Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, December 8, 1910, Page 3

i “The Craze That Raged In Holland In the Last Century. Baving the tulip craze in Holland in the last century in one year the sales aggregated 10,000,000 florins. Holland went tulip mad. The bulbs were quot- ed on the Stock Exchange. Ownership in them was divided into shares. Spec- ulators sold them short. At one time more tulips were sold than existed. At Lille a brewer sold his trade and good will in exchange for & bulb, which was thereafter known as the Brewery tu- iip. fm Amsterdam a father gave one by way of dower with his child. There- after the variety was known as the Maeriage of My Daughter. At Rotter- daws a hungry sailor. happening on a few, mistook them for onions and gte them. The repast became as famous as Cleopatra’s pearls and probably ex- ceeded it in cost. At The Hague a poor fellow managed to raise a black tulip. The rumor of that vegetable marvel spread. Presently he was vis- ited by a deputation from a syndicate. For that ewe lamb of his the deputa- tion offered 1,000 florins, which he re- fused. He was offered 10,000 florins. Still he refused. Cascades of gold were poured hefore his resisting eyes. Tinally, tormented and tempted, he sucecumbed. There and then the depu- tation trampled that tulip under their feet. Afterward it appeared that the syadicate had already grown a gem precisely similar and, unable to bear the idea that w rival existed, had au- thorized the deputation if needful to offer ten times the amount which it paid. PICKED AN ODD NAME. An Author’s Long, Search and a Sub- sequent Surprise. Whaen Albion W. Tourgee wrote “A Fool's Errand” he named one of his ieading characters Theron Pardee. An early copy of the book fell into the hands of the Rev. Luther Pardee, an Episcopal clergyman of Chicago., whose father was named Thereon Pardee. The name is such an unusual combina- tion that in amazement the rector showed the book to his father, and || they were both puzzled by the coinci- dence. They decided to write Judge Tourgee and ask him what had led him to use the name. He replied, in equal amazement, that he had not supposed there was such a man living as a The- ron Pardee. Then he stated that he had a prolonged search for a suitable name for the character of his story— one that would express just what he imagined this character to be. In the course of the hunt an old copy of the curriculum of Union college had fallen into his hands. It was dated 1825, or something as far back. and among the names of the students was one Thereon Pardee. The judge said it had im- pressed him as being one of the rich- est, most solid and most satisfying names he ever had heard, so he decid- ed to adopt it for his character. The curriculum was so old that he had no hesitation in using the name, and he was astonished to learn that the right- ful owner of it was living. His expla- nation was accepted and the resulting acquaintance was pleasing all around. —New York Press. The Arab Plowman. Te see an Arab steering a yoke of oxen, one hand pressed upon the sin- gle stem of the plow and the other holding the long. slim goad. is to see a living illustration of how Elisha looked and moved when Elijah found him plowing and cast his cloak upon him ia significant symbolism of his destiny. It has often been remarked that. while imperishable relics of Ro- man stonework abound in northern Africa in the form of bridges, aque- ducts and so forth, the impress left on the people themselves by the great- est civilizing power that ever existed is extraordinarily slight. Only in some such insignificant detals as the names of the months in the Kabyle dialect is the stamp of Rome still visible, and in the system of hiring labor in the Tell there survives a custom belong- ing to the early days of the Roman republic.—Wide World Magazine. Ancient Spectacle Makers. The ancient Guild of Spectacle Mak- ers is numerically one of the strongest London companies. Its charter dates from the year 1629 and, though the ex- act date of its origin is lost. there is ample evidence that the calling of spectacle maker was extensively fol- Jowed at a very early date. An old book of 1563 mentions the spectacle makers among other traders, and the bilography of Carlo Zeno, an illustrious Venetian, who died in 1418, mentions that even at the age of eighty-four he needed no artificial aids to his sight. So presumably spectacles were com- mon in Italy five centuries ago.