The Yale expositor., May 25, 1900, Image 6

About The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current

Image provided by: Central Michigan University, Clark Historical Library

                
CURIOUS AUDAGASCAR ANIMAL
Has Perfectly Formed Fingers and is of
Monkey Family.
Madagascar ton talus many strange
things, and of them the "half-monkey,"
with Its skeleton-like Angers, is a
worthy example.
Nowhere else In the world is there
another animal Jike It. It belongs to
Madagascar exclusively, and even in
its home it is almost unknown, or was
until the beginning of this century.
This is due to its manner of life. It
not only Is remarkably shy, but it also
is entirely nocturnal in its habits. As
Madagascar forests are traveled rarely
even In daytime and never at night,
by human beings, it is not surprising
that this strange lemur has remained
almost a mystery.
The first specimen was found in 1782,
when a German naturalist named Son
nenrath shot one. When his native
guides saw the animal they were no
less surprised than he, and they yelled
"Aye! Aye!" So it happened that tho
first name which was given to the lit
tle beast was ayeaye. It was fifty years
after that before another specimen was
taken. Naturalists had about decided
that it was extinct, for all cffor3 to
get one had been fruitless, when Do
Castelle caught one In 1811. It died on
the way to the coast, and only the skin
and the skeleton reached Europe. But
in 1862 a living specimen arrived in
London, and since then several tkele
tons and skins have been brought to
Europe. These have been so few in
number, however, that not many
museums in the world can boast a
specimen.
Recently Dr. Friederich Knauer had
the great opportunity of a naturalist's
life. He obtained a perfect, -healthy
young specimen, which ha managed to
keep alive and well for a long time,
and thus he has been enabled to give
the world the first authentic and real
story of the habits and even the ap
pearance of this wonderful animal.
The picture which Is printed here is
the first drawing made from life of
this 6trange beast. It was drawn for
the German paper Gartenlaube, and uo
one could possibly suppose that the
various pictures made from descrip
tion, which ornament many well
known works on natural history, could
be intended to represent the same ani
mal. Chlromys madagascarensis, which is
the name that science has bestowed on
this lemur, is so thoroughly nocturnal
in its habits that it refuses to show
itself in the day, even in captivity.
When it is not able to hide, it rolls
itself into a ball, covers itself with its
thick tail and spits savagely at any
one who disturbs it. Whoever wishes
to see it active must watch it at night.
Then the observer is treated to a dis
play of rare and interesting activity.
Lively as a squirrel, the "finger-animal"
flits about in its cage like a
ghost. It is here, there and every
where, and never is quiet for a mo
ment. It hunts like a bat, which It
resembles at night with its swift mo
tions and silent ways. Like the bat,
too. It hunts Insects, particularly the
gorgeous Madagascar butterflies, which
it loves, for food. But it does not dis
dain anything else that Is edible, for
Its bill of fare comprises dates, applss,
figs, boiled rice, biscuit, eggs and milk.
After meals it cleans Itself like a
squirrel.
When it drinks, a curious function of
its weird fingers becomes apparent. It
dips its long, thin, withered tools into
the liquid and licks them off. This is
the only way of drinking. Other uses
to which it puts these queer limbs or
claws are to dig things out from cracks
and crevices in tree trunks, and to
EASTER IN
An Abyssinian Easter Is a very
itrange sight. The Easter of the land
of King Menellk occurs Just eight days
liter that of the civilized world and
follows many days of severest fasting,
ind, in fact, two days of total absti
nence. The Abyssinian clergy then offi
TO " Jill '.
J-'-l'KiT lira
catch limbs and twigs in its mad leaps
from tree to tree.
There is abundant reason for the
lack of knowledge concerning this and
other specimens of Madagascar fauna.
Apart from the savage natives, who
alone make travel unsafe, is the fact
that the thick forests, the jungle and
undergrowth are practically unbroken,
and present almost Insuperable dlfll-
cultles to the explorer. In this wilder
ness, filled with bamboo that forms
forests, there as it does nowhere else
on earth, are the most beautiful flow
ers, some of the orchids having petals
almost two feet long. In this world of
floral splendor dwell no lions, juguars
or leopards. Not even jackals or
wolves are to be found there. The
largest carnivorous animal is a cat
about as large as a dog of medium size.
