QUEER QUESTIONS AND READY REPLIES.
1. What town in Vermont was taken by the Confederates during the late Civil War?
On the 19th of October, 1864, between twenty and thirty armed Confederates left Canada, entered St. Albans, Vermont, robbed the banks, stole horses and stores, fired and killed one man, wounded others, and returned to Canada. Thirteen were arrested Oct. 21, but they were discharged on account of some legal difficulty by Judge Coursol, Dec. 14. This raid caused great excitement in the United States; Gen. Dix proclaimed reprisals; volunteers were called out to defend the Canadian frontiers; but President Lincoln rescinded Dix’s proclamation in December. The raiders were all discharged March 30, 1865, and Secretary Seward gave up claim to their extradition in April.
2. What is a “left-handed” marriage?
A morganatic or left-handed marriage, as it is sometimes called, is a lower sort of matrimonial union, which, as a civil engagement, is completely binding, but fails to confer on the wife the title or fortune of her husband, and on the children the full status of legitimacy or right of succession. The members of the German princely houseshave for centuries been in the practice of entering into marriages of this kind with their inferiors in rank. Out of this usage has gradually sprung a code of matrimonial law, by which the union of princes with persons of lower rank, in other than morganatic form, involves serious consequences, especially toward the lady. The penalty of death was actually enforced in the case of the beautiful and unfortunate Agnes Bernaur. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries a fashion began among the German princes of taking a morganatic wife in addition to one who enjoyed the complete matrimonial status,—Landgrave Philip of Hesse setting the example, with a very qualified disapprobation on the part of the leading reformers. An energetic attempt was made in the first half of the last century by Anton Ulrich, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, to upset the established practice, and to obtain for his morganatic wife the rank of duchess, and for her children the right of succession. The most recent morganatic marriage was that of the late Czar of Russia, Alexander II., to the Princess Dolgorouki, 1880.
3. What mollusk has a distinct head, and swims by fins attached to the side of the neck?
This is the Gymnosomata (Greek, “naked-bodied”), an order of pteropodous mollusks, destitute of shell. They constitute one family, the Cliidæ. They are all marine; and the right whale feeds largely upon some of the species, engulfing great numbers in its open mouth, and straining them from the water by means of its baleen. TheClio borealisof the Arctic Seas is the best known and most interesting example.
4. What substance was once a vegetable, but is now a mineral; was once valued as a medicine, but is now used only for purposes of ornament?
Amber is the fossilized resinous exudation from several species of extinct coniferous trees, of which one, thePinites succinifer, is supposed to have produced a greater part. It now appears like coal, in connection with beds of which it is usually found, as a product of the mineral kingdom. It formerly had a high reputation as a medicine, but the virtues ascribed to it were almost entirely imaginary. It is usually of a pale yellow color, sometimes reddish or brownish, sometimes transparent, sometimes almost opaque. It is now extensively used for ornaments, and especially for mouthpieces of pipes, the consumption being greatest in Eastern Europe, Turkey, Persia, etc. Fine pieces are worth more than their weight in gold. The largest mass known is in the Royal Cabinet at Berlin; its weight is eighteen pounds, and it is valued at $30,000. Most of the amber of commerce is obtained from the shores of the Baltic, between Königsberg and Memel. It was an article of exchange long anterior to the dawn of history, as we know by its frequent occurrence in the remains of the lake dwellings of Switzerland. The earliest notice of amber we find occurs in Homer’s “Odyssey,” where, in the list of jewels offered by the Phœnicians to the Queen of Syria, occurs “the gold necklace hung with bits of amber” (Od., XV. 460). It becomes negatively electric by friction, and possesses this property in a high degree, which, indeed, was first observed in it, and the term “electricity” is derived fromElektron, the Greek name of amber.
5. How did the ancients account for the origin of amber?
Among the Greek fables purporting to account for the origin of amber, it is narrated that the Heliadæ, on seeing their brother, Phaëthon, hurled by the lightning of Zeus (Jupiter) into the Eridanus, were by the pitying gods transformed into poplar-trees, and the tears they shed were dropped as amber on the shores of the river. A less poetical theory of its origin states that it was formed from the condensed urine of the lynx inhabitating Northern Italy, the pale varieties being produced by the females, while the deeper tints were attributed to the males.
6. What is the value of a pound of steel when made into hair-springs for watches?
A pound of steel that costs but a few cents becomes worth $128,000 in the shape of hair-springs for watches.
7. Who devised the instrument for determining the pressure of the blood in the arteries and veins of the living body?
The Hæmadynamometer (from the Greek αἶμα, blood, δύναμις, force, and μέτρον, a measure) was devised for this purpose by Poisseville. The pressure of the blood is measured, as in the barometer, by the column of mercury that it balances. The instrument has recently been improved in various ways, and a contrivance has been added by which the oscillations of the mercury are inscribed in the form of an undulating curve on a cylinder made torevolve by clock-work; the height of the undulations denoting the pressure, and their horizontal amplitude the time.
8. What ancient city perished through silence?
Amyclæ, an ancient town of Laconia, situated on the eastern bank of the Eurotas, was a famous city in the heroic age. It was the abode of Tyndarus and his spouse Leda, of Castor and Pollux, who are hence called the “Amyclæan Brothers.” It was only shortly before the first Messenian War (743–724 B. C.) that the town was conquered by the Spartan King Teleclus. The inhabitants had been so often alarmed by false reports of the approach of the Spartans that, growing tired of living in a state of continual alarm, they decreed that no one should henceforth mention or even take notice of these disagreeable fictions; and, accordingly, when the Spartans at last came, no one dared to announce their approach. Hence arose the Greek saying, “Amyclæ perished through silence,” and also the Latin proverb, “Amyclis ipsis taciturnior” (More silent than even Amyclæ).
9. What dramatic poet has been called the “Shakespeare of India”?
Kalidasa was the greatest dramatic poet of India. His drama, “Sakuntala,” translated by Sir William Jones, 1789, produced a great sensation in Europe. He is noted for the variety of his creations, his ingenious conceptions, beauty of narrative, delicacy of sentiment, and fertility of imagination; hence the sobriquet.
10. What trivial incident in 1666 led to one of the grandest discoveries ever made?
It was during this year that the celebrated philosopher, Sir Isaac Newton, while sitting beneath an apple-tree in his mother’s orchard at Woolsthorpe, England, conceived the idea of gravitation from seeing an apple fall from the tree. This tree remained standing until the year 1814, when it was blown down. The wood of it was preserved and made into various articles. Several trees still exist which were raised from the seeds of its fruit.
11. Which is the only bird that can use both eyes at once in looking at an object?
This bird is the owl. Its eyes are very large, directed forward, more or less surrounded by a disk of radiating bristly feathers, and in most of the species formed for seeing in the twilight or at night, presenting a vacant stare when exposed to daylight. The Greeks and Romans made it the emblem of wisdom, and sacred to Minerva, and, indeed, its large head and solemn eyes give it an air of wisdom which its brain does not sanction.
