“Sometimes on lonely mountain meresI find a magic bark;I leap on board; no helmsman steers;I float till all is dark.A gentle sound, an awful light!Three angels bear the Holy Grail.With folded feet, in stoles of white,On sweeping wings they sail.”
“Sometimes on lonely mountain meresI find a magic bark;I leap on board; no helmsman steers;I float till all is dark.A gentle sound, an awful light!Three angels bear the Holy Grail.With folded feet, in stoles of white,On sweeping wings they sail.”
“Sometimes on lonely mountain meresI find a magic bark;I leap on board; no helmsman steers;I float till all is dark.A gentle sound, an awful light!Three angels bear the Holy Grail.With folded feet, in stoles of white,On sweeping wings they sail.”
“Sometimes on lonely mountain meres
I find a magic bark;
I leap on board; no helmsman steers;
I float till all is dark.
A gentle sound, an awful light!
Three angels bear the Holy Grail.
With folded feet, in stoles of white,
On sweeping wings they sail.”
177. Where is the “Devil’s Wall”?
This name is given by the inhabitants of the neighborhood to the old Roman wall separating England from Scotland, because they suppose that from the strength of the cement and the durability of the stone, the devil must have built it. The superstitious peasantry are said to be in the habit of gathering up the fragments of this wall to put in the foundation of their own tenements, to insure an equal solidity.
178. Who was the youngest President?
Ulysses S. Grant, who was not forty-seven years of age at the time of his inauguration.
179. Who was “Foul-weather Jack”?
Commander Byron (1723–1786) was so called by the men who sailed under him, in allusion to his ill-fortune at sea.
180. When and by whom was the Pacific Ocean discovered?
During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, Marco Polo and his successors travelled far to the East, and came to an ocean of unknown extent; and they partially explored its western coast. But it was not until nearly two centuries after this, that the existence of this great ocean was established to Europeans; and the honor of its discovery justly belongs to Vasco Nuñez de Balbao, or Balboa, the leader of a Spanish party exploring the Isthmus of Panama, who, on the 29th of September, 1513, saw, from the summit of a mountain, a vast ocean to the west. Balbao prostrated himself upon the ground; then, rising to his knees, he thanked God “it had pleased his Divine Majesty to reserve unto that day the victory and praise of so great a thing unto him.” When he reached the coast he advanced waist-deep into the waves, drew his sword, and swore, as a true knight, that he would defend it, with its coast, islands, and all that it contained, for his master, the king of Spain. Because he discovered it on Michaelmas day, Balbao named it theGolfo de San Miguel.
181. What sect believes in the existence of one hundred and thirty-six hells?
According to Buddhist belief, there are, situated in the interior of the earth, one hundred and thirty-six hells. These places of punishment have a regular gradation in the intensity of the suffering and the length of time the sufferers live, the least term of life being ten millions of years, the longer terms being almost beyond the powersof even Indian notation to express. But however long the life, it has an end, and at its close the individual must be born again.
182. What are the sacred writings of the Buddhists called?
TheTripitaka(i. e., “Triple Basket”) is the Bible of Buddhism. It contains one hundred and sixteen volumes, and is divided into three classes: theSutra, or discourses of Buddha; theVinaya, or discipline, and theAbhidharma, or metaphysics. They contain sublime, moral, and pure aspirations, and their author lived and died in the sixth century B. C. Buddhism has now existed for nearly twenty-five centuries, and may be said to be the prevailing religion of the world, as its adherents are estimated at from 400,000,000 to 500,000,000 souls,—more than one third of the human race.
183. What are the sacred writings of the Chinese called?
King(i. e., “The Books”) is the collective name of the canonical works of the adherents of Confucius. It is divided into five books. These are theYih-King, or the Book of Changes,—originally a cosmological essay, now, curiously enough, regarded as a treatise on ethics;Shu-King, or the Book of Annals,—a history of the deliberations between the Emperors Yayu and Shun, and other personages, called by Confucius theAncient Kings, and for whose maxims and actions he had the highest veneration; theShi-King, or the Book of Songs,—a book of sacred songs, consisting of three hundred and elevenpoems, the best of which every well-educated Chinaman gets by heart; theLe-King, or the Book of Rites,—the foundation of Chinese manners, prescribing, as it does, the ceremonies to be observed in all the relationships of life, and the great cause of the unchangeableness and artificiality of Chinese habits; and theChun-tsien,—a history by Confucius of his own times, and those which immediately preceded him. These works stand at the head of the vast literature of the Chinese, and constitute the sacred books of about 80,000,000 of people.