But in their place the Jungle is full of
insect eaters, lemurs, bats, birds and
Insects. The true Maki (the typical
lemur) Is to be found only In Madagas
car. No island is so rich in chame
leons. Making Hack Yards Fleanant.
Even if a country garden is denied
us It Is possible to obtain much pleas
ure with what we possess, and it is
surprising that the back yards of city
houses are the forlorn, neglected places
that they generally are, at best being
only a square grass plot utilized for
drying clothes, and a narrow border
planted with a few straggling peren
nials. If there are children in the
family sometimes abortive attempts
are made at a flower bed. As the ma
jority of people who own town houses
seldom leave the city before the middle
of June, returning by the middle of
September, and as the head and bread-
ABYSSINIA.
cially announce the resurrection of
Christ to the emperor, who sits, sup
ported by cushions, in a tent carpeted
with red and gold mats. The tent Is
put up on a large platform, so that the
emperor may look out on the assem
bled populace
winner of the family practically stays
all summer In town, it is a wonder
that these back yards are not generally
made beautiful by a little care and attention.
CARNEGIE'S FIRST INVESTMENT
Bought V500 Worth of Stock With
Much Trepidation.
It was due to Thomas A. Scott that
Andrew Carnegie made his first invest
mentten shares of stock in the Ad
ams Express company, valued at $500,
says the Review pf Reviews. This he
did with considerable trepidation. lie
had labored hard for the money he
had saved up while he had worked as
a telegrapher. It is part of railroad
history how the latter fell in with the
inventor of the sleeping car, saw the
enormous advantages which that man
ner of travel held out to passengers,
and promoters, and how he Interested
others in the invention of Mr. Wood
ruff. This occurred shortly after his
return from Washington, when the
problems of transportation were still
uppermost In his mind. He was now
on the road to success and wealth, as
he then pictured earthly possessions.
The Pennsylvania oil fields yielded
large returns when Carnegie, with oth
ers, turned their energies in the direc
tion of the newly discovered territory.
In one year land purchased for $40,000
Increased In value so that It paid a
dividend of $1,000,000. Chicago News.
Milking: the Cow.
"I went out to milk that cow of mine
last night," said the old-timer, careful
ly nursing his arm, "and here before
you are the remains. I'll forget myself
and assassinate that cow brute some
day. As I said, I went out to milk her,
and she behaved all right, with the
exception of wrapping her tall around
my neck and then unwrapping It. This
didn't last, however, and she inserted
her hind hoof in the pail and looked
around to see if I liked it. In a sud
den spell of madness I yanked up a
neckyoke and hlsted it at her and
missed her and knocked over a row of
chickens. Then I got excited and
landed on her face with my right and
unjointed every Joint in my body. She,
the cow, then became agitated and
stood upon her hind legs and ran me
in the haymow. I remained up there,
occasionally telling her she might go
some place if the sulphur agreed with
her health, until my wifo came and
chased her off. Tonight I shall hog
tle her, blindfold her and with the as
sistance of a club milk her, gosh durn
her, to a finish. Deadwood (S. D.) Pi-npoor-TImes.
Clilnene Society of Iloser.
Eleven millions of men are said to
belong to the great Chinese Society of
Boxers, against which Uncle Sam, In
connection with the great European
powers, may soon direct armed force.
This estimate was made by a China
man a year ago in conversation with
a New Yorker who was then In China.
The Society of Boxers, which now
stands for lawlessness, robbery and
murder, was once respectable. It is a
good Influence gone wrong. Oilglnally
it was organized as a protest and a
means of-defense against the bandits
with which the province of Shan-Tung
was infested. It was, In fact, a law
and order league.
ramlcatlon In Ilonolala.
The authorities of Honolulu have
adopted the most heroic methods to
suppress the epidemic. It now being the
rule that whenever a case occurs In
a frame building (which it is Impos
sibl to thoroughly disinfect) It is con
demned with all Its contents and burn
ed to the ground. The consequence of
this Is that fires occur two or three
times a week.
BASE BALL MATTEllS.
