Chapter V: Value of a pound of hair-springs for watches 4 (4)

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 a pressure 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, at Washington, 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 Scandinavian _Hari_ or _Heira_, 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 name _Old 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 from _whig_, whey, which the Scottish Covenanters used to drink, and hence a name applied to them.

2. That it is a contraction of _whiggam_, a term used in Scotland in driving horses, or from _whiggamore_, 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 called _whiggs_; 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 from _toree_, 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 numbers that 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 from _hum_, to impose on, to deceive, and _bug_, 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 Irish _uim bog_ (pronounced _umbug_), 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. _Sterling_ and _umbug_ were 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 at Winchester, 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

“That saved the day
By carrying Sheridan into the fight
From Winchester--twenty miles away.”

Mr. Murdock committed the lines to memory, and that evening, at a meeting of rejoicing over the victory, he recited them. An intense silence prevailed throughout the hall, broken only by the tones of the speaker. As the last words of the grand poem left his lips, storms of applause shook the building. Coming so soon after the victory, while the people were still flushed with their success, it wrought the audience up to an excitement which could not be controlled. Every one supposed that Mr. Murdock had composed the poem, and he was overwhelmed with expressions of congratulation and praise. But he, directing the attention of the crowd to the box where the poet sat, exclaimed, “There is the man who wrote the poem!”

243. Which is the longest word in the English language?

Disproportionableness is the longest classified word in our language.

244. What gems are the emblems of the Twelve Apostles?

ANDREW, the bright blue _sapphire_, emblematic of his heavenly faith.

BARTHOLOMEW, the red _carnelian_, emblematic of his martyrdom.

JAMES, the white _chalcedony_, emblematic of his purity.

JAMES THE LESS, the _topaz_, emblematic of delicacy.

JOHN, the _emerald_, emblematic of his youth and gentleness.

MATTHEW, the _amethyst_, emblematic of sobriety. Matthew was once a “publican,” but was “sobered” by the leaven of Christianity.

MATTHIAS, the _chrysolite_, pure as sunshine.

PETER, the _jasper_, hard and solid as the rock of the church.

PHILIP, the friendly _sardonyx_.

SIMEON OF CANA, the pink _hyacinth_, emblematic of a sweet temper.

THADDEUS, the _chrysoprase_, emblematic of security and trustfulness.

THOMAS, the _beryl_, indefinite in lustre, emblematic of his doubting faith.

245. What is the origin of “bogus”?

According to the Boston _Daily Courier_ of June 12, 1857, this word originated as follows: “The word ‘bogus,’ we believe, is a corruption of the name of one _Borghese_, a very corrupt individual, who, twenty years ago or more, did a tremendous business in the way of supplying the great West, and portions of the Southwest, with a vast amount of counterfeit bills, and bills on fictitious banks, which never had any existence out of the ‘forgetive brain’ of him, the said ‘Borghese.’ The Western people, who are rather rapid in their talk, when excited, soon fell into the habit of shortening the Norman name of Borghese to the more handy one of Bogus; and his bills, and all other bills of like character, were universally styled ‘bogus currency.’”

246. Why is buckwheat so called?

The word “buckwheat” is a corruption of beechwheat. It is so called from the similarity of the shape of its grains to the mast or nuts of the beech-tree.

247. Who originated tarring and feathering?

Richard Cœur de Lion seems to have originated tarring and feathering. Hoveden, quoted by Dr. Hook in his “Lives of the Archbishops of Canterbury,” says that Richard, when he sailed for the Holy Land, made sundry laws for the regulation of his fleet, one of which enacted that “a robber who shall be convicted of theft shall have his head cropped after the manner of a champion, and boiling pitch shall be poured thereon, and then the feathers of a cushion shall be shaken out upon him, so that he may be known, and at the first land at which the ship shall touch he shall be set on shore.”

248. What is the meaning of the phrase “By Jingo”?

Jingo is a corruption of Jainko, the name of the Basque Supreme Being. “By Jingo!” or “By the living Jingo!” is an appeal to deity. Edward I. had Basque mountaineers conveyed to England to take part in his Welsh wars, and the Plantagenets held the Basque provinces in possession. This Basque oath is a landmark of these facts.

249. Who is “Old Nick”?

This vulgar and ancient name for the devil is derived from that of the _Neck_, or _Nikke_, a river or ocean god of the Scandinavian popular mythology. “The British sailor,” says Scott, “who fears nothing else, confesses his terrors for this terrible being, and believes him the author of almost all the various calamities to which the precarious life of a seaman is so continually exposed.” Butler, the author of “Hudibras,” erroneously derives the term from the name of _Nicolo_ Macchiavelli.

