Coffins as Furniture

1905

A man living at Queensbury not only uses his coffin as a piece of household furniture, but he has also a grave made in the local churchyard headed by a gravestone on which his name is set out in conventional style. Underneath is the line: "Not dead, but waiting."

One man at Tong, near Bradford, kept his Sunday clothes in his coffin, and another who ate porridge at breakfast used his coffin as a meal bin.

Some years ago a Keighley man kept butterfly specimens in his coffin. — London Daily Mail.


Novel Action to Insure Marriage

In the harbor of the little village of Ploumanac'h, in the Cote-du-Nord, is an islet of rock which can be reached at low tide. It is surmounted by a shrine of St. Guirec, who is said to have landed here from Britain in the sixth century. There are two rude statues of the saint, one of which is of wood.

To this statue on St. Catherine's day, come the young women of the neighborhood, who, following an old tradition, stick pins into the statue, in order that they may be married before the end of the year. — London Graphic.

Stone Man Dug Up in Rio Grande Valley

1915

Deep Mystery Still Veils Queer Find

Now in Warehouse to Await Decision of Scientists — Cartridge Shell Found Near Body

El Paso, Texas, is now likely to get some publicity as a result of the discovery of the form of a man in stone in the Rio Grande Valley. The discovery was made by J. K. Mann of Highland Park, who is rather reticent regarding the exact location of his find.

Mr. Mann is taking great care of his find and it is kept in a bonded warehouse in El Paso and is guarded as carefully as would be an equal amount of virgin gold.

Opening a heavy case containing his discovery, Mr. Mann said that what he would show the writer would be in the nature of a surprise. The scribe then put a query, "What is it?"

"That's just the question, What is it?" said Mr. Mann. "I am making absolutely no claim regarding it. I will simply say that it was dug up from the ground and that it is a Texas product. I have my own ideas what it is, but they may not be in line with what learned men will tell us later, and I am anxious to have their opinions."

Has Human Form

Turning back the covering, Mr. Mann disclosed what appeared to be a human form in some sort of bronze. The writer was then given a chance to make a careful inspection and it was seen that the body — for that is the easiest way to refer to the discovery — was not bronze, but apparently stone.

A close inspection revealed lines and pores similar to those in a human skin. Part of the abdomen was missing and the cavity bore the look of a piece of stone broken away. In the left breast was an indention, and Mr. Mann produced an old and much rusted cartridge, which, he declared, was found near the body when it was dug up.

This cartridge was evidently from a large-bore gun and was made in the days when the whole base of the cartridge was a cap, which would be discharged by the hammer of the gun hitting it anywhere, This cap had been discharged by a gun with a strong hammer, for the firing pin had been driven thru the cap.

Right Hand Has Extra Finger

The "body" is in a reclining position, the left arm supporting the head, while the right arm is thrown across the breast and the hand rests in front of the "body." One peculiarity of the "body" is that the right hand has two perfectly formed index fingers — five fingers and a thumb in all. The lips have been slightly worn away and three white teeth are visible. If the "body" is that of a human being turned to stone it must have been that of a young man, probably 18 or 19 years of age, and of a person used to outdoor or a rugged life. The sinews of both arms and legs are quite apparent. The hips are small, but well developed.

Measurements Given

Accurate measurements were rather difficult, owing to the peculiar posture of the "body." However, the following are approximately correct: Height, 5 feet 6 inches; present weight, 350 pounds; approximate estimate of weight of man similarly built, 120 pounds; measurement around chest, 35 inches; between shoulders at back, 18 inches; across chest, 16 inches; from shoulder to wrist, 22½ inches; wrist, 7½ inches; neck, 14½ inches; around head above ears, 23 inches; feet, from heel to toe, 9½ inches; knee to heel, 17½ inches; biceps, 12 inches; around knee, 13½ inches; around hips 36 inches; from instep to crotch, 29 inches; waist, 28 inches.

Questioned closely as to the whereabouts of the discovery, Mr. Mann stated: "I have my own reasons for not being too explicit regarding the exact location of my discovery. I have reason to believe that there are further discoveries to be made in that same location.

"I am in El Paso for my health, and I hope to resume my explorations within a couple of months. Just what I will do with my discovery I cannot say at the present time. I intend to have some experts examine it in the near future, and make a report. Very few people know of it at the present time, but those who do know have been impressed."