184. What are the sacred books of the ancient Scandinavians called?
TheEddasare the sacred books of the old Scandinavian tribes. There are two works which bear this name,—theEdda Sæmundar hins Froda, or Edda of Sæmund the Wise, and theEdda Snorri Sturlusonar. The former, and older of these, contains the mythology of the Scandinavians, with some historical narrations of a romantic cast, embodied in thirty-nine poems, of unknown authorship and date, which were collected by Sæmund Sigfusson, surnamed Frodi, an Icelandic priest, 1054–1133. The second is a collection of the myths of the gods, and of explanations of the types and metres of the pagan poetry, intended for the instruction of the young skalds, or poets. It is chiefly in prose, and is the work of several authors, although ascribed to Snorri Sturleson, 1178–1241. The name Edda, which means great-grandmother (i. e., of Scandinavian poetry), was applied to these works by Brynjolf Svendson, bishop of Skalholt, by whom they were discovered and first brought before the notice of European scholars in 1643.
185. What are the sacred writings of the Hindoos called?
TheVedas(“Knowledge”) are the sacred books of the Hindoos. These books are of great antiquity, but of uncertain date. There are four books: the oldest is theRijveda,—the Veda of praise; next, theYajurveda,—the Veda of sacrifice; theSamaveda,—the Veda of chanting; and the latest theAtharvaveda, which is made up after the manner of theSamaveda, but containing additional extracts from theRijveda; its object is to teach how to appease, to bless, to curse, etc. Each of the Vedas contains aSanhita, or collection of hymns, and an accompanyingBrahmana, or commentary. They are written in Sanskrit.
186. What are the sacred writings of the Persians called?
TheZend-Avesta(“Commentary and Text,”Avestabeing properly the sacred text; andZend, its interpretation into more modern and intelligible language) is the Bible of the ancient Persians and of the modern Parsees or Guebres, who number about 7,000 in Persia, and 200,000 in India. It is ascribed to Zoroaster, who is said to have written 2,000,000 verses, covering 12,000 cow-skin parchments. In its present fragmentary state, it consists of theVendidadof twenty-two chapters, being the one surviving part (the twentieth) of an original work of twenty-one parts; theYazna, of seventy-two chapters; theVisparad, of twenty-three chapters; twenty-four sections calledYashts; and a few fragments. It is, next to the Bible, the best of the sacred writings.
187. What are the sacred writings of the Mohammedans called?
The Koran, orAl-Coran, (“The Reading”), is the book of faith of the Mohammedans, or of about one seventh of the human race. It is a single volume of one hundred and fourteen chapters, of very unequal length, written in Arabic, and containing the doctrines and pretended revelations of Mohammed, “The Prophet,” whose followers number about 201,000,000.
188. What are the sacred writings of the ancient Japanese?
TheKojiki(“Book of Ancient Traditions”) is the Bible and oldest monument of Shintonism, the ancient religion of Japan. It is written in pure Japanese, and was composed by order of the Mikado Gemmio, A. D. 712, and first printed about 1625. Shintonism has no moral code, and consists chiefly in the imitation and deification of illustrious ancestors, emperors, heroes, and scholars, the veneration of fire and light, and the inculcation of obedience to the will of the Mikado. Its adherents now number only about 14,000,000, as Buddhism is now the prevailing religion in Japan.
189. What are the “Seven Bibles of the World”?
They are theScripturesof the Christians; theZend-Avestaof the Persians; the fourVedasof the Hindoos; theTripitakaof the Buddhists; the fiveKingsof the Chinese; the twoEddasof the Scandinavians, and theKoranof the Mohammedans. Of these theScripturesare the oldest and theKoranthe most recent.
190. What President wrote his own epitaph?
Thomas Jefferson wrote his own epitaph, as follows: “Here lies buriedThomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and Father of the University of Virginia.”
191. When was the first national convention for the nomination of candidates for the Presidency and Vice-Presidency held?
National conventions for the nomination of candidates were unknown before 1830. In 1830, an Anti-Masonic national convention was held, in which the party resolved, among other things, to put forward candidates for President and Vice-President, and a second convention was called to meet in Baltimore, in September, 1831, to make the nominations. In 1832, that being the election year, the Democrats held a national convention at Baltimore, to nominate a Vice-President, it being generally understood that Jackson was to be re-elected.
192. Who was the first President nominated by national convention?
Martin Van Buren in 1835. The Whigs, his opponents, held no such meeting, and contented themselves with supporting Harrison as the nominee of the Pennsylvania State Convention. In 1839 the Whigs nominated Harrison in national convention, and elected him triumphantly. Thenceforward, the practice of holding national conventions became general with all parties.
193. Where were the different Presidents nominated?
194. When and by whom was the first national political platform adopted?
The first national political platform was adopted by the Democratic convention at Baltimore, May 5, 1840.
