Part 15

=WHY= is the first period of married life known as “the honeymoon”?

=BECAUSE= of an ancient custom in the northern nations of Europe. The bride and bridegroom, for a month after the wedding, drank a wine made from honey as their principal form of nourishment. It was called the honey-month or moon.

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=WHY= is the fee given to a servant called a “tip”?

=BECAUSE= the letters which compose the word are the initials of “to insure promptness,” an inscription on the money boxes which used to be in every tavern. Into these the traveler dropped his coin, and the staff, as a whole, shared the benefit. This custom still prevails in some places, but in the United States we give the fee to the particular individual who serves us.

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=WHY= do we say “Uncle Sam” when referring to the United States?

=BECAUSE= the initials “U. S.” were once believed by a few workmen to refer to “Uncle Sam” Wilson who was government inspector, at Troy, in 1812. When the war began, Elbert Anderson, a New York contractor, bought a large quantity of beef, pork, and pickles for the army. These were inspected by Wilson and marked E. A., U. S., meaning Elbert Anderson, for the United States. After discovering that the letters did not apply to Wilson, the men still kept up the “Uncle Sam” as a joke. These same men carried it into the army and from there it got into print. From that time the term has been used for the United States.

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=WHY= do we speak of the “near” and “off” horse?

=BECAUSE= in the days when the driver walked beside the horses his position was always at the left, with his right arm next the team. Therefore, in driving a pair, the horse on the left was nearer than the one on the right. The “near” horse is always the one on the left.

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=WHY= do the stars twinkle?

=BECAUSE= their light passes through variously heated and moving currents of air which act as a refractor. Much twinkling foretells bad weather, because it denotes that these aerial currents are more disturbed than usual.

DEATH THE LEVELER.

James Shirley (1596–1666), the author of this poem, of which the last two lines are very famous, was a contemporary of Shakespeare, whom, however, he survived by many years. Originally a schoolmaster, he became a dramatic writer and composed both tragedies and comedies which form a link between the Elizabethan plays and those which were produced after the Restoration. He wrote few poems, yet these few are characterized by forcible imagery and a vigorous, manly cast of thought.

BY JAMES SHIRLEY.

The glories of our blood and state Are shadows, not substantial things; There is no armor against fate: Death lays his icy hand on kings: Scepter and crown Must tumble down, And in the dust be equal made With the poor crooked scythe and spade.

Some men with swords may reap the field, And plant fresh laurels where they kill: But their strong nerves at last must yield; They tame but one another still: Early or late They stoop to fate, And must give up their murmuring breath When they, pale captives, creep to death.

The garlands wither on your brow. Then boast no more your mighty deeds: Upon death’s purple altar now See where the victor-victim bleeds; Your heads must come To the cold tomb: Only the actions of the just Smell sweet, and blossom in their dust.

ALL KINDS OF THINGS.

The Tomb of Eve—How Our Northern Boundaries Are Indicated—Big Fees Kings and Queens Have to Pay to Physicians—Eating in Days When Forks Were Unknown—Why We Call an Old Story a “Chestnut”—Queer Mix-Ups of Twins—Shorthand in Use Two Thousand Years Ago—Great Distances Walked by the Average Man in a Life-Time—Misnomers in Common Use.

_Compiled and edited for_ THE SCRAP BOOK.

TRADITIONAL TOMB OF MOTHER OF HUMAN RACE.

MOHAMMEDANS ITS CUSTODIANS.

It is in Arabia, and Bedouins Are the Most Regular Visitors to the Mosque Above It.

The tomb of Eve, the mother of the human race, is located, according to tradition, not far from the burial place of Mohammed, on the Arabian coast of the Red Sea.

Every year, as the sacred season of the Hejaz comes around, hundreds of thousands of devout Mohammedans disembark at the little harbor of Jiddah intent on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Journeying with these, a correspondent of the New York _Herald_ made the trip across the Red Sea from Suakim to the shrine venerated by Christian and Islamite alike—the legendary tomb of the first woman. He writes of it as follows:

The country presents a very sterile appearance, there being but little vegetation. A few date palms are dotted about, and away to the west, in the direction of Mecca, groups of stunted acacia-trees render the prospect less barren. The approach to the tomb is up a sandy slope, rising about two hundred feet above the town.

The grave itself is one hundred and sixty feet long and five feet wide, and is surrounded by a stone wall four feet high, covered with chunam. In the center of it rises a small dome-crowned mosque, wherein pilgrims assemble to say their prayers. The mosque is in charge of some dervishes, who have plenty to do in keeping it clear of the crowds of beggars who assemble and clamor for backsheesh.

Inside the mosque is perfectly plain, except that in the center is erected an altar. This stands about three feet high, and is covered with curtains. The curtains being drawn aside, disclose a black stone let into the floor.

