Chapter V: Value of a pound of hair-springs for watches 4 (2)

The _Marseillaise_, 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 beginning of 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 the _Marseillaise_,--both verse and music being the work of a single night. De Lisle entitled the piece _Chant 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 it _Hymne 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 unterrified through 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 to cast 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 called _violet 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 and others 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 name _Brother Jonathan_ came to be regarded as the national sobriquet.

68. What is the national beverage of Japan?

This beverage is brewed from rice, and is called _saké_. The color of the best _saké_ resembles 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 the _Globe_, 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, the _Kitchen Cabinet_, alleging that it was by their advice that the President removed 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, subtract 1789 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.

1c. Imperial ultramarine blue, Benjamin Franklin.
2c. Terra-cotta, George Washington.
2c. (old). Vermilion, Andrew Jackson.
3c. Green, George Washington.
4c. Green, Andrew Jackson.
5c. Steel, James A. Garfield.
5c. (old). Blue, Zachary Taylor.
6c. Red, Abraham Lincoln.
7c. Vermilion, Edwin M. Stanton.
10c. Chocolate, Thomas Jefferson.
12c. Neutral purple, Henry Clay.
15c. Orange, Daniel Webster.
24c. Purple, Winfield Scott.
30c. Black, Alexander Hamilton.
90c. Carmine, Oliver H. Perry.

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:

{ 1. Hector, son of Priam.
Three Gentiles { 2. Alexander the Great.
{ 3. Julius Cæsar.

{ 4. Joshua, conqueror of Canaan.
Three Jews { 5. David, king of Israel.
{ 6. Judas Maccabæus.

{ 7. Arthur, king of Britain.
Three Christians { 8. Charlemagne.
{ 9. Godfrey of Bouillon.

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; and _suckanhock_, 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 she _scoons_!” Robinson instantly replied, “A _scooner_ let her be”; and, from that time, vessels thus masted and rigged have gone by this name. The word _scoon_ is 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 as _the 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 standing all 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.

89. Who were the “Seven Wise Men of Greece”?

These men, who lived in the sixth century B. C., were distinguished for their practical sagacity and their wise maxims or principles of life. Their names are variously given, but those most generally admitted to the honor are Solon, Chilo, Pittacus, Bias, Periander (in place of whom some give Epimenides), Cleobulus, and Thales. They were the authors of the celebrated mottoes inscribed in later days in the Delphian temple: Know thyself (_Solon_); Consider the end (_Chilo_); Know thy opportunity (_Pittacus_); Most men are bad (_Bias_); Nothing is impossible to industry (_Periander_); Avoid excess (_Cleobulus_); Suretyship is the precursor of ruin (_Thales_).

90. Who were the “Seven Champions of Christendom”?

St. George, the patron saint of England; St. Denis, of France; St. James, of Spain; St. Anthony, of Italy; St. Andrew, of Scotland; St. Patrick, of Ireland; and St. David, of Wales.

91. What were the “Seven Wonders of the World”?

These very remarkable objects of the ancient world have been variously enumerated. The following classification is the one most generally received: 1. The Pyramids of Egypt; 2. The Pharos of Alexandria; 3. The Walls and Hanging Gardens of Babylon; 4. The Temple of Diana at Ephesus; 5. The Statue of the Olympian Jupiter; 6. The Mausoleum of Artemisia; 7. The Colossus of Rhodes.

92. What was the “Wicked Bible”?

This name was given to an edition of the Bible published in 1632 by Barker & Lucas, because the word _not_ was omitted in the Seventh Commandment. The printers were called before the High Commission, fined heavily, and the whole impression destroyed.

93. Why does a dog turn round several times before he lies down?

The dog belongs to the same genus as the wolf, fox, etc., and originally made his home in the forests and jungles. In preparing his lair in these places, nature prompted him to turn round several times in order to arrange the grass or weeds, and bend them from his body before he lay down. In his domesticated state he has not yet overcome this early prompting of nature.