12. What bird has neither tail nor wings?
The Apteryx (Greek α, privative, πτέρυξ, wing) is a bird allied to the ostrich and emu. It is found in New Zealand, particularly in regions covered with extensive and thick beds of fern, in which it hides when alarmed. It is calledkiwi-kiwiby the natives. It has a very long and slender bill, of which it makes a remarkable use in supporting itself when it rests. The natives pursue it forits skin, which is very tough and flexible, and much prized by the chiefs for the manufacture of their state mantles. Happy is the Maori who possesses a cloak ofkiwi-kiwifeathers.
13. What race of Indians, still unconquered, is supposed to have red hair and pale complexions?
The Guatuso Indians, a race of the Aztec family. They dwell along the banks and head-waters of the Rio Frio, which flows into Lake Nicaragua. Their country has never been penetrated. The attempts made by the Catholic missionaries and the governors of Nicaragua to reach them, though often renewed, have always been repulsed.
14. Who was the “Veiled Prophet”?
Hakim Ben Allah, or Ben Hashem, the founder of an Arabic sect in the eighth century, during the reign of Mahadi, the third Abassidian caliph, at Neksheb, or Meru in Khorassan, was surnamed Mokanna, or “the veiled prophet.” He was so called on account of his constantly wearing a veil of silver, or, according to others, of golden gauze. Some writers attribute this habit to a desire to conceal a deformity, one of his eyes having been pierced by an arrow, others to the desire to conceal his extraordinary ugliness. His own explanation, which was believed by his followers, was that the veil was necessary to shroud from the eyes of the beholder the dazzling rays emanating from his divine countenance. Hakim set himself up as a god. He had first, he said, assumed the body of Adam, then that of Noah, and subsequently those ofmany other wise and great men. The last human form he pretended to have adopted was that of Abu Moslem, a prince of Khorassan. He appears to have been well versed in the arts of legerdemain and “natural magic,” principally as regards producing startling effects of light and color. Among other miracles, he, for a whole week, to the great delight and bewilderment of his soldiers, caused a moon or moons to issue from a deep well; and so brilliant was the appearance of these luminaries, that the real moon quite disappeared by their side. On this account he was sometimes called Sagende Nah, or the “Moon-maker.” When the Sultan Mahadi had, after a long siege, taken the last stronghold in which Hakim had fortified himself, he, having first poisoned all his soldiers at a banquet, threw himself into a vessel filled with a burning acid of such a nature that his body was entirely dissolved, and nothing remained but a few hairs. This was done that the faithful might believe him to have ascended to heaven alive. Some remnants of his sect still exist. Hakim has furnished the subject of many romances, of which the one contained in Moore’s “Lalla Rookh” is the most brilliant and best known.
15. What were supposed to be the “fiery serpents” which attacked the Israelites in the desert?
It has been argued with great plausibility that they were in reality Guinea or Medina worms (Filaria medinensis), a parasite that inhabits the flesh of men and other animals, and that seems to have been known from the earliest times. It is from six inches to four feet in length, and about one ninth of an inch in diameter. It is found inmany parts of Africa, India, Sumatra, Persia, Arabia, and the island of Curaçoa. It is believed to enter the flesh through the skin, and as many as fifty have been reported in a single person. In some cases they cause much pain and inconvenience; in others, none. Death has sometimes resulted from them.
16. What sovereign owns the greater part of the territory over which he reigns?
At least three different rulers can claim this distinction. Prince Heinrich XXII., present sovereign of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz, has no civil list. He is very wealthy, and the greater part of the territory over which he reigns is his own private property.
Prince Heinrich XIV. is the present sovereign of the Principality of Reuss-Schleiz, of which the greater part is the private property of the reigning family.
Friedrich Wilhelm I., present Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, is one of the wealthiest of German sovereigns, more than half of the Grand Duchy being his own property.
17. What Oriental town is called the “Mother of Cities”?
Mecca, one of the oldest towns of Arabia, the capital of the province of Hedjaz, and, through being the birthplace of Mohammed, the central and most holy city of all Islam, is, on this account, called by the ArabsOm Al Kora, the “Mother of Cities.”
This title is also given by the native population to Balkh, in Central Asia, formerly a great city, but now forthe most part a mass of ruins. This is a city of great antiquity, and was at an early date a rival of Nineveh and Babylon.
18. What seed was supposed to render its possessor invisible, and why?
Plants were once thought to impart their own characteristics to the wearer. Thus the herb-dragon was thought to cure the bite of serpents; wood-sorrel, which has a heart-shaped leaf, to cheer the heart; liver-wort, to benefit the liver, etc. Certain kinds of ferns have seeds so minute as to be invisible to the naked eye, and, carried about the person, were supposed to confer invisibility. Shakespeare says, “We have the receipt of fern-seed; we walk invisible.” (1 Henry IV., Act II., 1.)
19. What king prided himself on being the best cook in his country?
Louis XV. (1710–1774), the grandson of Louis XIV., is said to have boasted of being the best cook in France, and to have been much pleased when the courtiers ate eagerly of the dishes which he had prepared.
20. What island was discovered by two lovers?
There is a story to the effect that two lovers, Robert Machim and Anna d’Arfet, fleeing from England to France in 1346, were driven out of their course by a violent storm, and cast on the coast of Madeira at the place subsequently named Machico, in memory of one of them. The truth of this romantic story has recently been demonstrated by Mr. Major.
21. Where is the “Fat Man’s Misery”?
This is a narrow serpentine path in the Mammoth Cave. The walls, only eighteen inches apart, change direction eight times in one hundred and five yards, while the distance from the sandy path to the ledge overhead is but five feet.
22. What tree is regarded as an emblem of death?
The cypress has been so used for centuries, from the sombre aspect of its dark green leaves, and from the fact that when once cut down it never grows again. In ancient times cypress logs were placed on funeral piles; probably on account of both their emblematic use and the aromatic odor, emitted by the burning wood, which would counteract any smell arising from the burning body.
23. Where is the largest clock in the world?
In the English House of Parliament. The four dials of this clock are twenty-two feet in diameter. Every half-minute the minute-hand moves nearly seven inches. The clock will go eight and one half days, but will strike for only seven and one half days, thus indicating any neglect in winding it up. The winding up of the striking apparatus takes two hours. The pendulum is fifteen feet long; the wheels are cast iron; the hour bell is eight feet high and nine feet in diameter, weighing nearly fifteen tons, and the hammer alone weighs more than five hundred pounds. This clock strikes the quarter-hours. Its pendulum beats every two seconds. The motion is kept up by a remontoir, or gravity escapement.
