is no blossom better adapted
for spring in the home, in city or coun
try, than the daffodil. There are many
beautiful varieties, and they ca» be
grown with little trouble. Whether
your grounds are large or small, a
space can always be found for these
bulbs, which are placed in the soil in
the autumn. Once planted, they will
bloom season after season. Daffodils
will also grow indoors, and will be a
delight from Christmas until Easter.
These plants will blossom out of doors
in April and continue through May.
Nasturtium is another easy plant, to
grow. For the garden border, where
cut flowers are the chief aim, the
dwarf varietes are the best. They will
bloom better if the soil is not too rich.
Dahlias are a decorative flower, and
are particularly desirable for use in
new places where the shrubbery is not
advanced. They make an attractive
display along the wall or fence, and.
are easily grown. One can get the
tubers and plant them in May. but.
some prefer to buy of the florists the'
young plants well started in small
pots, and transplant them to the soil.
Sweet-peas should have a rich soil
and sunny spot, as the vines need
plenty of heat to develop the bios-'
soms. A trench should be dug about
six inches deep, and into this sow your
seeds thickly and cover them with
about two inches of soil. When the
plant is about three inches high, the
surrounding earth should be drawn
around it. Keep repeating this until
the trench is almost full. Wire net
ting of coarse mesh or brush makes a
good support. Plenty of water is nec
eessary and let it run in the shallow
trench, so that the roots are benefited.
FOR EXERCISE AT HOME.
Simple Device That Will Be Found
of Practical Benefit.
A simple device for home physical
training consists simply of a piece of
wood four by two inches and one
inch thick, having two auger holes
one inch in diameter and half an
inch deep, writes J. R. Winchip, in
the Boston Transcript. Nail or screw
it. with the holes exposed horizontally,
to the side of a room or building as
high as the shoulders of the person
who is to use it. Take two canes,
stick the ferrules in the holes and
stand with the hands (holding the
handles on the canes) nearly touching
the breast. As you sway forward the
hands separate, thus giving space for
the body to act freely in pressing the
shoulders back, the head acting in
unison, while the breast extends for
ward, the breathing conforming with
the motion, thus exercising in a
more hygienic manner than weights
afford. Deep breathing can at the
same time be practiced. Permanent
rods of wood, steel or brass tubes
may be attached by swivels or ringed
screws to the block and used instead
of the auger holes and canes. The
rods are to have handles fitted for
use. In my opinion the device is
thoroughly practicable and should be
generally adopted, that strength and
beauty or form may be retained and
disease lessened.
Japanese Wafers.
A recipe for the veritable Japanese
wafers is as follows: Stir the white
of one egg with one tablespoonful of
sugar, then add one tablespoon of rice
flour and one and one-half teaspoons
of softened butter. Beat until well
mixed (it should be about as thick as
cream). Pour a teaspoon of batter
in baking tin on the reverse side
of a large baking pan, slightly greased,
and with the back of the spoon spread
it until about four inches in diameter
and almost as thin as tissue paper.
Bake in a moderate oven until brown
and while still warm roll around a
round stick.
Cayenne Pepper for Mice.
Cayenne pepper sprinkled freely in
cupboards and shelves which mice are
known to frequent will aid consider
ably in preventing them from spoiling
garments, shoe leather, papers, etc.
Lumps cf camphor placed among
clothes are also most useful as a
means cf scaring away mice, while
books, especially when these are put
away in shelves or boxes, should al
ways be protected from possible dep
redations by interspersing the layers
of books with small camphor bags.
To Clarify Drippings.
Into a large pailful of boiling water
pour the hot drippings. Stir thor
oughly for a few minutes, and then
let the whole become quit* cold. The
clean drippings are then easily re
moved from the top of the water, all
the impurities sinking to the bottom.
After frying, the drippings are treated
twice in this way and allowed to be
tried out until all water has evapo
rated.
Wall Draperies.
Rugs or other draperies on the walls
require a closer watch than rugs on
the floor. Frequent shaking and beat
ing will be all that is essential. If
during absence moths should have got
ten in, shake the rug well, then
spread on the ironing board, face
down, spread a wet cotton cloth over
it and iron with a hot iron. The steam
will do the work.