195. Which is the “Blue Hen State”?
This is a popular name for the State of Delaware. This sobriquet is said to have had its origin in a certain Captain Caldwell’s fondness for the amusement of cock-fighting. Caldwell was, for a time, an officer of the First Delaware Regiment, in the war of the Revolution, and was greatly distinguished for his daring and undaunted spirit. Hewas exceedingly popular in the regiment, and its high state of discipline was generally conceded to be due to his exertions; so that when officers were sent on a recruiting service, to enlist new men, in order to fill vacancies caused by death or otherwise, it was a saying, that they had gone home for more of Caldwell’s game-cocks; but as Caldwell insisted that no cock could be truly game unless the mother was a blue hen, the expressionBlue Hen’s Chickenswas substituted for game-cocks.
196. What State is called “The Dark and Bloody Ground”?
Kentucky, of which name the above is said to be the translation. The phrase is an epitome of the early history of the State, of the dark and bloody conflicts of the first white settlers with their savage foes; but the name originated in the fact that this was the grand battle-ground between the Northern and Southern Indians.
197. Who was the author of “Greenbacks”?
Salmon Portland Chase (1808–1873), President Lincoln’s Secretary of the Treasury, and afterwards Chief Justice of the United States. The financial policy which carried the nation through the civil war was mainly the work of Mr. Chase. One of its essential features was the issue of United States notes, known as “Greenbacks,” which bore no interest, but were made legal tender.
198. What battle of the Rebellion was fought above the clouds?
This far-famed “battle above the clouds” took place on Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, on the morning of the 23d of November, 1863. A dense fog hung like a hood over the mountain, as the Federals under Hooker charged the Rebel fortifications. His troops had been ordered to stop on the high ground, but, taking advantage of the fog, and carried away by the ardor of the attack, they sprang up the almost inaccessible slopes of the mountain with resistless energy, and swept over the crest, driving the enemy before them. The Union flag was carried to the top; and before two o’clock in the afternoon, Lookout Mountain, with its cloud-capped summit, was swarming with Federal soldiers. Grant is reported to have declared the so-called “battle above the clouds” to be “all poetry, there having been no action there worthy the name of battle.”
199. Why was John Quincy Adams so named?
The origin of his name was thus stated by himself: “My great-grandfather, John Quincy, was dying when I was baptized, and his daughter, my grandmother, requested I might receive his name. This fact, recorded by my father, has connected with my name a charm of mingled sensibility and devotion. It was filial tenderness that gave the name,—it was the name of one passing from earth to immortality. These have been through life perpetual admonitions to do nothing unworthy of it.”
200. What President was the oldest when elected?
William Henry Harrison, who was sixty-eight years of age when inaugurated. The average age of Presidents, when elected, has been fifty-seven years.
201. What colony was founded as a home for the poor?
Georgia, the thirteenth American colony, was founded in a spirit of pure benevolence. The laws of England permitted imprisonment for debt. Thousands of English laborers, who through misfortune and thoughtless contracts had become indebted to the rich, were annually arrested and thrown into jail. Whole families were destitute or starving. To provide a refuge for these downtrodden poor of England, and the distressed Protestants of other countries, James Oglethorpe, the philanthropist, a member of Parliament, appealed to George II. for the privilege of planting a colony in America. The petition was favorably heard, and on the 9th of June, 1732, a royal charter was issued, by which the territory between the Savannah and Altamaha Rivers, and westward from the upper fountains of those rivers to the Pacific, was organized and granted to a corporation for twenty-one years,to be held in trust for the poor. In honor of the king, the new province received the name of Georgia.
202. Who was the “Colossus of American Independence”?
John Adams. By his energy and eloquence he did more than any other man to crystallize the American sentiment in favor of independence. He was a member of the celebrated committee appointed to draft the immortal “Declaration.” In the debates on that instrument, he was its chief defender; and it was he who persuaded Congress to adopt it. He was the most distinguished signer. Jefferson himself said, that “he [Adams] was the pillar of its support; its ablest advocate and defender.”
203. What were the last intelligible words of Benedict Arnold?
“Bring me, I beg you, the epaulets and sword-knots which Washington gave me. Let me die in my old American uniform, the uniform in which I fought my battles. God forgive me for ever putting on any other.”
204. What bird is an apt illustration of the proverb that “Pride will have a fall”?
The pouter pigeon. It stands perpendicularly erect, and seems exceedingly vain of the swollen crop which gives it the name of pouter. It can inflate its crop with air, until the head is almost hidden behind it. This inflation oftentimes causes the bird to lose its balance, and to fall down chimneys, on which it is fond of standing, thereby aptly illustrating the proverb, that “Pride will have a fall.”
205. What noted poet was so thin that he was said to wear lead in his shoes to keep himself from being blown away by the wind?
