Part 9

_Answer._—This recent dramatical representation of the passion of Christ claims its origin and justification in sentiments akin to those which it is said inspired the old religious dramas, known as “Moralities,” or “Miracle Plays.” The first composition of this nature is ascribed to Ezekiel, a Jew, who, in the third century, adapted the story of Israel’s exodus from Egypt to the Grecian stage. His object was to arouse the patriotism of his exiled and despondent countrymen and excite in them a hope for the re-establishment of their kingdom in Palestine. In the fourth century, St. Gregory Nazianzen, the Bishop of Constantinople, having noticed the effect of the Grecian drama upon the people, concluded that the readiest method of extending the church of Christ was the dramatic presentation of the sufferings of its author, which he accomplished in the drama entitled “The Passion of Christ.” When the barbarians made their inroads into Southern Europe, and the church began to extend its influence northward into the lands of the Germans, Normans, and Saxons, it found great difficulty in coping with the fascination which the heathen festivals and performances exercised over the uneducated minds of the people. In order to obviate this trouble, miracle plays were introduced. Adapting the drama to the surrounding circumstances, many of the heathen characters, slightly changed, were retained. The play was supplied with humor by the artful caprices of the impersonated devil. In one representation “Judas, assisted by the devil, who sits upon the scaffold, hangs himself. When the hanging is complete both slide down to hell on a slanting rope.” Soon after the Reformation the miracle plays began to decline, and now they are performed in only a few places, mostly in Southern Bavaria and the Tyrol. The passion play of Oberammergau is famed the world over, and attracts an immense concourse of visitors from all lands whenever it is presented. In 1633 the flax in that neighborhood became diseased and unfit for the spindle. To prevent the recurrence of any such calamity the Oberammergau peasants made a vow to God that every ten years they would present the sufferings of Christ upon the stage in this way. This vow was kept until the beginning of the present century, when the further performance of the play was prohibited. Thereupon the peasants appealed to King Maximilian, who granted them permission to continue their celebrations, providing certain objectionable features were removed. This was agreed to, and in 1811 the drama, written by Pastor Weise, was first presented devoid of the devil and comic personages. The gospel story commences with Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and closes with a scene previous to the ascension. In a practical manner, the plot is developed. The money changers are driven from the temple in anger. Judas smarts under the rebuke which he received at the home of Lazarus. They meet and plan the betrayal resulting in the crucifixion. The part of Christ is impersonated by a peasant. The ignorant inhabitants still regard these plays as the most impressive and effective method of teaching the gospel and various moralities. The claim that the passion play now occupying so much of the public attention was inspired by religious motives is rejected by the public generally, and is ridiculed by the press. There is an all but unanimous feeling of opposition in England and in this country to having the passion of the Savior, the solemn tragedy of Calvary, mimicked on the stage by ordinary stage performers. This feeling led the late Mayor Grace, of New York City, to refuse to license the presentation of the play in that city, and his successor, Mayor Edson, has taken the same stand. Salmi Morse, the manager, threatens to test the legality of this interdiction. Such is the attitude of this matter at present.

RATIO OF BEEF TO LIVE WEIGHT.

ROGERS PARK, Ill.

What is the proportion of good meat in a well-fed beef animal compared with its live weight?

A CONSUMER.

_Answer._—Sixty pounds of dressed beef for each 100 pounds of live weight is considered a fair average, and indicates that the animal was of good stock in first-rate marketable condition. Of course the choice cuts, consisting of the ribs, sirloin and rump steak, constitute only about half of this. So that an animal which weighs 1,000 pounds live weight will produce but about 600 pounds of dressed meat, of which the choice cuts will amount to about 310 pounds and the “coarse meat” to 290 pounds.

NAMES OF CERTAIN BLOOD RELATIVES.

GROVE CITY, Ill.

What relation are children of first cousins? What relation is a child to its parents’ first cousin?

