Llandudno Advertiser and List of Visitors

<t | Table Talks. 1 Our Business—and Yours. ABOUT OUR BUSINESS. Some people know how to do certain things well. They are called specialists. The thorough specialist goes to the root of things-knows his own line from A to Z. And for that reason saves the money and wins the confidence of those whom he saves. HEPWORTH'S are Shirt L Specialists. We study the fit of a collar, the shape of a sleeve, or the poise of a cuff, with all the technical skill of twentieth century Shirt Makers. AND YOURS, So much for OUR business. We should like to hear about YOURS, if you will. Three parts ol a man's life is spent inside his shirt-then you may as well be comfortable. o- HEPWORTH'S, 52, MOSTYN STREET, LLANDUDNO.

THE CONCILIATION BILL. EXPLANATION BY A MEMBER OF THE N.U.W.S.S. In a pamphlet recently published under this title by Mr JIi. N. Brailsford, the hon. secretary of the Conciliation Committee, he undermines by solid argu- ment every objection brought against this measure by its powerful assailants. 'A solution on party lines,' he declares, would be the ideal method of dividing suffragist forces.' The majority of Con- servative members are not in favour of women's suffrage, and the Liberal; forces are divided between anti-suffragists and those who believe in this moderate measure. The number of pledged adult suffragists in the house, is 120, and the experience of all who worked at the Voter's Petition at the last election goes to show that the man in the street is ready to en- franchise the women who pay rates and taxes, but is by no means ready to put political power into the hands of all women. It was the task of the Concilia- tion Committee to find some solution that would command the support of the mem- bers of aJl parties in the House who be- lieved that the time had come to insast upon a prompt solution of this woman's question.' This Mr Brailsford contends they have successfully done in making' Household Suffrage the basis of this measure. "Its principle is clear and democratic. Every lousehold is ifn a real sense a unit, which has, be it rich or poor, a concern in the government and an interest in furthering good and checking bad legisla- tion. The vote is naturally conferred upon the head of the House who is re- sponsible for rates and taxes directly im- posed upon rt. But there are households where the head is a woman of these women householders there are in the three Kingdoms alone one million who satisfy all the tests the law imposes upon men. Our Bill confers upon householders who already bear the, burdens and fulfil the obligations of their status, the rights and privileges which it ought to carry with it." The only other class of women enfran- chised would be those occupying business premises to the annual value, of £10. By a slight alteration in the wording: of the bill the possibility of faggot voting (that is of 2 or more votes in one family) has been removed, for as i!t stands now a hus- band and wife shall not be registered in the same constituency and thus an objec- tion, laid much stress on durinc, the de- bate in the House, has been- removed. It is hard to understand the position of ( those who on the same occasion urged that the bill was undemocratic. Mr Brailsford from statistics, given in Charles Booth's "Life and Labour of the People," and from enquiries conducted in several northern towns, shews that of the women enfranchised by this Billl between 82 and 91 per cent. would be working women- that is women actually earning! their own living or women who are housewives with- out a servant. But these figures seemed scarcely necessary in face of the fact that the Billl was introduced by Mr Shakleton, and that the Labour members voted for the, measure with only two exceptions. After two days discussion the Bill pass- ed, its second reading by a majority of 110 and "nothing stands in the way of its further progress save the Veto of the Cabinet. The great organised bodies of women unanimously support it regardless of party or class. Above all the representatives of the people, by a, majority greater than is held to be necessary to carry the largest constitu- tional changes, have given it the stamp of their approval." A town like Llandudno where there is such a. long list of women householders already exercising their municipal vote should be specially interested in gaining for these women their full political rights and should to that end do all possible to support the efforts of the local Women's Suffrage Society.