250. Who was “Rare Ben”?

This famous appellation was conferred upon Ben Jonson (1574–1637), the dramatic poet. It is said that soon after his death, a subscription was commenced for the purpose of erecting a monument to his memory; but the undertaking having advanced slowly, an eccentric Oxfordshire squire took the opportunity, on passing one day through Westminster Abbey, to secure at least an epitaph for the poet by giving a mason eighteen pence to cut, on the stone which covered the grave, the words, “O, rare Ben Johnson.”

251. What was the origin of Thanksgiving Day?

In 1621, the year after Plymouth Colony was founded, Gov. Bradford set apart a day for thanksgiving for the yield of the harvests. Two years after that, there was a great drought, and the people were devoting a day to fasting and prayer, when their sorrows were turned into praise and thanksgiving by a generous fall of rain. From that time it gradually became an established custom to have a day of praise and thanksgiving after harvests. When the Colonies became the New England States, the custom was kept up, the day being proclaimed by the governors of the several States. A day of prayer was recommended by Congress during the Revolution, and by Washington after the adoption of the Constitution. This was continued by some of the later Presidents. In 1863, Lincoln proclaimed that a _National Thanksgiving Day_ should be observed in remembrance of the recent victories and the general manifestation of God’s goodness and mercy. This has been annually issued since, and now custom has fixed it as the fourth Thursday in November.

252. Whose wife was Adam?

Adam’s. “Male and female created He them; and blessed them, and called _their_ name Adam, in the day when they were created.” Genesis v. 2.

253. Whose daughter was Noah?

Zelophehad’s. “Then came the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph: and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah and Tirzah.” Numbers xxvii. 1.

254. Who are the “Hairy Men”?

The Ainos, who are supposed to be the aborigines of Japan. They are distinguished by an exuberance of hair on the head and body, a circumstance which has given rise to their name of “Hairy Kuriles.” They are different in race and character from the ordinary Japanese. Legend says that the Japanese were originally Ainos, but became a separate race by intermarriage with the Chinese. They are now found chiefly in the island of Yesso.

255. Where was the Declaration of Independence written?

Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in the second story, front room, of house No. 230 High Street, now 700 Market Street, Philadelphia.

256. What is the Golden Number of a year, and how determined?

The Golden Number for any year is the number of that year in the Metonic cycle, and as this cycle embraces nineteen years, the golden number ranges from one to nineteen. The cycle of Meton came into general use soon after its discovery, and the number of each year in the Metonic cycle was ordered to be engraved in letters of gold on pillars of marble--hence the origin of the name. Since the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, the point from which the golden numbers are numbered is 1 B. C., as in that year the new moon fell on the 1st of January; and as by Meton’s law, it falls on the same day (Jan. 1) every nineteenth year from that time, we obtain the following rule for obtaining the golden number of any particular year: “Add one to the number of years and divide by nineteen; the quotient gives the number of cycles, and the remainder gives the golden number for that year; and if there be no remainder, then nineteen is the golden number, and that year is the last of the cycle.” The golden number is used for determining the Epact and the time of holding Easter.

257. What were the causes of the American Revolution?

The most general cause of the American Revolution was the _right of arbitrary government_, claimed by Great Britain and denied by the Colonies. There were subordinate causes. First of these was _the influence of France_, which was constantly exerted so as to incite a spirit of resistance in the Colonies. Another cause was found in _the natural disposition and inherited character of the colonists_. _The growth of public opinion in the Colonies_ tended to independence. Another cause was found in _the personal character of the king_. The more immediate cause was the passage by Parliament of _a number of acts destructive of colonial liberty_.

258. How was the first colonial Congress constituted?

At Boston, James Otis successfully agitated the question of an American Congress. It was proposed that each Colony, acting without leave of the king, should appoint delegates, who should meet in the following autumn and discuss the affairs of the nation. The proposition was favorably received, nine of the Colonies appointed delegates, and on the 7th of October, 1765, the first Colonial Congress assembled at New York. There were twenty-eight representatives. Timothy Ruggles, of Massachusetts, was chosen president. After much discussion, a Declaration of Rights was adopted, setting forth in unmistakable terms that the American colonists, as Englishmen, could not and would not consent to be taxed but by their own representatives. Memorials were also prepared and addressed to the two Houses of Parliament. A manly petition, professing loyalty and praying for a more just and humane policy toward his American subjects, was directed to the king.

