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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 1902)
jSHi 6 The Commoner. S3rtf- 4 w "n fi Current topics RECENTLY A SERIES OP QUESTIONS propounded by Herbert Spencer was sub mitted to young people through the New York World. Those questions designed to encourage investigation on the part of the young were as fol lows: 1. How happens It that sheep, rabbits and hares have eyes on the sides of their heads, while cats and dogs have their eyes nearly in front? 2. How is "it possible. for a lark, while soaring, to sing for several minutes without cessation? 3. Cows and horses drink in the same way that wo do, whereas dogs and cats drink by lapping. Whence arises this difference of habit? 4. Why does a duck waddle in walking? And what is the need for that trait of structure which causes the waddle? 5. How is It that a bulldog is able to re tain hia hold for a longer period than other dogs? C. Throughout the country the roads have strips of greensward several yards wide on cither side of the part used for trafllc. In what manner did those strips originate? THREE SCHOOL GIRLS LIVING AT LIBERTY, N. Y., wcro the first to respond to the Spen cer questions. The explanations offered by these Liberty girls aro as follows: 1. Animals that chaso each other havo their eye's in front; animals that fear being chased havo eyes at the sides of the head so tliat they may see if any enemy is sneak ing up. 2. It is no more trouble for a lark to soar than for a man to walk; soldiors march better when singing. Soaring is oven easier than flying ordinarily; it's like sliding down hill or coasting on a bike. 3. Because they are built that way. 4. A duck waddles because her legs are set far apart and far back. They are far apart becauso that gives a broad base for floating on the water and far back so that the duck can "kick behind" in swimming like a frog. 5. This is an old one. The bulldog can hold on for hours because his nose is turned back, permitting him to breathe easily with his mouth full. 6. In England, where the roads are very old, the sward at the sides was necessary to feed animals that men traveled with from place to place. So "came the custom that is now retained' manly for the looks. In New Eng land, Bermuda and other places peopled by Brit ish colonists some roads aro very narrow. Our country roads are made wide to give plenty of room to "work" them, but out west stock-raisers sometimes drive their herds long distances to the railroad, grazing them by the way, just as English drovers must havo done in the old days. DESCRIPTIONS OP ENGINEERING PEATS are always interesting and at this time when the United States government is about to under take the construction of an isthmian canal, the details of enterprises of this character are partic ularly acceptable to the reading public. A writer in the Now York World points out that never bo fore havo so many, largo engineering undertakings boon in progress or in contemplation as at tho present time. This writer directs attention to Africa where the completion of the great dam across the Nile at Assuan a few weeks ago marks the first step in restcrfcg to Egypt tho fertility which made it tho granary, of the world in the time of tne Pharaohs. When supplemented by that at Asslout, at a total cost of $25,000,000 for the two dams, Egypt will havo a reservoir of a billion cubic yards of water every year, thus removing tho annual fear of shortness .of crops dependent upon tho risings of tho Nilo. THE CAPE TO CAIRO ItAILROAD SCHEME suggested by Cecil Rhodes is another groat enterprise which, according to this writer, has takon practical shape, The building by Russia of tho trans-Siberian railway in Asia has marked an era in that continent's progress. In Europe tho Simplon tunnel, begun in 1898, is more than half completed, and it will probably bo finished in two years on schedule time, Referring to the work In America, this writer points out that tho com pletion of tho Chicago drainage channel at a cost of over ?30I000,GU0 and the subway now in progress in Novv York are engineering feats that in an ear lier period would have been ranked among the "wonders of tho world." The Canyon Diablo via duct of tho Atlantic and Pacinc Railroad and tho Mount Tamalpais railway near San Francisco'are further illustrations of railway engineering of the kind that conquered tho Rigi and Pike's Peak made tho summit of Mount Vesuvius a railway station and gave to travelers the picturesque views of