-<tr GOLF MATCH. A match was played between hte Ban- gor ladies and the Carnarvonshire ladies on November 3rd, at Bangor, and result- ed in a win for the visitors, 6 points 2 to F. Bangor. Mrs Bellis 2 Miss Chapman 0 Miss Roberts 0 Mrs Grierson 0 Mrs Preston. 0 Mrs Williams 0 Miss Pugh 0 ± 2 Carnarvonshire. Miss Brooke 2 MrsHugih Hall. 1 Miss B. Hale 1 Miss Hannaford 1 Miss G. Burke Wbod 1 Miss Peerst 1 Miss Owen. 1 61- 2

THE DISCONTENTED ENGLISH-WOMAN. AN INTEIRIEISTING PRESS DISCUS- SION, NERVOUS IRRITATION THE COMMON CAU,S,E,. A prominent London newspaper has re- cently published interesting letters on this subject. In the course of the discussion, a Japanese professor indicated the Women's Suffrage movement as evidence of the general discontent of English women. There is no doubt that hundreds of women do live in a state of perpetual dis- content. In matters concerningl dress, in the home life, even in search of pleasure, there can he heard the continual cry of dissatisfied womanhood. Unfortunately, the true cause, of dis- content is often overlooked—Nervous Irritability is the real source. The jars and petty quarrels of life can often be traced to the vagaries of an irritated nervous system. To every sufferer from nervous dis- orders Hall's Wine offers immediate re- lief. It composes and comforts the troubled nerves and calms the excited brain. T'heextractive matters in Hall's Wine supply the nutritive substances which im- poverished blood demands. If you would appreciate the joys and pleasures of Life—take Hall's Wine. If your wife, mother, or sister is dis- contented or liable to be irritated by trifling mattersSEIEI that she takes H'all's Wine. All wine merchants, licensed chemists and grocers sell Hall's Wine. Get the new, extra large size bottle, 3s. 6d.

!<!)!)!)!!<!).)))!! If it were not for the support of the | Doctors of the United Kingdom | |C3j| 8 Halt 's Wine fef The Marvellous Resforativc | would never have made such a record success as the | most immediate-acting restorative, and most reliable I | tonic. It acts immediately upon the nerves, and 8 I promptly sets about making new blood. Hence | Hall's Wine has no equal in convalescence, and for i^p====^ I debility, nerves, depression, insomnia, anaemia and | i&SJKlS' M 1 neuralgia. One bottle is proof. Your wine merchant, § —- |Kg I or licensed grocer or chemist has the new, extra-large 55 rj I size bottle, 3/6. Don't just think about it." Try it. I fla J80

HINTS FOR HEALTH. Personal cleanliness is the next o-renti-l P keeping young. A daily bath and a {;< d"nib I will clear the complexion faster thru it edicine. Poor ventilation is accountable for much ugli- ness, and in children, deformity. Fresh air and sunshine are as essential to a human being as they are to a plant. Never neglect your daily exercise. A walk for a couple of miles in the fresh morning aii, or a four or five mile bicycle ride, is one of the first essentials. Eight hours' sleep is absolutely required to rest the brain, and a 10 mir:utes' nap twice a dav will do much toward warding off wrinkles and keeping the face youthful. Avoid tight clothing; corsets, garters, eleeves. armholes, collars, and waistbands. Titrht clothing disturbs the circulation of the bI-Zed and is the cause of red noses, enlarged veins flushing, etc. Have plenty of fresh air in your living and sleeping rooms. Leave your bedroom window t from the top several inches every night, no *E.r IHIW cold the weather; have "your bed- (ri1)6 warm and light. On getting up in the morning arrange your bedding and bed so that they may be thoroughly aired, leave the window open in your bedroom for the greater part of the day. In your living room ventilation is also necessary, and sunshine, too. Plain, nourishing food and abundance of good, ripe fruit is another. Fruit is best eaten in the morning. Bananas are easy of digestion to some, and very nutritious; grapes are nourishing and fattening; apples are especially good for brain workers, and oranges are of great benefit to people afflicted with rheumatism.