V. T. HOUSTON.

_Answer._—The children of first cousins are second cousins. A’s child is “first cousin removed” to A’s first cousin, while he is second cousin to the son or daughter of A’s first cousin.

FINDING LATITUDE AT SEA.

GARRISON, Iowa.

Referring to the explanation of the method of determining latitude by observations on the pole star, given in a recent issue of Our Curiosity Shop, I venture to submit the following indication of the common method by which sailors ascertain their latitude at sea. It is true that latitude may be determined by means of a carefully observed altitude of the polar star, providing the apparent time of observation can be ascertained within a few minutes. This method might frequently be used at sea when the horizon is well defined if the star were of the first magnitude; but being only of the second or third it is difficult to determine the altitude with certainty. For this reason the usual method of finding the latitude at sea is by taking the altitude of the sun when on the meridian. The latitude of a place, being its distance from the equator, is measured by the arc of the meridian contained between the zenith and the equator; hence, if the distance of the sun from the zenith when on the meridian and the declination be given the latitude is easily determined.

B. F. HUSSEY.

AUTHORS, EDITORS, AND MANUSCRIPTS.

MT. HOPE, Kan.

Kindly explain the editorial rules governing the receipt and treatment of manuscript offered for publication, whether intended for newspapers, periodicals, or books. Suppose, too, that an author should send the manuscript of a book to a publisher on the promise that it would be returned if not accepted, how long ought it to be before he should be notified of its receipt and acceptance or rejection?

W. S. W.

_Answer._—There is no definite general rule for these matters beyond the common understanding that the editor must attend first of all to the regular routine of his office, and manuscript must wait, until he has time to read it. In the case of contributions to a periodical, it is understood unless contributors specifically request the return of their contributions and inclose postage stamps for this purpose, that the editor, if he does not use them, is at liberty to consign them to the waste basket. It is not unusual for contributions to literary magazines and standard reviews to lie on the editors’ tables for a month or six weeks before the verdict “accepted” or “rejected” is pronounced. A glance at a contribution, even the mere subject, indicates to the editor whether the article is likely to suffer by delay. Stories and many other contributions will keep; current news and kindred matters will not. These manuscripts must be read at once; those must wait; and how long, only the editor is in the position to determine. Even after articles are accepted the same law prevails, and the circumstances of each particular issue determine what is to be used and what “held over.” It frequently happens that editorials which have cost the editor serious labor, and are actually in type, are crowded out by unexpected events which must take precedence, and are held back by a succession of such events until too stale to be used, and the writer is forced to write “kill” over against the children of his own heart and brain. Many a disgusted contributor would feel less mortified and indignant at the rejection of his offering if he could understand all the circumstances of the case. The contribution rejected to-day might have been gladly accepted had it come a day sooner. An article accepted yesterday and paid for, perhaps never appears; why, only the editor can explain. Even champagne tastes flat after it has stood a few moments; witticisms are still-born if not ushered in at the right instant. The book-publisher is subject to similar influences, but not in the same degree as the editor of a newspaper or review. But many a book manuscript has been rejected because out of season. Many another has been rejected because the writer was impatient and the editor, rather than keep him in such a mood and unwilling to take the responsibility of publishing what he had not read with critical care, has relieved himself by returning it “with thanks.” It is no slight matter for an editor to read and so digest a book, in which the publisher is asked to invest from $1,000 to $5,000, as to enable him to pronounce a favorable judgment with confidence. Of course long and carefully prepared manuscripts, especially books, are entitled to more consideration than ordinary newspaper contributions; and should never be destroyed until the authors have been courteously notified that they are not wanted, and have had ample time to send for them. In the supposed case of the above question, acknowledgment of receipt of the book manuscript should have been mailed as soon as it came to hand, unless it was received by express or as registered mail matter, and from thirty to sixty days, according to the length and nature of the book would not be too long to grant the editor or publisher before expecting a decision. Except in special cases, editors of newspapers do not receipt by mail for contributions sent to them.

