The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 32, June 17, 1897 by Various
V >>
Various >> The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 32, June 17, 1897
These slaves were employed in the cultivation of cloves; Zanzibar grows
four-fifths of the clove crop of the world.
The inhabitants of the islands are principally Arabs, a race of men who
have always been prominent in the slave trade since first the shameful
traffic in human flesh began.
These Arabs have pleaded that the freeing of the slaves in Zanzibar will
destroy the clove industry, and that their trade will be ruined.
After carefully looking into the matter, the British decided that the
industry of the islands would not in any way be injured, and informed
the Sultan that they wished him to free the slaves.
The British power in Zanzibar is very strong, and while the Sultan is
the ruler of his kingdom in name, in actual fact he has to obey the
wishes of the British without hesitation or question.
England, therefore, prepared the decree freeing the slaves in the
islands of Zanzibar and Pemba, and the Sultan obediently signed it.
This decree states that the slave-owners will be paid for the loss of
their slaves; and if the Government has not enough money in its treasury
to do this, Great Britain will give what extra money is needed.
It is said that slavery was never abolished in any country with less
trouble or disturbance.
No great changes are looked for. The negroes will now be paid for their
labor, and have the right to choose their own employers; but it is
expected that nearly the whole body of freed slaves will remain on the
plantations where they have been working.
It is estimated that about a quarter of a million slaves were liberated.
* * * * *
The United States had a shock of earthquake the other day, which was
felt in the States of Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia.
Buildings were shaken, and in Atlanta the shock was so severe that
pictures and wall-hangings were thrown violently from the wall.
An earthquake is a movement of the earth's crust, caused by volcanic
action. The earth moves as it were in waves, billowing like the waters
of the ocean.
The destructive nature of earthquakes depends very much upon the nature
of the ground. Sometimes the movement will be felt very slightly, and no
damage will be done. At others, a hard bed of rock will lie in the path
of the wave; it will not bend and move the rest of the ground, but
splits in two, and then a fissure, or opening in the ground, is formed.
* * * * *
There is a new break in the levees near New Orleans.
Since the Mississippi River began to fall, the danger was supposed to be
over, and the guards and inspectors who had been patrolling the levees
became a trifle careless.
The present break, therefore, found the people quite unprepared to deal
with it; and it was some hours after the trouble had occurred before
help could be obtained.
This new crevasse is said to have been caused by the caving in of the
bank, a thing which often happens as the waters subside.
The engineers had been warned that this might happen, but unfortunately
did not heed the warning.
The direct result of the Mississippi floods will be an appeal to the
United States Government to take charge of the levees along the entire
length of the river.
These matters at present are managed by Levee Boards, who control the
banks of the river for certain distances, and through certain districts.
Each Board has the power to do the work for its own district in the
manner that seems best to it.
There has, so far, been no general meeting of the various Boards to
decide on the best kind of levee to build, but each has done the work
independently of the other, and put up the best levees it could afford
with the funds it had.
In view of the widespread distress caused by the floods this year it is
thought that some better system should be adopted, and that all the
levees should be under one board of management.
Daring the recent floods, it was found that certain levees were able to
withstand the force of the waters better than others, and the farmers
all along the river are insisting that when the new levees are built
they shall be of the kind that withstood the flood.
It has been felt that the work should be taken in hand by some one body
which should have control of both banks of the river throughout its
entire length. Want of money prevents the dwellers of the Mississippi
Valley from doing this for themselves, and so the appeal to the
Government has been made.
Should the request be granted the dwellers along the river will be
relieved of one great anxiety. When the waters run very high the people
along each bank would be glad if the bank on the opposite side would
break and relieve the pressure on their side, and so several times men
have been wicked enough to cut the levees opposite, and allow the
floods to pour over their neighbors' lands.
This has resulted in bad feeling and distrust, and now, whenever the
river rises, men patrol the banks, carrying loaded guns, and shoot
without mercy any persons who are suspected of having evil designs on
the levee.
In New Orleans, during the late flood, a strong demand was made that
some of the country levees might be cut, so that the town would be safe
from the fear of a flood.
