Volume 24 (1872) (424 pages)

April 20, 1872.] SCIENTIFIC PRESS. 247 Userut INFoRMATION. The Nature of Different Resins. Dr. Sacc, of Neuenburg, Switzerland, has wade an cxtensivo inquiry into the uature of diffcrent resins. Wo condense from it the following results. The resins spoken of aro copal, amber, damimar, common resin, shellac, elemi, sandarach, mastic, and Caramba wax. All these resius can he reduced to powder. The following will become pasty before melting: amber, shellac, elomi, sandarach, aud mastic; the others will become liquids at ouce. In boiling water, Caramha wax will melt; common resin will form a semi-tluid mass; dammur, shellac, elemi, and mastie will bocome sticky; whilo copal, amber and sandarach will reniain unchanged. Dammar and amber do not dissolve in alcohol; copal becomes pasty; elemi and Caramha wax dissolve with difficulty; while resiu, shellac, sandarach and mastic dissolve easily. Acetic acid makes commou resin swell; on all the others it has no effect. Caustic soda dissolves shellao readily, resin partly; but has no influenco on the others. Amber and shellac do not dissolyoin sulphate of earhon; copal becomes soft, and expands; elemi, sundarach, mastic, and Caramha wax dissolve slowly; while resin and dammar disaolve easily. Oil of turpontine dissolves neither amber nor shellac, but swells copal; dissolves dammar, resin, elemi, sandarach, and Caramba wax easily, and mastie very ensily. Boiling Huseed oil has no effect on copal, amber, and Caramba wax; shellac, elemi, aud sandarach dissolve in it slowly; while dammar, resin, and mastic dissolve easily. Benzine doos not dissolve copal, amher, and shellac, but does elemi and sandarach to a limited extent, and Carumha wax more easily; while dammar, resin, and mastic offer no difficulty. Petroleum other has no effect on copal, amber, and shellac; it is a poor solvent for resin, elemi, sandarach, aud Caramba wax, and a good one for dammar and ‘mastic. Coucentrated sulphuric acid is indifferent to Caramba wax; it dissolves all resins, imparting to them a dark brown color, excepting dammar, which takes a brilliant red tint. Nitric acid imparts to Caramba wax a straw color; to elemi, a dirty yellow; to mastic and sandarach, a light brown; it does not effect the others. Ammonia is indifferent to amber, dammar, shollac, elemi, and Caramba wax; copal, sandarach, and mastic become soft, and finally dissolve; while resin will dissolve at once. It is not difficult by means of these reactions to test the different resina for their purity.— Deuzlin, Polythenie Journal. Exprermsents Asour Hrat.—The Providence Journal gives the following interesting experiments made in that city with an excellent glassmounted thermometer. . In the house with open windows it stood at 90.2°. Out of door in the shade at 95°—freely suspended in the suu six feet above the greenaward 99.5°, In the same position with wet bulb 79.9°.—with bulb covered with black silk, 109.96°. When laid upon the grass in the sun it rose to 104°. Laid npon white cloth, placed upon the grass, 105.0°, and when similarly placed upon black silk it indicated 113°. The experiments with different colored coverings show very conclusively the utility of light colored clothing for those who are obliged to be exposed to the direct range of the sun at high temperatures—and the experiment with the wet bulb shows as clearly the value of free perspiration in keeping down the temperature of the body, which, however, the observer finds in his own person, notwithstanding the perspiration while making these experiments, to have risen to 100.5°—which is about two degrees above the nsual standard for cooler days, The average temperature of the healthy human body throughout the year, in temperate climates, is 98.4°—while in tropical regions it is about one degree higher. THe LARGE cLocE at the English Parliament House is the largest one in the world. The four dials of this clock aro twenty-two feet in diameter. Every half minute the point of the minute hand moves nearly seven inches. The clock will go eight and a half days, but it only strikes for seven and ahalf, thns indicating any neglect in winding it up. The pendulum is fifteen feetlong, the wheels of cast-iron, the hour bell is eight feet high and nine feetin diameter, weighing nearly fifteen tons, and the hammer alone weighs more than 400 pounds. This clock strikes the quarter-hours, and by its strokes the short hand reporters in the Parliament chambers regulate their labors. At every stroke a new reporter takes the place of the old one, whilst the first retires to write out the notes he has taken during the previous fifteen minutes.