♦ WHEN to CLEAN THE TEETH. If the teeth are to get but one thorough clean- ing during the day. just before retiring is the best time to give it to them, as there are six or eight hours during sleep that the salivary glands are inactive, and fatty and starchy foods, that may be lodged between and around the teeth, are bathed in saliva, a partial digestive fluid, undergo decomposition, forming acids which act more or less readily on the tooth structure at the time of its formation, the salivary glands not being active during sleep, acids are not diluted, as during the day; a free flow of saliva prevents to a great degree the deleterious effects of acids thus formed. ■ ♦

INJURIOUS FOOD. Some foods are very injurious to the sight. A case was brought under the notice of the eye specialist in which the eyes of a whole family were affected by eating rabbit pie. In each in- stance the patient had become afflicted with a peculiar defect of vision that is technically known as failure of accommodation." Some foods are proved to be the cause in a case of weakening of the sight known as amblyopia. Stale sausages and sour cream are equally in- jurious. Blindness ie-stiltiiig from eating tainted fish has been found almost impossible <0 to cure, and quinine is also responsible for some persons' half-blind condition. This drug affects the optic nerve in a manner that sometimes ends in blind- ness.

TREATMENT OF EARACHE. An ordinary earache, such as the general prac- titioner frequently meets, especially in chil- dren, is almost invariably an acute otitis media, either catarrhal or purulent in its character. Conditions of this kind have been combated by various remedies. Hot applications on the out- side of the ear are usually helpful. Under this heading may be included hot-water bags, hot salt bran bags, and considerable relief is often found from filling the fingers of kid gloves with hot salt and tying up the open ends. These little bags may be laid on a dish placed on the stove until thoroughly heated, then applied to the ear canal and covered with a thick cloth. In this way the heated bag comes into close con- tact with the tissues of the ear canal. The application of steam often gives prompt relief. A teacup is filled with boiling water, a wad of absorbent cotton pressed to the bottom of the cup, the water poured out, and the cup applied over the ear. Many drugs are found useful in relieving pain and earache. An aural supposi- tory, such as is manufactured by various phar- maceutical houses, each suppository containing half-grain of morphine, one one-hundredth grain atropine, and half-grain cocaine, is efficacious. These drugs are held together with cocoa butter. They can be gen Ly slipped into the ear, and will melt, with the heat of the body, or their usefulness can be consider."bly accentuated by the application to the ear of a hot bag.

HOW TO MAKE TEA. The facts to be borne in mind in the prepara- tion of a cup of tea are, first to develop the a-orna; second, to obtain the maximum quantity cf theine wi h the minimum percentage of tan- nic acid In order to do this to perfection it is necessary to have two hot, dry earthenware ) teapots, and as soft a water as possible. Should the water be hard it should be used directly it has started to boil, otherwise the precipitation of the hardening salts will interfere with the solution of the constituents. Last, but not least, good tea must be used. The teapots should be placed in front of the fire, or on the hob, to get them warm. Good tea can seldom be made in a cold or wet teapot. When the water has come to the boil, the tea should be placed in one of the hot pots, and allowed to remain with the cover on for hqlf a minute; boiling water should then be poured in quickly to the amount re- quired, and the pot allowed to stand under a cosy for four minutes, or from three to five minutes, according to the kind of tea used. After this period has elapsed the infusion should be used at once, or if required to stand for a little while, should be poured off into the second hot pot. On no account is a second brew per- missible if the tea prepared is to be non-inju- rious, and although this method may appear wasteful, yet it is not so when conducted in a proper manner. Usually an excess of tea leaves is placed in the pot in the first instance, for the purpose of obtaining t^e second brew, by the addition of hot water, but the same result in quantity would be obtained if the original tea were divided into two portions. and two sepa- rate infusions made, with tV ndd'tional advan- tage of a smaller quantity of the astringent tannic acid. When the leaves are allowed to stand for a time in the hot water, notable ouan- tities of the tannin are dissolved out. When, therefore, hot water is added to the leaves that have been standing in the pot, the. result is a solution of tannic acid, which, being astrin- gent and biting in t::>ste, the properties are looked upon as the strode tea of the brew, but as the stimulating properties of tea depend upon the theine, it is obvious th"t special tea does not produce the refreshing effect for which tea is taken.