24. When were post-offices first established?
The first letter post was established in the Hanse towns in the early part of the thirteenth century. A line of letter posts followed, connecting Austria with Lombardy, in the reign of the Emperor Maximilian, which are said to have been organized by the princes of Thurn and Taxis; and the representatives of the same house established another line of posts from Vienna to Brussels, the most distant parts of the dominions of Charles V. This family continue to the present day to hold certain rights with regard to the German postal system, their posts being entirely distinct from those established by the crown, and sometimes in rivalry with them. In England, in early times, both public and private letters were sent by messengers, who, in the reign of Henry III., wore the royal livery. They had to provide themselves with horses until the reign of Edward I., when posts were established where horses were to be had for hire. Edward IV., when engaged in war with Scotland, had dispatches conveyed to his camp with great speed, by means of a system of relays of horses, which, however, fell into disuse on the restoration of peace. Camden mentions the office of “master of the postes” as existing in 1581, but the duties of that officer were probably connected exclusively with the supply of post horses. The posts were meant for the conveyance of government dispatches alone, and it was only by degrees that permission was extended to private individuals to make use of them. A foreign post for the conveyance of letters between London and the Continent seems to have been established by foreign merchants in the fifteenth century; and certain disputes which arose between the Flemings and the Italiansregarding the right of appointing a postmaster, and were referred to the privy council, led to the institution of a “chief postmaster,” who should have charge both of the English and foreign post. The American post-office is one of our earliest institutions, and was provided for by legislation in Massachusetts in 1639, and in Virginia in 1657. A monthly post between New York and Boston was established in 1672.
25. Who was “Old Bullion”?
This sobriquet was conferred on Col. Thomas Hart Benton (1782–1852), a distinguished American statesman, on account of his advocacy of the gold and silver currency as a true remedy for the financial embarrassments in which the United States was involved after the expiration of the charter of the national bank, and as the only proper medium for government disbursements and receipts.
26. When, where, and between whom was the first duel fought in the United States?
The first duel in the United States was at Plymouth, Mass., on June 18, 1621, between Edward Doty and Edward Leicester, two servants, both of whom were wounded. For this outrage they were sentenced to the punishment of having their heads and feet tied together, and of lying thus twenty-four hours without food or drink. After suffering, however, in that posture an hour, at their master’s intercession and their humble request, with the promise of amendment, they were released by the governor.
27. How is the northern boundary line of the United States marked?
The northern boundary line of this country is marked by stone cairns, iron pillars, wood pillars, earth mounds, and timber posts. A stone cairn is seven and a half feet by eight feet; an earth mound seven feet by fourteen feet; an iron pillar seven feet high, eight inches square at the bottom, and four inches at the top; timber posts five feet high and eight inches square. There are three hundred and eighty-five of these marks between the Lake of the Woods and the base of the Rocky Mountains. That portion of the boundary which lies east and west of the Red River Valley is marked by cast-iron pillars at even mile intervals. The British place one every two miles, and the United States one between each British post. Our pillars or markers were made at Detroit, Mich. They are hollow iron castings, three eighths of an inch in thickness, in the form of a truncated pyramid, eight feet high, eight inches square at the bottom, and four at the top, as before stated. They have at the top a solid pyramidal cap, and at the bottom an octagonal flange one inch in thickness. Upon the opposite faces are cast, in letters two inches high, the inscriptions, “Convention of London,” and “October 20th, 1818.” The inscriptions begin about four feet six inches above the base and read upwards. The interiors of the hollow posts are filled with well-seasoned cedar posts, sawed to fit, and securely spiked through spike holes cast in the pillars for that purpose. The average weight of each pillar when completed is eighty-five pounds. The pillars are all set four feet in the ground, with their inscription faces to the north and south, and the earth is well settled and stamped about them. For thewooden posts well-seasoned logs are selected, and the portion above the ground painted red, to prevent swelling and shrinking. These posts do very well, but the Indians cut them down for fuel, and nothing but iron will last very long. Where the line crosses lakes, mountains of stone have been built, the bases being in some places eighteen feet under water, and the tops projecting eight feet above the lake’s surface at high-water mark. In forests the line is marked by felling the timber a rod wide, and clearing away the underbrush. The work of cutting through the timbered swamps was very great, but it has been well done, and the boundary distinctly marked by the commissioners the whole distance from Michigan to Alaska.
28. What is the origin of the minute and second?
We have sixty divisions on the dials of our clocks and watches, because the old Greek astronomer, Hipparchus, who lived in the second century before Christ, accepted the Babylonian system of reckoning time, that system being sexagesimal. The Babylonians were acquainted with the decimal system, but for common or practical purposes they counted bysossiandsari, thesossosrepresenting sixty, and thesarossixty times six,—thirty-six hundred. From Hipparchus that mode of reckoning found its way into the works of Ptolemy about 150 A. D., and hence was carried down the stream of science and civilization, and found its way to the dial plates of our clocks and watches.
29. Which is the “Pine Tree State”?
Maine. The majestic mast pines which have given this State its sobriquet are fast receding before the demandsof commerce. This tree is the heraldic emblem of the State.
30. What city is called “Little Paris”?
Milan, Italy, from its resemblance in point of gayety to the French capital.
31. What was the origin of the term “Uncle Sam”?
This term came into use in the War of 1812, and was born at Troy, N. Y. The government inspector there was Uncle Sam Wilson, and when the war opened Elbert Anderson, the contractor at New York, bought a large amount of beef, pork, and pickles for the army. These were inspected by Wilson, and were duly labelled E. A.—U. S., meaning Elbert Anderson, for the United States. The term U. S. for the United States was then somewhat new, and the workmen concluded that they referred to Uncle Sam Wilson. After they discovered their mistake, they kept up the name as a joke. These same men soon went to the war. There they repeated the joke. It got into print and went the rounds. From that time on the term “Uncle Sam” was used facetiously for the United States, and it now represents the nation.
32. What is the origin of the phrase “The Three R’s”?
It is said that this phrase was originated by Sir William Curtis, who was Lord Mayor of London in 1795. A writer inNotes and Queriessays: “I remember an aged member of the corporation, now deceased, asserting that Sir William Curtis, in the days when Dr. Bell and the Quaker Lancaster were pleading on behalf of increased facilitiesfor the education of the poor, gave as a toast at a city dinner, ‘The three R’s.’ My friend assured me that Sir William Curtis, although a man of limited education, was very shrewd, and not so ignorant as to suppose his presumed orthography was correct. He chose the phrase in the above form purely for a jocular reason.”