— Ex. Ivory is bleached by exposure to sunlight. For piano makers and others, it is prepared by first sawing it into thinsheets or plates. These are placed on suitable frames, under glass, and exposed to light for several months. Thé frames are of peculiar constrnction and patented. They are so arranged as to shift, thus reversing the erporutg of the ivory, so that hoth sides may be duly acted upon by the light. Lone and repeated boiling injures glue. Sparrows and Mosquitos. A highly respectable gentleman of New York, well known in this city, having noticed our recent allusion to the great increase of mosquitos in Boston, writes us a private note on the snbject. Ho says that for three years past theso pests have boen diminishing in New York city. He had been In the eity day and night during June and July just past, and lad not yet seen one mosquito, nor heard but two or three during tke night watches. He attrihutes this change to the active services of the English sparrow, which have recently been introduced in that city. Four years ago, twenty pairs were imported, and provision was made for their accommodation. Now it is estimated that there are five thousand pair in the New York park and gardens; aud their active and industrious habits are believed to have materially dimiuished the swarms of mosquitos which have heretofore made New York tl bpworit aud 9 hissing among all light sleepers who have sensitive skins. This theory is strengthened by the fact that thesame experience has marked the introduction of the sparrows into Jersey City—the mosquitos have greatly diminished there even, which is mosquito laud itself. If there is anything iu this—if the English sparrow does actually wage war on mosquitos, as on Measuring worma and caterpillars, and other insect nuisances, which threatened at one time to compel the removal of shade trees from all our cities and towns—then we go forimporting one thousand or five thonsand pairs at once, to be domesticated in Boston and immediate neighborhood, as a watter of more importance to the peace and comfort of our citizens than would be the addition of one hundred extra poicemen.—Boston Traveler. Fastentne Loose Winpow-sssHEs.—The most convenient way to prevent loose window-sashes from rattling when the wind blows, is to make four one-sided buttons of wood, and screw them to the stopes whioh are nailed to the facecasiugs of the window, making each button of proper length to press the side of the sash outwards when the end of the button is turned down horizontally. The buttons operste like acam. By having them of the correct length to crowd the sash outwards, the sash will not only be held so firmly that it cannot rattle, but the crack which admitted dust and cold air will be closed so tightly that no window-stripa will be required. The buttons should be placed about half-way from the upper to the lower ond of each stile of the sashes. Canat Boat Propurston.—Dr. R. Hunter, of Cleveland, Ohio, haa invented a method of propelling canal boats by means of an indiarubber plate attached to the stern of the boat and actuated by steam in the manner of a fish’s tail. Mechanical Hints, Best TIME For Parntine Houszs.— Technologist says: The best time for painting the exterior of buildings is late in the autumn or during the winter. Paint then applied will endure twice as long as when applied in early summer or in hot weather. Inthe former it dries slowly and becomes very hard, like a glazed surface, not easily affected afterwards by the weather or the beating of storms. But in very hot weather the oil in the paint soaks in the wood at once, asin a sponge, leaving the lead nearly dry aud nearly ready to crumble off. This last difficulty, however, might in a measure be guarded against though at an increased expense, by first going over the surface with raw oil. By painting in cold weather, one annoyance might be escaped, namely, the collection of small flies on the fresh paint. Ow ror Harfesses.—Harnesses, it is said, may be rendered impervious to water by thoroughly impregnating them with a mixture made in the proportion of twenty-one gallons of pure whale-oil and fifteen to seventeen pounds of india rubber shreds. Heat these ingredients together at a temperaturo of from 194° to 240°, which will insure the dissolution of the rubber. AnoTHEer.—Alcohol, 1 gallon, white turpentine, 114 ibs., gum shellac, 14% ths., Venice turpentlne, 1 gill, Let them stand by the stove until the gumsare dissolved, then add swcet oil, 1 gill, and color, if you wish it, with lampblack, 20z. This will not crack like the old varnish. Exastic Varnish For LeatHer.—Take two parts by weight of resin, and one of india rubber, and heat them in an earthenware vessel till they are fused together; after which they should be stirred till they are quite cold; a little boiled linseed oil may be added while the materials are hot. To Improve Ginninc.—Mix a gill of water with two ounces of purified nitre, one ounce of alum, one ounce of common salt; lay this over gilt articles with a brush, and the color will be mnch improved. Any hard, steel tool, will cut glass with great facility when kept freely wet with camphor dissolved in turpentine. The ragged edges of glass vessels may also be thus easily smoothed by a flat file. Cuzantna Brass.