259. What were the terms of the Treaty of 1783?

The terms of the Treaty of 1783 were briefly these: A full and complete recognition of the independence of the United States; the recession by Great Britain of Florida to Spain; the surrender of all the remaining territory east of the Mississippi and south of the Great Lakes to the United States; the free navigation of the Mississippi and the Lakes by American vessels; the concession of mutual rights in the Newfoundland fisheries; and the retention by Great Britain of Canada and Nova Scotia, with the exclusive control of the St. Lawrence River.

260. What were the leading defects of the Confederation?

1. There was an utter want of all coercive authority in the Continental Congress to carry into effect any of their constitutional measures. 2. There was no power in the Continental Congress to punish individuals for any breach of their enactments. Their laws must be wholly without penal sanction. 3. They had no power to lay taxes, or to collect revenue for the public service. The power over taxes was expressly and exclusively reserved to the States. 4. They had no power to regulate commerce, either with foreign nations or among the several States. It was left, with respect to both, exclusively to the management of each particular State, thus being at the mercy of private interests or local prejudices. 5. As might be expected, “the most opposite regulations existed in different States, and there was a constant resort to retaliatory legislation from their jealousies and rivalries in commerce, in agriculture, or in manufactures. Foreign nations did not fail to avail themselves of all the advantages accruing from this suicidal policy tending to the common ruin.” 6. For want of some singleness of power,--a power to act with uniformity and one to which all interests could be reconciled,--foreign commerce was sadly crippled, and nearly destroyed. The country was deeply in debt, without a dollar to pay, or the means even to draw a dollar into the public treasury, and what money there was in the country was rapidly making its way abroad. 7. Great as these embarrassments were, the States, full of jealousy, were tenaciously opposed to making the necessary concessions to remedy the great and growing evil. All became impressed with the fear, that, unless a much stronger national government could be instituted, all that had been gained by the Revolutionary struggle would soon be lost.

261. What were the Alien and Sedition Laws?

Two laws passed by Congress in 1798. The Alien Law empowered the President to send out of the country, at short notice, any foreigners whose presence might be deemed injurious or prejudicial to the interests of the United States, and lengthened the time requisite for becoming naturalized citizens of the United States to fourteen years. The Sedition Law limited the freedom of speech, and of the press when directed abusively against the government. Under this act it was a crime punishable with heavy fine and long imprisonment “to write, print, utter, or publish any false, scandalous, or malicious statement against either President or Congress.” These laws did much to defeat Adams’s re-election in 1800.

262. What were the principal causes of the late Civil War?

The _principal_ causes of the Civil War were five in number: 1. The different construction put upon the national Constitution by the people of the North and the South. 2. The different system of labor in the North and in the South. 3. The want of intercourse between the people of the North and the South. 4. The publication of sectional books. 5. The evil influence of demagogues.

263. What is the title of the Czar of Russia?

Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias, of Moscow, of Kieff, of Vladimir, of Novgorod; Czar of Kazan, of Astrakhan, of Poland, of Siberia, of Kherson-Taurida, of Grousi; Gosondar of Pskoff; Grand Duke of Smolensk, of Lithuania, of Volhynia, of Podolia, and of Finland; Prince of Esthonia, of Livonia, of Courland, of Semigalia, of the Samoyedes, of Bielostok, of Corelia, of Foer, of Ingor, of Perm, of Viatka, of Bulgaria, and of other countries; Master and Grand Duke of the lower countries in Novgorod, of Tchernigoff, of Riazan, of Polotsk, of Rostoff, of Jaroslaff, of Bielosersk, of Ondork, of Obdorsk, of Kondisk, of Vitelsk, of Mstilaff, and of all the countries of the North; Master Absolute of Iversk, of Kastalnisk, of Kalardinsk, and of the territory of Armenia; Sovereign of Mountain Princes of Tcherkask, Master of Turkestan, Heir-presumptive of Norway, and Duke of Sleswick-Holstein, of Stormarne, of Duthmarse, and of Oldenburg.

264. What was the origin of the phrase “To speak for Buncombe”?

This phrase, which means to speak for mere show, or for purposes of political intrigue, originated in the Sixteenth Congress, near the close of the debate on the famous “Missouri Question.” Felix Walker, a _naïve_ old mountaineer, who resided at Waynesville, in Haywood, the most western county of North Carolina, near the border of the adjacent county of Buncombe, arose to speak, while the house was impatiently calling for the “_Question_.” Several members gathered round him and insisted on his silence, but he continued to speak, declaring that the people of his district expected it, and that he was bound to “make a speech for Buncombe.” Hence the phrases, “To speak for Buncombe,” “All for Buncombe,” etc.