33. How is an umbrella put together?
The first thing to be done is to prepare the stick to receive the cover. The two springs are first put in, one at the top to hold the umbrella open, and one at the bottom to keep it closed. The slots in which the springs are put are cut by a machine. This is a very delicate and dangerous operation, as, unless great care is taken, the man who does it is liable to lose his fingers. After this is done another man takes the stick, and with a knife prepares it to receive the spring. The springs are then set, and the ferrule is put on at the top of the stick. If the handle is of different material from the stick, it is now fastened to it. All of the counters in the work-rooms are carpeted to prevent the sticks from being scratched. After the handle is securely fastened and a band put on to finish or ornament the stick, it is sent to the frame-maker. He fastens the stretchers to the ribs, strings the top end of the ribs on a wire, and fits into the “runner notch.” He then strings the lower ends of the “stretchers” on a wire and fastens with the “runner.” When both of the “runners” are securely fixed, the umbrella is ready for the cover. The cutter lays his cloth very smoothly on a long counter, folding it until the fabric is sixteen layers deep and several yards long. The edges have been previously hemmed on a sewing machine. When everything is ready, the cutterlays on his pattern (this is usually made of wood tipped with brass), and with a very sharp knife cuts along the sides of it, thus cutting two covers at once. Every piece is then carefully examined, to see that there is no bad place or hole in it. A man then carefully stretches the edges, that it may fit the frame. The pieces are then stitched on a sewing machine, in what is called a pudding-bag seam. The tension is very carefully adjusted so that the thread will not break when the cover is stretched over the frame. The cover is first fastened to the frame at the top and bottom. The umbrella is then half raised, and held in position by a small tool for that purpose, while the seams are fastened to the ribs. When this is done, the tie is sewed on, the cap is put on, and the umbrella is entirely put together. A woman then takes it and presses the edges with a warm flat-iron. Afterward another woman takes it and inspects it before a very strong light to make sure that it is perfect. If it bears this inspection it is neatly adjusted about the handle, the tie fastened, and it is then ready for a purchaser.
34. What is the origin of the phrase “I acknowledge the corn”?
This phrase originated in the following manner: In 1828, Mr. Stewart, a member of Congress, said in a speech that Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana sent their hay-stacks, corn-fields, and fodder to New York and Philadelphia for sale. Mr. Wickliffe, of Kentucky, called him to order, declaring that those States did not send hay-stacks, corn-fields, and fodder to New York and Philadelphia for sale. “Well, what do you send?” asked Mr. Stewart. “Why, horses, mules, cattle, and hogs.” “Well, what makes yourhorses, mules, cattle, and hogs? You feed $100 worth of hay to a horse. You just animate and get upon the top of your hay-stack and ride off to market. How is it with your cattle? You make one of them carry $50 worth of hay or grass to the Eastern market. How much corn does it take, at thirty-three cents a bushel, to fatten a hog?” “Why, thirty bushels.” “Then you put thirty bushels into the shape of a hog and make it walk to the Eastern market.” Then Mr. Wickliffe jumped up and said, “Mr. Speaker, I acknowledge the corn.”
Another account of the origin of this phrase is as follows: Some years ago, a raw customer, from the upper country, determined to try his fortune at New Orleans. Accordingly he provided himself with two flat-boats, one laden with corn and the other with potatoes, and down the river he went. The night after his arrival he went up town to a gambling-house. Of course he commenced betting, and his luck proving unfortunate, he lost. When his money was gone, he bet his “truck”; and the corn and potatoes followed the money. At last, when completely cleaned out, he returned to his boats at the wharf, when the evidences of a new misfortune presented themselves. Through some accident or other, the flat-boat containing the corn was sunk, and a total loss. Consoling himself as well as he could, he went to sleep, dreaming of gamblers, potatoes, and corn. It was scarcely sunrise, however, when he was disturbed by the “child of chance,” who had arrived to take possession of the two boats as his winnings. Slowly awakening from his sleep, our hero, rubbing his eyes and looking the man in the face, replied, “Stranger,I acknowledge the corn,—take ’em; but the potatoes youcan’thave, by thunder!”
35. How did a flight of birds change the history of America?
When Columbus sailed westward over the broad expanse of the unknown waters of the Atlantic, he expected to reach Zipangu (Japan). Having sailed westward from Gomera, one of the Canary Islands, for many days, he grew uneasy at not having discovered Zipangu, which, according to his reckoning, he should have met with two hundred and sixteen nautical miles more to the east. After a long debate, he yielded to the opinion of Martin Alonzo Pinzon, the commander of thePinta, and steered to the southwest. Pinzon was guided in his opinion by a flight of parrots towards the southwest. The effect of this change in his course curiously exemplifies the influence of small and apparently trivial events on the world’s history. If Columbus, resisting the counsel of Pinzon, had kept his original route, he would have entered the warm current of the Gulf Stream, have reached Florida, and thence perhaps have been carried to Cape Hatteras and Virginia. The result would probably have been to give the present United States a Roman Catholic Spanish population, instead of a Protestant English one, a circumstance of immeasurable importance. “Never,” says Humboldt, “had the flight of birds more important consequences. It may be said to have determined the first settlements on the new continent, and its distribution between the Latin and Germanic races.”
36. When did an American race have recourse to a stratagem similar to the celebrated wooden horse of Troy?
In order to destroy the last settlement of the Northmen in Greenland, “the savages,” says Dr. I. I. Hayes, the famous Arctic explorer, “had recourse to a stratagem worthy to be compared with the celebrated wooden horse of Troy.” Over an immense raft of boats, they constructed an immense scaffolding, and covered it with white sealskins to make it look like an iceberg. Filled with armed men, it floated down the fiord. It was seen by the sentinels and other people of the settlement, but was supposed by them to be nothing more than a harmless mass of ice, till it was run aground near the church. Then the Esquimaux rushed out of it, slaughtered the inhabitants, and destroyed the settlement.
37. Which was the first land discovered by Columbus?
The spot which he first reached was a small island, called by the natives Guanahani, to which Columbus gave the name of San Salvador, the Spanish for Holy Saviour. This was the island now known as Watling Island, as was suggested by Muñoz in 1793, and proved by Mr. R. H. Major in 1870, and not the island now called San Salvador.
38. With whom did the name America originate?
In a paper distinguished for great learning and able criticism, Mr. Major has shown that the word “America” first appeared on theMappe Monde, drawn by Leonardo da Vinci, and he explains the circumstances which led to its adoption. The first map known to exist with the New World delineated upon it is that drawn by Juan de la Cosa, the pilot of Columbus in his second voyage. This map isdated 1500. Juan de la Cosa was with Ojeda and Vespucci, and afterwards with Ojeda in his last and ill-fated expedition. In May, 1507, just a year after the death of Columbus, one Martin Waldseemuller (Hylacomulus) wrote a book calledCosmographiæ Introductio, to which was appended a Latin edition of the four voyages of Vespucci. In this book, which was published at St. Dié in Lorraine, he proposed that the nameAmericashould be given to the New World. In 1508 the first engraved map containing the New World appeared in an edition of Ptolemy printed at Rome, but it does not bear the name of America. But in 1509 the name America, proposed by Hylacomulus in 1507, appears as if it was already accepted as a well-known denomination, in an anonymous work entitledGlobus Mundi, published at Strasburg. TheMappe Mondeof Leonardo da Vinci, to which Major assigns the date 1514, has the name of America across the South American continent.