You can imagine the bad feeling that this caused. The farmers did not
see why they should be ruined to save the city, and the city people did
not see why the farmers should mind having their fields under water, to
save the misery and distress of a flood in the city.
If the Government took charge of the work all this trouble would be
ended. The levees would be properly built, kept in repair, and guarded,
and no one would dare to interfere with the property of the Government.
It will be a splendid thing for the dwellers in the Mississippi Valley
if it is arranged that the Government controls the levees, but it will
cost the country a great deal of money. Twenty-five million dollars to
begin with, and more than five millions every year afterward, is the
estimated cost.
* * * * *
An experiment to make gold out of other metals has been attempted in
Washington.
Ever since the world was young, men have been trying to discover a means
of making gold.
The old alchemists, who were accused of being magicians, and having
dealings with the powers of evil, were always trying to make gold.
Apparently no one ever succeeded.
Lately, a man from Chicago, a Mr. Brice, went to the Government and
asked for a patent on a method of making gold, which he offered to sell
the Government.
It has long been known to scientists that the precious metals, silver
and gold, are present in many of the baser metals, such as antimony and
lead.
Mr. Brice claimed that he could extract the gold from these metals, and
that he could also make gold.
When he applied for his patent it was refused to him, on the ground that
he had not shown that the work could really be done. He continued to ask
for the patent; and, as the laboratory of the Patent Office was too
small for him to show his process to the authorities, he was allowed to
use the laboratory of the Mint Bureau for his experiments.
A committee of scientists was appointed to conduct the experiments, and
Mr. Brice furnished them with his formula for making the gold.
The first experiments were tried with metals that were known to contain
gold and silver. From these, by Mr. Brice's process, eighty-four per
cent of the gold was recovered and fifty-six per cent of the silver.
They then tried to make gold from minerals that were free from the
precious metals, but this experiment failed; no gold resulted.
In making their report of the attempts to make gold, the committee
pronounced them failures.
They said, first, that in the attempt to extract gold from metals known
to contain gold and silver, Mr. Brice's process had only extracted a
portion of this metal.
Second, that the claim of making gold was entirely without foundation.
Mr. Brice replied to this, by complaining that the commission did not
follow his formula.
He declared that certain chemicals had been used which he had expressly
stated would ruin his process if added to his formula. He said that the
commission had also declined to use a certain apparatus which he
insisted was absolutely necessary to obtain the desired results.
Mr. Brice says he will go to England and try his experiments there, and
offer Great Britain the wonderful secret which the United States has
refused.
* * * * *
A new method for using electricity instead of steam has been tried on
the railroad.
It has proved to be such a success that many people declare that the
days of the steam locomotive are numbered, and electricity will soon be
used in its stead.
The plan was tried on the New England Railroad, between Hartford and New
Britain.
It is called the "third-rail system," and consists of a third rail, laid
down in the centre of the tracks, between the ordinary supporting rails.
This third rail looks like a capital A, flattened down. It is laid on
blocks of wood, and through it the electric current passes to the cars.
An arrangement is made by which the current is carried from the rail to
the motor, which is in the truck of the passenger-car.
A great rate of speed can be gained with the third-rail system, ten
miles having been made in thirteen and a half minutes.
It is rumored that the elevated road will most probably adopt the
third-rail system, and if this is done the journey from Harlem to the
Battery may be made in fifteen minutes.
The great drawback to this system is that the current is exposed, and
persons crossing the tracks are liable to get a very severe shock.
The current used will be six hundred volts, and, while the company
insists that this will not kill any one, they are of the opinion that it
would be better to avoid the shock if possible.
* * * * *
A new school was opened the other day in East Twenty-first Street, New
York City.
Though girls will be admitted into it, it is especially a school for
boys, as you will understand when you learn that it is a Truant School.
It is one of the laws of our country that children must attend school.
Parents who do not send their children are fined, and children who play
truant when they are sent to school are also punished.
For years it has been the custom to arrest all truants, or children who
will not attend the public schools. If the magistrate found that the
culprit was a bad boy, who continually stayed away from school, he would
commit him to a Reformatory.