Philetas, a distinguished poet and critic of the Alexandrian school, who lived in the fourth and third centuries B. C., was so sickly and so thin, that the comic poets stated that he used to wear lead in his shoes to keep himself from being blown away. The story runs that he died from the excessive assiduity with which he sought the answer to the sophistical problem, called “The Liar,” viz.: If a man says he is telling a lie, does he speak truly or falsely?
206. Was Adam created with a beard?
Scripture does not tell us, but the tradition that he was created with one (which may be described as bushy rather than flowing) is recorded on ancient monuments, and especially on an antique sarcophagus, which is one of the ornaments of the Vatican. The Jews, with the Orientals generally, seem to have accepted the tradition for a law. Among them the beard was a cherished and sacred thing. The Scriptures abound with examples of how the beard and its treatment interpreted the feelings, the joy, the pride, the sorrow, or the despondency of the wearer.
207. Who was the wealthiest President?
Washington, who left an estate valued at $800,000. The next in order of wealth was Van Buren, whose property was valued at $400,000.
208. Who were the original “Jersey Blues”?
They were a battalion of five hundred soldiers from New Jersey, during King George’s War (1745–1748), and were so called from the color of their uniform,—blue, faced with red, gray stockings, and buckskin breeches. They were described at the time as “the likeliest well-set men who ever entered upon a campaign.”
209. Who was “Tam O’Shanter”?
He was the hero of Burns’s poem of the same name, a farmer, who, riding home very late and very drunk, from Ayr, in a stormy night, had to pass by the kirk of Alloway, a place reputed to be a favorite haunt of the devil and his friends and emissaries. On approaching the kirk,he perceived a light gleaming through the windows; but having got courageously drunk, he ventured on till he could look into the edifice, when he saw a dance of witches merrily footing it round their master, who was playing on the bagpipe to them. The dance grew so furious that they all stripped themselves of their upper garments, and kept at it in their shifts. One “winsome wench,” happening unluckily to have a shift which was considerably too short to answer all the purposes of that useful article of dress, Tam was so tickled that he involuntarily roared out, “Weel done, Cutty-sark!” (Well done, Short-smock); whereupon, in an instant, all was dark, and Tam, recollecting himself, turned and spurred his horse to the top of her speed, chased by the whole fiendish crew. It is a current belief, that witches, or any evil spirits, have no power to follow a poor wight any farther than the middle of the next running stream. Fortunately for Tam, the river Doon was near; for, notwithstanding the speed of his horse, by the time he gained the middle of the arch of the bridge, and consequently the middle of the stream, the pursuing vengeful hags were so close at his heels, that one of them, “Cutty-sark,” actually sprang to seize him; but it was too late,—nothing was on her side of the stream but the horse’s tail, which immediately gave way at her infernal gripe, as if blasted by a stroke of lightning; but the farmer was beyond her reach.
210. Who was “Old Public Functionary”?
This sobriquet, which was sometimes humorously abbreviated O. P. F., was sometimes given to James Buchanan, the fifteenth President of the United States. He was the first to apply the expression to himself, in his annual message to Congress in 1859:—
“This advice proceeds from the heart of anold public functionary, whose service commenced in the last generation, among the wise and conservative statesmen of that day, now nearly all passed away, and whose first and dearest earthly wish is to leave his country tranquil, prosperous, united, and powerful.”
211. Who was “Light-Horse Harry”?
This sobriquet was popularly conferred upon General Henry Lee (1756–1818), a gallant American cavalry officer in the war of the Revolution, in allusion to his rapid and daring movements in battle, particularly during the campaign in the Carolinas.
212. Who was the “French Game-cock”?
On account of his bravery, this name was given by the American soldiers to Marie Jean Paul Roch Yves Gilbert Motier, Marquis de Lafayette.
213. What was the “Albany Regency”?
It was a junto of astute Democratic politicians, having their headquarters at Albany, who controlled the action of the Democratic party for many years, and who had great weight in national politics. The effort to elect William H. Crawford President, instead of John Quincy Adams, was their first great struggle.
214. In what country are prayers said by wheels?
An important part of the duties of a pilgrim to Lassa, the centre of Lamaism, is penance. Among the lighter forms of penance is turning a wheel calledTchu-Kor,“revolving prayer.” This devotional machine is usually a sort of barrel, moving upon an axis and inscribed all over with Buddhistic petitions. The worshipper sets it going, and it turns prayers for his benefit, while he pursues some more mundane occupation.
215. What Presidents were born in Virginia?
Thus far seven of our Presidents have been natives of Virginia, viz.:—
Washington, born in Westmoreland County, Feb. 22, 1732; Jefferson, born at Shadwell, Albemarle County, April 2, 1743; Madison, born at King George, March 16, 1751; Monroe, born in Westmoreland County, April 28, 1758; Harrison, born at Berkeley, Charles City County, Feb. 9, 1773; Tyler, born in Charles City County, March 29, 1790; Taylor, born in Orange County, Sept. 24, 1784.