39. What was the ancient name of the “ring-finger”?
The fingers, as anciently known, are: thumb; toucher, foreman, or pointer; long man, or long finger; lich-man, or ring-finger; little man, or little finger. The Romans believed that a nerve ran through the ring-finger to the heart. Both they and the Greeks called it the medical finger, and used it for stirring their mixtures, believing that nothing harmful could touch it without despatching a warning to the heart. The notion is said still to exist in some parts of England that salve must not be applied to the flesh or the skin scratched with any but the ring-finger.
40. Who was “The Beautiful Parricide”?
Beatrice Cenci was so called. According to Muratori, her father, Francesco, was twice married, Beatrice being his daughter by the first wife. After his second marriage he treated the children of his first wife in a revolting manner, and was even accused of hiring bandits to murder two of his sons on their return from Spain. The beauty of Beatrice inspired him with the horrible and incestuous desire to possess her person; with mingled lust and hate, he persecuted her from day to day, until circumstances enabled him to consummate his brutality. The unfortunate girl besought the help of her relatives and of Pope Clement VII., but did not receive it, whereupon, in company with her step-mother and her brother, Giacomo, she planned and executed the murder of her unnatural parent. The crime was discovered, and both she and Giacomo were put to the torture. Giacomo confessed, but Beatrice persisted in the declaration that she was innocent. All, however, were condemned, and put to death August, 1599, in spite of efforts made in their behalf.
41. What was the Diamond Necklace Affair?
This wonderful piece of jewelry, made by Boehmer, the court jeweller of Paris, was intended for Madame du Barry, the favorite of Louis XV. On the death of the monarch, however, she was excluded from court, and the bawble was left on the jeweller’s hands. Its immense value, 1,800,000 livres ($400,000), precluded any one from becoming its purchaser, but in 1785 Boehmer offered it to Marie Antoinette for $320,000, a considerable reduction. The queen much desired the necklace, but was deterredfrom its purchase by the great expense. Learning this, the Countess de la Motte forged the queen’s signature, and, by pretending that her Majesty had an attachment for the Cardinal de Rohan, the queen’s almoner, persuaded him to conclude a bargain with the jeweller for $280,000. De la Motte thus obtained possession of the necklace and made off with it. For this she was tried in 1786 and sentenced to be branded on both shoulders and imprisoned for life, but she subsequently escaped and fled to London. The cardinal was tried and acquitted the same year. The French public at that time believed that the queen was a party to the fraud, but no conclusive evidence was ever adduced to support the charge. Talleyrand wrote at the time, “I shall not be surprised if this miserable affair overturn the throne.” His prediction was, to a great extent, fulfilled.
42. Who was the “Patriot Preacher of the Revolution”?
The Rev. John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg (1746–1807) has been so termed. He was educated at Halle, ordained to the ministry in England, and in 1772 became Lutheran minister of Woodstock, Va. He soon became a leading spirit among those opposed to British oppression. His last sermon was upon the duty men owe to their country. In concluding, he said: “There is a time for all things, a time to preach and (with a voice that echoed like a trumpet blast through the church) a time to fight, and now is the time to fight.” Then, laying aside his sacerdotal gown, he stood before his flock in the full regimental dress of a Virginia colonel. He ordered the drums to be beaten at the church door for recruits; and almost hisentire male audience, capable of bearing arms, joined his standard. Nearly three hundred men enlisted under his banner on that day. The scene has been described in verse by Thomas Buchanan Read in the “Wagoner of the Alleghanies.” In February, 1777, Congress promoted Muhlenberg to the rank of brigadier-general; and at the close of the war he was made a major-general.
43. When does Easter come?
The Council of Nice (325 A. D.) authoritatively declared for the whole Church, Easter to be always the first Sunday after the full moon which occurs on or next after March 21; and if the full moon happen on a Sunday, Easter is to be the Sunday following.
44. Where are the highest tides found?
The high tides that rise in the Bay of Fundy are one of the wonders of the world. The funnel-shaped and rapidly narrowing entrance to the bay enables a disproportionally long tidal wave to enter, and as it becomes narrower and shallower the height necessarily increases. The tide, which at the entrance is eighteen feet, rushes with great fury up the bay, and swells to the enormous height of sixty feet, and even to seventy feet in the highest spring tides. With such velocity does it rush up the constantly narrowing bay, that hogs and other animals feeding along the shore are frequently overtaken by it.
45. In what country are nearly all of the clergymen blacksmiths?
The clergymen of Iceland are so miserably paid that they are generally obliged to do the hardest work of daylaborers to preserve their families from starving. Besides making hay and tending cattle, they are all blacksmiths from necessity, and the best horse-shoers on the island. The feet of an Iceland horse would be cut to pieces over the sharp rocks and lava if not well shod. The church is the great resort of the peasantry; and should any of the numerous horses have lost a shoe, or be likely to do so, the clergyman dons his apron, lights his little charcoal fire in his smithy, one of which is attached to every parsonage, and sets the animal on its legs again. The task of getting the charcoal is not the least of his labors, for whatever the distance may be to the nearest thicket of dwarf birch, he must go thither to burn the wood, and bring it home when charred. His hut is scarcely better than that of the meanest fisherman; a bed, a rickety table, a few chairs, and a chest or two are all his furniture. This is, as long as he lives, the condition of the Icelandic clergyman, and learning, virtue, and even genius are but too frequently buried under this squalid poverty. In no Christian country, perhaps with the sole exception of Lapland, are the clergy so poor as in Iceland, but in none do they exert a more beneficial influence.
46. What noted poet’s bald head caused his death?
The ancient writers are unanimous in regard to the manner of the death of Æschylus (525–456 B. C.), the father of the Greek tragic drama. An eagle, say they, mistaking the poet’s bald head for a stone, let a tortoise fall upon it to break the shell, and so fulfilled an oracle, according to which Æschylus was fated to die by a blow from heaven.
47. Who discovered the Northwest Passage?
In 1850 an expedition was sent out from England under the command of Sir Robert John Le Mesurier McClure, to whom belongs the honor of the discovery of this long-sought passage. Having passed through Behring’s Strait in August of this year, McClure’s ship, theInvestigator, was ice-bound in the middle of October. A land party from the ship discovered the Northwest Passage, Oct. 26, from Mount Observation, latitude 73 degrees 30 minutes 39 seconds north; longitude 114 degrees 39 minutes west. After this discovery the party returned to theInvestigator; but that vessel was not destined herself to sail homeward through the passage discovered by her commander. Three winters were spent in the ice; but in April, 1853, a relief party on board of H. M. S.Resoluteappeared, having discovered McClure’s whereabouts by means of a cairn left by him in Winter Harbor. Commander McClure now resolved to abandon his ship altogether. He reached England on Sept. 28, 1854. His first reward was to receive his commission of post-captain, dated back to the day of the discovery of the Northwest Passage. Shortly afterward he received from her Majesty the honors of knighthood, and a reward of £5,000 was voted him by Parliament. Both the English and French geographical societies gave him a gold medal. A reward of £10,000 was also granted to the officers and crew of theInvestigator, as a token of national approbation of the men who had discovered a Northwest Passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean.