Many people have felt that this was not the right thing to do, for,
while boys who play truant are certainly very naughty, they are not
necessarily wicked boys who need to be sent to a Reformatory. The
truant school has therefore been founded to prevent this. This school
is in fact a big boarding-school. The truants who are brought in are
housed and fed and taught. They are treated with the greatest kindness,
but are constantly under the eye of the teacher, and forced to study.
Any boy who misconducts himself in the Truant School is sent to a
Reformatory; but the other lads are kept at their work for a certain
period, and then allowed to go back to their homes, if they agree that
they will attend school regularly in future.
Boys who behave nicely are given leave of absence to go home and see
their parents from Saturday to Monday.
The boys are treated exactly as if they were at boarding-school, the
only difference being that they are never allowed to go outside the
walls of the school.
They have every comfort, with playrooms, and gymnasiums, and yards for
exercising; but out into the street they cannot go.
On the upper floors are neat white dormitories and bathrooms, and
washrooms.
Their only hardship is that they must study. They cannot escape their
daily lessons, nor the certainty of being sent to a Reformatory if they
give trouble.
The truants will have to stay in school till late in July, several weeks
longer than the regular schools. This is to teach them that it pays boys
better to be good and go to school at proper times.
GENIE H. ROSENFELD.
LETTERS FROM OUR YOUNG FRIENDS.
DEAR EDITOR:
My teacher takes THE GREAT ROUND WORLD, and reads it to us every
week. We like it very much, and it is always welcomed in our school
room. As you have answered some questions, would you please tell
me, in the next number, which State of the United States has the
most miles of railroad, which the least, and how many miles of
railroad has each? Wishing success to your little paper, I remain,
Respectfully yours,
E.R.
BALTIMORE, MD., May 1897.
DEAR FRIEND:
In answer to the questions in your letter, we would refer you to Poor's
"Manual of Railroads."
EDITOR.
DEAR EDITOR:
I see in THE GREAT ROUND WORLD the notice of a handless brush.
Where can it be bought. Who are the manufacturers? Please inform
me, and oblige a reader of THE GREAT ROUND WORLD. Respectfully
yours,
G.W. CURRIN.
BLOOMSBURG, PA., June 3d, 1897.
DEAR FRIEND:
We are very sorry to be unable to give you the information you desire.
Our Invention and Discovery Department is not in any sense an
advertisement column.
We have facilities for learning of all the latest inventions, and we
give our readers those that we think would be of interest to them. We
can, if you wish, give you the name and address of the inventor of the
brush, but we cannot tell you if it is already on the market. EDITOR.
DEAR EDITOR:
I am much pleased with THE GREAT ROUND WORLD.
Do you think that the Cubans will take Havana soon? I hope they
will because I think it will, end the war.
Do you think that Greece will fight Turkey any more?
I am going to have a new bicycle; it is to be a Remington. Do you
think it is a good make? Yours truly,
GEORGE B.
TUXEDO PARK, May 31st, 1897.
DEAR GEORGE:
We think the Remington a first-class bicycle, and hope you will have a
great deal of enjoyment with yours. EDITOR.
DEAR EDITOR:
This is the first letter I have ever written.
I take THE GREAT ROUND WORLD, and it is very nice.
Yours truly,
GROTON, MASS. JOSEPH W.P.
DEAR EDITOR:
I am very much interested in your paper, and especially the Cuban
war accounts, and I hope that they will get free soon. My teacher
gets the paper every week, and soon I hope to get it myself.
I am trying to get a hundred subscriptions for your paper.
Wishing you long success, I remain
Your faithful reader,
MERRITT T.W.
NEW YORK, May 24th, 1897.
Many thanks to Joseph W.P. and Merritt T.W. for their kind letters. We
are very pleased that Merritt is trying to get subscriptions for us, and
hope he will succeed, and be able to earn himself a first-class
bicycle.
BOOKS RECEIVED.
"The Taming of Polly," by Ellas L. Dorcey; published by Benziger Bros.,
1897, price 85 cents.
"Harry Dee," by Francis J. Finn; published by Benziger Bros., 1897,
price 85 cents.
"Percy Winn," by Francis J. Finn; published by Benziger Bros., 1897,
price 85 cents.
"Claude Lightfoot," by Francis J. Finn; published by Benziger Bros.,
1897, price 85 cents.