94. Who were the first paper-makers?

Wasps. Their nest is made of a paper-like substance, which is merely wood reduced to a paste by the action of the jaws of the insects, and this, put into the required form, is left to dry: essentially the same thing that our paper manufacturers are doing by other processes and on a larger scale in their mills to-day.

95. How does the Red Sea get its color?

The reddish appearance of the waters of this sea is due to the prevalence of a minute bright red plant, which is a kind of sea-weed. This plant is said to be so small that twenty-five millions of them can live and thrive in one square inch. From it is made a beautiful red dye, which tradition says was used hundreds of years ago. In some places, where the weed is not found, the waters are blue or green. To the Hebrews it was known as _Yam Sûph_, the sea of weeds or sedge.

96. What was the Parthenopean Republic?

This was the name given to the state into which the kingdom of Naples was transformed by the French Republicans, Jan. 23, 1799, and which lasted only till the following June. The name is derived from Parthenope, an ancient name for Naples.

97. What is the origin of the names of the months?

January is derived from _Janus_, the god of the year, to whom this month was sacred.

February is from _Februus_, an old Italian divinity, or from _Februa_, the Roman festival of expiation, celebrated on the 15th of this month. January and February were added to the Roman calendar by Numa, Romulus having previously divided the year into ten months.

March is from _Mars_, the god of war, and reputed father of Romulus. It was the first month of the Roman calendar.

April is from the Latin _Aperire_, to open, from the opening of the buds, or the bosom of the earth in producing vegetation.

May is from _Maia_, the mother of Mercury, to whom the Romans offered sacrifices on the first day of this month.

June is from _Juno_, the sister and wife of Jupiter, to whom this month was sacred.

July was named by Mark Antony after _Julius Cæsar_, who was born in this month. It was previously called _Quintilis_, the fifth month.

August was named after _Augustus Cæsar_, on account of several of the most fortunate events of his life having occurred during this month. It was formerly _Sextilis_, or sixth month.

September is from the Latin _septem_, seven, because it was originally the seventh month.

October, formerly the eighth month, is formed from the Latin _octo_, eight.

November is from the Latin _novem_, nine, as this month was originally the ninth month.

December is from the Latin _decem_, ten, as it was formerly the tenth and last month of the Roman calendar.

98. What was the origin of the names of the days of the week?

As the names of the months were all derived from the Romans, so the names of the days of the week come to us from the Saxons.

Sunday takes its name from the sun, which was one of the principal objects of worship.

Monday is so called after the moon, also an ancient object of worship.

Tuesday is so called from _Tiu_ or _Tiw_, the son of Odin, and the old Saxon god of war and of fame.

Wednesday derives its name from _Woden_, or _Odin_, the god of battle, and the chief god of the Northern mythology.

Thursday is so styled from _Donar_, or _Thor_, who, as god of the air, had much in common with the Roman Jupiter, to whom the same day was dedicated.

Friday is named from _Frigga_, the wife of Odin and the mother of all the deities.

Saturday is named from _Saterne_, or _Saturn_, to whom the day was consecrated.

99. What year is 1886 by the Jewish calendar?

The year 5646 of the Jewish era began Sept. 10, 1885, and will continue 385 days, as it is an embolismic year. The Jewish calendar is dated from the creation, which is considered to have taken place 3760 years and three months before the commencement of the Christian era. The year is luni-solar, and, according as it is ordinary or embolismic, consists of twelve or thirteen lunar months, each of which has twenty-nine or thirty days. Thus the duration of the ordinary year is 354 days, and that of the embolismic year is 384 days. In either case it is sometimes made a day more, and sometimes a day less, in order that certain festivals may fall on proper days of the week for their due observance. The following table gives the names of their months and the number of days in each:--

HEBREW MONTHS.