This stone is supposed to lie directly over the tomb of Eve, and is polished like marble by the kisses of the faithful. It is by no means permitted to every pilgrim to place his lips on this sacred spot, but by a liberal amount of backsheesh and the presence of the consular kavasses I was permitted the honor, and, accordingly, the curtain was drawn, and on hands and knees I paid homage to our legendary mother.

The stone which is treated with so much honor is a very curious one, evidently meteoric, and is supposed, like the Kaaba at Mecca, to have been specially sent down from heaven for its present use.

I had a long chat with the chief custodian of the tomb, who told me that the office had been in the family for generations. He said that the most regular visitors to the shrine are the Bedouins, who, in their yearly wanderings through the Arabian desert, rarely fail to visit Eve’s tomb. I asked him if there was any legend as to why Eve was supposed to be buried there, but he knew none, and asked:

“Where else would she be buried except on this sacred soil?”

It is certainly curious that legendary lore should select spots so distant from each other for the graves of our first parents. While Eve rests on the shores of the Red Sea, Adam is popularly supposed to lie buried under the forest-clad slopes of Adam’s Peak, in Ceylon.

On my way back to Jiddah I asked my companions if they supposed the grave represented the stature of Eve, and they said, “Surely.”

HOW WE MARK OUR NORTHERN BOUNDARIES.

IRON PILLARS SET IN WILDERNESS.

Mounds of Earth, Granite Shafts, and Metal Tablets Also Indicate Southern Limit of British Territory.

Nearly all the boundaries of the United States are formed by the easy, irregular lines of waterways. The artificial marking of a country the size of this would seem a gigantic task, and fortunately it was not necessary all the way around.

Along the northwestern border, however, there is a vast distance where something of the sort was required, although it is doubtful if many persons have ever heard of it.

A glance at the map of the United States shows that its boundary adjoining Canada follows, the larger part of the distance, an irregular water-line formed by the Great Lakes and their outlets.

Thence from the Lake of the Woods, on the north of Minnesota, a more direct course is taken through the wilderness and over the mountains of the wild West to the Pacific Coast.

This boundary between the countries is marked at regular intervals by pillars of wood and iron, earth mounds, or stone cairns.

Beginning at the Lake of the Woods, cast iron pillars have been placed alternately by the English and our government, one mile apart, until reaching the Red Valley River.

Those set by our neighbor were brought from over the ocean, while ours were made in Detroit. They are a hollow casting of a pyramidal form, eight feet in height, having a base eight inches square and octagon flange one inch in thickness, with a top four inches square, surmounted by a solid cap.

Into these hollow posts are fitted well-seasoned cedar joists, with spikes driven through apertures made for that purpose in the casting. One-half of the length of the pillars are firmly imbedded in the ground, so that the inscriptions on their sides, in raised letters two inches high, face the north and south, the first reading, “Convention of London,” the latter “October 20th, 1818.”

Beyond the Red River, earth mounds and stone cairns, seven feet by eight, generally denote the boundary line. Whenever wooden posts are used, they are of the same height as the iron pillars and painted red above the ground.

Through forests a clearing has been made a rod wide, so that the course is plainly indicated. Where bodies of water are crossed, monuments of stone have been raised several feet above high tide.

Over the mountains, shafts of granite, like grim sentinels, guard the way. Altogether the fixing of the boundary marks was expensive, but it was well done.

WHAT IT COSTS FOR ROYALTY TO BE ILL.

PHYSICIANS CHARGE LARGE FEES.

More Than One Hundred Thousand Dollars Divided Among Medical Men Who Attended King Edward.

That old bugbear, the doctor’s bill, is really something worth while—to the doctor—when the patient happens to be a king. Of all the things a man has to pay, there is probably nothing he really grudges quite as much as this.

Let the ordinary mortal take heart, however, after reading the fees which royalty pays—and presumably pays without a murmur.

For his four weeks’ attendance at Sandringham, prior to the recovery of the king from typhoid fever, in 1871, Sir William Gull received fifty thousand dollars. Twice this amount was paid to Sir Morell Mackenzie for his treatment of the late Emperor Frederick.

The doctors who attended Queen Victoria in her last illness received two thousand guineas each; while Dr. Lapponi’s skill in removing a cyst from the Pope’s side a few years ago was recompensed with two thousand five hundred dollars. Dr. Dinsdale, for his journey to Saint Petersburg and vaccination of the Empress Catharine II, received fifty thousand dollars as his fee, twenty-five thousand dollars for traveling expenses, and a life pension of two thousand five hundred dollars a year.

The fees of the physicians who attended King Edward during the illness which preceded his coronation amounted to more than one hundred thousand dollars.