"A Summer at Woodville," by Anna T. Sadlier; published by Benziger
Bros., 1897, price 85 cents.
"Three Girls, Especially One," by Marion A. Faggart; published by
Benziger Bros., 1897, price 85 cents.
"The Scrape that Jack Built," by C.A. Liljencrantz; published by A.C.
McClurg & Co., 1897, price $1.25.
"The Fatal Diamonds," by E.C. Donnelly; published by Benziger Bros.,
1897.
"The Boys in the Block," by M. Fegan; published by Benziger Bros., 1897.
"My Strange Friend," by F.J. Finn; published by Benziger Bros., 1897.
BOOK REVIEWS.
We have received from the A.D.F. Randolph Company a copy of a very
interesting game called "Kindergarten in Missions,--American Indians"
($1.00). It consists of a number of cards with pictures of Indians and
different scenes in an Indian Village; these are to be cut out and put
on stands which are also furnished, forming, when complete, an Indian
Village. It will be great fun cutting these pictures out and afterward
doing the various things with the Indian Village, suggested in the
directions.
They also send an attractive "Pocket History of the Presidents,"
containing portraits, together with a little historical sketch of each.
In the book is also a list of States with their estimated wealth, and a
number of other details of great interest; price of this little book is
25 cents.
We have received a number of copies of "The Story of Washington," a
bright little book, written, and illustrated also, by children, compiled
by Jessie R. Smith, of the Santa Rosa Public Schools; price, 20 cents.
Our boys who are contemplating business and are anxious to fit
themselves in bookkeeping will be delighted to know of "Waggener's
Bookkeeping Simplified." It is the most compact little book for this
purpose we have ever seen; everything is condensed in seventy-seven
pages, and nothing seems to have been left out that is necessary to a
good, clear, practical knowledge of the subject. Publisher's price,
$1.00.
* * * * *
THE GREAT ROUND WORLD
NATURAL HISTORY
STORIES.
A Series of True Stories
BY
JULIA TRUITT BISHOP.
Attractively Illustrated by Barnes.
* * * * *
These stories will be issued in parts. Price, 10 cents each. Subscription
price (12 numbers), $1.00. Part 1. issued as supplement to GREAT ROUND
WORLD NO. 20.
* * * * *
=Author's Preface.=
The stories published in this little volume have been issued
from time to time in the Philadelphia _Times_, and it is at the
request of many readers that they now greet the world in more
enduring form. They have been written as occasion suggested,
during several years; and they commemorate to me many of the
friends I have known and loved in the animal world. "Shep" and
"Dr. Jim," "Abdallah" and "Brownie," "Little Dryad" and
"Peek-a-Boo." I have been fast friends with every one, and have
watched them with such loving interest that I knew all their
ways and could almost read their thoughts. I send them on to
other lovers of dumb animals, hoping that the stories of these
friends of mine will carry pleasure to young and old.
* * * * *
=WILLIAM BEVERLEY HARISON,=
=3 & 5 West 18th Street.=
* * * * *
FOUR FAMOUS BOOKS
Every boy and girl is interested in what is going on about them. The
authors of this series have gathered together the most interesting kind of
information, and have told it in a most entertaining way.
Copies will be sent post-paid to any address upon receipt of price named.
1. =Foods and Beverages=, by E.A. BEAL, M.D. Contains
reading lessons on the various kinds of Foods and their hygienic
values; on Grains, Fruits, and useful Plants, with elementary
botanical instruction relating thereto; and on other common
subjects of interest and importance to all, old and young. 281
pages. Cloth, 60 cents.
2. =Every-Day Occupations=, by H. WARREN CLIFFORD, S.D.
Quantities of useful facts entertainingly told, relating to work
and workers. How Leather is Tanned; How Silk is Made; The
Mysteries of Glass-Making, of Cotton Manufacture, of
Cloth-Making, of Ship and House Building; The Secrets of the
Dyer's Art and the Potter's Skill--all and more are described
and explained in detail with wonderful clearness. 330 pages.
Cloth, 60 cents.