265. What President was buried at the expense of his friends?

James Monroe, although he had received $350,000 for his public services, yet, on account of the free-handed hospitality so characteristic of his native State (Virginia) in her palmy days, together with his life-long occupation in public affairs to the neglect of his own estate, was so involved in debt, at the time of his death, that his funeral expenses were met by his friends.

266. What President married the same lady twice?

In the summer of 1791, Andrew Jackson married Mrs. Rachel Robards, a daughter of Col. John Donelson, of Virginia, one of the founders of Tennessee. Her first husband was Mr. Lewis Robards, of Kentucky. Robards and his wife were boarding with Mrs. Donelson, then a widow, when Jackson arrived at Nashville, and took up his residence in the same family. In 1790–1791, Robards applied to the Legislature of Virginia for an act preliminary to a divorce, stating that his wife was living in adultery with Andrew Jackson. The act was passed, under it a jury was summoned late in 1793, and the court of Mercer County, Ky., declared the marriage between Lewis Robards and Rachael Robards dissolved. Jackson and Mrs. Robards believed the act passed by the Legislature was itself a divorce, and they were married at Natchez two years before the action of the court. At the suggestion of their friend Judge Overton, who also was surprised to learn that the act of the Legislature had not divorced Robards, they procured a license in January, 1794, and had the ceremony performed again. When Gen. Jackson had become the chief of a great party, the circumstances of this marriage led to very serious misrepresentations. Robards was prone to jealousy without cause, and Jackson was not the first man of whom he was jealous. His statement to the Legislature of Virginia is believed to have been wholly unfounded. His relatives all sided with his wife, and never supposed her to be guilty of even an act of impropriety.

267. Why is Alaska so called?

In the dialect of the natives first encountered by the Russian explorers, the land was called _Al-ay-es-ka_, “the great land.” From this the present name has become changed through _Aliaska_ and _Alaksa_ to its present form.

268. Who was the nearest common ancestor of nearly all the reigning monarchs of Europe?

John of Gaunt (1339–1399), fourth son of Edward III. of England, although he himself was never a king, nor were any of his brothers or sisters even sovereigns, was the common ancestor of nearly all the crowned heads of Christendom. The monarchs descended from him are Victoria, Queen of England, who is of the sixteenth generation; Louis I., King of Portugal, of the fifteenth generation; Alphonzo XII., the late King of Spain, of the sixteenth generation; Francis Joseph I., Emperor of Austria, of the fifteenth generation; Leopold II., King of Belgium, of the seventeenth generation; Christian IX., King of Denmark, of the sixteenth generation; Humbert, King of Italy, of the sixteenth generation; George I., King of Greece, of the seventeenth generation; Alexander III., Emperor of Russia, of the eighteenth generation; William I., Emperor of Germany, of the sixteenth generation; Dom Pedro II., Emperor of Brazil, is of the fourteenth generation, the nearest of kin to the English progenitor; the late Chambord (Henry V.), claimant of the French throne, was of the sixteenth generation; and Louis Philippe Albert, Prince d’Orleans, the Orleanist claimant of the French throne, is of the seventeenth generation.

269. Who was the “Red Prince”?

Prince Frederick Charles Nicholas, of Germany (1828–1885), a nephew of Emperor William I., was so called from his favorite attire,--the scarlet uniform of his Brandenburg Hussars, which he loved far more than the full glitter of his highest honors.

270. Why is New Jersey called a foreign country?

In the early days of railways the New Jersey Legislature chartered the Camden and Amboy Railroad, but neglected to impose a tax upon its earnings or plant. A few years later, when it became a valuable property, the State, unable to modify the charter, levied a State tax upon each passenger carried. This tax fell upon travellers who lived outside the State as well as Jerseymen, and the former, because they were taxed to pass through it, facetiously termed New Jersey a foreign country.

271. Why is Canada so called?

Charlevoix says that this name is from an Iroquois word _Kannata_, a collection of huts. There is, however, a Spanish tradition that some Spanish explorers visiting the country in search of gold, and finding no mines, or other appearance of riches, said, _Aca Nada_, “Here is nothing,” which, being repeated by the natives to subsequent visitors from Europe, was supposed to be the name of the country.