LESSONS. They say that the mocking-bird right in the night Teacher his children to sing! f should do that, wouldn't it be Too funny for anything? I'd sit up in bed in my little white gown And sing. like the biulies, the scales up and down They say when the mother-bird thinks it is tim. For her babies to walk all alone, She pushes theni out of the nest one by one, Right out of their dear little home! If my mother did that to me, wouldn't I Just sit there and cry and cry and cry! I suppose they all know just the best way to do. The birdies' dear parents and mine, No matter how funny it may seem to us, We ought to obey every time, For mothers and fathers are older than we, And they ought to know best, don't you see? MERCURY AND THE WOODMAN. A woodman was felling a tree on the bank of river, and by chance let slip his axe into the water, 'when it immediately sunk to the bottom. Being thereupon in great distress, he sat down by the side of the stream and lamented his loss bitterly. But Mercury, whose river it was, taking compassion on him, appeared at the instant before him; and hearing from him the cause of his sorrow, dived to the bottom of the river, and bringing up a golden axe, asked the woodman if that were his, Upon the mail's denying it, Mer- cury dived a second time, and brought up one of silver. Again the man denied that it was his. So diving a third time, he produced the identical axe which the man had lost. That is mine 1" said the woodman, delighted to have recovered his own; and so pleased was Mercury with the fel- low's truth and honesty, that he at once made him a present of the other two. The man goes to his companions, and giving them an account of what had happened to him, one of them determined to try whether lie might not have the like good fortune. So repairing to the same place, as if for the purpose of cutting wood, he let slip his axe on purpose into the river, and then sat down on the bank. and made a great show of weeping. Mercury appeared as before, and hearing from him that his tears were caused by the loss of his axe, dived once more into the stream, and bringing up a golden axe, asked him if that was the axe lie had lost. Aye, surely," said the man, eagerly; and he was about to grasp the treasure, when Mercury, to punish his impudence and lying, not only reiused to give him that, but would not so much as restore him his own axe again. Honesty is the best policy.

BUSY MR. FROG. Hello, Mr. Frog! what are you doin' in mT garden P" said Jimmy to the big brown toad that was sitting in the middle of the lettuce bed i i hit-. corner of his father's garden. "Hello, Mr. Frog, I said, what are you doin' in my garden ?" But Mr. Frog answered never a word. He just sat there and looked solemnly at Jimmie out of his bright, beady eyes. Well, Mr. Frog." Jimmy persisted, if you won't tell me what you are doin', I'll just wait and see what you're doin' So Jimmie sat on the ground close by and looked at Mr. Frog, and Mr. Frog in turn looked at him. Pretty soon a little red bug flew down and lit on the lettuce near Mr. Frog's nose. Jimmie saw something flash out of Mr. Frog's mouth and back again quick as a wink." And Mr. Red Bug was not on the lettuc.e any more. Jimmie was sure Mr. Red Bug didn't fly away, but he wasn't sure about what had happened. He thought I'll watch Mr. Frog better next time." Again a bug stopped close to Mr. Frog: and again something jumped from Mr. Frog's mouth and back, and Mr. Bug was gone. And this time Jimmie was sure that little Mr. Bug had gone into big Mr. Frog's mouth. Before his mother called him to supper, Jimmie had seen Mr. Frog catch twenty-seven bugs. He asked his father how Mr. Frog could catch bugs so well, and was told that he had a long. slender tongue with a sticky end. and that when he flipped it against a bug Mr. Bug would just stick to it and go back into Mr. Frog's big stomach. Mr. Frog's a good fellow to have in your garden, son, and you had better care for him," said Jimmie's father. And Jimmie said, Yes, father. I certainly will. I'm goin' to be partners with Mr. Frog.