3. =Man and Materials=, by WM. G. PARKER, M.E. Shows
how man has raised himself from savagery to civilization by
utilizing the raw material of the earth. Brings for the first
time the wonderful natural resources of the United States to the
notice of American children. The progress of the Metal-Working
arts simply described and very attractively illustrated. 323
pages. Cloth, 60 cents.
4. =Modern Industries and Commerce=, by ROBERT LOUIS,
PH.D. Treats of commerce and the different means of
conveyance used in different eras. Highways, Canals. Tunnels,
Railroads, and the Steam Engine are discussed in an entertaining
way. Other subjects are Paper Manufacture, Newspapers, Electric
Light, Atlantic Cable, the Telephone, and the principal newer
commercial applications of Electricity, etc. 329 pages. Cloth,
60 cents.
* * * * *
WOOD'S
Natural History Readers.
By the REV. J.G. WOOD, M.A.,
_Author of "Homes without Hands," etc._
=First Reader.= Short and simple stories about Common Domestic Animals 25
cts.
=Second Reader.= Short and simple stories about Animals of the Fields,
Birds, etc. 36 cts.
=Third Reader.= Descriptive of Familiar Animals and some of their wild
relations 50 cts.
=Fourth Reader.= The Monkey Tribe, the Bat Tribe, the Mole, Ox, Horse,
Elephant, etc 65 cts.
=Fifth Reader.= Birds, Reptiles, Fishes, etc. 65 cts.
=Sixth Reader.= Mollusks, Crustacea, Spiders, Insects, Corals, Jelly Fish,
Sponges, etc. 65 cts.
* * * * *
=WILLIAM BEVERLEY HARISON=
=3 & 5 West 18th Street, - - - - NEW YORK=
* * * * *
...PREMIUMS...
* * * * *
TO ANY ONE SENDING US 4 NEW SUBSCRIBERS
[Illustration: A Pocket Kodak
Measures 2-1/4 x 2-7/8 x 3-7/8 inches, makes a picture 1-1/2 x 2
inches, and weighs only 5 ounces. Delivered ready for 12 exposures
without reloading.]
The Lens is of the fixed focus type, and of sufficient length of focus
(2-1/2 inches) to avoid distortion.
Has improved rotary shutter and set of three stops for lens. The slides
for changing stops and for time exposures are alongside of the exposure
lever and always show by their position what stop is before the lens and
whether the shutter is set for time or instantaneous exposures, thus
acting as a warning.
In the _quality_ of the work they will do, Pocket Kodaks equal the best
cameras on the market. They make negatives of such perfect quality that
enlargements of any size can be made from them.
The Pocket Kodaks are covered with fine leather, and the trimmings are
handsomely finished and lacquered. They are elegant, artistic, and
durable.
=For one more subscription we will send with this camera a bicycle
carrying-case=
* * * * *
TO ANY ONE SENDING US 9 NEW SUBSCRIBERS
[Illustration: An Improved
=No. 4=
Bulls-Eye
For pictures 4x5 inches; delivered ready for 12 exposures without
reloading. Size of camera, 4-7/8 x 5-7/8 x 9-1/4 inches; weight 2
pounds 2 ounces; length of focus of lens, 6-1/4 inches.]
Fitted with an achromatic lens of superior quality, having a set of
three stops; has two finders, one for vertical and one for horizontal
exposures; and is also provided with two sockets for tripod screws, one
for vertical and one for horizontal exposures. Fitted with improved
rotary shutter, for snap-shots or time exposures. Can be loaded in
daylight. Handsomely finished and covered with leather.
=Both of the above cameras are manufactured by the Eastman Kodak Co.,
Rochester, N.Y., and this is a guarantee of their worth=
=THE GREAT ROUND WORLD=
=3 AND 5 WEST 18TH ST. NEW YORK CITY=
* * * * *
=PREMIUM LIST=
In connection with our offer of any BICYCLE you wish for 100 new
subscriptions, we have prepared a
=Premium Catalogue=
This contains a list of selected articles which will be given to
those who may obtain a smaller number of subscriptions
* * * * *
Those who fail to secure the necessary number for the bicycle may make
selection from this catalogue.
* * * * *
=Copy mailed on receipt of 5c.=
* * * * *
=THE GREAT ROUND WORLD=
=3 & 5 West 18th St, New York City=