272. Which is the “Railroad City”?

Indianapolis, the largest city in the United States situated on non-navigable waters. The first railway entered the city in 1847. Now, twelve main lines converge in the Union Depot. About a hundred passenger trains, connected with every part of the country, enter and depart daily. The numerous tracks being on a level with the surface of the streets, the obstruction and danger at the numerous crossings became very great on account of the increase of railway traffic, so that in 1877 a loop line, called the “Belt,” had to be made, passing round the city, to connect the various railways. By means of it the “through freight-cars” are conveyed past the city without blocking the traffic.

273. Which is the “Sage Brush State”?

The flora of Nevada is so scanty and so characterized by sage-brush, or Artemisia, that this State is often nicknamed the “Sage Brush State.” Artemisia is a low, irregular shrub, with thick crooked stems, growing in dry alkaline soils, which without irrigation will produce nothing else.

274. What ancient city brought about its own destruction by an ill-timed jest?

Antioch, the ancient capital of the Greek kings of Syria, was one of the most magnificent cities of the ancient world. The Antiochenes themselves brought about the destruction of their beautiful city. They were famous above all other people in ancient times for their biting and scurrilous wit, and for their ingenuity in devising nicknames; and when the Persians under Chosroes invaded Syria, in 538 A. D., the Antiochenes could not refrain from jesting at them. The Persians took ample revenge by the total destruction of the city, which, however, was rebuilt by Justinian. It was in this city that the followers of Christ were first called Christians.

275. Who was Washington’s wife?

Her maiden name was Martha Dandridge. She was born at Kent, Va., May 17, 1732. At the age of seventeen, she was married to Col. John Parke Custis, by whom she had three children. Within a few years she lost her eldest son and her husband. She was a charming widow of twenty-six when Washington first met her at the house of a Mr. Chamberlayne. After a short acquaintance, they were married Jan. 6, 1759. She died May 22, 1802.

276. What was the height of Goliath?

According to Samuel, he was “six cubits and a span.” Mr. Greaves gives the length of the cubit as twenty-one inches, and the span nine inches. This would make Goliath’s height about eleven feet three inches.

277. What is the balm of Gilead?

The balm of Gilead, also called balsam of Mecca and Opobalsam, is obtained from a low tree or shrub, the _balsamodendron Gileadense_, which grows in several parts of Arabia and Abyssinia. To obtain the juice, the bark of the tree is cut at the time when the sap is in its strongest period of circulation. As the juices ooze through the wound they are received into small earthen bottles, every day’s produce being poured into large bottles and corked. When fresh, the smell of the balsam is exquisitely fragrant, but if left exposed to the atmosphere it loses this quality. The quantity of balsam yielded by one tree is said never to exceed sixty drops in a day. It is, therefore, very scarce, and can with difficulty be procured in a pure and unadulterated state, even at Constantinople.

278. What was the origin of the barber’s pole?

In former times barbers served the public in the capacity of surgeons, and performed the act of bleeding, that being a favorite remedy with our ancestors. The pole represented the staff held by the person being bled, and the spiral stripes painted around it were typical of the two bandages used for twisting around the arm previous to the bleeding and after the operation had been performed. The blue stripes and stars sometimes seen were probably introduced by some barber endowed with more patriotism than love of ancient customs.

279. Which is the “youngest Territory”?

Wyoming. It was organized by the act of Congress approved July 25, 1868, from portions of Dakota, Idaho, and Utah. The first settlements within its limits were made in 1867, during the progress of the Union Pacific Railroad, although there had been a garrison at Port Laramie since 1834.

280. Why was the shamrock adopted as the emblem of Ireland?

The shamrock is said to have been first assumed as the badge of Ireland from the circumstance that St. Patrick made use of it to illustrate the doctrine of the Trinity. The story as told by Lover is as follows: “When St. Patrick first preached the Christian faith in Ireland, before a powerful chief and his people, when he spoke of one God and of the Trinity, the chief asked how one could be in three. St. Patrick, instead of attempting a theological definition of the faith, thought a simple image would best serve to enlighten a simple people, and, stooping to the earth, he plucked from the green sod a _shamrock_, and holding up the trefoil before them, he bid them there behold one in three. The chief, struck by the illustration, asked at once to be baptized, and all his sept followed his example.”

281. What was the origin of “April Fool”?

How the custom of making fools on the first of April arose is not certainly known, but there are several accounts of its origin, viz.:--

1. It is, perhaps, a travesty of the sending hither and thither of the Saviour from Annas to Caiaphas, and from Pilate to Herod, because during the Middle Ages this scene in Christ’s life was made the subject of a miracle play at Easter, which occurs in the month of April.