—One of the best hquids to clean old brass is a solution of oxalic acid. Goon Hearth. More About Tight Shoes. Poor, little, pinched, tired feet! How my heart ached for them, as I saw them encased in suug, trim, buttoned hoots! They were on the feet of a little girl, four or five years of age. The ‘night traiu’’ had just reached its destination, aud eurly morning found us very tired and sleepy as we stepped to the platform and hurricd on onr way. The child had evidently worn those new, tight boots all night, and was now so stiff and lame that each step was a distortion of ber dear little fect aud ankles. How she must have suffered during the long, long hours of that night of travel! I could but contrast her appearance with that of a little hoy hy my side, whose shoos were old, and easy, aud comfortable. that he had enjoyed a nice night's sleep, with day clothing laid aside, and robed in his night dress as at home. Now ho was bright and fresh, and well fitted for the day of travel before him, while tho other little one was just the reverse. I thought: ‘‘ When will parents learn commou sense, nud dress their children for comfort!” Atl day long, as I jonrnied on, and many times since, have I seen, iu imagination, the poor, little, pinched feet, as I saw them on that morning. Tight shoes—what misery they give! Who of us has not worn them, and suffered in them, and felt as thongh we could not enduro them a moment longer? How our tempers have been turned, and peevish or angry retorts given, all on account of tight shoes! Away with tight shoes, both for ourselves and all under our care! They area deadly foe to comfort and happiness. Let us also be oharitable to the failings and faults of others; for if not caused by tight shoes on the feet, they may be pinched somewhere, either iu body or mind. There are aches and pains, secret trials and disappointments, that may be called the tight shoes of the soul; and how often we wear them perversely, suffering anguish when we have only to throw off the bondage, the desire for conventional trimness of effect, and, shod appropriately and sensibly, oP forth cheerily on our way.—Hearth and ome. Morbid Sorrow, Too often it is the ease that men remember their sorrow, and do not register their joy. But even under afflictions, if men did but know it, there are musical tones which might strike through the requiem’s wail. There are lights that might illumine the dark, Rembrandtian sorrows. Men fallinto amania. Sorrow takes ona diseased form. It becomea morbid. It whets and stimulates itself. It ferments, It overflows. It tinges the whole mind from top to bottom withitscolor. As just after a drenching rain every twig on the tree is fringed with the drops, and every leaf weeps; and, as when some gust of wind strikesit the tree rains again, as if it were a cloud; so, when sad experience comes upon us, we are apt to be remorseless with ourselves, and to work upon our own snsceptibilities. We do not put hope over against despair, aud cheer over againstgloom. Therefore much of the suffering which men have in life, much of the gloom which they are under, results from the not using of themselves wisely. I see in many who come to me a morbid taste for suffering. Itisa hideous form of excitement. Persons at last even come toa state in which they want to auffer—or rather, want to be thought to suffer. They want to reap in the fields of sympathy this abnormal and, what seems to me, hideous praise of seeming to suffer. Sometimes no greater offense cau be given than to compliment persons on their health, and happiness, and prosperity. For they are martyrs, and they walk underacape of sadness; and not to recognize that, is to deny them the chief pleasure almost of their ife. To be miserable is their joy !—Beecher, Rerorten Curz or Hyprornoma.—tIn the newspapers appears the statement of a case of hydrophobia which occurred at or near Detroit, and which was treated successfully by the following means: One grain snlph. morph. was injected hypodermically every four hours, and 30 grains castor given at the same intervals. Small quantities of chloroform were also inhaled. Sleep was produced in half an hour, lasting an hour and a half, and finally the convulsious ceased. The patient was wrapped in a woolen blanket wrung out of a warm solution of muriate of ammonia, 20 grains to the ounce; but this was not done till the symptoms began to yield. There was nothing very novel in this treatment, especially as to the morphia and chloroform, which were doubtless the efficient agents, admitting the case to be correctly stated. The castor and the warm fomentation may have aided slightly. But ths patient is described as ‘barking like a dog,’’ seizing the pillows in his teeth and shaking them likea a ferocious dog, ete. This part of the story does not add to its credibility. Itis matter of surprise that newspapers conducted by intelligent men will from time to time give currency to such statements, whilst physicians everywhere have declared against them as popnlar errors. Prohably one-half the civillzod world still believe that men with dydrophobia act the part of rabid dogs, and are freqnently relieved from suffering, through professional authority, by pressure between feather beds.— American Chemist. I knew . to Wuat to Do tx Ewercuncies.