Part 4

Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is said that when the place was first settled, there was growing on the spot a cypress (the bark of which tree is of a reddish color) of immense size and prodigious height, entirely free from branches, except at its very top. One of the settlers playfully remarked that this tree would make a handsome cane; whence the place has since been called Baton Rouge, that is, “red staff.”

52. How many languages are there?

The various languages, dialects, etc., ancient and modern, are estimated to be 3,064. They are distributed as follows: Asiatic, 937; European, 587; African, 276; American, 1,264.

53. What noted physiologist estimated one hundred years as man’s normal term of life?

Marie Jean Pierre Flourens (1794–1867), the celebrated French physiologist, asserts, in one of his numerous publications, that the normal period of man’s life is one century. It is, he argues, a fact in natural history, that the length of each animal’s life is in exact proportion to the period the animal takes in growing. Monsieur Flourens has ascertained this period, and based upon it the theory that it depends on “the union of the bones to their epiphyses. As long,” he observes, “as the bones are not united to their epiphyses, the animal grows; as soon as the bones are united to their epiphyses, the animal ceases to grow.” Now, in man, according to this philosopher, the union of the bones and the epiphyses takes place at the age of twenty, and that, as among all animals, life is or should be prolonged to five times the period they take in attaining their full growth, the normal duration of the life of man is consequently one century. Applied to domestic animals, this theory appears to be fully verified. In the camel, the union of the bones with the epiphyses takes place at eight years of age, and the animal lives to be forty, in the horse, at five years, and he lives to be twenty-five; in the ox, at four years, and he lives to be twenty; in the dog, at two years, and he lives to be ten or twelve years. In view of these conclusions, Flourens modifies considerably the different stages of man’s existence. “I prolong the duration of infancy,” he says, “up to ten years, because it is from nine to ten that the second dentition is terminated. I prolong adolescence up to twenty years, because it is at that age that the development of the bones ceases, and consequently the increase of the body in length. I prolong youth up to the age of forty, because it is only at that age that the increase of the body in bulk terminates. After forty, the body does not grow, properly speaking, the augmentation of its volume which then takes place is not a veritable organic development, but a simple accumulation of fat. After the growth, or, more properly speaking, the development in length and bulk has terminated, man enters into what I call the period of invigoration, that is, when all our parts become more complete and firm, our functions more assured, and the whole organism more perfect. This period lasts to sixty-five or seventy years, and then begins old age, which lasts for thirty years.” When it was asked of Flourens why so few attained to the age of a century, he replied, “Man does not die! With our manners, our passions, our torments, he kills himself!”

54. Who was the “American Pope of Rome”?

Among the earliest settlers of the District of Columbia was an Englishman named Pope, who bought land and named the stream flowing through it the Tiber. To the eminence on which the Capitol now stands he gave the name of Capitoline Hill. He called his whole plantation Rome, and signed himself “Pope of Rome.”

55. Which was the most deadly epidemic ever known?

The Black Death, which in the fourteenth century desolated the world. It took this name from the black spots, symptomatic of a putrid decomposition which at one of its stages appeared upon the skin. Among the symptoms may be noticed great imposthumes on the thighs and arms, and smaller boils on the arms and face; in many cases black spots all over the body; and in some, affections of the head, stupor, and palsy of the tongue, which became black as if suffused with blood; burning and unshakable thirst; putrid inflammation of the lungs, attended by acute pains in the chest, the expectoration of blood, and a fetid, pestiferous breath. On the first appearance of the plague in Europe, fever, the evacuation of blood, and carbuncular affection of the lungs brought death before the other symptoms could be developed; afterwards, boils and buboes characterized its fatal course in Europe, as in the East. In almost all cases its victims perished in two or three days after being attacked. Its spots and tumors were the seals of a doom which medicine had no power to avert, and which in despair many anticipated by self-slaughter. The precise date of the appearance of the plague in China is unknown, but from 1333 till 1348 that great country suffered a terrible mortality from droughts, famines, floods, earthquakes which swallowed mountains, and swarms of innumerable locusts; and in the last few years of that period from the plague. During the same time Europe manifested sympathy with the changes which affected the East. The theory is, that this great tellurian activity, accompanied by the decomposition of vast organic masses, myriads of bodies of men, brutes, and locusts, produced some change in the atmosphere unfavorable to life; and some writers, speaking of the established progress of the plague from east to west, say that the impure air was actually visible as it approached with its burden of death. In 1340 the Black Death first appeared in Italy. It spread throughout Christendom and raged during many years, causing unprecedented mortality. Thousands perished in Germany. In London alone two hundred persons were buried daily in the Charter House yard in 1348. The horrors of the time were further heightened by the fearful persecutions to which the Jews were subjected, from a popular belief that the pestilence was owing to their poisoning the public wells. The people rose to exterminate the Hebrew race, of whom, in Mayence alone, twelve thousand were cruelly murdered. They were killed by fire and by torture wherever they could be found, and for them to the terrors of the plague were added those of a populace everywhere infuriated against them. In some places the Jewish people immolated themselves in masses; in others, not a soul of them survived the assaults of their enemies. No adequate notion can be conveyed of these horrors.

56. What noted national hymn was composed (words and music) in a single night?

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”?