CURRENT NEWS AND NOTES
OF THE GAME.
Too "Lobtr PoU" Boom to Uo Fror
lof ft Vftlaablo Adjunct to Now York
Folo Grounds How Throwtn May
"Throw Themselves Oat."
Raalo on Vltchers.
Amos Rusle, the great Hoosler thun
derbolt, has been talking some about
the pitcher's art to reporters. He
says: "A slow ball, when mixed up
with great speed, is most effective if
the change of pace is so disguised as
to fool the batter. It does not do to
telegraph your Intentions or the ball
will go soaring over the bleachers
from off the old 'wagon tongue.' Ex
actly the same preliminary motions
should be gone through with as if to
send in your swiftest ball. For this
delivery I hold the ball loosely In my
hand, holding It with my thumb and
little finger. The ball will at times
almost seem to hang in the air, and
the batter, who Is looking for a sing
ing swift one, makes a vicious swipe
before the ball gets to him. The
change of pace is used mostly when
the batter has two strikes and is
worked up to the anxious pitch. Noth
ing pleases a pitcher more than to
fool a batter with his 'slows.' To give
an out curve to the ball I take the
same grip with the first two fingers
as for the straight ball. The thumb,
however, with which the twist which
causes the ball to curve Is given, Is
brought up In touch with the ball with
a tight grip. Then, with a long, Blow
preliminary swing, I give a slight side
motion to my hand with a decided
snap to my wrist just at the instant
the ball leaves my hand. I endeavor,
of course, to hide my right hand as
much as possible from the batter, P.nd
go through exactly the Bams motions
as for a straight ball. I can get just
as much speed with my curves as my
straight, which In consequence has
proved my most successful ball."
New York' "Lolnter Fota,"
The "lobster pots," as the players
of the New York team persist in call
ing the steam boxes, have proved a
most valuable adjunct to the training
outfit being used dally at the Polo
grounds. A player shuts himself in
the box stripped to the buff. He seats
himself on a shelf prepared for the
purpose, shoves his head through the
hole in the lid and shouts to an at
tendant, "Let 'er go." There is a hiss
ing of steam, a wild shriek from the
player and then a gasp of content
ment as the searching vapor gets in
Its parboiling work and locates the
stiffness and soreness. Soon the pers
piration begins to ooze from every
pore and the winter kinks are gradu
ally dissipated and the rusty knee and
arm Joints work on their hinges with
rejuvenated vigor. A half hour s
Bteamlng and the player emerges from
the box as rosy red as a Baldwin ap
ple. An Instant under the shower
bath, a dash upstairs into the hands
of the rubbers, who work the massage
treatment as long as the victim will
stand the punching and mauling, and
the player is a new man, with all signs
of soreness gone and a few pounds of
superfluous weight left behind him.
The steam boxes were the Idea of Ar
thur Irwin when he was manager of
the team, and were erected under his
direction. They were not viewed with
favor by the players then. "Dad"
Clarke was the first to try their effi
cacy, and experience lent no charms to
them. "Dad" thought he had a "char
ley horse," but It was in his head, so
the players said. He has It yet, they
6ay.
Anyhow, "Dad" braved the new
fangled scheme. He ensconced himself
In the pen, shouted to "Henry," an
ARTHUR IRWIN,
Inventor of the "Lobster Pots."
attendant, to "cut her loose." Henry,
not being well versed In the Intricacies
of the arrangement, turned on all the
steam In the boiler at once. .
A wild shriek of terror, a smashing
crash, a lurid string of strange Oswego
oaths that made the place smell like
a match factory, and "Dad" emerged
from a cloud of steam and dashed up
the stairs. "Turn the hose on me.
I'm stewed," he shouted. "Dad's"
skin did not peel off all at once, but
it came off in patches at Intervals for
a month afterward. Now the player
regulates the degree of torture himself.
New York Journal.
A Team of Raftl Old-Timer.