—If a person falls in a fit, and begins to snore loudly, with a yery red face, it is spoplexy. Let him he seated 50858 to favor the blood going downwards, from tne head; apply cold cloths to the head ,or cushions to equal quantities of snow or pounded ice and common salt. If the person is perfectly still, face pale, and there is no perceptible hrcathing, itisa fit of fainting. Do not touch him, except to looseu the clothing; then keep off five or ten feet distaut, so as to allow the sir to come in; make no noise, and there will soon he a calm, quiet return to cousciousuess aud life, for it is only a momentary cessation of the circulation of the blood to the head. Bnt suppose there is a very violent motiou of the hands and feet, and sre all sorts of bodily contortions, itis epilepsy. Let the man contort until he is tired; you can’t hold him still; all your efforts only teud to aggravate the trouble aud exhaust the strength; all that onght be done is to keep the unfortunate from hurting himself. There is no felt suffering, for as soon as he comes to he will tell you that he remembers nothing whatever of what haa passed, appears to be the only calm aud selfpossessed person in the whole crowd, and is apparently as perfectly well as before the occurrence, Dizziness ofteu comes instantancously, and we begin to reel before we know it. Shut the eyes, whether you are walking along the street, looking over a precipice, ascending a ladder, or climhing to a ship’s mast head; the fear of "dizziness disappears instantly if you look upwards.—Iail’s Be of Iealth. AnrinoTE to Puosprorovs.—It is wellknown thatmany metallic salts, such as acetate of lead, sulphate of copper, salts of mercury, bismuth, etc., are withdrawn from their aqueons solutious by vegetahle charcoal, but to a still greater exteut hy mineral hlack. Carbon also absorbs many alkaloids from their solutions, and it is npon this property that the process is hased for the detection of strychnine in beer by its means. MM. Eulenberg and Vohl uow show that phosphorous is also absorbcd by carbon, and to such an extent that carbon taken in the form of pills constitutes a complete antidote to the poisou, and relieves those who have to manipulate phosphorous from all the disastrous consequences hitherto aceruiug. The cxperiments they have made upon animals have yielded exceedingly favorable results. They prepare the auimal charcoal pills by powdering the charcoal and making it up with a little gum. In match-factories they find the results of these pills are better than those obtained hy tho use of the essence of terebinthine of M. Personne, as the continued use of the latter was found to produce violent headaches.—Am. Artisan. CaurrorntA Boarn or Heatta.—Dr. Logan in his last monthly health report, says:—The State continues in the possession of the high sanitary condition that has ruled for some time past. Pneumonia and catarrhal affections havo prevailed pretty generally, but of a mild form; also, rheumatism. Several well marked cases of scarlatina have been observed in differennt points. Small-pox still continues by frequent importations from other places, but owing to the prompt measures adopted in isolating the cases as soon as discovered, it has not spread. There is now one case in Sacramento, which is quarantiued in a teut some two miles from the city. Vaccination has heen so general as, probably, to render it impossible for this disease to prevail to any extent during the approaching dry season. ‘: Exurcirse.—The amount of daily exercise necessary for health depends upon the kind of exercise, and varies considerably with different persons and with the same persou at different times. A safe rule to go by is to exercise until slightly fatigued. It should not be continued so long that half au hour of perfect rest will not entirely remove all feeling of fatigue. Special exercise for retaining health should uot as a general rule be taken less than two or three hours after a meal, except it may be some slight exercise, aS moderate walking, riding, etc. A person should always be thoroughly rested after exercise, before eating; perhaps the very best time of day for taking exercise is from 10 to 12 o’clock in the forenoon, althongh the time may be varied to suit the persou’s convenience.—Herald of Health. To Cure THE Love or ARnENT Spririts.— Captain Hall was the commander of the Great Eastern steamship. He had fallen into such habitual drunkenness that his most earnest efforts to reclaim himself proved unavailing. At length he sought the advice of an ancient physician, who gave him a prescription which he followed faithfully for seven months. At the end of that time he had lost all desire for liquor, although he had many times been led captive by a most debasing appetite. The prescription, which he afterwards published, and hy which so many other drunkards have been assisted to reform, is as follows: Sulphate of iron, 5 grains; magnesia, 10 grains; peppermint water, 11 drachms; spirit of nutmeg, 1 drachm; twice a day. To Remeve Frosten Frer.—To relieve the intense itching of frosted feet, dissolve a lump of alum in a little water and bathe the part with it, warming it before the fire. One or two applications is sure to give relief. WHoortne cough is now cured by compressed air, Dr. Sardahl, of Stockholm, reports 102 cases rapidly cured by this treatment.—Medical Journal. .