=========+===========+=============
Month. | Ordinary. | Embolismic.
---------+-----------+-------------
Tisri | 30 | 30
Hesvan | 29+[1] | 29+
Kislev | 30--[1]| 30--
Tebet | 29 | 29
Sebat | 30 | 30
Adar | 29 | 30
Veadar | (--)[2] | (29)
Nisan | 30 | 30
Yiar | 29 | 29
Sivan | 30 | 30
Tamuz | 29 | 29
Ab | 30 | 30
Elul | 29 | 29
---------|-----------|-----------
Total | 354 | 384
=================================

[1] The signs + and -- are respectively annexed to Hesvan and Kislev to indicate that the former of these may sometimes require to have one day more, and the latter one day less, than the number of days shown in the table.

[2] The intercalary month, Veadar, is introduced in embolismic years in order that Passover, the 15th day of Nisan, may be kept at its proper season, which is the full moon of the vernal equinox, or that which takes place after the sun has entered the sign Aries.

The following table shows when Tisri 1, the Jewish New-Year, occurs for each of the next five years by our calendar.

Tisri 1, 5647 == September 30, 1886.
„ 5648 == „ 19, 1887.
„ 5649 == „ 6, 1888.
„ 5650 == „ 26, 1889.
„ 5651 == „ 15, 1890.

100. What was the name of the penitent thief?

St. Dismas is the name which Romish tradition has attached to the “good thief.” He is represented with a cross beside him.

101. What was the origin of the term “halcyon days”?

The seven days which precede and the seven days which follow the shortest day were, by the ancients, called halcyon days, on account of the fable that, during this time, while the halcyon bird, or kingfisher, was breeding, there always prevailed calms at sea. From this the phrase “halcyon days” has come to signify times of peace and tranquillity.

102. Who was the “Christ of India”?

Buddha Gautama (624–543 B. C.), the reputed founder of Buddhism, has been so termed. He was of ascetic habits, till, tempted by his father, he abandoned himself to every pleasure. Afterward he renounced the world, and as a result of long study and bodily maceration, discovered that non-sentient repose is the highest good attainable by the pure and the just.

103. What religious sect anoint the sick with oil, depending upon this unction and prayer, and rejecting the use of medicine?

The Tunkers are found widely scattered throughout the northern and middle parts of the United States, but are nowhere numerous. They were recently estimated to have over five hundred churches and some fifty thousand members. The name which they take for themselves is simply that of Brethren, and they profess that their association is founded on the principle of brotherly love. The name Tunkers is of German origin, signifying Dippers, and is due to their dipping in baptism. They anoint their sick with oil, depending upon this unction and prayer for their recovery, and rejecting the use of medicine. They do not insist upon celibacy as an absolute rule; but they commend it as a virtue, and discourage marriage. Chiefly engaged in agriculture, they are industrious and honest, and universally held in good repute among their neighbors.

Sole dependence upon prayer is the characteristic also of a small religious sect of which a few members are to be found in England, calling themselves the _Peculiar People_.

In Switzerland, the name of Dorothea Trudel, who died in 1862, was long famous for the cure of ailments by prayers.

104. What noted sage advocated the doctrine that virtue was intellectual, a necessary consequence of knowledge; while vice was ignorance, and akin to madness?

This was the fundamental doctrine of the philosophy of Socrates, the Athenian philosopher (469–399 B. C.). Knowledge, virtue, and happiness he held to be inseparable. His religious doctrines culminated in the conception of the Deity as the author of the harmony of nature and the laws of morals, revealed only in his works, and of the soul as a divine and immortal being, resembling the Deity in respect to reason and invisible energy.

105. What palace in an ancient city contains five hundred rooms?

The Palazzo Imperiale, at Mantua, Italy, contains five hundred rooms, whose choicest embellishment consists in the glorious paintings and exquisite designs of the great Mantuan artist, Giulio Romano.