48. Who was the first child born of English parents in New England?
Peregrine White, son of William White and of his wife Susanna, the first child born of English parents in NewEngland, was born on board theMayflowerin the harbor of Cape Cod, Nov. 20, 1620. He died at Marshfield in 1704.
49. Who was the “White Lady”?
A being who, according to popular legend, appears in many of the castles of German princes and nobles, by night as well as by day, when any important event, whether joyful or sad, but particularly when the death of any member of the family is imminent. She is regarded as the ancestress of the race, shows herself always in snow-white garments, carries a bunch of keys at her side, and sometimes rocks and watches over the children at night when their nurses sleep. The earliest appearance of this apparition spoken of was in the sixteenth century, and was famous under the name of Bertha of Rosenberg (in Bohemia). In the castle of Berlin she is said to have been seen in 1628, and again in 1840 and 1850.
50. In what cities are there no elections held?
Washington and Georgetown, D. C. By the law of 1874 these municipalities were abolished, and the elective franchise suppressed throughout the District of Columbia. The district is under the control of Congress, but has no representatives; and its municipal affairs are regulated by three commissioners appointed by the President and Senate.
51. Which is the “City of the Red Staff”?
Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is said that when the place was first settled, there was growing on the spot a cypress (the bark of which tree is of a reddish color) of immensesize and prodigious height, entirely free from branches, except at its very top. One of the settlers playfully remarked that this tree would make a handsome cane; whence the place has since been called Baton Rouge, that is, “red staff.”
52. How many languages are there?
The various languages, dialects, etc., ancient and modern, are estimated to be 3,064. They are distributed as follows: Asiatic, 937; European, 587; African, 276; American, 1,264.
53. What noted physiologist estimated one hundred years as man’s normal term of life?
Marie Jean Pierre Flourens (1794–1867), the celebrated French physiologist, asserts, in one of his numerous publications, that the normal period of man’s life is one century. It is, he argues, a fact in natural history, that the length of each animal’s life is in exact proportion to the period the animal takes in growing. Monsieur Flourens has ascertained this period, and based upon it the theory that it depends on “the union of the bones to their epiphyses. As long,” he observes, “as the bones are not united to their epiphyses, the animal grows; as soon as the bones are united to their epiphyses, the animal ceases to grow.” Now, in man, according to this philosopher, the union of the bones and the epiphyses takes place at the age of twenty, and that, as among all animals, life is or should be prolonged to five times the period they take in attaining their full growth, the normal duration of the life of man is consequently one century. Applied to domestic animals, this theory appears to be fully verified. In the camel, theunion of the bones with the epiphyses takes place at eight years of age, and the animal lives to be forty, in the horse, at five years, and he lives to be twenty-five; in the ox, at four years, and he lives to be twenty; in the dog, at two years, and he lives to be ten or twelve years. In view of these conclusions, Flourens modifies considerably the different stages of man’s existence. “I prolong the duration of infancy,” he says, “up to ten years, because it is from nine to ten that the second dentition is terminated. I prolong adolescence up to twenty years, because it is at that age that the development of the bones ceases, and consequently the increase of the body in length. I prolong youth up to the age of forty, because it is only at that age that the increase of the body in bulk terminates. After forty, the body does not grow, properly speaking, the augmentation of its volume which then takes place is not a veritable organic development, but a simple accumulation of fat. After the growth, or, more properly speaking, the development in length and bulk has terminated, man enters into what I call the period of invigoration, that is, when all our parts become more complete and firm, our functions more assured, and the whole organism more perfect. This period lasts to sixty-five or seventy years, and then begins old age, which lasts for thirty years.” When it was asked of Flourens why so few attained to the age of a century, he replied, “Man does not die! With our manners, our passions, our torments, he kills himself!”
54. Who was the “American Pope of Rome”?
Among the earliest settlers of the District of Columbia was an Englishman named Pope, who bought land and named the stream flowing through it the Tiber. To theeminence on which the Capitol now stands he gave the name of Capitoline Hill. He called his whole plantation Rome, and signed himself “Pope of Rome.”
55. Which was the most deadly epidemic ever known?
The Black Death, which in the fourteenth century desolated the world. It took this name from the black spots, symptomatic of a putrid decomposition which at one of its stages appeared upon the skin. Among the symptoms may be noticed great imposthumes on the thighs and arms, and smaller boils on the arms and face; in many cases black spots all over the body; and in some, affections of the head, stupor, and palsy of the tongue, which became black as if suffused with blood; burning and unshakable thirst; putrid inflammation of the lungs, attended by acute pains in the chest, the expectoration of blood, and a fetid, pestiferous breath. On the first appearance of the plague in Europe, fever, the evacuation of blood, and carbuncular affection of the lungs brought death before the other symptoms could be developed; afterwards, boils and buboes characterized its fatal course in Europe, as in the East. In almost all cases its victims perished in two or three days after being attacked. Its spots and tumors were the seals of a doom which medicine had no power to avert, and which in despair many anticipated by self-slaughter. The precise date of the appearance of the plague in China is unknown, but from 1333 till 1348 that great country suffered a terrible mortality from droughts, famines, floods, earthquakes which swallowed mountains, and swarms of innumerable locusts; and in the last few years of that period from the plague. Duringthe same time Europe manifested sympathy with the changes which affected the East. The theory is, that this great tellurian activity, accompanied by the decomposition of vast organic masses, myriads of bodies of men, brutes, and locusts, produced some change in the atmosphere unfavorable to life; and some writers, speaking of the established progress of the plague from east to west, say that the impure air was actually visible as it approached with its burden of death. In 1340 the Black Death first appeared in Italy. It spread throughout Christendom and raged during many years, causing unprecedented mortality. Thousands perished in Germany. In London alone two hundred persons were buried daily in the Charter House yard in 1348. The horrors of the time were further heightened by the fearful persecutions to which the Jews were subjected, from a popular belief that the pestilence was owing to their poisoning the public wells. The people rose to exterminate the Hebrew race, of whom, in Mayence alone, twelve thousand were cruelly murdered. They were killed by fire and by torture wherever they could be found, and for them to the terrors of the plague were added those of a populace everywhere infuriated against them. In some places the Jewish people immolated themselves in masses; in others, not a soul of them survived the assaults of their enemies. No adequate notion can be conveyed of these horrors.