Sam Wise, the veteran player, who
has been in active service on the green
diamond for nearly a quarter of a
century, intends placing a semi-offi
cial tean in the field at his home in
Buffalo, N. Y., next season that will
rive the best of them "a hard run for
1 1
his white alley." Wise said, in re
cently speaking about Lis team: "I
am' going to get up a team that will
sweep the 'seml-profesh off the map
J of western New York. Why, we will
just eat them up. They will think
that the champion Brooklyns are in
front of them. Why, look at my colts
and talk seven-up to me. There's Bil
ly Nash, Elt Chamberlain, Dan
Stearns, High Patton, Doc Amole, Jim
my .Kllroy, Puddles Boehm, Joe Dob
son, Jack Battles and your Uncle Sam
my, besides many others on the re
serve list. Do you think there Is an
other baseball aggreatlon within 100
miles that can stand up before us? If
you know of any, have them send in
their challenges-early, for we expect
to be a very busy team when the pea
son opens."
'Buck" Kreemau.
The champion home-run hitter of
the league in 1899.
Flttsbnrg Catcher.
President Dreyfuss will not admit
that the Pittsburg club is as weak be
hind the bat as' has been charged by
critics. Said he the other day In ac
cents mild:
"Joe Campbell, who lavished praise
upon the various losing teams with
which Earl Wagner fooled the losing
fans of Washington, has a poor opinion
of the Pirates. He is particularly se
vere upon our catchers, but my own
belief is that Schriver and Zlmmcr
will not suffer much in comparison
with Jim McGuIre and Charley Farrell
of the Brooklyn club. Jim is not a
brainy catcher, and no on; nows this
better than Joe Campbell.
"Boston is not boasting about its
catchers. Boston is afraid that its
backstop department will not do, and
In trying to strengthen it Is talking of
signing John Clements, who has
been begging for an engagement ever
since he was released by the Roblsons.
Outside of Peitz. Cincinnati Is weak,
and Chicago's staff is uncertain, so,
when you come to look over the list,
Pittsburg Is on even terms with top
notch teams.
"It Is a fact, though, that 6tar
catchers are scarce. There are two or
three first-class men on college teams,
but they will not play professional
baseball."
Debt to Minor Leagues.
If It wasn't for the "minor leaguers"
the days of baseball degeneracy would
soon be upon us, writes Ren Mulford,
Jr. Certainly Frank Selee and Ned
Hanlon do not hold letters patent on
an ability to develop for their exclusive
use all the talent that exists outside
the big league. Every star In the fast
company today has been compelled to
win his spurs by personal effort. Capt.
Tom Corcoran was talking about
teaching youngsters how to Improve in
the fine arts of the game. He said:
"Because I can't bat well or run fast
myself Is no reason why I could not
show an amateur, who was strong In
those departments of play, how he
could become better in both of them."
If anybody should ask you, Ed Dele
hanty wasn't the king of smugglers
when he went Into the game. The
official average will show he was a fair
hitter for a few years until his natural
ability was developed under good
tutors.
Diamond Scintillation.
"Dad'' Clarke will cut up his antics
this season in the Eastern league.
"Dad" will form one of the pitching
corps for Buffalo.
Boston has a string of pitchers this
season that will take the prize for size.
Willis, Bailey and Chambers are all
over six feet, Willis, and Chambers
passing that notch' "by two inches.
Nichols and Dineen are close to five
feet eleven inches, so that the bunch,
including Lewis will average over 'six
feet in height.
With the best of the Boston outfield
hitting up to their highest clip, and
Collins and Tenney meeting the ball
with their usual frequency, the ex
champions will hold their own in the
batting world, and that is what will
count this season, where the pitching
will be so uniformly strong all over
the circuit. Base running Is gradual
ly becoming a lost art. The older
players don't care to take any long
chances, and the younger ones are not
as clever at base running as the play
ers were in the days of Mike Kelly and
Ed Williamson.
The average girl can fall In love a
lot quicker, than she can do up her
back hair. Philadelphia Inquirer.
HEKOKS IN POLITICS
SHERMAN THE ONLY WARRIOR
TO RESIST.