106. What was the “most useful conquest ever made by man”?

Baron Cuvier, the most eminent naturalist, says of the dog: “It is the completest, the most singular, and the most useful conquest ever made by man.” This conquest was made long before the dawn of history. Cuvier has also asserted that the dog was, perhaps, necessary for the establishment of human society. Though this may not be apparent in the most highly civilized communities, a moment’s reflection will convince us that barbarous nations owe much of their elevation above the brute to the possession of the dog.

107. When was the first blood shed in the Revolution?

In the conflict known as the “Boston Massacre,” between the British soldiers and the citizens of Boston, March 5, 1770. Two Americans--Samuel Gray and James Caldwell--and a half-breed Indian negro--Crispus Attucks--were killed, and eight citizens were wounded, two of them mortally,--an Irishman named Carr, and Maverick, an American.

108. What remarkable fish is found only in Lake Baikal?

The golomynka, the only known species of its genus, which belongs to the goby family. It is about a foot long, is destitute of scales, and is very soft, its whole substance abounding in oil, which is obtained from it by pressure. It is never eaten.

109. Who was inventor of the most perfect alphabet ever devised for any language?

George Guess, or Sequoyah, a half-breed Cherokee Indian (1770–1843), invented, in 1826, a syllabic alphabet of the Cherokee language, which consisted of eighty-five characters, each representing a single sound in the language. This is said to be the most perfect alphabet ever devised for any language. For the characters he used, as far as they went, those which he found in an English spelling-book, although he knew no language except his own. A newspaper called the _Phœnix_ was established, a part of it printed in Cherokee, using the alphabet of Guess. A part of the New Testament was also printed in this character. Guess was not a Christian, and is said to have regretted his invention when he found it was used for this purpose.

110. Who was the “Little Giant”?

This was a popular sobriquet conferred upon Stephen Arnold Douglass (1813–1861), a distinguished American statesman, in allusion to the disparity between his physical and his intellectual proportions.

111. Which was the grandest funeral pageant ever known?

That of Alexander the Great. For two years after his death the body was deposited at Babylon, while preparations were being made for the march to Egypt. At length all was ready, and the grandest funeral pageant ever witnessed on earth started on the long march of over one thousand miles from Babylon to Alexandria. Over a year was occupied in this journey. The accounts of the splendor and magnificence of the golden car that bore his body are almost incredible. The spokes and naves of the wheels were overlaid with gold, and the extremities of the axles, where they appeared outside at the centre of the wheels, were adorned with massive golden ornaments. Upon the wheels and axle-trees was supported a platform twelve feet wide and eighteen feet long, upon which was erected a magnificent pavilion supported by Ionic columns, and profusely ornamented, both within and without, with purple and gold. The interior of this pavilion was resplendent with precious stones and gems. Upon the back of the platform was placed a throne, profusely carved and gilded, and hung with crowns representing the various nations over which Alexander had ruled. At the foot of the throne was the coffin, made of solid gold, and containing, besides the body, a large quantity of the most costly spices and aromatic perfumes, which filled the air with fragrance. Between the coffin and throne were laid the arms of Alexander. On the four sides of the carriage were _basso-relievos_, representing Alexander himself, with various military concomitants. There were the Macedonian columns, the squadrons of Persia, the elephants of India, troops of horses, etc. Around the car was a fringe of golden lace, to the pendants of which were attached bells, which tolled continually with a mournful sound as the carriage moved along. This ponderous car was drawn by a long column of sixty-four mules, in sets of four, all selected for their great size and strength, and richly caparisoned. Their collars and harnesses were mounted with gold and enriched with precious stones. A large army of workmen kept at a considerable distance in advance, repairing the roads, strengthening the bridges, and removing all obstacles along the entire line.

112. What is the “oft-quoted epitaph” composed by Franklin?

“THE BODY OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, PRINTER, LIKE THE COVER OF AN OLD BOOK, _its contents torn out, and stripped of its lettering and gilding, lies here food for worms_. Yet the work itself shall not be lost; for it will, as he believed, appear once more in a new and more beautiful edition, corrected and amended by the Author.”