April 20, 1872.] SCIENTIFIC PRESS. 247 Userut INFoRMATION. The Nature of Different Resins. Dr. Sacc, of Neuenburg, Switzerland, has wade an cxtensivo inquiry into the uature of diffcrent resins. Wo condense from it the following results. The resins spoken of aro copal, amber, damimar, common resin, shellac, elemi, sandarach, mastic, and Caramba wax. All these resius can he reduced to powder. The following will become pasty before melting: amber, shellac, elomi, sandarach, aud mastic; the others will become liquids at ouce. In boiling water, Caramha wax will melt; common resin will form a semi-tluid mass; dammur, shellac, elemi, and mastie will bocome sticky; whilo copal, amber and sandarach will reniain unchanged. Dammar and amber do not dissolve in alcohol; copal becomes pasty; elemi and Caramha wax dissolve with difficulty; while resiu, shellac, sandarach and mastic dissolve easily. Acetic acid makes commou resin swell; on all the others it has no effect. Caustic soda dissolves shellao readily, resin partly; but has no influenco on the others. Amber and shellac do not dissolyoin sulphate of earhon; copal becomes soft, and expands; elemi, sundarach, mastic, and Caramha wax dissolve slowly; while resin and dammar disaolve easily. Oil of turpontine dissolves neither amber nor shellac, but swells copal; dissolves dammar, resin, elemi, sandarach, and Caramba wax easily, and mastie very ensily. Boiling Huseed oil has no effect on copal, amber, and Caramba wax; shellac, elemi, aud sandarach dissolve in it slowly; while dammar, resin, and mastic dissolve easily. Benzine doos not dissolve copal, amher, and shellac, but does elemi and sandarach to a limited extent, and Carumha wax more easily; while dammar, resin, and mastic offer no difficulty. Petroleum other has no effect on copal, amber, and shellac; it is a poor solvent for resin, elemi, sandarach, aud Caramba wax, and a good one for dammar and ‘mastic. Coucentrated sulphuric acid is indifferent to Caramba wax; it dissolves all resins, imparting to them a dark brown color, excepting dammar, which takes a brilliant red tint. Nitric acid imparts to Caramba wax a straw color; to elemi, a dirty yellow; to mastic and sandarach, a light brown; it does not effect the others. Ammonia is indifferent to amber, dammar, shollac, elemi, and Caramba wax; copal, sandarach, and mastic become soft, and finally dissolve; while resin will dissolve at once. It is not difficult by means of these reactions to test the different resina for their purity.— Deuzlin, Polythenie Journal. Exprermsents Asour Hrat.—The Providence Journal gives the following interesting experiments made in that city with an excellent glassmounted thermometer. . In the house with open windows it stood at 90.2°. Out of door in the shade at 95°—freely suspended in the suu six feet above the greenaward 99.5°, In the same position with wet bulb 79.9°.—with bulb covered with black silk, 109.96°. When laid upon the grass in the sun it rose to 104°. Laid npon white cloth, placed upon the grass, 105.0°, and when similarly placed upon black silk it indicated 113°. The experiments with different colored coverings show very conclusively the utility of light colored clothing for those who are obliged to be exposed to the direct range of the sun at high temperatures—and the experiment with the wet bulb shows as clearly the value of free perspiration in keeping down the temperature of the body, which, however, the observer finds in his own person, notwithstanding the perspiration while making these experiments, to have risen to 100.5°—which is about two degrees above the nsual standard for cooler days, The average temperature of the healthy human body throughout the year, in temperate climates, is 98.4°—while in tropical regions it is about one degree higher. THe LARGE cLocE at the English Parliament House is the largest one in the world. The four dials of this clock aro twenty-two feet in diameter. Every half minute the point of the minute hand moves nearly seven inches. The clock will go eight and a half days, but it only strikes for seven and ahalf, thns indicating any neglect in winding it up. The pendulum is fifteen feetlong, the wheels of cast-iron, the hour bell is eight feet high and nine feetin diameter, weighing nearly fifteen tons, and the hammer alone weighs more than 400 pounds. This clock strikes the quarter-hours, and by its strokes the short hand reporters in the Parliament chambers regulate their labors. At every stroke a new reporter takes the place of the old one, whilst the first retires to write out the notes he has taken during the previous fifteen minutes.