216. Which is the only monarchy on the Western Continent?
The government of Brazil is a mild form of a constitutional and hereditary monarchy. The laws of succession are the same as in England. The Emperor Dom Pedro II., of the house of Bragança, and the Empress, a sister of the king of Naples, are universally beloved and respected for their intellectual and moral endowments, and their affectionate interest in the welfare of their subjects.
217. What becomes of all the greenbacks and banknotes after they have served their few years of usefulness?
They go to the government. After about three years of service they are pretty well worn, and are taken to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and placed in a machine containing immense knives, which chop the notes into fragments. Three officers of the Treasury Department are stationed to watch the destruction of the notes. No one else is allowed to be present except the officials and the men who run the machine. They are compelled to remain in the room until each separate note is destroyed. They must account afterwards to the Redemption Bureau for each note, and should one become lost or mislaid and afterwards find its way into circulation, the result would be the immediate discharge of the three who daily have in their custody millions of dollars of notes and bonds. The shreds are reduced to pulp, and then moulded into figures of birds and animals and sold as mementos to visitors. Often it will happen that one little object will be composed of what was once $1,000,000 worth of money.
218. What sort of mound has been raised to the memory of Kosciusko?
Near Cracow there is a mound of earth one hundred and fifty feet high, which was raised to the memory of the Polish patriot, Thaddeus Kosciusko, by the people, earth being brought for this purpose from every great battlefield of Europe on which Polish blood had been shed. From a fanciful resemblance in shape to this tumulus, the loftiest known mountain in Australia has received the name of Mount Kosciusko.
219. In what country are the forests without shade?
With few exceptions, the Australian trees are evergreens, and they show a peculiar reverted position of their leaves, which hang vertically, turning their edges instead of their sides toward the sun, and giving no shade. There are great shadeless forests of eucalypti and other trees.
220. Which are the tallest trees in the world?
The loftiest product of the vegetable kingdom is the eucalypti-trees, indigenous to Australia and Tasmania. They are sometimes called “gum-trees,” because they abound in resinous exudations. TheEucalyptus gigantea, called “Stringy bark,” sometimes attains a height of four hundred and eighty feet, and a diameter of over eighty feet; over one hundred feet higher than the highest specimen of the mammoth trees of California (Sequoia gigantea), now standing. These trees form a characteristic feature of the peculiar vegetation of those islands, having entire leathery leaves, of which one edge is directed toward the sky, so that both surfaces are equally exposed to the light. They also have the peculiarity of shedding their bark annually instead of their leaves.
221. Who was the most famous heroine of antiquity?
Zenobia, the queen of Palmyra. Her second husband, Septimius Odenathus, prince of Palmyra, was assassinated in A. D. 266, by his nephew Mæonius. Zenobia put the assassin to death, and assumed the vacant Palmyrene throne. For five years she governed Palmyra, Syria, andadjoining parts of the East with vigor and judgment, independent of the Roman power. She assumed the title of “Queen of the East,” and exacted from her subjects the same adoration that was paid to Persian monarchs. She maintained her power through the reigns of Gallienus and Claudius, but was finally defeated and captured by Aurelian, 273 A. D. Decked with splendid jewels, and almost fainting under the weight of gold chains, she adorned the triumph of the emperor, but was presented by him with large possessions near Tivoli, where she passed the rest of her life in comfort and even splendor. Her daughters married into noble Roman families, and her descendants were still living in the fifth century. She was exceedingly beautiful, dark in complexion, with large black, fiery eyes. She spoke Latin, Greek, Syriac, and Egyptian, and wrote for her own use an epitome of Oriental history. She was a passionate hunter, and thoroughly inured to fatigue, sometimes walking on foot at the head of her troops.
222. What is dynamite?
This explosive, of which we hear so much, looks very much like moist brown sugar. It is made of nitro-glycerine, a heavy, oily liquid which explodes with great violence, mixed with an absorbent to make it safer to handle. Nitro-glycerine is composed of nitric acid, sulphuric acid, and that clear, sweet, soothing liquid called glycerine. The absorbent material is a fine, white powder, composed of the remains of infusoria. This takes up two or three times its weight of the nitro-glycerine without becoming pasty; the ingredients are mixed in leaden vessels with wooden spoons to avoid friction. If fire is applied to thismass, it burns with a strong flame without any explosion; but the application of a full sudden blow causes it to explode with tremendous force.
223. Who was the “Great American Commoner”?
Thaddeus Stevens (1793–1868), of Pennsylvania, an American statesman, was so called on account of his opposition to slavery and secession. He was elected representative in Congress in 1848 and re-elected in 1850. He strongly opposed the Fugitive Slave Law and the Kansas-Nebraska Bill. He was again elected to Congress in 1858, and held his seat till his death.