tho Mauch Chunk, Mount Lowe and Mount Washington railways. South America also has similar and perhaps oven greater engineering feats in mountain railroad climbing. AT SOUTH BINGHAMSHHIE, NEAR HIGH Wycomb, an interesting relic of the occupa tion of Britain by the .omans has been discovered. This relic is in the form of a coin belonging to tho end of the second century of the Christian era. The London Chronicle, describing this coin, says: ' It is of silver, about tho size of a shilling and beautifully stamped, the figures and tho lettering being almost as sharp and well-defined as a mod ern coin fresh from the mint On the obverse is a bust of an empress, with face to ,the right, and the superscription "Julia pia felix Aug." On the re verse Is the inscription "Venus Genetrix," with an imago of the goddess. The empress whom this coin commemorates was the second wife of the Roman general, Septimus Severus, who became emperor A. D. 193, and died at York A. D. 211. An earthwork near Princess itiaborough, in the same localuy, is considered to have been constructed by him, and coins with his image and superscription have been found near the spot TT IS A FAMILL.- SAYING THAT ONE-HALF JL of the world does not know how the other half lives; and it is likewise true that even among civilized people manced ignorance exists concern ing other sections of the world in which they are immediately interested. The world has, for in stance, heard much of Siberia, and yet we know of It largely as a colony where convicts do most abound. u. writer who has recently traveled through Siberia says that that "colony" comprises one-ninth of the land surface of the world. Ac cording to this writer, Siberia is larger than the United States and all their dependencies together with all of Europe outside of Russia, and after this comparison there would yet be sufficient ter ritory out of which to build thirty-five states the size of Connecticut. Siberia has a population of. more than eight million people and of this num ber, so this writer declares, 97 per cent are either natives or voluntary emigrants. As an agricultural district, Siberia is unexcelled and the great mass of the people aro enjoying marked prosperity. STOCKHOLM, THE CAPITAL OP SWEDEN, has the advantage of other cities of the world in the matter of telopnone facilities. The Stock holm correspondent of the London Mail writes to his paper that while New Yoxk city has 150 tele phones to every 10,000 inhabitants, while Paris has 71, London 47, San Francisco 706, Stockholm has 980 telephones per 10,6 -d inhabitants. The Mail's correspondent says: In every bedroom in every hotel there is a telephone; every tradesman, ware house, shop and private dwelling is connected. Even the ordinary -washerwoman is on the ex change. In the streets at nearly every corner is a public kiosk, where on payment of a small coin one can speak not only to any local subscriber, but oven to one in any other town throughout the length and breadth of Sweden. AN OIL PAINTING OP GEORGE WASHING ton made "by Stuart and purchased oarly in the nineteenth century for the sum of $100 has re cently been bought by W. T. Walters of Baltimore for the sum of $2,500. Stuart was a struggling pointer who was a native of Rhode Island. It is said that ho offered the painting purchased by Mr ,Walters to the state of Massochusetts for the sum of $1,000. The offer was rejected and the painting was sold at the paltry sum of $100. Stuart died 74 years ago and 74 years lifter his death his work seems to have met with appreciation. ONE OF THE FIRST RESULTS OP THE ANTI tax league which was organized in Paris as a protest against the closing of tho congregational schools is tho seizure by the authorities of the wine cellar owned by the father of Anna Gould's hus band, tho Marquis of Castellane. Tho marquis has appealed to the courts to require the authorities to show why ta-is should be paid to a govern ment which no longer respects nubile libertyr Ho Insists that the government has exceeded its au thority whon it has closed the congregational schools and that those who are patrons of .those schools may in justice and in law refuse to contri bute to the public exchequer. THE APHORISMS OF WILLIAM DEVERY better known as "Big Bill" Devery, former chief of police of Now York city, are being re tailed voluminously by tho newspapers of the land Devery has just wona lively contest for the leader ship of a Tammany assembly district by unique methods some say disreputable methods. What ever Devery's