The Handy Cyclopedia of Things Worth Knowing Part 55

That a tablespoonful of turpentine boiled with your white clothes will greatly aid the whitening process.

That kerosene will soften boots and shoes that have been hardened by water and will render them as pliable as new.

That thoroughly wetting the hair once or twice with a solution of salt and water will keep it from falling out.

That salt fish are quickest and best freshened by soaking in sour milk.

That salt will curdle new milk; hence, in preparing porridge, gravies, etc., salt should not be added until the dish is prepared.

That one teaspoonful of ammonia to a teacup of water, applied with a rag, will clean silver or gold jewelry perfectly.

That paint stains that are dry and old may be removed from cotton and woolen goods with chloroform. It is a good plan to first cover the spot with olive oil or b.u.t.ter.

That clear boiling water will remove tea stains. Pour the water through the stain and thus prevent it spreading over the fabric.

That charcoal is recommended as an absorbent of gases in the milk-room where foul gases are present. It should be freshly powdered and kept there continually, especially in hot weather, when unwholesome odors are most liable to infect the milk.

That applying kerosene with a rag, when you are about to put your stoves away for the summer, will prevent them from rusting. Treat your farming implements in the same way before you lay them aside for the fall.

That a teaspoonful of borax, put in the last water in which clothes are rinsed, will whiten them surprisingly. Pound the borax so it will dissolve easily. This is especially good to remove the yellow that time gives to white garments that have been laid aside for two or three years.

That a good agency for keeping the air of the cellar sweet and wholesome is whitewash made of good white lime and water only. The addition of glue or size, or anything of that kind, only furnishes organic matter to speedily putrefy. The use of lime in whitewash is not only to give a white color, but it greatly promotes the complete oxidation of effluvia in the cellar air. Any vapors that contain combined nitrogen in the unoxidized form contribute powerfully to the development of disease germs.

CHARACTER AS SEEN IN FACES.

Thick lips indicate genius and conservatism. Large dilating nostrils are a sign of poetic temperament and a sensitive nature. A long forehead denotes liberality. Arched eyebrows, good ancestry and amiability. A bold, projecting Roman nose indicates enterprise. Delicate nose, good nature. A large nose, strength of will and character. An eye that looks one cheerfully and frankly in the face shows honesty and faithfulness.

Lips slightly curved upward at the ends indicate a fine sense of humor.

Soft round cheeks denote gentleness and affection; dimples in the cheeks, roguery; in the chin, one who falls easily in love. A broad chin denotes firmness. Straight lips, firmly closed, resolution. Large ears denote generosity.

BELL TIME ON s.h.i.+PBOARD.

Time on s.h.i.+pboard is divided into periods of four hours--from midnight to midnight--and the lapse of every half hour is marked by one or more strokes of the bell--from one stroke for the end of the first half hour to eight strokes or, in nautical language, eight bells, for the end of the fourth hour. Thus 12:30 a. m. is 1 bell; 1:00 a. m., 2 bells; 1:30 a. m., 3 bells; 2:00 a. m., 4 bells; 2:30 a. m., 5 bells; 3:00 a. m., 6 bells; 3:30 a. m., 7 bells; 4:00 a. m., 8 bells. Then 4:30 a. m. is indicated by 1 bell; 5:00 a. m., 2 bells, etc.; 8 bells being sounded at 8:00 a. m., 12:00 m., 4:00 p. m., 8:00 p. m. and 12:00 p. m.

Four to 8:00 p. m. is divided into two "dog watches" called "first dog watch" and "last dog watch," so as to change the watches daily; otherwise starboard or port watch would be on deck the same hours day after day.

QUEER a.n.a.lOGIES IN NATURE.