113. Which is the largest stationary engine in the world?

The largest stationary engine in the world is at the famous zinc mines at Friedensville, Pennsylvania. It is known as the “President,” and there is no pumping engine in the world that can be compared with the monster. The number of gallons of water raised every minute is 17,500. The driving-wheels are thirty-five feet in diameter, and weigh forty tons each. The sweep-rod is forty feet long, the cylinder one hundred and ten inches in diameter, and the piston-rod eighteen inches in diameter, with a ten-foot stroke.

114. What was the origin of “pin-money”?

“Pin-money” is a term applied to a lady’s allowance of money for her own personal expenditure. Long after the invention of pins, in the fourteenth century, they were very costly, and the maker was allowed to sell them in open shop only on the 1st and 2d of January. It was then that the ladies of the court and city dames flocked to the stores to buy them, having been first provided with the requisite money by their husbands. When pins became common and cheap, the ladies spent their allowance on other fancies, but the term “pin-money” remained in vogue.

115. Why are our Presidents inaugurated on the 4th of March?

The reason why the 4th of March is the day on which our Presidents are always inaugurated is that the Continental Congress appointed the first Wednesday in January, 1789, for the people to choose electors; the first Wednesday in February for those electors to choose a President; and the first Wednesday in March for the government to go into operation under the new Constitution. The last-named day, in 1789, fell on the 4th of March; hence, the 4th of March following the election of a President is the day appointed for his inauguration. By the act of 1792, it was provided that the Presidential term of four years should commence on the 4th of March. By the amendment to the Constitution made in 1804, if the House of Representatives should not elect a President by the 4th of March, the Vice-President becomes President. The 4th of March is thus virtually made, by the Constitution as well as by statute, the day when a new Presidential term begins.

116. What was the origin of the word “tariff”?

On the coast of Spain, just outside the Straits of Gibraltar, there is an island called Tarifa. When the Moors had possession of Spain, they established a custom-house upon it. The taxes were fixed by the collector. Every vessel passing through the straits in either direction was brought to and robbed of as much as this collector saw fit. If the captain delivered up about fifteen per cent of his cargo, or paid its equivalent in money, he was allowed to go in peace. If he proved stubborn, his vessel and cargo were confiscated. Generally, however, no resistance was offered. When the vessel arrived at the port of discharge, her owner assessed the loss on the purchasers of the goods. Hence all money collected on cargoes is called a tariff, from the island whence the custom was first started.

117. What newspaper is called “The Thunderer”?

The London _Times_. This name was originally given to it on account of the powerful articles contributed to its columns by the editor, Edward Sterling.

118. Who was the “Man of Destiny”?

This appellation was conferred on Napoleon Bonaparte, who believed himself to be a chosen instrument of Destiny, and that his actions were governed by some occult and supernatural influence.

119. What was the origin of “catch-penny”?

This term originated in London, in 1824, just after the execution of Thurtell for the murder of Weare. A publisher made a great deal of money from the sale of Thurtell’s “last dying speech.” When the sale of this speech fell off, a second edition was advertised, headed, “_We are_ alive again!” with little space between the first two words. These two words the people took for the name of the murdered man, reading it, “_Weare_ alive again!” A large edition was rapidly sold. Some one called it a “catch-penny,” and the word rapidly spread until it came into general use.