224. What was the proper name of Columbus?
His Genoese name was Christoforo Colombo, which, according to the custom of the time, he Latinized into Columbus. When he went into Spain he adopted the Spanish form of it, Christobal Colon.
225. Who were the parents of Columbus?
Columbus was the eldest son of Domenico Colombo, a wool comber of Genoa, and Susanna Fontanarossa. They had two other sons, Bartolommeo (Bartholomew) and Giacomo (James, called in Spain Diego), and a daughter who married a butcher.
226. Who was the wife of Columbus?
In the convent of All Saints, Lisbon, where Columbus was accustomed to attend religious service, were certain ladies of rank, either resident as boarders, or in some religious capacity. With one of these, Doña FelipaMoñis de Perestrello, Columbus became acquainted. Her father, Bartolommeo Moñis de Perestrello, an Italian cavalier, lately deceased, had been one of the most distinguished navigators under Prince Henry, and had colonized and governed the island of Porto Santo. Columbus soon fell in love with the lady, and married her. By her he had one son, Diego, born about 1472. A few years afterward his wife died.
227. How many children had Columbus?
He had two sons. The eldest, Diego, was by his wife. His second son, Fernando, born in 1487, was the illegitimate child of Doña Beatriz Enriquez, a noble lady of Cordova, to whom Columbus became attached, while waiting for an opportunity to appear at court. This son became the historian of his father.
228. When did the line of Columbus become extinct?
Diego married Doña Maria de Toledo, daughter of the Duke of Alva. Their eldest son, Luis, exchanged the hereditary dignity of admiral for a pension and the title of Duke of Veragua, Marquis of Jamaica. Luis’s eldest daughter married her cousin Diego, and died without issue, the male line thus becoming extinct. Finally the property and titles became, in 1608, merged by marriage through the female line in a branch of the house of Bragança.
229. What were the last words of Columbus?
He died while repeating the following words in Latin: “Lord, into thy hands I commit my spirit.”
230. Where do the remains of Columbus now repose?
The body of Columbus was deposited in the convent of San Francisco, Valladolid, Spain. It was thence transported, 1513, to the Carthusian Monastery of Seville, where a handsome monument was erected by command of Ferdinand and Isabella, with the simple inscription, “To Castile and Leon, Colon gave a new world.” In 1536, his body and that of his son Diego were removed to the city of St. Domingo, Hayti, and interred in the principal chapel. But, in 1796, the remains, as was supposed, were taken to Havana with imposing ceremonies. The tomb in the cathedral is marked by a slab elaborately carved, on which is inscribed,—
“Restos e Imagen del grande Colon!Mil siglos durad guardades en la UrnaY en la remembranza de nuestra Nacion,”
“Restos e Imagen del grande Colon!Mil siglos durad guardades en la UrnaY en la remembranza de nuestra Nacion,”
“Restos e Imagen del grande Colon!Mil siglos durad guardades en la UrnaY en la remembranza de nuestra Nacion,”
“Restos e Imagen del grande Colon!
Mil siglos durad guardades en la Urna
Y en la remembranza de nuestra Nacion,”
which is Spanish for,
“Oh, rest thou, image of the great Colon,Thousand centuries remain, guarded in the urn,And in the remembrance of our nation.”
“Oh, rest thou, image of the great Colon,Thousand centuries remain, guarded in the urn,And in the remembrance of our nation.”
“Oh, rest thou, image of the great Colon,Thousand centuries remain, guarded in the urn,And in the remembrance of our nation.”
“Oh, rest thou, image of the great Colon,
Thousand centuries remain, guarded in the urn,
And in the remembrance of our nation.”
In 1877, however, while excavating near the cathedral in St. Domingo, the vault was opened and a leaden coffin found containing human bones, and inscribed in Spanish, “Illustrious and renowned man, Christopher Columbus.” It is therefore thought that the body carried to Havana was not that of the great admiral.
231. What was the last writing of Columbus?
It is contained in a final codicil to the will of 1498, made at Valladolid on the 19th of May, 1506. By this the old will is confirmed, the mayorazgo is bequeathed to his son Diego and his male heirs, failing these to Fernando, his second son, and failing these to the male heirs of his brother Bartholomew: only in case of the extinction of the male line, direct or collateral, is it to descend to the females of the family; and those into whose hands it may fall are never to diminish it, but always to increase and ennoble it by all means possible. The head of the family is to sign himself “The Admiral.” A tenth of the annual income is to be set aside yearly for distribution among the poor relations of the house. A chapel is founded and endowed for the saying of masses. Beatriz Enriquez is left to the care of the young admiral in most graceful terms. Among other legacies is one of “half a mark of silver to a Jew who used to live at the gate of Jewry, in Lisbon.” The codicil was written and signed with the admiral’s own hand. Next day (May 20, 1506) he died.