—Saturday Blade, Chicago, Dec. 18, 1915, p. 9.

Statue Given by Indiana

1900

Although each state has the privilege of placing in Statuary Hall, in the national Capitol, statues of two of its illustrious sons, ten states only have thus far availed themselves of the opportunity in full. Six other states have presented one statue each. On a recent Saturday afternoon, in the Senate-Chamber, a marble statue of Oliver P. Morton, the "war governor" of Indiana, was presented to the nation in the name of that state.

Mr. Fairbanks, the senior senator from Indiana, was the first speaker. Among those in the galleries were the widow of Mr. Morton and several of his nephews. On the floor had gathered, besides senators, several of the representatives from Indiana, and other friends of the man whose deeds were to be recounted.

"This statue," began Senator Fairbanks, "is to stand in yonder hall. Assembled there are the marble figures of citizens, soldiers and statesmen. In good time representatives of each of the states will be gathered there, when the number will equal the membership of the United States Senate. Parties here may come and go, administrations may rise and fall, but no change will occur in the members who join the select assembly in that exalted and historic hall."

The physical difficulties under which Mr. Morton labored during the later years of his life, when a member of the Senate, were brought out by Mr. Fairbanks, and also by Mr. Allison, who had served in the Senate with him. Mr. Morton had long suffered from an incurable malady, which compelled him to be seated while speaking and to go into the Senate supported by attendants. And yet he worked so hard in the committee-room and elsewhere that Senator McDonald, his old-time colleague, described him as "tireless among the tired, and pressing on where strong men gave way."

Senator Beveridge, also of Indiana, made the concluding speech of the day, after which the Senate passed resolutions accepting the statue and thanking the state for its gift.


Sugar For The Troops

German soldiers get a ration of sugar; so do British and French soldiers when on duty in the tropics. And now, by advice of the medical staff and with the approval of army officers, the United States Commissary Department has been shipping many tons of confectionery, put up in pound packages, for the use of our soldiers in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.

— Youth's Companion.

Memorial to Henry Clay Twice Struck by Lightning

1910

At Lexington, Kentucky, Shattered by Electric Bolts

Lexington, Ky. — It is a singular coincidence that lightning twice in succession has destroyed the statue erected in the cemetery here to the memory of Henry Clay. Years ago the people of Kentucky, proud of the greatness of Henry Clay and his distinguished public services, erected a handsome memorial to him in the cemetery where his ashes repose. In 1903 lightning shattered the statue crowning this memorial and steps were soon taken to repair the statue. A new one was placed in position the past summer. Before it could be dedicated lightning again destroyed it.

This elemental action seems typical of the life of Clay himself. He was one of the commanding figures of his time, distinguished as a statesman, orator and diplomat and greatly admired by millions of Americans. His one great ambition was to be president of the United States, but his prospects, even when most promising, were always shattered, just like the statue on the top of the imposing shaft, which a grateful state has erected in his memory.


Boastful Men

Men are inclined to boast, yet, according to statistics, three out of four are buried at somebody else's expense.


Heroes

Hero worship cannot be eradicated from humanity. It is well that it is so. It is a splendid thing to have heroes in history as definable ideals. It is a great thing to have also some living heroes as great ideals of our dally lives. But, above all, it is supremely important for us to keep before our minds the divine Master as a perpetual ideal. Looking up to him we grow toward God. — Rev. Oliver Huckel, Congregationalist, Baltimore.

A Blind Girl's Interests at the Art Institute

Chicago, 1895

Mysterious Old Woman and Sightless Girl Doing the Art Institute

They tell a story over at the Art Institute on the lake front about an old woman who goes there on free days leading a blind girl, says the Chicago Tribune. The old woman totters in her steps and her face is wrinkled. Her attire is not shabby, but it is severely plain and doesn't belong to this generation. The girl has a face as white as marble and her blind eyes are unusually full. Her mouth is expressive and a singularly sad smile nestles about it.

Somebody who asked the old woman one day tells that the twain live on Mohawk street and that the girl has been blind since she was 4 years old. She is now 12. The girl always, since she was old enough to know, evinced a passion for art. At one time she undertook drawing, but had to quit it. They say she plays naturally and sweetly. But her strong like is art in sculpture. The old woman leads the child among the statuary and reproductions of the various rooms, mentioning, of course, anything new. The girl has learned the location of the principal works, and after they have been in one room for awhile the girl will say to the woman: "Let's go into the room where ——-," mentioning what it is she wants to "see," as she expresses it. One of her favorites is the group of Amphion and Zethus chaining Dirce to the bull. Someone told her the story one day, and seemed to fascinate her, and she asked several curious questions about it.