RAILROAD MILEAGE.

OSHKOSH, Wis.

Please give a few statistics in reference to railroad construction in the United States and in the more important foreign countries.

W. L. FROST.

_Answer._—The number of miles of railroad in the world constructed prior to Jan. 1, 1881, was 226,442, of which sum 93,671 miles were within the United States. Germany had built 21,037 miles; Great Britain and Ireland, 17,696; France, 15,287; Russia, 13,571; Austria-Hungary, 11,471; British India, 8,615; Canada, 6,891; Italy, 4,999, and Spain, 4,264. During the year 1881 the railway mileage of this country increased to 104,813 miles, to which the year 1882 added 10,821 miles, making a grand total of 115,634 miles. To build these great highways and properly equip them about $5,750,000,000 have been expended. Iowa during the past year took the lead, having constructed 953.37 miles, and Texas followed close after with 817 miles of new road.

A FEW AMERICAN WORTHIES.

MANSON, Iowa.

Please name five or more of the greatest of the following classes of Americans: Orators, poets, historians, inventors.

GEORGE BELL.

_Answer._—Any answer to such a question is largely a matter of personal opinion. Among political orators Patrick Henry, James Otis, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, Thomas Pike, Sergeant Smith Prentiss, John C. Calhoun stand among the most illustrious. As to pulpit orators, it would be invidious to name one without designating at least fifty who are evidently of the same rank. Our great poets have not been many. First among them have been and still are, as regards fame, William Cullen Bryant, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, George Denison Prentice, and Nathaniel P. Willis. Whittier, T. Buchanan Read, Holmes. Lowell, Miller, Holland, Saxe, Morris, Mrs. Sigourney, are poets not soon to be forgotten. Irving, Sparks, Prescott, Bancroft, are among our most eminent historians. Fulton, inventor of the steamboat; Morse, inventor of the first practical electric telegraph; Whitney, inventor of the cotton-gin, and Howe, inventor of the first successful sewing machine, are among the first of the ten thousand American inventors who have done the world noteworthy service. Edison and several hundred other inventors, who have improved upon the inventions of their predecessors until they have doubled, trebled, and in some instances quadrupled their value to the world, are quite as worthy to be remembered.

RAILROAD LAND GRANTS.

OSHKOSH, Wis.

Give us the total amount of public lands granted by the United States to aid in the construction of railways, and oblige a subscriber.

W. L. FROST.

_Answer._—The table below shows the total land grants made by the United States down to 1880, as given in “The West in 1880.”

States and Acres Acres Corporations. Granted. Certified.

Illinois 2,595,053 2,595,053 Missouri 2,985,160 1,828,005 Iowa 6,795,527 3,940,270 Michigan 4,712,480 3,328,987 Wisconsin 4,808,486 2,672,803 Minnesota 9,992,041 6,925,351 Kansas 9,370,000 3,851,536 Pacific Railroad 159,486,766 8,831,687 ——————————— —————————— Total 215,203,807 42,847,403

These grants, amounting in the aggregate to 215,203,807 acres, or over 355,000 square miles, are only about 6,000 miles less in area than all the original thirteen States of the Union taken together, and is more than 60 per cent greater than the total area of the German Empire. Fortunately for the country, a number of these grants have been forfeited; yet, as above shown, 42,847,403 acres, or more than the total area of England and Wales together, had been actually certified to the States and roads named before June 30, 1879; and many acres have been certified since that time. The exact amount down to date is not yet published. To avoid taxation, the railroads entitled to public lands delay taking their certificates until the settlement of the country and opportunity for selling make it to their interest to do so. A large amount of the land covered by the above grants will be certified to the grantees on demand.

POPULATION OF THE GLOBE.

UNIONVILLE, Iowa.