The cocoanut is, in many respects, like the human skull, although it closely resembles the skull of the monkey. A sponge may be so held as to remind one of the unfleshed face of the skeleton, and the meat of an English walnut is almost the exact representation of the brain. Plums and black cherries resemble the human eyes; almonds, and some other nuts, resemble the different varieties of the human nose, and an opened oyster and its sh.e.l.l are a perfect image of the human ear. The shape of almost any man's body may be found in the various kinds of mammoth pumpkins. The open hand may be discerned in the form a.s.sumed by scrub-willows and growing celery. The German turnip and the eggplant resemble the human heart. There are other striking resemblances between human organs and certain vegetable forms, The forms of many mechanical contrivances in common use may be traced back to the patterns furnished by nature. Thus, the hog suggested the plow; the b.u.t.terfly, the ordinary hinge; the toadstool, the umbrella; the duck, the s.h.i.+p; the fungous growth on trees, the bracket. Anyone desirous of proving the oneness of the earthly system will find the resemblances in nature a most amusing study.--Scientific American.

MODERN FABLES.

Luxury.

Of two cats, one, thinking to be very fine, hunted only humming birds, and the other hunted only mice. The first had to hunt much longer than the other, because humming birds were scarce, so that it spent nearly all its life in getting food, while the other had little trouble to get all it wanted. "How unfortunate it is," said the first cat, "that I have formed my liking for what is so hard to get and is so little when I have it."

Fastidiousness.

A fastidious ox would not drink while standing in the water with his head turned down stream lest he should soil the water with his feet. But once when drinking with his head turned up stream he saw a whole drove of hogs was.h.i.+ng in the water above him.

Attracting Attention.

A flea, which saw many people trying to get the attention of a king and waiting long for that purpose, said: "Though I am but a little thing, I will get his attention." So he jumped up the throne until he got on the king's head. Here he received recognition from the king by a slap, and when he boasted to a dog of his success, the latter said: "Some get attention by their merit, others by their demerit. In making yourself a nuisance you get recognition before the lords of the realm, but only as a flea."

Gambling.

A monkey playing with a steel trap got his tail cut off. He went back the next day to get his tail, when he got his foot cut off. "Now," he said, "I will go back and get both my foot and my tail." He went back, and the third time he got his head cut off, which ended his monkeying with the trap.

Mugwumpery.

A mule on one side of a fence was discontented because he was not on the other side. He finally jumped over, when he was equally discontented because he was not back again. "Which side of the fence do you want to be on?" asked a horse. "It does not matter," replied the mule, "provided I am on the other side."

The Non-Partisan.

A dog, running about in an irregular way, was asked where he was going.

"I am not going anywhere," replied the dog, "but only running about to learn where to go."

Partisans.h.i.+p.

The swans, wis.h.i.+ng to drive the peac.o.c.ks from a park, procured a law against big feet. The peac.o.c.ks retaliated by getting a counter law against big necks. Soon one side could see nothing but ugly feet, and the other nothing but long necks. At last they came to think peac.o.c.ks were all feet and swans all neck.

NUMBER OF MILES BY WATER FROM NEW YORK.

To Amsterdam, 3,510; Bermudas, 660; Bombay, 11,574; Boston, 310; Buenos Ayres, 7,110; Calcutta, 12,425; Canton, 13,900; Cape Horn, 8,115; Cape of Good Hope, 6,830; Charleston, 750; Columbia River, 15,965; Constantinople, 5,140; Dublin, 3,225; Gibraltar, 3,300; Halifax, 612; Hamburg, 3,775; Havana, 1,420; Havre, 3,210; Kingston, 1,640; Lima, 11,310; Liverpool, 3,210; London, 3,375; Madras, 11,850; Naples, 4,330; New Orleans, 2,045; Panama, 2,358; Pekin, 15,325; Philadelphia, 240; Quebec, 1,400; Rio Janeiro, 3,840; Sandwich Islands, 15,300; San Francisco, 15,858; St. Petersburg, 4,420; Valparaiso, 9,750; Was.h.i.+ngton, 400; around the Globe, 25,000.

BUSINESS LAW IN BRIEF

It is a fraud to conceal a fraud.

Ignorance of the law excuses no one.