2. As March 25 used to be New-Year’s Day, April 1 was its octave, when its festivities culminated and ended.

3. There is a tradition among the Jews that it arose from the fact that Noah sent out the dove on the first of the month corresponding to our April, before the water had abated. To perpetuate the memory of the great deliverance of Noah and his family, it was customary on this anniversary to punish persons who had forgotten the remarkable circumstance connected with the date, by sending them on some bootless errand, similar to that on which the patriarch sent the luckless bird from the window of the ark.

4. The custom refers to the uncertainty of the weather at this period.

5. It is a relic of some old heathen festival; and it is curious that the Hindoos practise similar tricks on the 31st of March, when they hold what is called the Huli Festival.

The custom, whatever is its origin, appears to be universal throughout Europe. In France the person imposed upon is called _un poisson d’Avril_ (an April fish). In England and the United States such a person is called an April fool; in Scotland, a gowk.

282. What was the origin of the phrase “getting into a scrape”?

“The deer are addicted, at certain seasons, to dig up the land with their fore-feet, in holes, to the depth of a foot, or even half a yard. These are called ‘scrapes.’ To tumble into one of these is sometimes done at the cost of a broken leg; hence a man who finds himself in an unpleasant position, from which extrication is difficult, is said to have ‘got into a scrape.’”

283. To what does the phrase “fitting to a T” refer?

This phrase refers to the T or Tee Square, an instrument used in drawing and mechanics; so called from its resemblance to a capital T.

284. What well-known hymn was composed in a few minutes?

The celebrated hymn, “From Greeland’s icy mountains,” etc., was composed at Wrexham in 1819. On Whitsunday in that year Dr. Shipley, Dean of St. Asaph and Vicar of Wrexham, preached a sermon in his church on behalf of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. Heber was son-in-law to Dr. Shipley and was on a visit. The doctor on the previous Saturday asked Heber to “write something for them to sing in the morning,” and in a few minutes, without leaving the room, Heber produced the hymn now so well known all over the world. He was then in his thirty-sixth year, and was rector of Hodnet.

285. Why was the magnet so called?

The word “magnet” is derived from the name of the city of Magnesia, in Asia Minor, where the properties of the loadstone are said to have been discovered. So far one authority. Another derives it from the name of Magnes, a shepherd, who is said to have discovered the magnetic power through being detained on Mount Ida by the magnetism of the mountain attracting the nails in his shoes, so that he was unable to move from the spot.

286. What was the “Vinegar Bible”?

This was a name given to an edition of the Bible, published in 1717 at the Clarendon Press, Oxford. By a ludicrous misprint, the title of the twentieth chapter of Luke was made to read “Parable of the _Vinegar_” instead of “Parable of the _Vineyard_”; hence the name.

287. What were the “Breeches Bibles”?

This name was given to editions of the so-called Genevan Bible (first printed at Geneva, by Rowland Hall, 1560, in 4to), from the peculiar rendering of Gen. iii. 7.

288. Who is “Johnny Crapaud”?

“This is a sportive designation of a Frenchman, or of the French nation collectively considered. The following account has been given of the origin of this name: ‘When the French took the city of Aras from the Spaniards, under Louis XIV., after a long and most desperate siege, it was remembered that Nostradamus had said,--

‘Les anciens _crapauds_ prendront Sara.’

(The ancient toads shall Sara take.)

This line was then applied to this event in a very roundabout manner. _Sara_ is Aras backward. _By the ancient toads_ were meant the French; as that nation formerly had for its armorial bearings three of those odious reptiles, instead of the three flowers-de-luce which it now bears.”

289. Who is “Cousin Michael”?

This is a sportive and disparaging designation of the German people, intended to indicate the weaknesses and follies of the national character, and especially the proverbial national slowness, heaviness, and credulity. The name _Michel_ is often used as a contemptuous designation of any simple, coarse rustic, and has probably acquired this signification through a mingling of the Hebrew with the old German _michel_, gross.

290. Who is “Taffy”?

This is a sobriquet for a Welshman, or for the Welsh collectively. The word is a corruption of _David_, one of the most common of Welsh names.

291. Who is “Ivan Ivanovitch”?

He is an imaginary personage, who is the embodiment of the peculiarities of the Russian people, in the same way as _John Bull_ represents the English, and _Johnny Crapaud_ the French character. He is described as a lazy, good-natured person.

292. Who is “John Bull”?

This is a well-known collective name of the English nation, first used in Arbuthnot’s satire, “The History of John Bull,” usually published in Swift’s works. In this satire, the French are designated as Lewis Baboon, the Dutch as Nicholas Frog, etc. The “History of John Bull” was designed to ridicule the Duke of Marlborough.