But after they have wandered about the rooms most of the day the girl nearly always says to the woman: "Let's go and see the child that is listening to the sea." The work is in one of the corridors, and has been noticed with interest by thousands. The child said one day when she was told that the figure was listening to the murmur of the sea, and that it appeared to please her, "Then she must be blind." Several people have asked the woman her name, but she evades the inquiry, and when the child is questioned she nestles to the woman and makes no reply. It is believed that they are mother and child.

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

1879

The Seven Wonders of the world have justly called forth admiration for many ages, and as many of our readers may not be acquainted with them, we take this opportunity of giving a short description of them.

First, the enormous Colossus, of Rhodes, claims our attention. It was built by Cares, of Lindus, a pupil of Lysippus, in the year 288, A. D., and twelve years were spent in its construction. It was an enormous statue of Apollo, and was one hundred and twenty feet high. It stood across the harbor of Rhodes for sixty-six years, when it was prostrated by an earthquake. It was afterward bought by a Jew from the Saracens, who loaded nine hundred camels with the brass.

Next in order are the Pyramids of Egypt, those wondrous monuments of wealth and grandeur of the ancient kings of that country. The largest of the structures employed three hundred and sixty thousand workmen for thirty years in its construction. The general opinion is that it was designed for the tomb of Cheops, the supposed founder of the pyramids.

Next comes the aqueducts of Rome. Little is known about them except that they were constructed by Appius Claudius, the Roman censor.

Fourth, the Labyrinth of Psammetichus, on the banks of the Nile, containing within one continued wall, one thousand houses and twelve royal palaces, all covered with marble, and having only one entrance. One building was said to contain three thousand chambers and a hall built of marble, adorned with statues of the gods.

Fifth, the Pharos of Alexandria, a tower built by order of Ptolemy Philadelphos, in the year 252, B. C. It was erected as a lighthouse and contained magnificent galleries of marble, a large lantern at the top, the light of which was seen a hundred miles distant. Mirrors of enormous size were fixed around the galleries, which reflected everything on the sea. A common tower now stands in its place.

Sixth, the Walls of Babylon, built by order of Semiramis, or Nebuchadnezzar, and finished in one year by two hundred thousand workmen. These walls were of sufficient thickness to allow six chariots to run abreast upon them. They were further furnished with one hundred gates of solid brass.

The last of the Seven Wonders is the Temple of Diana, at Ephesus, completed in the reign of Sevius, the sixth king of Rome. It was four hundred and fifty feet long, two hundred feet broad, and was supported by one hundred and twenty-six marble pillars seventy feet high. The beams and doors were of cedar, the rest of the timber was cypress wood. It was destroyed by fire in the year 365 B. C.

The Stratford Bust of Shakespeare

1874

J. Parker Norris writes of the Stratford bust of Shakespeare as follows: "It is colored in imitation of nature. This appears very odd to us in these days, who are accustomed to seeing statues generally cut from pure white marble; but in olden times it was quite common. In 1748, the colors being then indistinct, it was faithfully restored by a Stratford artist. The expense was covered by the proceeds of a performance given by John Ward, who was the grandfather to the great Mrs. Siddons. "Othello" was performed for this purpose on September 9, 1746, at the Town Hall, at Stratford. This was a judicious restoration, and quite different from its next fate. In 1793, Edmund Malone, the celebrated Shakespearian editor, caused the bust to be daubed all over with white paint, to suit his classic ideas. What was a very valuable and interesting relic of old times — portraying as the colors did the probable appearance of Shakespeare — was thus temporarily destroyed by Malone. It was reserved for the more correct taste of later times to remove Mr. Malone's white paint. This was skillfully done, and it is now said by many to exactly resemble the state in which it was left by John Hall, the artist who restored the monument in 1748. Such is the eventful history of this famous bust. We sincerely trust that it will be left alone for the future, to remain for all time the most authentic representation of him

"——whose remembrance yet
Lives in men's eyes, and will to ears and tongues
Be theme and hearing ever...