120. Where is there an underground river in the United States?

There are two underground rivers--the Echo and the Styx--in the Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. The Echo is about three fourths of a mile long, two hundred feet wide at some points, and from ten to forty feet deep. It is crossed by boats. Its course is beneath an arched ceiling of smooth rock, varying in height from ten to thirty-five feet, and famous for its musical reverberations; not a distinct echo, but a harmonious prolongation of sound for from ten to thirty seconds after the original tone is produced. The long vault has a certain key-note of its own, which, when struck, excites harmonics, including tones of incredible depth and sweetness. The Styx is much smaller than the Echo. It is about four hundred and fifty feet long, from fifteen to forty feet wide, and from thirty to forty feet deep. It is spanned by an interesting natural bridge about thirty feet above it. Both these streams have an invisible communication with Green River, the depth of the water and direction of the current in them being regulated by the stage of water in the latter stream. In the waters of both streams are found a blind fish (_Amblyopsis speleans_) of an almost pure white color.

121. Who was the first martyr to American liberty?

Thomas Hansford, one of the leading participants of Bacon’s Rebellion, is generally accredited with this honor. After the failure of the rebellion, he was captured at the house of a young lady to whom he was paying his addresses, taken to Accomac, and hung as a rebel, by Berkeley, the royal governor, in spite of his prayer that he might be “shot like a soldier.” This was Nov. 13, 1676.

This name has also been applied to Christopher Snider, a boy eleven years of age, who was killed in a mob in Boston, Feb. 22, 1770.

122. Who was the author of “Curfew must not Ring To-night”?

This exquisite poem was written in April, 1867, by Miss Rosa Hartwick, now Mrs. Edward C. Thorpe. She resides at Litchfield, Michigan. She was in her seventeenth year when she wrote the poem. She has written others, but none so fine or so famous as this. It is founded on an incident in English history. Basil Underwood was a young man in the time of the Protectorate, and his only crime seems to have been unswerving loyalty to the king. The maiden pleaded in vain for a reprieve from the judges. They would not delay the execution even until Cromwell should arrive. After her fruitless appeal to the judges, she returns to the old sexton, and it is at this point that the poem takes up the story.

123. Who was “Mother Goose”?

“Mother Goose,” from whom the popular nursery rhymes were named, was not an imaginary personage. She belonged to a wealthy family in Boston, Mass., where she was born and resided for many years. Her eldest daughter, Elizabeth Goose, was married to a printer named Fleet, and when a son was born to them, the grandmother spent all her time nursing him and singing the songs and ditties she had heard in her younger days. This greatly annoyed her son-in-law, who vainly tried in every way to make her desist. He then conceived and carried out the idea of collecting these ditties and publishing them in book form, giving the edition the title of “Songs for the Nursery; or, Mother Goose’s Melodies for Children.” The adoption of this title was originally in derision of his mother-in-law; but it became so well known and liked, that now there are few boys or girls who do not revel in the delights of the old lady’s melodies and rhymes.

124. What king said “I am the state”?

This was the famous saying of Louis XIV. (1638–1715), king of France, and it expresses the principle to which everything was accommodated. In the zenith of his career all Europe feared him; and his own nation had been brought by tyranny, skilful management, and military glory to regard him with Asiatic humility. Under his absolute sway all remnants of political independence were swept away. Even the courts of justice yielded to the absolute sway of the monarch, who interfered at pleasure with the ordinary course of law.

125. What was the origin of the word “Mississippi”?

“Its original spelling,” says the “Magazine of American History,” “and the nearest approach to the Algonquin word, ‘the father of waters,’ is Meche Sepe, a spelling still commonly used by the Louisiana Creoles. Tonti suggested Miche Sepe, which is somewhat nearer the present spelling. Father Laval still further modernized it into Michispi, which another father, Labatt, softened into Misisipi. The only changes since have been to overload the word with consonants. Marquette added the first and some other explorer the second _s_, making it Mississipi, and so it remains in France to this day, with only one _p_. The man who added the other has never been discovered, but he must have been an American, for at the time of the Louisiana purchase the name was generally spelled in the colony with a single _p_.”

126. What was the “O Grab Me Act”?

The _Embargo Act_ passed by Congress, Dec. 21, 1807. By its provisions all American vessels were detained in the ports of the United States. The object was, by cutting off commercial intercourse with France and Great Britain, to compel them to recognize the rights of American neutrality. The act was the subject of much ridicule. The opponents of the measure, spelling the word backward, called it the “O Grab Me Act”. The measure was of little avail; and after fourteen months it was repealed.