THE FIRST PATIENT OF FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE. It was Florence Nightingale's fondness for animals that first led her to learn something about nursing the sick. When she was a little girl of nine or ten she used to ride about the downs, near her Hampshire home, along with the parish clergyman, a great friend of her father's. This gentleman had studied medicine in his youth, and was a very kind friend to the sick poor. Florence often rode with him on his rounds, carrying on the saddle of her shaggy pony a basket of delicacies for the sick, and in this way her heart was trained to sympathy with those who suffered. One morning, as she and her friend rode over the downs, they saw old Roger, the shepherd, with his crook in his hand and a sheepskin over his shoulders, vainly trying to keep his flock to- gether. It was early spring, and the sheep were inclined to roam. "Where is your good sheep dog?" asked the clergyman of Roger; you cannot manage the sheen by yourself." Please, your reverence," said the old man, "Cap has come by a mishap; some boys threw stones at him, and I fear his leg is broken, and he will never be any good again. When I get back home I must get a rope and hang the poor beast, and put him out of his pain." "Hang Cap, dear old Cap?" cried Florence. Oli, Roger, how can you?" and the little girl's eyes filled with tears. Yes, it's a bad job, Missy," said Roger. Cap has been a faithful friend, and I can't bear to see him suffer, but he will never be any good again." Do let us go and see him," pleaded Florence, and at her earnest entreaty the clergyman rode with her over the hills to the shepherd's cottage. She could hear poor Cap moaning when she went up to the door. It was locked, but a neighbour's boy who had been left in charge of the injured dog came to open it. Florence knelt down by Cap, and at her kind, soothing words he wagged his tail, though his eyes were full of pain. The clergyman examined the injured limb, and found that it was not broken, though badly hurt and swollen. Under his instructions Florence set to work to make hot compresses. She helped the boy to make a fire of sticks, and soon had the kettle boiling. But linen cloths were wanted, and the cottage contained nothing of the kind. However, old Roger's clean Sunday smock was hanging behind the door, and under the direction of the clergyman Florence t-e it into sivH^lo and learned h0w tr 1, the hot cor" n, injured limb The 1 •? v + the rest rf 'he b side her r 'rl i" the evening wac re- warded b « look of nivui'-h leave Can"; eyes. For the first ti,,e she hr > e-1 v 0f bringing comfort and relief V-v:- n. In long years afterwards Flore- de saw the same look of g rq ■" s of wounded men as her geii fl, itfered to their wants, and thev L:o" her shadow that fell upon. their reqpcted by the tiny lamp which sh r hev hands when making her mid- s in the great hospital at Scutari. T t teil you that when old Roger re- tu; e in the evening, bringing a cord to hr" 1lt of his misery, he was overcome wit! ■ find his dog on the way to recovery, and r days which followed he did not forget to si; nraises of Miss Florence all round tho cr.i! "vside.

INTERESTING FACTS. Fifty-one metals are now known to exist; 400 years ago only seven were known. Lake Superior, the Victoria Nyanza, and Ire- land are all about the same in size. The best cork comes from Algeria. There are two and a half million acres of cork forests in that country. British India has the swiftest river in the world. It is the Sutlej, which in 180 miles has a descent of 12,000ft. During the present century the floods of the lYellow River, in China, have caused the loss of ever 11 million lives. It is no unusual thing for a. veesel plying be- tween Japan and London to carry 1,000,000 fans of all kinds as a single item of its cargo. Dead Sea fruit refers to the fact that the beautiful yellow fruit commonly known as the apple of Sodom flourishes in the neighbourhood of the Dead Sea. It has a peculiarly inviting appearance, heightened by the dreary nature of its environment, but the fruit ie extremely bitter.

♦ OBVIOUS. Subaltern: What on earth are you fellows doing? There hasn't been a hit signalled for the last half hour." Private; "I think we must have shot the marker, sir!"