Please state in Our Curiosity Shop the estimated present population of the world. Also, the population of the United States according to the revised census of 1880.

A. J. R.

_Answer._—The population of the entire globe is still far from being definitely determined. Hardly two original investigators agree. In this country the estimates of Drs. Behm and Wagner are generally accepted as the most reliable, yet their latest figures differ from those of two years before by upward of 22,000,000. Then they stated the population of the entire globe at 1,455,923,500, whereas now they state it at 1,433,887,500, distributed as follows:

Europe 327,743,400 Asia 795,591,000 Africa 205,823,200 America 100,415,400 Australia and Polynesia 4,232,000 Polar regions 82,500

One might infer from this that instead of increasing, as would be naturally expected, the human race is dying out: but closer inspection shows that the estimate of the population of China has been reduced about 55,000,000. Accepting this and all the other estimates, there seems to be an increase in other countries of about 33,000,000; part of which is due to the fact that the geographers had the benefit of the census takers in different countries in 1880 and 1881, showing the growth of five to ten years. The total population of the United States in 1880, according to the revised census, is 50,155,783.

DRINKING FROM SKULLS.

BURLINGTON, Iowa.

What is the origin of the expression “A soldier’s drinking cup,” as applied to a human skull?

WM. A. T.

_Answer._—Thomas Middleton was a dramatic writer who flourished in the early part of the seventeenth century. In “The Witch,” one of his most celebrated plays, when “the Duke” takes a bowl and is told that it is a skull, he exclaims:

“Call it a soldier’s cup; Our Duchess, I know, will pledge us, tho’ the cup Was once her father’s head, which, as a trophy, We’ll keep till death.”

The barbarous custom of converting the skulls of enemies into drinking cups was a common one in ancient times among the fierce tribes of Northern Europe; and was not unknown to the more civilized regions of the South. The Italian poet, Marino, makes a conclave of friends in Pandemonium quaff wine from the skull of Minerva. In his “Wonder of a Kingdom,” Torrent makes Dakker say:

“Would I had ten thousand soldiers’ heads, Their skulls set all in silver, to drink healths To his confusion who first invented war.”

The old Scandinavian sagas represent as among the delights of the immortals the felicity of feasting and drinking to drunkenness from the skulls of the foes they had vanquished on earth. Mandeville goes further, and represents the Guebres as exposing the dead bodies of their parents to the fowls of the air until nothing but the skeletons remained, and preserving the skulls to be used in a spirit of devotion as drinking cups.

GENERAL WILLIAM W. AVERELL.

ETNA, Mo.

Give a short sketch of General Averell.

M. M. SHANES.

_Answer._—General William W. Averell was born in the State of New York in 1830. At the age of 25 he graduated at West Point, and began his military career as Lieutenant of mounted riflemen on the Western frontier. In the rebellion he took an active part in the battles of Bull Run, Yorktown, Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Malvern Hill, Fredericksburg, Kelly’s Ford, Opequan, Fisher’s Hill, and various other engagements in West Virginia, Tennessee, and the Shenandoah Valley, at the same time being successively brevetted Major, Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel, Brigadier General, and Major General, U. S. A. In 1865 he resigned, and in the following year represented the United States as Consul General in Canada. Afterward he retired to accept the Presidency of a manufacturing company in New York.

PRINCE GORTSCHAKOFF AND THE UNION.

CHICAGO, Ill.

What was the action of the late Prince Gortschakoff during our civil war that is alluded to in the recent obituary notices of that diplomat as a reason for the gratitude of Americans?

