Italy, the Most Famous Source for Marble

1919

Italy is one of the world's most famous sources of supply for both art and building marbles, and marble, granite and building stones are the common materials used for buildings in that country. Venice is a fireproof city, built of stone of Istria and marble; and the foundations and first courses, at least, of all palaces, public and municipal buildings, government and business edifices are of these materials.

The most important quarries in the Veneto are at and near Verona, the Veronese red and yellow marbles having been favorite building stones since the time when the Coliseum at Verona was constructed. For building, they rank next to the stone of Istria in popularity, and are true marbles, while the stone of Istria is not a true marble, although a very hard limestone, that is much used in Venice, because it resists the action of salt water.

Besides their value for construction, the Veronese marbles are in great demand for decorative work. Among the names of the several varieties of Veronese marbles are white nembro, coral pink, white peach, partridge eye, yellow snail, yellow azure, and paradise.

Device Will Interest Children Fond of Playing Marbles

1905

Science in the Nursery

This is a country of inventors and an age of machinery. Labor-saving devices enter not only into our work, but also our play, and in our nurseries as well as our shops.

The great American game of baseball has now a special piece of apparatus for nearly every player, and the mechanical ball tosser threatens to supplant the human pitcher. Elaborate devices are used in automobile speed contests, for accurate timing and mechanical starters are to be found on every race track.

The craze for mechanics has reached the nursery. One of the latest contrivances is a device for shooting marbles more accurately and with greater force than can be done by the bare knuckles of even the most expert youngster. The device consists of an arrangement of spring wire of a shape adapted to fit the hand and to engage the marble. By means of a thumb trigger the sphere is ejected as desired.