♦ ROUGH ON HIM. A big able-bodied man of about middle-age shuffled into the P)(H' law guardians' office and curtly bade the clerk good morning. "Wot d'er mean." he began, by knockin' orf poor Widder Snugg's parish pay? She's a 'onest, 'ard-working woman, whose nose is in the washtub all dav, an' it's a wicked shame to rob 'er of 'er lorful rights." The clerk took down a big ledger and silently consulted it. U Mrs. Snugg has married again," he said, and the guardians have decided that she is no longer entitled to outdoor relief; and in any event, my maii, he added, sharply, I should like to know if the matter is any concern of yours ?" "Concern of mine;" the man repeated. Well, I should rather think so, guv'nor. If you stops the ole lady's pay you stops my daily ounce o' shag an' quart o' beer, too I'm 'er noo "usband

♦ THE RAIN-TREE. Some travellers in South America in traversing an arid and desolate tract of country were struck with a strange contrast. On one side there was a barren desert, on the, other a. rich and luxuriant vegetation. The French Consul at Loreto, Mexico, says that this remarkable con- trast is due to the presence of the Tamai Caspi, or the rain-tree. This tree grows to the height of 60 feet, with a diameter of three feet at its base, and possesses the power of strongly at- tracting, absorbing, and condensing the humidity of the atmosphere: water is always to be seen dripping from its trunk in such quan- tity as to convert the surrounding soil into a veritable marsh. It is in summer especially when the rivers are nearly dried up that the tree is most active. If this admirable quality of the rain-tree were utilized in the arid regions near the equator the people there, living in misery on account of the unproductive soil, would de- rive great advantages from its introduction, as well as the people of more favoured countries where the climate is dry and droughts frequent,

♦ A RESOURCEFUL MILKMAN. H You'll find," said the proprietor of a dairy to a new milkman who was taking over the walk," that the lady at 75 is inclined to find fault. You must soothe her down, and not be rude to her; she is a pretty good customer." Leave that to me, sir," answered the milkman. Those eggs you left here yesterday were stale," grunted the woman at No. 75 on the milkman's second visit. Them heggs was laid -arf an 'our afore you 'em by special quick-laying birds imported from the Mooly Wampo Island, ma'am, and they came down to this very 'ouse by Marconi- graph, so as ye should get 'em fresh. A bit of twangy flavour they may 'ave, madam, but you can lay odds they worn't 6tale." The fault-finding lady gasped, The milk didn't seem so good as usual yes- terday either," she ventured. a The guv'nor will be cut hup when 'e 'al"s that, ma'am," continued the milkman. u'E sent down to Halderney a purpus for a cow what'll eat nothing but peaches and pine-apples. í Never mind the hexpense," says he, í this 'ere cow we keeps a purpus for the lady at 75; and mind it sleeps on a feather bed at nights,'he says, í and don't forget the heiderdown quilt.' Was there anything wrong with the butter, ma'am?" But the lady shook her head; she had been effectively appeased.

-+-- QUEER THING IN NATURE. Many centuries ago a. ferocious-looking idol was erected in Western China by the supersti- tious Chinese to guard the souls of their priests against evil spirits. It was an enormous idol, shaped somewhat like a tiger, and when it was constructed the evident idea was to make some- thing more terrifying than any hing in Nature, so that no evil spirits would dare come near it. The idol stood guard at the entrance to the burying-L'round for priests for hundreds of years. The designers of this Cerberus of the souls may have imagined that for hideousness and frightfulness their idol was a great im- provement over anything that Nature ever at- tempted along that line; but, as a matter of fact, a comparison of natural and artificial oddi- ties shows th"t the Chinese idol-makers fell far short in their attempt to outdo Nature as de- signers of perfect fr ghts. Take, for instance, the human-face crab found in the Inland Sea of Japan. These crabs are very common. Upon the back of each one is a curiously-formed like- ness of a grotesque human face. No two of these crabs are marked exactly alike. The face is often smiling with a broad grin, and but little imagination is required to m°ke out two twink- ling eyes beneath the slanted Oriental eyebrows; and the round, jovial face, with the puffed-out cheeks and shaven forehead, is qu'te Oriental- a distortedlv distinct caricature of a Japanese free. But mnny of them have hideous faces— nightmarish f ces-fa-es portraying the greatest agony of suffering. One is not surprised to find freaks like this in Japan. In a country where everything seems odd and strange, one expects to find grot^soue and weird things everywhere; but all the things that seem curious to us are explained by thp folk-lore stories and legend of the Japanese. They h ve stories that account fr,r everything, and to them nothing seems really strange or unusual.