—Lon- don Telegraph. Different Altogether. Visitor (consolingly to Tommy, who has upset a bottle of ink on the new carpet\—Tut. my boy, there is no use crying over spilt milk. Tommy — Course not. = Any duffer knows that. All you've got to do is call in the cat and she'll lick it up. But this don’t happen to be milk, an’ mamma will do the lickiu . An Account to Settle. The Lawyer—Madam. | find that your husband’s will leaves you nothinz but what the law compelled him to leave you. The Widow (angry and for- getfub—Just wait till I see him! An Example, Knicker—They say - that in 3,000 years Niagara will stop flowing. Mrs Knicker—That makes me hope ‘the plumber will get our leak fixed yet.— Harper's Bazar. Made Him Doubt His Own Name. It was the quality of sympathy that made Mrs. Cleveland's life in the White House so rich a memory, writes. Dr. W.H. Crook in the Philadelphia Saturday Evening Post. | never knew ber to make a mistake of a social na-| ture but once, and then it was shared | by so-many others that I m‘uy be par- doned for repeating it in public print. 1 know the little story is true, for I MWas present at the time and heard it 8ll. At one of the president’s formal receptions a man named Decker ap- peared, and as he drew near the re- ceiving line he told Colonel Wilson in confidence that his name was such an easy one it could not be mistaken or mispronounced, whereupon Colonel Wil- son presented him. “Happy to meet you, Mr. Crncker i said the president. “Happy to meet you, Mr. Bakee’ said Mrs. Cleveland.. “Mr.” Sacker,” murmured Miss Bay: ard doubtfully. “Happy to meet you, Mr. Black,” Mrs. Whitney remarked with confl- dence. It is said that a few minutes later Mr. Decker was seen looking at one of his visiting cards to see what his name really was, SECRECY IN KRUPP’S. Employees Bound by Oath and Noth- ing Left to Chance. One of the first steps that a new employee at Krupp’'s (the famous gun and armor factory of Germany) has to take is to bind himself to absolute secrecy as to what he sees or hears in the firm. But, this oath notwithstand- ing, mothing Ts left to chance! for ev- .ery precaution is tglken to prevent the employee from knowing anything more than is reguired for his own im- mediate work. In the offices all cor- respondence passes in locked cases. One official forwarding such a case to another writes the name of the ad- dressee on a slip of paper, which is inserted under a glass frame ingen- fously mounted in the case. Only on opening the case with its special key can the address be removed, and it is therefore impossible for papers of in portance to fall into wrong hands In the drawing offices every scrap of paper is locked at night into fireproof and burglar proof safes, fitted with time locks. The employees have to change their clothes before entering and after leaving the office, and they take their meals in the works in the dining hall. In cases where the se- crets of the firm are inevitably shared by employees Krupp’s pays salaries such as would make any attempt at bribery ineffective. This reference is more particularly to the men in charge of the armor plate and steel manu- facturing process—Army and Navy Journal. Especially In the Subways. “There ain’t but one trouble with this here city air." said Uncle Rufe, sniffing the atmosphere speculativel) “it do uneed ventilatin.’” — Hollaud’s Magazine. His Reason. “Why do you always leave the house, James, when | begin,to sing the old sougs?" pouted Mrs. Howlit. “Fresh air,” said Howlit.—Harper's Weekly. I TORRICELLI’S VACUUM. ¥ Experiment That Led to the Invention of the Barometer. The barometer was invented by Tor- ricelli, a pupil of Galilei, in 1643. 'In attempting to pump water from a very deep. well near Florence he found that in spite of all his efforts the liquid would not rise higher in the pump stock than thirty-two feet. This set the/young scientist to thinking, and as be could not account for the phenome- non in any other way he was not slow in attributing it to atmospheric pres- sure. - He. argued that water would rise'in a vacuum ouly to such a height as would render the downward pres- sure or weight of the columu of water just equal to the atmospheric pressure and, further, that should a heavier fluid be used the height of the column could be much reduced. To prove this he selected a glass - tube four feet long nnq after sealing one end filled it with mercury and then inverted it in a basin containing a quantity of the same peculiar liquid. The column in the tube quickly fell to a height of nearly thirty inches above the mercury in the basin, leaving in the top of the tube a vacuum which is the most perfect that has ever been obtainea and which is to this day called the Torricelli vac- uum in honor of its discoverer. The name of the instrument means “air measure,” and its fundamental princi- ples. cannot be better illustrated than by the above described -experiment. Good Hunting. It was at St. Andrews, in Scotland. the home of golf, where the links lstretch away over the moors b the sea, and dear, quiet Aunt Mary had gone up from London to visit a golfing family of nephews and nieces. At tea the first afternoon some one managed to stop talking golf long: enough to ask, “Well, Aunt Mary, and how did you spend the morning?” “Oh, I enjoyed myself immensely, my dear. I went for a walk on the moor. “A good many people seemed to be about, ‘and some: of them called out to me in a most eccentric manner, but I didn’t take any notice of them. And, oh, my dear, I found such a number of curious little round things! 