Page 4 Advertisements Column 1

Manawatu Herald, 10 December 1896, Page 4

STRANGE NAMES OF PLACES. A Few That Ilavq Been Heard of, and Otlicr» Yet Unknown to Fame. Tho maps of tho United States show that tho first settlers of many of tho towns and citie;;!tfuu2t havo teen r.t a loss for names. Evorybody has heard of Red Dog and You Befc in California, and Yuba Dam has heen accorded a lino in history, "btit when it conies to .Dog Tooth of Illinois, Plea Hill of North Carolina and Fly Mountain of Ulster county, N. V., their existenco would never be imagined unless noticed on a map or in a gazetteer. But thero aro many other places with names just as striking — Bobtovrn, Pa., Bug Hill, N. C; Chewtown, Pa.; Cut Shin, Ky., and Fiddletown, Cal., for instance. Or if these are not sufficient there are Fussville, Wis.; Daddy's Creek, Term.; Calf killer, in tho same state, and Big Foot, In Indiana. Ohio has a Bello Center, lowa a Calliope, Indiana a Lilly Dalo, West Virginia a Littlo Wild Cat, Maryland a Maiden's Choice, South Dakota a Minnehaha, Wyoming a Miser, Pennsylvania a Nazareth and Illinois a Prettyman. Thero aro others, such as Young Blood, His.; Young Womanstown, Pa.; Whisky Town, Cal.; Ty Ty, Ga.; Big Neck, Ills., and Black Jack flourishes in Mississippi, Kansas, Arkansas and Tennessee. m And, finally, the New York Herald completes this unique itinerary by affirming that to reach Bliss ono has to go to Wyoming county, N. V., and tho only state that has a Bird In Hand is Pennsylvania. The Word Quintessence. The word quintessence, which signifies, literally, tho fifth essence, is of ancient drigin and dates from tho time when it was generally believed that the simple elements or constituents of bodies were foui in number I—viz,1 — viz, fire, air, earth and water, and that earth was the lowest element, heing grosser than water, water than air and air than firo. A fifth element or essence, ether, was added by some Pythagorian philosopher, who did not believe that the four elements, or essences, sufficed for the composition of nil substances in nature. This fifth element or essence was supposed to be more subtlo and pure tnan fire, the highest of the four, and was therefore located in the uppermost-regions of the sky. The word "quintessence" has thus come down to us In the signification of the subtle and vital ingredient of any body, thou gh in ordinary language it is employed in a figurative sense. Needlecrait of Famous Women. Among our most noted American writers aro women whose literary work is of the best, and who need not fear to enter their needlocraft in competition in any county fair or city prize list. Harper's Bazar tells that Marion Harland sows beautifully and knits wonderfully well, while her mending and darning aro marvels oi delicate workmanship. Mrs. Harriet Pres cott Spoffordsent to a fortunate friend last Christmas a gift of her own needlework which looks as if it had fallen from a fairy's loom. Candaco Wheeler has a reputation for her beautiful sewing in twe hemispheres. Elizabeth Custer knows hoys to 6ew well. So does Kate Upson Clark. Mary E. Wilkins sows and embroiders tc perfection. Lucy Randolph Fleming and Martha H. Norvell both sew with the same dainty precision which characterize: their writing. Apostle Spoons. Gifts to infants on their baptism are ol ancient origin. Formerly tho sponsors generally offered gilt spoons to tho child. These spoons were called apostle spoons, because the figures of the 12 apostles were carved at the top of the handles. Rid sponsors gave tho complete set of 12, whil« for those who were not so opulent four was considered the proper number, and pool sponsors would content themselves with offering ono. In the latter caso the handU of the spoon generally exhibited the figure of any saint in honor of whom the child received its name. It is in allusion to this custom that, when Cranmer professes himself to bo unworthy of being sponsor to the young princess, Shakespeare makes the king reply: Come, come, my lord, you'd spare your spoons How the Scriptures Were Written. The Scriptures wero first written or skins, linen cloth or papyrus and rolled u{ as we roll engravings. The St." Louis Re publio says: ''The Old Testament was written in the old Hebrew character, at offshoot Of the Phoenician. It was symbol language as written, having no vowels, The consonants only were written, and the vowel sound supplied by the voice. Th< words ran together in a continuous line, After the Hebrew became a dead language vowels were supplied to.prescrvo usagOj which was passing away. After the Babylonish captivity the written Hebrew was modified by the Aramaic, and schools o1 reading taught the accent and emphasis. Then came the separation of .^words froir each other, then division into verses. Florida Beans. Golden Days tells that Florida beans which, highly polished, aro used as charms, aro the seeds of tho Eutada scan dens, a rank growing, climbing shrul common on the shores of the West Indies, Tho pods are frequently from 6 to 8 feet ir length, flat and woody, divided into nu mcrous joints, each containing one of thes< nuts. When ripe, these pods burst witl great force, throwing tho nuts an almosi Incredible distance. When thrown into th( sea, they are carried by the strong oceanic currents not only to the Floridas, but 00 Casionally to the coast of Finland. Cause of Thunder. Thunder is caused by tho sudden ree-n trance of the air into a vacuum which ii supposed to bo caused by the lightning ir its passage- through the atmosphere. Th< electricity exerts a powerful repulsivo f ora upon tho particles of air along tho path o: its discharge, thus making a momentary vacuum. Into this void'tho surrounding air rushes with a violence proportioned t< the intensity of tho electricity and is thui thrown into vibrations, which are th< source of the sound. The Pearl Oyster. It has beeu found by Saville-Kent tha the pearl oyster reaches maturity in 1 Shorter time than formerly supposed. Hi thinks that under favorable conditions 1 period not exceeding three years suffice for the shell to attain to the markctabli size of & or 0 inches in diameter, and th . heavy shells of five or six pounds weigh per pair may be tho product of five years growth. .• : . ....•"■■ ■" "