-+-- PERFECTLY SAFE. Michael Dugan, a journeyman plumber, was sent bv his employer to the Hightower mansion t, '••a«-leak in the drawingroom. When the buMer admitted him, he said to Dugan:— •1 p-e requested to be careful of the floors. Thev h • e iust been polished." There's, no danger iv me slippin' on thim," replied Dugan. I hov spikes in me shoes."

A good method for removing rust from steel is to first rub the object with sweet oil, and then, after a. day or two. rub it with finely-powdered unslaked lime until the rust disappears. Then give it again a coating of oil with a woollen cloth, and put it in a dry place.

• ♦ TO IMPROVE WATER COLOURS AND INKS. The distinguished German chemist Ostwald has taken out a German patent for the improve- ment of drawing inks and water-colours. He has found that by the addition of small quanti- ties (from 1: 100 to 1: 1,000; of volatile organic compounds of the aliphatic series, which are soluble in Vater, at least to a small extent, and contain not less than four atoms of carbon, inks, drawing-inks, and other water-colours are ren- dered capable of readily marking such surfaces as parchment, ivory, waxed paper, etc. In the case of neutral liquids, an alcohol, ester, or other neutral substance is used, while to acid inks, free fatty acids, such as valeric or caproic ftfcid, may be added.

• ♦ COLD WATER ANNEALING. A correspondent of the American Machinist calls attention to the old method of cold-water annealing reported to be highly successful on the common grades of steel. It is to heat the steel to a dull red, and then holding it in a dark place until the red disappears and the steel turns black. The steel is then dipped in cold water, and can be easily filed. Of course, this method can only be used where it is desired to anneal the end of the piece, as it would be difficult to cool the work evenly. For small profile machine-cutters, etc., it is very handy, because waiting is unnecessary. Another way of testing the "dipping heat is to allow the piece to cool gradually, at the same time rubbing the steel with a piece of' dry white pine. When the1 steel is nearly cool enough to dip, small particles of charred wood will rub off. stick to the steel, and glow momentarily. When the action ceases, dip. ♦

ELECTRICAL MEASUREMENT OF HEAT AND FLOW. A meter for measuring the rate of now of gas or air, which can be adapted for use as a steam meter "i)r as a steam calorimeter, taking the quality of all the steam passing through a pipe instead of that of a sample of steam, was described recently to a meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The opera- tion of the gas-meter depends upon the principle of adding electrically a known quantity of heat to the gas and determining the rate of flow by the rise in temperature of the gas—about 5 degrees Fahrenheit—between inlet and outlet. The meter consists of an electric heater formed of suitable resistance material disposed across the gas passage so as to impart heat at a uniform rate to the gas. The resulting rise of tempera- ture is measured and autographically recorded, by means of two electrical resistance ther- mometers. one on each side of the heater. These consist of resistance wire wound upon metal tubes so placed that all the gas passing through the meter comes in close proximity to the ther- mometers. The adoption of this principle of operation permits the construction of a very accurate and sensitive autographic meter of large capacity containing no moving parts in the gas passage: it is independent of fluctuations in pressure and temperature of the gas. and capable of measuring gas or air at either high or low pressures or temperatures. The electrical energy required is about one kilowatt per 50.000 cubic feet hourly capacity at the pressures ordinarily used in gas mains.