56. What noted national hymn was composed (words and music) in a single night?
TheMarseillaise, the name by which the grand song of the first French Revolution is known. The circumstances which led to its composition are as follows: In the beginningof 1792, when a column of volunteers was about to leave Strasburg, the mayor of the city, who gave a banquet on the occasion, asked an officer of artillery, named Rouget de Lisle, to compose a song in their honor. His request was complied with, and the result was theMarseillaise,—both verse and music being the work of a single night. De Lisle entitled the pieceChant de Guerre de l’Armee du Rhin. Next day it was sung with the rapturous enthusiasm that only Frenchmen can exhibit, and instead of six hundred volunteers, one thousand marched out of Strasburg. Soon from the whole army of the North resounded the thrilling and fiery words, “Aux armes! Aux armes!” Nevertheless the song was still unknown at Paris, and was first introduced there by Barbaroux, when he summoned the youth of Marseilles to the capital in July, 1792. It was received with transports by the Parisians, who, ignorant of its real authorship, named itHymne des Marseillais, which name it has ever since borne.
57. Who was the “Queen of Tears”?
This name was given to Mary of Modena, the second wife of James II., of England. “Her eyes,” says Noble, “became eternal fountains of sorrow for that crown her ill policy contributed to lose.”
58. Who was called the “Bravest of the Brave”?
The celebrated Marshal Ney (1769–1815) was so called by the French troops at Friedland (1807), on account of his fearless bravery. He was in command of the right wing, which bore the brunt of the battle, and stormed the town. Napoleon as he watched him passing unterrifiedthrough a storm of balls, exclaimed, “That man is a lion!” and henceforth the army styled him, “Les Braves des Braves.”
59. What are the different colors used by different nations for mourning?
Black.The color of mourning in Europe, also in ancient Greece and Rome.
Black and White striped.Expressive of sorrow and hope combined; worn by the South Sea Islanders.
Grayish Brown.The color of the earth; worn in Ethiopia.
Pale Brown.The color of withered leaves; worn in Persia.
Sky-blue.Expressive of hope for the deceased; worn in Syria, Cappadocia, and Armenia.
Deep Blue.The mourning of Bokhara, in Central Asia; worn also by the Romans under the Republic.
Purple and Violet.Denotes royalty; worn for cardinals and the kings of France. Violet is the mourning of Turkey.
White.Mourning of China. Henry VIII. wore white for Anne Boleyn; until 1498 it was the mourning of Spain.
Yellow.Mourning worn in Egypt and Burmah. Anne Boleyn wore yellow for Catherine of Aragon. Yellow may be regarded as a token of exaltation.
60. During which Presidential election did three States not vote? Why?
This has twice occurred within our history.
1. In the first election, Washington’s, 1789, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and New York did not vote.North Carolina and Rhode Island did not vote, because they had not then ratified the Constitution; and New York, because it had failed to make provisions for electors.
2. In the Presidential election of 1868, when Grant was elected for his first term, Virginia, Mississippi, and Texas did not vote, as they had not been readmited since the Rebellion.
61. When does a gallon of vinegar weigh more, in summer or in winter?
A gallon of vinegar weighs more in winter than in summer, because the cold causes the vinegar to contract, so that the measure holds more than it does in warm weather, when the vinegar is not so dense.
62. When, where, and by whom was the oath of office administered to Washington as President of the United States?
On the 30th of April, 1789, by Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, in Federal Hall, Wall Street, New York.
63. What city was commonly called the “Mistress of the World”?
Rome; because it was for centuries the grandest, richest, and most populous of European cities, and was regarded as the capital of a kind of universal empire.
64. What was the real name of Pocahontas?
Her “real name” was Matoax, or Matoaka, but it was rarely uttered, as the Indians believed that a knowledge of the real names of persons gave their enemies power tocast spells upon them. Pocahontas was her household name, by which she was generally called, though she had still another name, Amonate.
65. What Indian chief was made an English peer, and with what title?
Manteo, the faithful Indian chief, after receiving Christian baptism, was, “by the commandment of Sir Walter Raleigh,” invested with the rank of baron, and the title, Lord of Roanoke. This was on the 13th of August, 1587. Thus even in the American wilderness the vanities of life were not forgotten.
66. What are violet stones?
This name is given to certain stones found upon high mountains, as in Thuringia, upon the Harz Mountains, and the Riesengebirge, which, in consequence of being covered with what is calledviolet moss, emit a smell like that of violets. They retain this smell for a long time, and it is increased by moistening them.
67. What was the origin of the term “Brother Jonathan”?
When George Washington, after being appointed commander of the army of the Revolutionary War, went to Massachusetts to organize it, and make preparations for the defence of the country, he found a great want of ammunition and other means necessary to meet the powerful foe with whom he had to contend, and great difficulty in obtaining them. If attacked in such condition, the cause at once might be hopeless. On one occasion, at that anxious period, a consultation of the officers andothers was had, when it seemed no way could be devised to make such preparation as was necessary. His Excellency Jonathan Trumbull, the elder, was then governor of Connecticut, and as Washington placed the greatest reliance on his judgment and aid, he remarked, “We must consult Brother Jonathan on the subject.” He did so, and the governor was successful in supplying many of the wants of the army. When difficulties afterward arose, and the army was spread over the country, it became a by-word, “We must consult Brother Jonathan.” The origin of the expression being soon lost sight of, the nameBrother Jonathancame to be regarded as the national sobriquet.
68. What is the national beverage of Japan?
This beverage is brewed from rice, and is calledsaké. The color of the bestsakéresembles very pale sherry; the taste is rather acid. None but the very best grain is used in its manufacture, and the principal breweries are Itami, Nada, and Hiôgo, all in the province of Setsu.
69. What was the “Kitchen Cabinet”?
This name was given to the Hon. Francis P. Blair and to the Hon. Amos Kendall, by the opponents of President Jackson’s administration. Blair was the editor of theGlobe, the organ of the president, and Kendall was one of the principal contributors to the paper. As it was necessary for Jackson to consult frequently with these gentlemen, and as, to avoid observation, they were accustomed, when they called upon him, to go in by a back door, the Whig party styled them, in derision, theKitchen Cabinet, alleging that it was by their advice that the Presidentremoved so many Whigs from office and put Democrats in their place.
70. When was the first census of the United States taken, and what was the population?
The first census was taken in 1790, and the returns showed a population of 3,929,214.
71. What Vice-President was not elected by the people?
Richard Mentor Johnson, of Kentucky, in 1837. No candidate for the Vice-Presidency received a majority of the electoral votes, and, according to the terms of the Constitution, the selection fell upon the Senate, who elected Johnson.
72. What Vice-President did not serve?
William Rufus King, of Alabama, who was elected in 1852. Owing to his poor health, he went to Cuba to spend the winter of 1852–53. The oath of office was administered to him there by the American consul, but he died April 18, 1853, soon after his return from the island to his plantation at Cahawaha, Ala.