When Beating Eggs.
If yon rinse a plate with cold water
before breaking the eggs on it, add*
to them a pinch of salt, and then
stand where there is a current of air,
you will have no difficulty in beating
them to a froth. !
GETS $50,000 A YEAR.
YOUNG MAN WHOSE SALARY
EQUALS THAT OF PRESIDENT.
Hoosier College Graduate, Aged 30,
Receives Handsome Pay as Mining
Expert for the Guggenheim#
—Was Star Athlete.
Indianapolis.—How many young
men receive a straight salary equal to
that of the president of the United
States? There is one at least. Oscar
B. Perry, of Bloomington, Ind.. who,
at his age, 30, receives $50,000 a year
for his services.
This young man is paid that much
for his brains, and it is not an exces
sive salary from the standpoint of the
corporation which employs him. The
investment of $50,000 a year has
brought returns approaching the mil
lions. It is a remarkable story of an
Indiana boy who made the best of his
talents and his opportunities, who
made a college education count for
all that it was possible to get out of
it, and who now holds a position that
few men of his age seldom attain.
And he has been out of college but
ten years, having graduated at the
age of 20. Mr. Perry, an expert min
ing engineer, is general manager of
some half dozen of the Guggenheim
mining enterprises of Colorado, Cali
fornia, Canada and Alaska, the com
bined capitalization of which repre
sents many millions. He has been
with the Guggenheims about four
years, his selection for the important
position he now holds having been
made by John Hays Hammond, long
the right hand man of Cecil Rhodes
in South Africa and recognized as one
of the foremost mining experts of the
world. His attention was attracted to
Mr. Perry several years ago.
After graduation from Indiana uni
versity at Bloomington from the de
partment of physics in 1897 Mr. Perry
took a year's graduate work at the in
stitution, then entered the school of
mines of Columbia university, from
which he took' the E. M. degree in
1900. Soon after, in company with
his father, a wealthy owner of stone
quarries in the Bloomington district
and one of the first to demonstrate
the beauty and value for building pur
poses of the Oolitic limestone, he
went to California and became inter
ested in dredging for gold. He studied
the dredges with the eye of an ex
pert and made so many improvements
that the machines soon came to be
known as the Perry dredges.
His inventions soon attracted the
attention of Mr. Hammond and led to
his employment by the Guggenheims.
One of the first enterprises handled by
him for the Guggenheims was the Pa
cific Gold Dredging company of Oro
ville. Cal. He was soon operating for
this company a fleet of five dredges,
TO THE .SAN JUAN HEROES.
Rough Riders’ Monument Unveiled in
Arlington Cemetery.
Washington. — With an elaborate
military display and appropriate exer
Monument to “Rough Riders.”
cises. the monument of the men of
the “Rough Riders." who served in the
war with Spain was dedicated in Ar
sooooosoocooccoaaaosooocoon
lington cemetery recently. In addi
tion to the regular troops stationed
in this .vicinity and a part of the na
tional guard of the District of Colum
bia, the ceremonies were participated
in by President Roosevelt, who was
colonel of the First Volunteer cavalry,
or “Rough Riders,’ and many repre
sentatives of the diplomatic corps and
officers of the army and navy. Presi
dent Roosevelt delivered an address.
A large number of former members
of the regiment from out of town at
tended the dedication.
A trust fund is in charge of a com
mittee whose duty it will be to add the
names of all members to the list of
dead chiseled on the shaft until the
roster is complete. The monument is
the design of Mrs. Capron, widow ol
Captain Allen K. Capron, who fell at
Las Guasimas.
While not the largest monument in
the historic cemetery, it is the largest
monolith, being 14 feet high on a base
six by six, and bears the inscription:
* , •
: In memory of the deceased :
: members of the First Volunteer :
: Cavalry. Spanish-American war. :
: Erected by members and friends :
: of the regiment. :
• •
'SQQSCOOOQ0090GOQ0950900S09
GOV. HAGERMAN RESIGNS.
Territorial Chief to Be Succeeded by
Army Officer.