"Much has been written about the fat, stolid, and sensual appearance of the bust, and it has been said to resemble an English farmer more than what one would suppose the great poet looked like. It has been abused by some and praised too much by others. With all this we have nothing to do. It is undoubtedly the only correct likeness of Shakespeare, and as such will always command the attention and have the respect of those who prefer authentic to ideal likenesses. To us there is something very noble about the upper part of the head. It is only the lower part that one could wish had been different. Still great men will grow fat as well as others, and there is nothing that we can see to prevent the supposition that Shakespeare was only a man — although he was undoubtedly one of the greatest, if not the greatest, that ever lived."

Gettysburg Field of Battle Forever Consecrated

1907

At Gettysburg

Field of Battle Is Forever Consecrated to the Highest Ideals of American Valor.

See Naples and die!" wrote an enthusiast, and gave a new vogue to a moribund old world city by a sententious saying. But to the American whose soul is alive to patriotic emotion, a more fitting exhortation would be, see Gettysburg and live! And so seeing, live to be consecrated anew to American ideals. Realize and drink in from that historic fount the immortal lesson of "what they did here," that the nation might live — a grand object lesson, made manifest so that he that runs may read by its 600 monuments and tablets dedicated there to American valor.

A thrilling page it is that may be read in these silent yet speaking symbols which mark the various positions held by the 640 organizations that fiercely contended for victory during those fervid July days of '63. And punctuating the long lines of marble and granite memorials that thickly strew the picturesquely diversified field imposingly stand out the colossal bronze images of the leading generals in the commanding stations each occupied.

All the historic landmarks, too, are there to-day. Away to the west the Lutheran seminary, still standing like a sentinel on the outpost, round which the waves of battle raged and spumed and from the cupola of which Reynolds and Buford watched Hill's advance debouching from the woods on either side of the Chambersburg pike; and, just beyond, the undulating plain and McPherson's wood, the scene and altar of sacrifice whereon the valiant first corps of Meade's army unstintedly poured out its libation of blood. To the east and south, Cemetery hill and its prolonged ridge, along which stand out those never to be effaced features of the landscape — the national cemetery, with its 3,575 graves of union dead, the clump of trees or "high water mark of the rebellion," whence Pickett's braves were hurled back in disaster and death; the "bloody angle," and the peach orchard, which season after season renews itself in blossom and fruit; the wheat field, yearly sown to the same crop, but no longer yielding its "harvest of death"; grim Devil's Den, a rocky, wood-tangled maze to-day as it was and has ever been since the red Indian and savage beast sought it for their lair; the same wooded heights of Little and Big Roundtop, partly denuded, yet with many surviving ancient trees scarred and broken and torn by solid shot and shell, or trunks pimpled by many bullets, but fruitful yet with leafy life.

Vanished only are the mangled corpses of the slain, the rushing columns of struggling foeman. the blazing lines, the crash of musketry and cannon's deafening roar, the dying groans and frantic, swelling cheers. With all these marvelously preserved vestiges of the battle still defining its varying fortunes, and with the graphic story of the guides, very little exercise of the imagination is needed even to a stranger, none at all to the veteran who fought there to reconstruct the scene, and once seen render its realization vividly impressed forever on the mind.

Venice Angel Now Mounted on Ball Bears, A Weather Vane

1916

Modernized the Angel

Mounted on Ball Bearings, It Now Acts as a Weather Vane

There are many kinds of angels ranging in style from those we read about in the Bible to those who bring out talent on the stage. It has remained, however, for a writer in the American Machinist to discover a new type of the seraphic assortment. This angel is "ball bearing" and entirely unlike the common or garden variety of angels. It stands on top of the famous tower known as the Campanile di San Marco, in Venice, and swings to the wind like a weather vane.

The statue of the angel San Marco, which surveyed the old city of Lagunea since the sixteenth century, was found but little damaged among the ruins after the collapse of the tower. It was repaired and now stands again on the lofty height, but is supported in a very different manner from the old, for it now rests on modern ball bearings.

This method of mounting allows the statue to be turned around a vertical axis by the wind, so that it swings automatically into such a position that the angel always presents the smallest surface to the wind or storm. If one considers that the large wings of the angel, which are eleven feet high. project straight backward, it may be imagined that the difference of the wind pressure is considerable, whether the wind blows against the small front surface or against the side exposing the large face of the wings.

—Stevens Point Daily Journal, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, July 29, 1916, page 3.