73. When and by whom was the Antarctic Continent discovered?
On Jan. 16, 1840, by the United States Exploring Expedition, under the command of Lieut. Charles Wilkes (1801–1877). The land was first seen from the mast-head. This was in latitude 61° 30″ south, and longitude 161° east. Wilkes traced the coast westward to 101° east, but was prevented from landing by an impassable barrier of ice.
74. What led to the establishment of the “Order of the Garter”?
The Order of the Garter was instituted by King Edward III. It was one of the most famous of the military orders of Europe. Selden says that it “exceeds in majesty, honor, and fame all chivalrous orders in the world.” It is said to have been devised for the purpose of attracting to the king’s party such soldiers of fortune as might be likely to aid in asserting the claim which he was then making to the crown of France, and to have been intended as an imitation of King Arthur’s Round Table. The original number of knights of the garter was twenty-five, his Majesty himself making the twenty-sixth. The story that the Countess of Salisbury let fall her garter when dancing with the king, and that the king picked it up and tied it round his own leg, but that, observing the jealous glances of the queen, he restored it to its fair owner, with the exclamation, “Honi soit que mal y pense” (Evil be to him who evil thinks), is about as well authenticated as most tales of the kind, and has, moreover, in its favor, that it accounts for the otherwise unaccountable emblem and motto of the order.
75. How do you determine the years covered by a given Congress?
To determine the years covered by a given Congress, double the number of the Congress, and add the product to 1789; the result will be the year in which the Congress closed. Thus, the forty-fifth Congress equals 90 plus 1789 equals 1879, that being the year which terminated the forty-fifth Congress, on the 4th of March. To find the number of a Congress sitting in any given year, subtract1789 from the year; if the result is an even number, half that number will give the Congress of which the year in question will be the closing year. If the result is an odd number, add one to it, and half the result will give the Congress, of which the year in question will be the first year.
76. What town was the birthplace of two Presidents?
Braintree, Massachusetts, is the only town in the United States which can claim this distinction. John Adams and John Quincy Adams were both born in this town, in that part which, in 1792, was set off as the town of Quincy, where the Adams family still have their summer residence. John Hancock was also born in the same town.
77. Where is the “Cave of the Winds”?
It lies in behind the cataract of Niagara, midway between the American and the Horseshoe Falls. It is fifty feet wide, seventy feet high, and thirty feet deep. Visitors, provided with oil-skin dresses and attendant guides, make the tour of the cave, which forms an exciting and novel amusement.
78. Give the color and portrait of each of our postage stamps.
79. Who were the “Nine Worthies”?
These famous personages, so often alluded to by writers and poets, have been counted up in the following manner:
80. Who was the “Father of Ridicule”?
Francois Rabelais (1495?-1553), the most original and remarkable of all humorists, and the first noteworthy comic romancer of modern times, is chiefly noted for his great satirical work,Les Faits et Dicts du Geant Gargantua et de son Fils Pantagruel, which continues to take rank as one of the world’s masterpieces of humor and grotesque invention.Lord Bacon calls Rabelais “the great jester of France”; others have called him a “comic Homer.” More than sixty editions of his work have been published.
81. What did the North American Indians use as money?
Strings of shells and shell-beads called wampum. There were two kinds:wampumpeag, which was white, and was made from the conch or periwinkle; andsuckanhock, which was black, or rather purple, and was made from the hard-shell clam. The latter was worth twice as much as the former. The shell was broken into pieces, rubbed smooth on a stone till about the thickness of a pipe-stem, then cut and pierced with a drill. It was then strung or made into belts, and served not only as money, but also as ornaments.
82. Who was “Old Hickory”?
This sobriquet was conferred upon General Andrew Jackson, in 1813, by the soldiers under his command. “The name of ‘Old Hickory,’” says Parton, “is not an instantaneous inspiration, but a growth. First of all, the remark was made by some soldier, who was struck with his commander’s pedestrian powers, that the general was ‘tough.’ Next it was observed of him that he was ‘tough as hickory.’ Then he was called Hickory. Lastly, the affectionate adjective ‘old’ was prefixed, and the general thenceforth rejoiced in the completed nickname, usually the first-won honor of a great commander.” According to another account, the name sprung from his having on one occasion set his men an example of endurance by feeding on hickory nuts, when destitute of supplies.
83. Which is the “City of Elms”?
This is a familiar denomination of New Haven, Ct., many of the streets of which are thickly shaded with lofty elms.
84. How did the schooner obtain its name?
The first schooner ever constructed is said to have been built in Gloucester, Mass., about the year 1713, by a Capt. Andrew Robinson, and to have received its name from the following trivial circumstance. When the vessel went off the stocks into the water, a by-stander cried out, “Oh, how shescoons!” Robinson instantly replied, “Ascoonerlet her be”; and, from that time, vessels thus masted and rigged have gone by this name. The wordscoonis popularly used in some parts of New England to denote the act of making stones skip along the surface of water.
85. Who was the “Mill-boy of the Slashes”?
This nickname was given to Henry Clay, who was born in the neighborhood of a place in Hanover County, Va., known asthe Slashes(a local term for a low, swampy country), where there was a mill, to which he was often sent on errands when a boy.
86. What was the origin of “Honeymoon”?
The term “honeymoon” is of Teutonic origin, and is said to be derived from a luxurious drink prepared with honey by the ancients. It was the custom to drink of diluted honey for thirty days, or a moon’s age, after a wedding feast.
87. What was the origin of the expression “Printer’s Devil”?
Aldus Manutius (1449–1515), the celebrated Venetian printer and publisher, had a small black slave whom the superstitious believed to be an emissary of Satan. To satisfy the curious, one day he said publicly in church, “I, Aldus Manutius, printer to the Holy Church, have this day made public exposure of the printer’s devil. All who think he is not flesh and blood, come and pinch him.” Hence in Venice arose the somewhat curious sobriquet of the “printer’s devil.”
88. Who were the “Seven Sleepers”?
According to a very widely diffused legend of early Christianity, seven noble youths of Ephesus, in the time of the Decian persecution, who fled to a certain cavern for refuge, and were pursued, discovered, and walled in for a cruel death, were made to fall asleep, and in that state were miraculously kept for almost two centuries. Their names are said to have been Maximian, Malchus, Martinian, Denis, John, Serapion, and Constantine. The legend, in speaking of their death, said, following the usual form, that they had fallen asleep in the Lord. The vulgar took occasion thence to say that these holy martyrs were not dead; that they had been hid in the cavern, where they had fallen asleep; and that they at last awoke, to the great astonishment of the spectators. Such is the origin of the legend of the Seven Sleepers. At Ephesus the spot is still shown where this pretended miracle took place. As a dog had accompanied these seven martyrs into their retreat, he has been made to share the celebrity of his masters, and is fabled to have remained standingall the time they slept, without eating or drinking, being wholly occupied with guarding their persons. The Church has consecrated the 27th of June to their memory. The Koran relates the tale of the Seven Sleepers, and declares that out of respect for them the sun altered his course twice a day that he might shine into the cavern.