1 brought them home to ask you what they are.” Hereupon Aunt Mary opened her workbag and produced twenty-fou" golf balls. How Did He Know? Joe. the fat boy in the “Pickwick Papers.” spent most of his time in slumber He was happier that way Probably there are a good many other people in the world a good deal like Joe, but most of them do not get the chance for sleep that he had. Thi~ scrap of conversation. recently over heard. would seem to indicate that. al though this is a nervous age. the de sire for sleep is not wholly dead. “1 don’t feel well.” remarked Smith as he took off his coat in the office. preparatory to sitting down at his desk. *“The trouble with me is that | haven't slept as 1 should. well unless I've slept.” “That's the same way with me.” re- marked his partner. *“In fact, I think 1 feel best of all when I'm sound asleep.”’—Youth's Companijon. GILL BROTHERS OU’LL find what so many others have found, that when you once buy here, you'll want to come back and buy again, and again, and always; its that kind of a store, and the things that make you come again are the best sort of a reason for commg the first time. Rehablllty in merchandise, careful service, values that make the prices very inexpensive and an unlimited guarantee of good faith, in promising full satisftction. prices. The crowning.value of the Season in Suits and Overcoats al Clothes for Boys.--Blg and Little Give us your boy to clothe and we will save you money; our great and growing boys’ business is ample proof that our leadership in this * partic. lar is widely acknowledged. Boys’ Suira, sizes 6 to 17 every garmeat mate of tested and satisfactory fast color fabiies, in all wool Kerseys and fancy cassimeres, three button; double breatxted style coat, $86. ; BEMIDJI, I don't feel | | IDOLATRY IN MEXICO. The Natives Still Sacrifice Animals ts Their Favorite Gods. 1t thay not be as apparent, but as ‘a matter of fact idolatry has a strong a hold on the natives of the Mexicam hot lands as when Cortes and his sol- diers marched through them on thetr way to Honduras 400 years ago. In the state of Oaxaca, in which is Tehuantepec, there is near every. vil- lage some secluded spot—be it a cave, the ‘top ‘of a mountain qr a forest en- circled pool—whither the people, clan- destinely repair in order to make sae- rifices to.their gods. The favorite sac- rifice is a gon(, a turkey or-other fowl, the head of which is cut off and buried, while the soil and the other offerings, consisting of dishes of food and a gourd filled with an intoxicating drink, are- sprinkled with the blood. The place where these sacrifices are made determines their effect. If a Tehuana bears a grudge against a neighbor he will bury the head of a chicken or the bones of a dog at dead of night out- i side of his victim’s house, though, on the other hand, if the ceremony is per- formed within it can bring nothing but good luck. The natives of the isthmus firmly believe that every child at birth be comes intimately connected with some beast of the jungle, and the grownup man will never hurt that particular kind of animal. If the animal dies, the child dies too. The question is to determine just what kind of an animal it is, and in order to reassure him- self the father sprinkles ashes or dust on the ground outside the house at the child’s birth and watches for a spoor.—Everybody’s Magazine. | ¢ ™ $20 and $20 You have no idea, without seeing these Suits and Overcoats how much real instrinsic value can be put together in clothes at $20 and $25. At these prices we are sure that we're giving you $5 or even $10, more value than you'll usually see at these And the values show-even to those not experts. ou'll Get Best Results With $15 Here We feature the giving of exceptional value in Suits and Over- coats at $15, no man will ever get more actual good in clothes for $15 than we can give him in these pure wool or worsted Suits and up-to-the-minute Overcoat styles. Men’s Furnishings. Extra values in all wool shirts and drawers, soft warm and satisfactory specially prhed at Lewis and Cooper union suits perfect fitting and non-skrinkable, winter coftons, flee:ed and edge, 50c to $5. H 'MINNESOTA. patural wool in all weightsat $ 1, S 1 .50, $2, $2.50, $3 and $4. Coat sweaters in plain .colors or trimmed