127. Who was “the learned tailor”?

Henry Wild (1684–1764). He acquired some knowledge of Greek and Latin at the grammar school of his native town, Norwich, England, after which he worked fourteen years at his trade. Then, during a long sickness, he amused himself by reading some volumes of controversial theology abounding in quotations from the Bible in the original Hebrew. This led him to devote his spare time for several years to the study of Hebrew, and afterward of Chaldee, Syriac, Arabic, and Persian, in all of which he became proficient.

128. Where is the “Water Volcano”?

The _Volcan de Agua_, or “Water Volcano,” is a huge mountain in Central America, noted for emitting torrents of boiling water which have twice destroyed the town of Guatemala. It is of a conical shape and rises fifteen thousand feet above the level of the sea. In close proximity are the volcanoes of Pacaya, on the southeast, and Fuego, on the west; and the three together present a scene of great magnificence.

129. Which is the brightest star visible?

Sirius, or the Dog-star, of the constellation _Canus Major_, or the “Great Dog.” Sir John Herschel estimates its light as exceeding more than twofold that of _Canopus_, the second star in brilliancy, and more than fourfold that of _Alpha Centauri_, the third, whose light the same astronomer takes as the standard for stars of the first magnitude. Sirius is about one hundred and twenty-three billions of miles distant from the earth. By photometric measurement it has been shown that, supposing the intensity of the sun’s light for unit of surface to equal that of Sirius, it would require four hundred suns at the distance of Sirius to send us the light that star does; and our sun at the distance of Sirius would appear less than a star of the sixth magnitude, and be invisible to the naked eye.

130. Who originated our decimal coinage?

Our decimal coinage was devised by Thomas Jefferson. Two years before Governeur Morris, a clerk in the office of his uncle, Robert Morris, had conceived the idea of applying the decimal system to the notation of money. The details of the system devised by Morris were so cumbrous and awkward as almost to neutralize the simplicity of the leading idea. Jefferson rescued the fine original conception by proposing our present system of dollars and cents, which was adopted by Congress in 1785.

131. Where is the sacred well from which Hagar is said to have drawn water for her son Ishmael?

According to Mohammedan tradition, the Zamzam, the sacred well in the Great Mosque, at Mecca, is the source from which Hagar drew water for her son Ishmael (Gen. xxi. 19). This is, of course, pure invention; and, indeed, the legend tells that the well was long covered up and rediscovered by Abd-el-Muttalib, the grandfather of the prophet. Sacred wells are peculiar to Semitic sanctuaries, and Islam, retaining the well, made a quasi Biblical story for it, and endowed its tepid waters with miraculous curative virtues. They are eagerly drunk by the pilgrims, and when poured over the body are held to give a miraculous refreshment after the fatigues of religious exercise. The manufacture of bottles or jars for carrying the water to distant countries is a considerable industry. Ibu Jubair mentions a curious superstition of the Meccans, who believed that the water rose in the shaft at the full moon of the month Sha’bán. On this occasion a great crowd, especially of young people, thronged round the well with shouts of religious enthusiasm, while the servants of the well dashed buckets of water over their heads.

132. Who was the “Wagoner Boy”?

Thomas Corwin (1794–1865), a distinguished American statesman. While Corwin was yet a lad, Harrison and his army were on the northern frontier, almost destitute of provisions, and a demand was made on the patriotism of the people to furnish the necessary subsistence. The elder Corwin loaded a wagon with supplies which was delivered by his son, who remained with the army during the rest of the campaign, and who is said to have proved himself “a good whip and an excellent reinsman.”