232. Which is the “Sucker State”? Why so named?
This is a cant name given to the State of Illinois, the inhabitants of which are very generally calledsuckersthroughout the West. The origin of this term is said to be as follows: The Western prairies are, in many places, full of the holes made by the “crawfish” (a fresh-water shell-fish, similar in form to the lobster), which descends to the water beneath. In early times, when travellers wended their way over these immense plains, they very prudently provided themselves with a long, hollow reed,and, when thirsty, thrust it into these natural artesians, and thus easily supplied their longings. The crawfish well generally contains pure water, and the manner in which the traveller drew forth the refreshing element gave him the name of “sucker.”
233. What was the “Bug” Bible?
What is known as the “Bug” Bible was printed in 1551, and contained a prologue by Tyndall. Its name is derived from the peculiar rendering of the fifth verse of the ninety-first Psalm, which is made to read, “So that thou shalt not need to be afraid for any bugs by night.”
234. How is celluloid made?
A roll of paper is slowly unwound, and at the same time saturated with a mixture of five parts of sulphuric acid and two of nitric, which falls upon the paper in a fine spray. This changes the cellulose of the paper into fine pyroxyline (gun cotton). The excess of acid having been expelled by pressure, the paper is washed with plenty of water until all traces of acid have been removed; it is then reduced to pulp, and passes on to the bleaching trough. Most of the water having been got rid of by means of a strainer, the pulp is mixed with from twenty to forty per cent. of its weight of camphor, and the mixture thoroughly triturated under millstones. The necessary coloring matter having been added in the form of powder, a second mixture and grinding follow. The finely divided pulp is then spread out in thin layers on slabs, and from twenty to twenty-five of these layers are placed in a hydraulic press, separated from one another by sheets of thick blotting paper, and are subjected to apressure of one hundred and fifty atmospheres until all traces of moisture have been got rid of. The plates thus obtained are broken up and soaked for twenty-four hours in alcohol. The matter is then passed between rollers heated to between one hundred and forty and one hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit, whence it issues in the form of elastic sheets. Celluloid is made to imitate amber, tortoise-shell, coral, malachite, ebony, ivory, etc., and besides its employment in dentistry, is used to make mouthpieces for pipes and cigar-holders, handles for table-knives and umbrellas, combs, shirt-fronts and collars, and a number of fancy articles.
235. When is “Ground Hog Day”?
Candlemas day (Feb. 2). In Germany’s folklore there is a superstition that the badger, on that day, peeps out of his hole, and when he finds snow, walks abroad; but if he sees the sun shining, draws back into his hole. This latter action, so the legend goes, signifies that the winter weather is not over, the sun’s rays being too prematurely warm for the season. Doubtless the superstition concerning the ground hog in this country is derived from the above source.
236. Where are our Presidents buried?
Washington was buried at Mount Vernon, Va.; John Adams, at Quincy, Mass.; Jefferson, at Monticello, Va.; Madison, at Montpelier, Va.; Monroe, at Richmond, Va.; John Quincy Adams, at Quincy, Mass.; Jackson, at the Hermitage, near Nashville, Tenn.; Van Buren, at Kinderhook, N. Y.; Harrison, at North Bend, Ind.; Tyler, at Richmond, Va.; Polk, at Nashville, Tenn.; Taylor, atWashington, D. C.; Fillmore, at Buffalo, N. Y.; Pierce, at Concord, N. H.; Buchanan, at Lancaster, Pa.; Lincoln, at Springfield, Ill.; Johnson, at Greenville, Tenn.; Garfield, at Cleveland, Ohio; and Grant, at Riverside Park, New York City; Arthur, at Albany, N. Y.
237. Which is the “Modern Athens”?
This name is often given to Edinburgh, on account of its many noble literary institutions, the taste and culture of the people, the many distinguished men who have issued from it or resided in it, and the high character of its publications; and also on account of a marked resemblance to Athens in its topographical position and its general appearance.
The same epithet is applied to Boston, Mass., a city remarkable for the high intellectual character of its citizens, and for its many excellent literary, scientific, and educational institutions and publications.
238. What was the origin of the term “Old Harry”?
It has been suggested that this vulgar appellation for the devil comes from the ScandinavianHariorHeira, names of Odin, who came in time to be degraded from his rank of a god to that of a fiend or evil spirit.
According to Henley, the hirsute honors of the Satan of the ancient religious stage procured him the nameOld Hairy, corrupted into Old Harry.
239. What was the origin of the terms “Whig” and “Tory”?
These designations of political parties in English, and more lately in American history, were originally applied as terms of reproach. There are three accounts for the origin of the term Whig.