Washington.—Gov. Hagerman. of
New Mexico, against whom charges
were preferred recently, tendered his
resignation and the president has ap
pointed Capt. George Curry, governor
of Samar province. Philippine islands,
to the pest. Gov. Hagerman was re
cently in Washington to answer
charges that related to the transfer of
territorial lands to a Pennsylvania de
velopment company. . While here he
p.ad a long interview with the presi
dent and Secretary Garfield about the
charges, which he declared were the
result of political intrigue. Capt.
Curry enlisted in the Rough Rider
regiment from Tularosa, N. M. He
was a member of troop H and it was
while he was serving in that organi
zation that the president made his ac
quaintance. It is understood that the
resignation was tendered in compli
ance with an intimation from the pres
ident that it would be accepted.
An Author’s Profits.
Lieut. Biise, author of the famous
book. Aus Einer Kleinen Garnison.”
received altogether £165 ($825) for
his rights. It was admitted that the
Austrian rights alone fetched £11.
000 ($55,000). An action having been
brought against the publishers and
lost, it is feared that Lieut. Biise will
not have much of the £165 left.~
SAILORS HAVE ODD BELIEFS.
Good and Bad Luck Thought to Be
Brought by Birds.
Birds, as inhabitants of the air. were
naturally chosen by the ancients as
oracles and augurs of future happen
ings. The sensitiveness to atmos
pheric changes shown by many birds
aided in establishing these notions.
The real indications often furnished by
sea birds of a coming storm or calm
were doubtless magnified by the anx
ious, superstitious sailor. These indi
cations, be it explained, seldom pre
cede the atmospheric changes more
than a few hours.
The custom of hanging the sea swal
low so that the bill may point to the
wind arose from the old-time custom
of suspending the bird by the feet,
expecting it would renew Its feathers
as if alive.
The albatross is believed by Jack
Tar to sleep on the winds. It was at
one time thought that the petrel
hatched its eggs under its wings.
The kingfisher was at one time kept
in chests to keep away moths.
The Sshhawk was esteemed a bring
er of good luck; It boded good or evil
as its cry was to the right or left.
There was an old superstition that
gulls were never seen bleeding. Shoot
ing stars were then supposed to be the
half digested food of winter gulls.
Boston’s First Building Law.
Two hundred and twenty-six years
ago a house was burned in Boston,
which led to the promulgation of the
first building law. This fact devel
oped at a legislative hearing, and
when told by Assistant Solicitor Child
aroused great interest. The order
passed on March 16, 1681, was as fol
lows:
"About noon the chimney of Mr.
Thomas Sharps' house in Boston took
Are. The wind drove the Are to Mr.
Colburn's house and burned that down
also. For the prevention whereof in
our new town indended this somer to
be builded who have ordered that noe
man there shall build his chimney
with wood nor cover his house with
thach, which was readily assented
unto.”—Boston Herald.
all eminently successful from the
start.
Ordinarily Mr. Perry travels 30,000
to 40,000 miles every year. In 1005
he visited Yukon, but traveled under
an assumed name in order to better
study mining conditions in the famous
gold field. Last year he went again
in one of the first boats in June, Mid
during the four months after his ar
rival there accomplished results un
heard of before in so short a period.
From Alaska, near the close of the
mining season, he went direct to tho
Canadian properties, traveling some
150 miles on horseback. From there
he returned to New York city, where
he spends his winters filing his re
ports, consulting with other engineers
S'
OSCAR B. PERRY.
(Young Mining Expert Who- Receives
Salary of $50,000 a Year.)
of the Guggenheim companies and
outlining plans for the coming season.
Notwithstanding his great suc
cesses, Mr. Perry is as modest and un
assuming as when a student at the
university. He is a member of the
Beta Theta Pi fraternity and was the
only member of his class to take his
! degree from the department of phys
ics.
While he was delving in physics as
i few state university students have
ever done before or since he played
quarter back on the eleven and caught
for the baseball nine. And he was a
star in both games. He looked to the
body as well as the mind. Now he is
able to manage the business of sev
eral big companies, rush hither and
thither from one ore bed to another,
now in Colorado, next in Alaska, then
Canada, then New York, all the time
figuring and planning and looking to
the future, and he still looks as youth
ful and carries the same enthusiasm
as when he piloted the cream and
crimson eleven to victory on the grid
iron.