record as a public official may bo ' Vol. 2 No. 37. some of his aphorisms are worthy of beinc nrn served, 'iney are a mixture of the Blanc of thl North River water front gathered from boyhoSi and the vernacular of the criminal classes win, whom Devery came in contact while he wn, member of New York's "finest" Here are some of his recent sayings: "A boy wasn't no good when I went to school unless he proved it" "I alwavs believe a woman's good until I'm convinced she ain't" "I learned that if you wanted a thine done, do it yourself, and then you've got next to tho right man' "I could have ended the Boer war in a week with tho New York police force." "No flies get into a closed mouth. See?" "A man that's hungry can't eat books?' "The way to keeD a friend is first to treat him right, second to treat him right, and third to treat him right." THE RECENT CENSUS OP LONDON SHOWS the population to be 6,581,372. Considerable anxiety is manifested because of the birth rate in London which is now 29.3 per thousand while in 1872 it was 35.4 per thousand. The death rate in London also shows an increase. THE MEMBERS OF THE TOWN COUNCIL OF Berlin, agitated by the discovery that there are 30,000 cats in the city, have adopted the plan of requiring a feline license simflar to that re quired for the dog in tho United States. Accord ing to this municipal law, all cats not wearing a tag are to be destroyed. ' TREE PLANTING IS AN INDUSTRY THAT has been engaged in by the people of Orsa, Sweden, to their great advantage. It is reported that in a generation this town has disposed of $5,750,000 worth of trees. Through a system of re planting the municipality has a similar income in this line every thirty years. As a result of this enterprise it is announced that there are no taxes in that town. TflE INABILITY OF SICK CHILDREN TO Ex plain their symptoms to their doctors has prompted some practitioners, to make a specialty of the treatment of children's diseases. It is some what strange that in the past little attention has been given by medical men to this feature, but re cently Dr. Welch of New York has conducted an inquiry at the Children's Sanitarium located at Mt. Wilson, Maryland, which inqury had for its purpose the location of the germ of the disease popularly known as summer complaint Under Dr. Welch's supervision two students, Charles W. Duval of Annapolis and Victor H. Basset of Aledo, 111., prosecuted the inquiry. As a result it is an nounced that they have discovered the germ of this disease. The discovery has roused considerable interest in medical circles and it may not be doubted that the result of these investigations will be of material benefit in the treatment of chil dren's diseases. ONE OP THE MOtox NOVEL SUITS IN COURT history is reported from Ellenville, N. Y. A clergyman of that city brought suit against ono of Ills parishioners for the sum of- $5 as recom pense for the delivery of "a funeral sermon. The clergyman won the suit in the lower court and the defendant has appealed the case. THE ADOPTION BY THE CUBAN CONGRESS of the proposition to borrow $35,000,000 on Cuban bonds has prompted the representatives of Mr. Roosevelt's administration to seek to persuade President Palma to veto tho plan. It is admitted that the situation is very grave because it is not denied that the new Cuban government is in need of funds. If tho new government be not permitted to resort to a bond deal. Cuban statesmen are at a loss to know just what course to take. Tho im pression in Cuba is that there is an organized scheme in the United States to force Cuban an nexation. Unless in his veto President Palma pro vides some solution of the problem it is predicted that his interference will bo resented and yet with the hold which the United States government yet has upon tho new republic it is conceded that President Palma will have the best of the situa tion. At the same time it is admitted that a di lemma confronts President Palma and that which ever horn he takes annexation of Cuba, a schemo strongly urged by a powerful organization in this country, will be the ultlmato result. A READING, PA., WOMAN WHOSE AGE IS said to be seventy years and who left her husband after fifty years of wedded life, has rushed into print giving to young women the advice Never get married." This woman declares that sne lias money and all the comforts that money could buy, but that she was not contented, and she m!,J 1 Besirdes. money isn't the only thing condu cive to happiness. Bettor stay single. Marriage is