♦ LUBRICATION BY THE USE OF MICA. Putting down the friction losses in a plant is one of the difficult problems of the engineer. Needless to say the same kind of lubricants will not answer equally well for all kinds of bear- ings. A high-speed bearing, with high pressures, requires a very different oil from a slow-running bearing carrying a high pressure, and for other places other lubricants are better than any oil. A hot journal is a bugbear which every engineer dreads, and a supply of mica flake lubricant has in many cases proved a cheap insurance against loss of time and products due to 11,4- cause. A little of the mica flake mixed with oil or grease and used all the time has been found to llt down the cost of lubrication materially. The flake enters the cracks and pits which may appear in the rubbing surfaces, and fills them to a smooth, even surface, thus giving a degree of smocthness of running not obtainable when the surfaces of the metals themselves are in contact. It is absolutely cleanly, and no abrasion of metal takes place when it is used. Only a little of the flake is needed, three to six ounces in a gallon of oil being plenty, so that the cost is very small. The mica is so light that it will be carried in suspension by the oil, or it may be applied absolutely dry. but in this case a very small quantity should be sprinkled 011 the bearing after the oil is applied. For use with grease, one part mica flake to three parts grease is the proportion recommended. Tests made by the Mechanical Department of Armour Institute of Technology showed that with the addition of five per cent, of mica to a lubricating oil, the pressure could be doubled without heat- ing of the bearing, and the oil would last nearly four times as long as when used alone.

0 THE COLDEST REGION OF THE ATMOSPHERE. The decrease in the temperature of the air with increasing altitude—exemplified in the fact that the top of a mountain is colder than its base-is a matter of common knowledge. It is a fact that occasional inversions of this distribu- tion of temperature may occur—as when fruit- trees in a valley bottom are nipped by a frost that does not touch the liill-tops; but it remains true, in general, that the temperature of the air decreases upward, and that the air at great alti- tudes is extremely cold compared with that at the surface of the earth. Until Teisserenc de Bort announced his discovery of the isothermal layer, eight years ago, it was not suspected that this decrease of temperature did not extend up- ward to the limits of the atmosphere. Now, however, we know that at a certain altitude, averaging in middle latitudes, about 11,000 metres (seven miles), the fall in temperature with increasing altitude, ceases rather abruptly, usually giving place to a rise of temperature, for a certain distance upward, above which the tem- perature remains approximately constant as far as the highest ascents of sounding-balloons have carried thermometric apparatus. Hence, above any given spot on the earth's surface the air is coldest j ust below the region of the -upper inver- sion, which marks the beginning of the grea.t isothermal layer (or, as it is now called by its discoverer, the stratosphere "). The altitude of the isothermal layer varies with the baro- metric pressure at the earth's surface, with the season, and especially with the latitude. It is somewhat less over the Poles than over middle latitudes, and very much greater over Equatorial regions than anywhere else in the world. In other words, the decrease of temperature with altitude continues to a much greater height within the tiopic than elsewhere, and this ex- plains the fact that the lowest temperature ever registered in the atmosphere was met with almost exactly over the Equator, viz.. 84.3 degrees C. (119.7degrees F.). at an altitude of 19.300 metres (about 12 miles), at Shirati, on Victoria Nyanza. August 30th, 1908. This was one of the many interesting results of the remarkable series of sounding-balloon ascensions executed in Equatorial Africa by the expedition under Beson and Elias, sent out by the Royal Observatory of Lindenberg, the complete report of which has just been published by the observatory.— Scientific American."

♦ SERIOUS BUSINESS. Where's your father ?' asked the man on horseback. Up the river fishinY' answered the boy. Where's your big brother?" Down the river fishinV ""IV, hat are you doing?" Diggin' bait." "Hasn't your family anything to do but amuse itself?" Mister, if you think we're doin' this for fun, you wait an' hear what maw says if we come home without any fish."