293. Who is “Peeping Tom of Coventry”?

This epithet is given to a person of ungovernable inquisitiveness. The term is said to have arisen thus: “The Countess Godiva, bearing an extraordinary affection to this place (Coventry), often and earnestly besought her husband (Leofric, Earl of Murcia), that, for the love of God and the blessed Virgin, he would free it from that grievous servitude whereunto it was subject; but he, rebuking her for importuning him in a matter so inconsistent with his profit, commanded that she should thenceforth forbear to move therein; yet she, out of her womanish pertinacity, continued to solicit him; insomuch that he told her if she would ride on horseback, naked, from one end of the town to the other, in the sight of all the people, he would grant her request. Whereunto she answered, ‘But will you give me leave so to do?’ And he replying ‘yes’ the noble lady, upon an appointed day, got on horseback, naked, with her hair loose, so that it covered all her body but her legs, and thus performing the journey, returned with joy to her husband, who therefore granted to the inhabitants a charter of freedom, which immunity I rather conceive to have been a kind of manumission from some such servile tenure, whereby they then held what they had under this great earl, than only a freedom from all manner of toll, except horses, as Knighton affirms.” It is said by Rapin, that the countess, previous to her riding, commanded all persons to keep within doors and from their windows on pain of death; but, notwithstanding this severe penalty, there was one person who could not forbear giving a look, out of curiosity; but it cost him his life.

294. What was the “Battle of Spurs”?

This name is given to the battle of Courtrai (1302), the first great engagement between the nobles and the burghers, which, with the subsequent battles of Bannockburn, Crecy, and Poictiers, decided the fate of feudalism. In this encounter the knights and gentlemen of France were entirely overthrown by the citizens of a Flemish manufacturing town. The French nobility rushed forward with loose bridles, and fell headlong, one after another, into an enormous ditch which lay between them and their enemies. The whole army was annihilated; and when the spoils were gathered, there were found 4,000 golden spurs to mark the extent of the knightly slaughter, and give a name to the engagement.

This name is also given to the affair at Guinegate, near Calais (1513), in which the English troops under Henry VIII. defeated the French forces. The allusion is said to be to the unusual energy of the beaten party in _spurring_ off the field.

295. What city is called “Auld Reekie”?

This designation is given to Edinburgh on account of its _smoky_ appearance, as seen from a distance; or, according to others, on account of the uncleanliness of its public streets.

296. Which is the “City of Magnificent Distances”?

This popular designation is given to the city of Washington, the capital of the United States, which is laid out on a very large scale, being intended to cover a space four miles and a half long and two miles and a half broad, or eleven square miles. The entire site is traversed by two sets of streets from seventy to one hundred feet wide, at right angles to one another, the whole again intersected obliquely by fifteen avenues from one hundred and thirty to one hundred and sixty feet wide.

297. Which is the heaviest metal?

Platinum was long considered the heaviest metal, but it is now an established fact that both osmium and iridium are heavier than platinum. The most recent authorities differ as to which of the two is the heavier, but there is only a very slight difference. Both metals are used for pointing gold pens. Osmium does not fuse at 2870 degrees Fahrenheit, the greatest heat yet produced, and is as yet infusible. In some of its combinations it is said to be the most poisonous substance known.

298. Which is the lightest metal?

Lithium. Its specific gravity is only 0.5936, but little more than half that of water. It is a soft, ductile, white metal, susceptible of being welded and drawn into wire, but has less tenacity than lead. It burns brilliantly, and floats upon water and naphtha. It was supposed to be a very rare substance, but Bunsen and Kirchhoff have shown by spectrum analysis that, though sparingly, it is widely distributed.

299. What was the origin of “Old Scratch”?

It has been suggested that the origin of this term must be sought for in the _Scrat_, _Schrat_, _Schretel_, or _Schretlein_, a house or wood demon of the ancient North.

300. Which is the “Prairie State”?

Illinois is so called in allusion to the wide-spread and beautiful prairies, which form a striking feature of the scenery of the State.

301. What is the “Via Dolorosa”?

The Via Dolorosa (the way of pain) is a name given, since the Christian era, to the road at Jerusalem leading from the Mount of Olives to Golgotha, which Jesus passed over on his way to the place of crucifixion. Upon this road are situated many of the objects consecrated by Christian traditions,--the house where the Virgin Mary was born, the church erected upon the spot where she fell, when she beheld Jesus sink under the weight of the cross, the house of St. Veronica, upon whose veil, employed to wipe away his blood and sweat, the image of his face was miraculously impressed. The road, which is about a mile in length, terminates at the Gate of Judgment.