— Ex. Ivory is bleached by exposure to sunlight. For piano makers and others, it is prepared by first sawing it into thinsheets or plates. These are placed on suitable frames, under glass, and exposed to light for several months. Thé frames are of peculiar constrnction and patented. They are so arranged as to shift, thus reversing the erporutg of the ivory, so that hoth sides may be duly acted upon by the light. Lone and repeated boiling injures glue. Sparrows and Mosquitos. A highly respectable gentleman of New York, well known in this city, having noticed our recent allusion to the great increase of mosquitos in Boston, writes us a private note on the snbject. Ho says that for three years past theso pests have boen diminishing in New York city. He had been In the eity day and night during June and July just past, and lad not yet seen one mosquito, nor heard but two or three during tke night watches. He attrihutes this change to the active services of the English sparrow, which have recently been introduced in that city. Four years ago, twenty pairs were imported, and provision was made for their accommodation. Now it is estimated that there are five thousand pair in the New York park and gardens; aud their active and industrious habits are believed to have materially dimiuished the swarms of mosquitos which have heretofore made New York tl bpworit aud 9 hissing among all light sleepers who have sensitive skins. This theory is strengthened by the fact that thesame experience has marked the introduction of the sparrows into Jersey City—the mosquitos have greatly diminished there even, which is mosquito laud itself. If there is anything iu this—if the English sparrow does actually wage war on mosquitos, as on Measuring worma and caterpillars, and other insect nuisances, which threatened at one time to compel the removal of shade trees from all our cities and towns—then we go forimporting one thousand or five thonsand pairs at once, to be domesticated in Boston and immediate neighborhood, as a watter of more importance to the peace and comfort of our citizens than would be the addition of one hundred extra poicemen.—Boston Traveler. Fastentne Loose Winpow-sssHEs.—The most convenient way to prevent loose window-sashes from rattling when the wind blows, is to make four one-sided buttons of wood, and screw them to the stopes whioh are nailed to the facecasiugs of the window, making each button of proper length to press the side of the sash outwards when the end of the button is turned down horizontally. The buttons operste like acam. By having them of the correct length to crowd the sash outwards, the sash will not only be held so firmly that it cannot rattle, but the crack which admitted dust and cold air will be closed so tightly that no window-stripa will be required. The buttons should be placed about half-way from the upper to the lower ond of each stile of the sashes. Canat Boat Propurston.—Dr. R. Hunter, of Cleveland, Ohio, haa invented a method of propelling canal boats by means of an indiarubber plate attached to the stern of the boat and actuated by steam in the manner of a fish’s tail. Mechanical Hints, Best TIME For Parntine Houszs.— Technologist says: The best time for painting the exterior of buildings is late in the autumn or during the winter. Paint then applied will endure twice as long as when applied in early summer or in hot weather. Inthe former it dries slowly and becomes very hard, like a glazed surface, not easily affected afterwards by the weather or the beating of storms. But in very hot weather the oil in the paint soaks in the wood at once, asin a sponge, leaving the lead nearly dry aud nearly ready to crumble off. This last difficulty, however, might in a measure be guarded against though at an increased expense, by first going over the surface with raw oil. By painting in cold weather, one annoyance might be escaped, namely, the collection of small flies on the fresh paint. Ow ror Harfesses.—Harnesses, it is said, may be rendered impervious to water by thoroughly impregnating them with a mixture made in the proportion of twenty-one gallons of pure whale-oil and fifteen to seventeen pounds of india rubber shreds. Heat these ingredients together at a temperaturo of from 194° to 240°, which will insure the dissolution of the rubber. AnoTHEer.—Alcohol, 1 gallon, white turpentine, 114 ibs., gum shellac, 14% ths., Venice turpentlne, 1 gill, Let them stand by the stove until the gumsare dissolved, then add swcet oil, 1 gill, and color, if you wish it, with lampblack, 20z. This will not crack like the old varnish. Exastic Varnish For LeatHer.—Take two parts by weight of resin, and one of india rubber, and heat them in an earthenware vessel till they are fused together; after which they should be stirred till they are quite cold; a little boiled linseed oil may be added while the materials are hot. To Improve Ginninc.—Mix a gill of water with two ounces of purified nitre, one ounce of alum, one ounce of common salt; lay this over gilt articles with a brush, and the color will be mnch improved. Any hard, steel tool, will cut glass with great facility when kept freely wet with camphor dissolved in turpentine. The ragged edges of glass vessels may also be thus easily smoothed by a flat file. Cuzantna Brass.—One of the best hquids to clean old brass is a solution of oxalic acid. Goon Hearth. More About Tight Shoes. Poor, little, pinched, tired feet! How my heart ached for them, as I saw them encased in suug, trim, buttoned hoots! They were on the feet of a little girl, four or five years of age. The ‘night traiu’’ had just reached its destination, aud eurly morning found us very tired and sleepy as we stepped to the platform and hurricd on onr way. The child had evidently worn those new, tight boots all night, and was now so stiff and lame that each step was a distortion of ber dear little fect aud ankles. How she must have suffered during the long, long hours of that night of travel! I could but contrast her appearance with that of a little hoy hy my side, whose shoos were old, and easy, aud comfortable.