1. That it is derived fromwhig, whey, which the Scottish Covenanters used to drink, and hence a name applied to them.
2. That it is a contraction ofwhiggam, a term used in Scotland in driving horses, or fromwhiggamore, a driver of horses. In 1648 a party of these people marched to Edinburgh to oppose the king and the Duke of Hamilton. “This,” says Burnet, “was called the Whiggamore’s inroad; and ever after all that opposed the court came in contempt to be calledwhiggs; and from Scotland the word was brought into England.”
3. That it is formed from the initials of the motto, “We hope in God,” the motto of the club from which the Whig party took its rise.
The term Tory is derived from an Irish term applied, says Roger North, to “the most despicable savages among the wild Irish”; and the name was first given to the followers of the Duke of York, in 1679, because he favored Irishmen.
Another account of its origin is that it is derived fromtoree, give me (sc. your money), a term used by the Irish robbers.
240. Who invented decimal fractions?
The inventor of decimal fractions was Simon Stevin, of Bruges, whose tract, published in 1585, was entitled the “Disme.” But the simple plan we now have was not then invented. He used circles to designate the numbersthat showed the value of the figures; thus, he wrote 27.847 as 27 (0) 8 (1) 4 (2) 7 (3), and read it as 27 commencements, 8 primes, 4 seconds, 7 thirds. The (0) showed the zero point, the (1) showed tenths, and so on. These terms “primes,” “seconds,” “thirds,” etc., have disappeared. “Primes” were the first to the right of the whole numbers, “seconds” the second place, etc.
Dispute has arisen concerning the origin of the simpler notation by means of the decimal point, whether used before the fraction alone, or as separating it from the integer. Napier claimed the discovery, so also has De Morgan. But Mr. Glaisher, in a paper read before the mathematical section of the British Association, seems to establish Napier’s priority in introducing the decimal point into arithmetic. The full modern use of it was first exemplified in a posthumous work of Napier’s called “Mirifici Logarithmorum Canon’s Constructio,” edited by his son, in 1619, where the formal definition of the decimal separator is given and illustrated, and the point subsequently used in operation as we now use it. Briggs, who died in 1631, constantly used an underscored line to distinguish the decimal part of a number; and Oughtred, one of his followers, improved on this by using, together with the line, a vertical bar to mark the separation still more plainly.
241. What is the origin of “humbug”?
The origin of this word is not certainly known. Webster says it is probably derived fromhum, to impose on, to deceive, andbug, a frightful object, a bugbear.
Another account states that it is derived from Hamburg, a city of Germany: “A piece of Hamburg news”being in Germany a proverbial expression for false political rumors.
A third account gives its origin as follows: “There once lived in Scotland a gentleman of landed property whose name was Hume or Home, and his estate was called the Bogue. From the great falsehoods which he was in the habit of telling about himself, his family, and everything connected with them, it became the custom to say when anything improbable was stated, ‘Oh, that’s a Hume o’ the Bogue!’ The expression spread throughout the neighborhood, and even beyond, and by degrees was shortened into humbug by those who did not understand how the phrase first came to be used.”
A fourth account, that of Mr. F. Crosley, suggests the Irishuim bog(pronouncedumbug), meaning “soft copper” or “worthless money.” James II. issued from the Dublin Mint a mixture of lead, copper, and brass, so worthless that a sovereign was intrinsically worth only twopence, and might have been bought after the revolution for a half-penny.Sterlingandumbugwere therefore expressive of real and fictitious worth, merit and humbug.
242. What is the history of the poem “Sheridan’s Ride”?
This famous poem by T. B. Read, beginning, “Up from the south at break of day,” has quite a history. The battle of Cedar Creek took place before dawn on the morning of Oct. 19, 1863. The Confederate forces, under Gen. Early, were gaining the upper hand, when a report of the battle reached Gen. Sheridan, who was atWinchester, twenty miles distant. Putting spurs to his horse, he hastened to the scene of battle, and by his encouragement, turned a threatened defeat into a glorious victory. The news of the victory, and the cause of it, reached Chicago at nine o’clock. Mr. Read, the poet, was staying there at a hotel, and Mr. Murdock, a noted reader, was with him at the time. Slapping his friend on the shoulder, Murdock exclaimed: “Read, you must write a poem on that subject to-day! By to-morrow others, with less ability, will be ahead of you.”
Mr. Read demurred, but, after half an hour’s talk, yielded to his friend’s wishes. He retired to his room, locked the door, and in four hours produced one of our grandest national poems.
His wife and Mr. Murdock praised it enthusiastically. The latter especially appreciated the beauty and spirit of the lines, for being a personal friend of Gen. Sheridan, he had ridden upon the gallant black steed