302. Which is the “Turpentine State”?

North Carolina, which produces and exports immense quantities of turpentine.

303. Who is “Black Jack”?

Gen. John Alexander Logan has been so called from his long, black hair and dark complexion.

304. What was the “Black Hole of Calcutta”?

This name is commonly given to a certain small and close dungeon in Fort William, Calcutta, the scene of one of the most tragic events in the history of British India. On the capture of Calcutta, by Surajah Dowlah, June 20, 1756, the British garrison, consisting of one hundred and forty-six men, being made prisoners, were locked up at night in this room, only eighteen feet square, and poorly ventilated, never having been intended to hold more than two or three prisoners at a time. In the morning, of the one hundred and forty-six who were imprisoned, only twenty-three were found alive. In the “Annual Register” for 1758 is a narrative of the sufferings of those imprisoned, written by Mr. Holwell, one of the number. The “Black Hole” is now used as a warehouse.

305. How did _Stonewall_ Jackson receive his sobriquet?

This famous appellation of Thomas Jonathan Jackson (1824–1863) had its origin in an expression used by the Confederate Gen. Bee, on trying to rally his men at the battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861,--There is Jackson standing like a _stone wall_. From that day he was known as _Stonewall_ Jackson, and his command as the _Stonewall_ Brigade.

306. Which was the “Battle of the Herrings”?

This name is given by historians to an engagement which took place Feb. 12, 1429, in which Sir John Fastolfe, an English general, at the head of 1,500 men, gained a victory over 6,000 Frenchmen near Orleans, and brought a convoy of stores in safety to the English camp before that place. The stores comprised a large quantity of herrings.

307. Which is the “Land of the Incas”?

Peru. The Incas were the ancient sovereigns of the country. Manco Capac, the first Inca, appeared according to the traditions, with his sister, Mama Oello, on Titicaca Island, a spot ever after held holy. These two, claiming to be children of the sun, were regarded as deities, Manco Capac proceeded northward, and, founding Cuzco at the spot where his golden staff sank into the ground, introduced civilization and art. A powerful kingdom arose and gradually absorbed the neighboring tribes.

308. What Presidential administration has been compared to a parenthesis?

“The administration of Van Buren,” said a bitter satirist, “is like a parenthesis: it may be read in a low tone of voice or altogether omitted _without injuring the sense_”!

309. Which was the first Bible printed in America?

The first Bible printed in this country was John Eliot’s Indian Bible, whose title was this: “Mamusse Wunneetupanatumwe Up-Biblum God naneswe Nukkone Testament kah wonk Wusku Testament. Ne quoshkinnumuk nashpe Wuttineumoh Christ noh osc∞wesit John Eliot.” This was printed in 1663. The Indian language in which it was made is extinct, and it is said that only one man now living--namely, J. Hammond Trumbull, LL. D., of Hartford, Conn.--can read it. The next Bible printed here was Saur’s, in German, in 1743; the first English Bible printed here was at Boston, in small quarto, in 1752.

310. What names are given by the Hebrews to the books of the Bible?

The Jews, or Hebrews, take the names of the sacred books from the first word with which each begins; but the Greeks, whom our translators generally follow, take the names from the subject-matter of them. Thus, the first book is called by the Hebrews, _Bereshith_, which signifies “In the beginning,” these being the first words; but the Greeks called it Genesis, which signifies “production,” because the creation of the world is the first thing of which it gives an account. Exodus, which signifies in the Greek “The going out,” was so called from the account which it gives of the Israelites going out of Egypt; but the Hebrews call it _Velle Shemoth_, that is, “These are the names,” which are the words with which it begins. Leviticus they call _Vayicre_, that is, “And he called”; Numbers they call _Vayedavber_, that is, “And he spake”; Deuteronomy they call _Elle-haddebar_, that is, “These are the words”; etc., etc.

311. What is the national emblematic flower of China and Japan?

The Chrysanthemum. It receives the most reverential care and attention, surpassing by far in devotion that accorded to the fleur-de-lis, lilies, roses, and thistles, the emblems of other countries. Each recurring year in November, in all the large cities in Japan, and in nearly every street, thousands of plants are sold, trained generally to one stem, with a solitary large flower of immense size, often ten to twelve inches across. A very ordinary flower of some six inches is sold for five cents, the very largest specimens being sold for twenty-five cents, pot included.

312. When and by whom was the first steamboat invented?