Falor Alio Frafarrod Frlvata Life to
tho Whit Home, flat Yielded
Homo Conspicuous Successes nod Fail
ure. The solitary, brilliant exception to
the popular heroes of this country, one
who would not accept the nomination
for the presidency, was Gen. William
Tecumseh Sherman. Repeatedly he
was urged to be a candidate and ear
nestly besought "to save our party" by
becoming a standard bearer; but no
arguments that were presented, no in
ducements that could be made, influ
enced his decision. His reply to all
such proposals was that he was not a
politician; that he could not become
nno? dlrl not want tho nlapo nnrt final-.
ly, when his patience was exhausted
U'llh tho I miwirtnn I Hou rt thnao whn
assured him that he would be elected
If he would run, he roared out his last
emphatic, "No, let me hear no more of
it. I will not accept the office."
Every other American over whose-
head has been suspended this tempta
tion has succumbed and welcomed the
opportunity to be the recipient of this
greatest of civic honors. If there be an
exception Gen. Taylor would represent,'
in a measure, that exception. He ob
jected and then protested that he did
not want the office, but finally permit
ted himself to become a candidate and
was elected to fill the office. His can
didacy was not furthered by himself In
any way. When urged by a delegation
of visiting statesmen to visit the north
for electioneering purposes his reply
was:
"I would not go across yon ferry to.
Influence the public choice or to secure
my election. I have never aspired to
the presidency; if the people elect me
of their own free choice my humble
services are at their disposal. If
they elect some other candidate I shall
not be In the slightest degree morti
fied." Taylor deplored the necessity that
compelled him to resign his commls-
clnn Irt 4 1 n ,J kin .U.tlAn A A .
nnt rnmnpntn him fni tho EPVprincp'
of ties that bound him to his comrades'
in arms, and the life he loved. Mrs.
Taylor had shared with her husband
his frontier life, and had for a nuarter
of a century Dracticallv lived in a tent.
his happy comrade and caretaker. She
used all her influence to prevent a con
sideration of the proposition made to
her husband, and when he had reached
the conclusion that he should accept
the call of his countrymen, she sadly
pointed out to him that his acquired
habits as an army officer would not
permit him to live under the restraints
of life in Washington, and she repeat
edly expressed the fear that If elected
his life would be shortened by reason
of the new responsibilities put upon
him. When Taylor's untimely death
occurred a year and four months after
his election, there were sincere mourn
ers among those who had known of
Mrs; Tayor's opposition "to the plot,"
as she had termed it, to take her hus
band from the army and nominate him
for the place which had, in a sense,
cost him his life.
Jackson was the first military man
after Washington's time, who became
president by reason of his services In
the field. He was a volunteer soldier,
whose great success in arms had made
him a hero In the west and southwest,
and whose nomination was due to this
fact. It was a 'political issue that per
suaded him to go Into politics.
Gen. William Henry Harrison was
the next military hero who reached the
presidency by way of the battlefield.
His unfitness for the office was such
that one month of worry and respon
sibility in it killed him.
Gen. Grant's military reputation car
ried him Into the white house, and no
more eloquent Judgment has been
passed upon his fitness for the place of
chief magistrate, or his success in per
forming its duties, than the place as
signed him in history. There he is
ranked as one of the greatest generals
of modern times, and the statement
made regarding his presidency Is
usually the simple announcement that
he was twice elected to fill the office.
His fame rests on his achievements as
a soldier. No distinctly military man
can hope to add laurels to his crown
by becoming president of the United
States. The truth that they do not 1?
attested by the history of every soldier
who has held the position.
Military men who have been candi
dates, and been defeated as such, have,
injured their military prestige without
gaining anything in the popular esti
mation. Among these defeated presi
dential candidates have been Gen.WIn
fleld Scott, Gen. George B. McClel
lan. Gen. WInfleld Scott Hancock. All
these men bitterly regretted having
run for the office, an office for which
not one of them had the training oi
the temperament to fill with distinc
tion. The naval branch of the national
military service was not represented In
the list of presidential candidates u
til Admiral Dewey offered himself aa
such.
Strawberries on Tree.
At last M. Baltet, the great French
specialist, has been enabled to grow
strawberries on plants of a decidedly
treelike nature. The method is sim
plicity Itself. The runners are
trained up vertically and tied to a
stake, in the same way that a pot
tomato plant is, and then the lateral
buds are pinched out. Result a straw
berry tree on a small scale. London
eder.