that he had enjoyed a nice night's sleep, with day clothing laid aside, and robed in his night dress as at home. Now ho was bright and fresh, and well fitted for the day of travel before him, while tho other little one was just the reverse. I thought: ‘‘ When will parents learn commou sense, nud dress their children for comfort!” Atl day long, as I jonrnied on, and many times since, have I seen, iu imagination, the poor, little, pinched feet, as I saw them on that morning. Tight shoes—what misery they give! Who of us has not worn them, and suffered in them, and felt as thongh we could not enduro them a moment longer? How our tempers have been turned, and peevish or angry retorts given, all on account of tight shoes! Away with tight shoes, both for ourselves and all under our care! They area deadly foe to comfort and happiness. Let us also be oharitable to the failings and faults of others; for if not caused by tight shoes on the feet, they may be pinched somewhere, either iu body or mind. There are aches and pains, secret trials and disappointments, that may be called the tight shoes of the soul; and how often we wear them perversely, suffering anguish when we have only to throw off the bondage, the desire for conventional trimness of effect, and, shod appropriately and sensibly, oP forth cheerily on our way.—Hearth and ome. Morbid Sorrow, Too often it is the ease that men remember their sorrow, and do not register their joy. But even under afflictions, if men did but know it, there are musical tones which might strike through the requiem’s wail. There are lights that might illumine the dark, Rembrandtian sorrows. Men fallinto amania. Sorrow takes ona diseased form. It becomea morbid. It whets and stimulates itself. It ferments, It overflows. It tinges the whole mind from top to bottom withitscolor. As just after a drenching rain every twig on the tree is fringed with the drops, and every leaf weeps; and, as when some gust of wind strikesit the tree rains again, as if it were a cloud; so, when sad experience comes upon us, we are apt to be remorseless with ourselves, and to work upon our own snsceptibilities. We do not put hope over against despair, aud cheer over againstgloom. Therefore much of the suffering which men have in life, much of the gloom which they are under, results from the not using of themselves wisely. I see in many who come to me a morbid taste for suffering. Itisa hideous form of excitement. Persons at last even come toa state in which they want to auffer—or rather, want to be thought to suffer. They want to reap in the fields of sympathy this abnormal and, what seems to me, hideous praise of seeming to suffer. Sometimes no greater offense cau be given than to compliment persons on their health, and happiness, and prosperity. For they are martyrs, and they walk underacape of sadness; and not to recognize that, is to deny them the chief pleasure almost of their ife. To be miserable is their joy !—Beecher, Rerorten Curz or Hyprornoma.—tIn the newspapers appears the statement of a case of hydrophobia which occurred at or near Detroit, and which was treated successfully by the following means: One grain snlph. morph. was injected hypodermically every four hours, and 30 grains castor given at the same intervals. Small quantities of chloroform were also inhaled. Sleep was produced in half an hour, lasting an hour and a half, and finally the convulsious ceased. The patient was wrapped in a woolen blanket wrung out of a warm solution of muriate of ammonia, 20 grains to the ounce; but this was not done till the symptoms began to yield. There was nothing very novel in this treatment, especially as to the morphia and chloroform, which were doubtless the efficient agents, admitting the case to be correctly stated. The castor and the warm fomentation may have aided slightly. But ths patient is described as ‘barking like a dog,’’ seizing the pillows in his teeth and shaking them likea a ferocious dog, ete. This part of the story does not add to its credibility. Itis matter of surprise that newspapers conducted by intelligent men will from time to time give currency to such statements, whilst physicians everywhere have declared against them as popnlar errors. Prohably one-half the civillzod world still believe that men with dydrophobia act the part of rabid dogs, and are freqnently relieved from suffering, through professional authority, by pressure between feather beds.— American Chemist. I knew . to Wuat to Do tx Ewercuncies.