133. Who explored the Mississippi River with La Salle?

The Chevalier Henry de Tonty (1650–1704), an Italian explorer. He was the son of Lorenzo de Tonty, who is famous as the inventor of the tontine system of association. In 1678 he accompanied La Salle to Canada, and then in his exploration of the Mississippi. La Salle left him in command of a fort near Peoria. He twice descended the Mississippi to its mouth in search of La Salle, and a third and last time to meet Iberville; after which he remained in that region and died at Fort Louis (now Mobile) in September, 1704. He wrote a memoir of La Salle’s voyage, which has been translated and published in English under the title “Account of M. de la Salle’s last Expedition and Discoveries in North America.”

134. Who was the “Ancient Mariner”?

He is the hero of Coleridge’s poem of the same name, who, for the crime of having shot an albatross, a bird of good omen to voyagers, suffers dreadful penalties, together with his companions, who have made themselves accomplices in his crime. These penalties are at last remitted in consequence of his repentance. He reaches land, where he encounters a hermit, to whom he relates his story,--

“Since then, at an uncertain hour,
The agony returns,”--

and drives him on, like the Wandering Jew, from land to land, compelled to relate the tale of his suffering and crime as a warning to others, and as a lesson of love and charity towards all God’s creatures. The conception of this poem, and the mystical imagery of the skeleton ship, are said by Dyce to have been borrowed by Coleridge from a friend who had experienced a strange dream.

135. What was the “Flying Dutchman”?

This is the name given by sailors to a spectral ship, which is supposed to cruise in storms off the Cape of Good Hope, and the sight of which is considered the worst of all possible omens. She is distinguished from earthly vessels by bearing a press of sail when all others are unable, from stress of weather, to show an inch of canvas. The cause of her wandering is variously explained. According to one account, a Dutch captain, bound home from the Indies, met with long-continued head-winds and heavy weather off the Cape of Good Hope, and refused to put back as he was advised to do, swearing a very profane oath that he would beat round the Cape, if he had to beat there until the Day of Judgment. He was taken at his word, and doomed to beat against head winds all his days. His sails are believed to have become thin and sere, his ship-sides white with age, and himself and crew reduced almost to shadows. He cannot heave to or lower a boat, but sometimes hails vessels through his trumpet, and requests them to take letters home for him. Dr. John Leyden, who introduces the story of the Flying Dutchman into his “Scenes of Infancy,” imputes with poetical ingenuity the doom of the ship to its having been the first to engage in the slave-trade. But the common tradition is, as stated by Sir Walter Scott, “that she was originally a vessel loaded with great wealth, on board of which some horrid act of murder and piracy had been committed; that the plague broke out among the wicked crew, and that they sailed in vain from port to port, offering, as a price of shelter, the whole of their ill-gotten wealth; that they were excluded from every harbor, and that, as a punishment of their crimes, the apparition of the ship still continues to haunt those seas in which the catastrophe took place.” The superstition has its origin, probably, in the looming, or apparent suspension in the air, of some ship out of sight,--a phenomenon sometimes witnessed at sea, and caused by unequal refraction in the lower strata of the atmosphere.

136. What was the “Banshee”?

In the popular superstitions of the Irish and the Scotch, the Banshee, or Benshie, was an invisible being, supposed to announce by mournful presence and voice the approaching death of members of certain ancient houses. It was said that, on the decease of a hero, the harps of his bards voluntarily emitted mournful sounds. In later times it was popularly supposed that each family had its banshee, which gave warnings of misfortune, or haunted the scenes of past troubles.

137. What was the “Irish Night”?

This was a night of agitation and terror in London after the flight of James II., occasioned by an unfounded report that the Irish Catholics of Feversham’s army had been let loose to murder the Protestant population, men, women, and children.

138. Which is the “Keystone State”?

The State of Pennsylvania is so called from its having been the central State of the Union at the time of the formation of the Constitution. If the names of the thirteen original States are arranged in the form of an arch, Pennsylvania will occupy the place of the keystone.

139. What was the origin of “Lynch Law”?