O. N. ADAMS.

_Answer._—Prince Alexander M. Gortschakoff, who was at that time the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, when invited, at a critical time in the history of our civil war, to associate Russia with England and France in their unfriendly attitude toward the United States, involving, among other things, a proposition to recognize the independence of the Southern Confederacy, positively declined. The following extract from one of his state papers at that juncture shows his disposition toward this country, which he quickly emphasized by dispatching a Russian fleet to New York as a proof of his friendship and sincerity; an act which greatly alarmed and disconcerted both England and France, since many of their politicians jumped to the inference that there was a secret treaty of alliance between the two countries, and that in case of a rupture Russia would openly take sides with the United States. These are the words of the dispatch alluded to, and Americans should not soon forget them:

“The North American Republic not only presents itself to us as an indispensable element of the international balance of power, but, besides that, it is a Nation toward which our most august Emperor and the whole of Russia have always had a most friendly disposition, because both countries are in the ascendant period of their development, and seemed called to a natural unity of interests and sympathies, proofs of which have already been given on both sides.”

WOOD USED AS FUEL.

MOLINE, Ill.

How does the amount of wood used as fuel in Illinois compare with the quantity used in Pennsylvania, New York State, Iowa, and Kansas? State the average for each inhabitant, and tell the average price of such fuel in each of these States, so far as the market prices can be ascertained.

D. MORGAN.

_Answer._—The extent to which wood is used as fuel in the United States, and the estimated value of the same, are among the subjects investigated by the present Census Bureau. The special agent in charge of this investigation estimates that there were 32,375,000 persons in the United States in 1880 using wood as fuel for domestic purposes, consuming 140,537,439 cords, valued at $306,950,040. Besides this, there were about five and a quarter million cords consumed for other purposes, making a total of nearly three hundred and twenty-two million cords, as follows:

Uses. Cords. Value. Domestic use 140,537,439 $306,950,040 Railroads 1,971,813 5,126,714 Steamboats 787,862 1,872,083 In mining and amalgamating precious metal 358,074 2,874,593 Other mining operations 266,771 673,692 Manufacture of brick and tile 1,157,522 3,978,331 Manufacture of salt 540,448 421,681 Manufacture of wool 158,208 425,239 ——————————— ———————————— Grand total 145,778,137 $321,962,273

The amount of wood used for domestic purposes is given by States as follows:

States. Cords. Value.

Alabama 6,076,754 $8,727,377 Arizona 170,017 724,572 Arkansas 3,922,400 5,095,821 California 1,748,062 7,693,731 Colorado 426,719 1,638,783 Connecticut 525,639 2,371,532 Dakota 422,948 2,028,300 Delaware 177,306 751,311 District of Columbia 26,902 80,706 Florida 609,046 1,230,412 Georgia 5,910,045 8,279,245 Idaho 09,910 383,689 Illinois 5,200,104 14,136,662 Indiana 7,059,874 13,334,729 Iowa 4,090,649 14,611,280 Kansas 2,095,438 7,328,723 Kentucky 7,994,813 13,313,220 Louisiana 1,944,858 4,607,415 Maine 1,215,881 4,078,137 Maryland 1,152,910 3,170,941 Massachusetts 890,041 4,613,263 Michigan 7,838,904 13,197,240 Minnesota 1,669,568 5,873,421 Mississippi 5,090,758 7,145,116 Missouri 4,016,373 8,633,465 Montana 119,947 460,638 Nebraska 908,188 3,859,843 Nevada 155,276 972,712 New Hampshire 567,719 1,964,669 New Jersey 642,598 2,787,216 New Mexico 169,946 1,063,360 New York 11,290,975 37,599,364 North Carolina 7,434,690 9,019,569 Ohio 8,191,543 16,492,574 Oregon 482,254 1,254,511 Pennsylvania 7,361,962 15,067,651 Rhode Island 154,953 706,011 South Carolina 3,670,959 11,505,997 Tennessee 8,084,611 10,674,722 Texas 4,883,852 10,177,311 Utah 171,923 418,289 Vermont 782,338 2,509,189 Virginia 5,416,112 10,404,134 Washington 184,226 499,904 West Virginia 2,241,069 3,374,701 Wisconsin 7,206,126 11,863,739 Wyoming 40,218 224,848