—If a person falls in a fit, and begins to snore loudly, with a yery red face, it is spoplexy. Let him he seated 50858 to favor the blood going downwards, from tne head; apply cold cloths to the head ,or cushions to equal quantities of snow or pounded ice and common salt. If the person is perfectly still, face pale, and there is no perceptible hrcathing, itisa fit of fainting. Do not touch him, except to looseu the clothing; then keep off five or ten feet distaut, so as to allow the sir to come in; make no noise, and there will soon he a calm, quiet return to cousciousuess aud life, for it is only a momentary cessation of the circulation of the blood to the head. Bnt suppose there is a very violent motiou of the hands and feet, and sre all sorts of bodily contortions, itis epilepsy. Let the man contort until he is tired; you can’t hold him still; all your efforts only teud to aggravate the trouble aud exhaust the strength; all that onght be done is to keep the unfortunate from hurting himself. There is no felt suffering, for as soon as he comes to he will tell you that he remembers nothing whatever of what haa passed, appears to be the only calm aud selfpossessed person in the whole crowd, and is apparently as perfectly well as before the occurrence, Dizziness ofteu comes instantancously, and we begin to reel before we know it. Shut the eyes, whether you are walking along the street, looking over a precipice, ascending a ladder, or climhing to a ship’s mast head; the fear of "dizziness disappears instantly if you look upwards.—Iail’s Be of Iealth. AnrinoTE to Puosprorovs.—It is wellknown thatmany metallic salts, such as acetate of lead, sulphate of copper, salts of mercury, bismuth, etc., are withdrawn from their aqueons solutious by vegetahle charcoal, but to a still greater exteut hy mineral hlack. Carbon also absorbs many alkaloids from their solutions, and it is npon this property that the process is hased for the detection of strychnine in beer by its means. MM. Eulenberg and Vohl uow show that phosphorous is also absorbcd by carbon, and to such an extent that carbon taken in the form of pills constitutes a complete antidote to the poisou, and relieves those who have to manipulate phosphorous from all the disastrous consequences hitherto aceruiug. The cxperiments they have made upon animals have yielded exceedingly favorable results. They prepare the auimal charcoal pills by powdering the charcoal and making it up with a little gum. In match-factories they find the results of these pills are better than those obtained hy tho use of the essence of terebinthine of M. Personne, as the continued use of the latter was found to produce violent headaches.—Am. Artisan. CaurrorntA Boarn or Heatta.—Dr. Logan in his last monthly health report, says:—The State continues in the possession of the high sanitary condition that has ruled for some time past. Pneumonia and catarrhal affections havo prevailed pretty generally, but of a mild form; also, rheumatism. Several well marked cases of scarlatina have been observed in differennt points. Small-pox still continues by frequent importations from other places, but owing to the prompt measures adopted in isolating the cases as soon as discovered, it has not spread. There is now one case in Sacramento, which is quarantiued in a teut some two miles from the city. Vaccination has heen so general as, probably, to render it impossible for this disease to prevail to any extent during the approaching dry season. ‘: Exurcirse.—The amount of daily exercise necessary for health depends upon the kind of exercise, and varies considerably with different persons and with the same persou at different times. A safe rule to go by is to exercise until slightly fatigued. It should not be continued so long that half au hour of perfect rest will not entirely remove all feeling of fatigue. Special exercise for retaining health should uot as a general rule be taken less than two or three hours after a meal, except it may be some slight exercise, aS moderate walking, riding, etc. A person should always be thoroughly rested after exercise, before eating; perhaps the very best time of day for taking exercise is from 10 to 12 o’clock in the forenoon, althongh the time may be varied to suit the persou’s convenience.—Herald of Health. To Cure THE Love or ARnENT Spririts.— Captain Hall was the commander of the Great Eastern steamship. He had fallen into such habitual drunkenness that his most earnest efforts to reclaim himself proved unavailing. At length he sought the advice of an ancient physician, who gave him a prescription which he followed faithfully for seven months. At the end of that time he had lost all desire for liquor, although he had many times been led captive by a most debasing appetite. The prescription, which he afterwards published, and hy which so many other drunkards have been assisted to reform, is as follows: Sulphate of iron, 5 grains; magnesia, 10 grains; peppermint water, 11 drachms; spirit of nutmeg, 1 drachm; twice a day. To Remeve Frosten Frer.—To relieve the intense itching of frosted feet, dissolve a lump of alum in a little water and bathe the part with it, warming it before the fire. One or two applications is sure to give relief. WHoortne cough is now cured by compressed air, Dr. Sardahl, of Stockholm, reports 102 cases rapidly cured by this treatment.—Medical Journal. .