BEFORE THE FORK WAS THOUGHT OF.

FINGERS DID WORK THOROUGHLY.

The Elegance of Dinner Parties and the Daintiness of the Hands Must Have Suffered Considerably, However.

Fingers were made before forks and used instead of forks until a comparatively recent period; indeed it is evident that forks have not even now superseded them altogether, though there is no doubt about there being a great improvement in the manner of eating since the days when the fork was unknown.

The Greeks and Romans, as well as other ancient nations, knew nothing of any such implement, and meat was commonly prepared in stews. Eating was hardly a dainty operation under such circumstances, and we should probably find ourselves overcome with disgust if we were obliged to take a meal in the company of our ancestors of even three hundred years ago.

Each man had his own knife, and at dinner seized the joint with his hand and cut off what he wished. The dish was then passed on to the next, who did the same. The knife then cut up the portions into small pieces, which were put into the mouth by the fingers of the hand unoccupied by the knife.

In many parts of Spain, at present, drinking-glasses, spoons, and forks are rarities; and in taverns in many countries, particularly in some towns in France, knives are not placed on the table, because it is expected that each person has one of his own—a custom which the French seem to have retained from the old Gauls; but, as no person will any longer eat without forks, landlords are obliged to furnish these together with plates and spoons.

None of the sovereigns of England had forks till the reign of Henry VIII. All, high and low, used their fingers. Hence in the royal household there was a dignitary called the ewery, who, with a set of subordinates, attended at the meals with basins, water, and towels. The office of the ewery survived after forks came partially into fashion.

About the first royal personage who is known to have had a fork was Queen Elizabeth; but, although several were presented to her, it is doubtful whether she used them on ordinary occasions.

Forks were employed only by the higher classes in the middle of the seventeenth century. About the period of the Revolution (1688) few English noblemen had more than a dozen forks of silver, along with a few of iron or steel. At length, for general use steel forks became an article of manufacture at Sheffield. At first they had but two prongs; and it was only in later times that the three-pronged kind were made. As late as the early part of the eighteenth century table-forks were kept on so small a scale by the country inns in Scotland (and perhaps in some parts of England) that it was customary for gentlemen traveling to carry with them a portable knife and fork in a shagreen case. The general introduction of silver forks into Great Britain is quite recent. It can be dated no further back than the termination of the French War in 1814.

WHY AN OLD STORY IS CALLED A “CHESTNUT.”

PHRASE ORIGINATED ON STAGE.

According to Joseph Jefferson, It Was First Used In the Old Melodrama, “The Broken Sword.”

The reason why a hoary old joke should be a “chestnut,” instead of a butternut or a hickory nut, may have puzzled some persons who have used the word.

The late Joseph Jefferson gave the following account of the origin of the term, and this explanation may be relied upon, for the famous actor was an excellent authority on subjects on which he spoke and wrote:

In an old melodrama by William Dillon, called “The Broken Sword,” are two parts—_Count Xavier_ and his servant _Pablo_. The Count is a sort of Münchausen, fond of telling stories of his exploits. He tells one:

“Once I entered the forests of Colloway, when suddenly, from the boughs of a cork-tree——’

“Chestnut, count,” interrupted Pablo.

“Cork-tree,” said the count.

“A chestnut,” reiterated Pablo. “I should know as well as you, for I have heard you tell the story twenty-seven times.”

William Warren, who had played _Pablo_ often, was at a men’s dinner once when a gentleman told a story whose age and originality were far beyond any doubt.

“Chestnut,” murmured Warren. “I should know as well as you, for I have heard you tell it twenty-seven times.”

The guests took up the expression, and from that I believe comes the origin of the term.

HOW NATURE JOKES WITH HER CHILDREN.

MARVELOUS LIKENESS OF TWINS.

Some Cases of Mistaken Identity, Which Involved Their Victims and Others in Complications.

The cases of mistaken identity which occur in real life are only another proof of the old adage that “truth is stranger than fiction.” Even Shakespeare, in his “Comedy of Errors,” stretching the probabilities to the utmost limit with the twin brothers and their twin servants, did not equal the facts in a marriage celebrated not long since in Paris.

Two bridegrooms, so exactly alike as to be indistinguishable from each other except by differences in attire, and two brides of whom exactly the same was true, were attended by two “best men” who were modern dromios.

Alphonse and Gabriel Chanteau, the bridegrooms, were distinguished from each other in their twin babyhood by means of a pink ribbon tied around the arm of Alphonse. Now that they have reached man’s estate Alphonse wears a red waistcoat and Gabriel a white one.

Genevieve and Susanne Renaud, twin sisters who have become Mesdames Chanteau, are living realizations of _Girofle-Girofla_ in the French comic opera of that name. Their differentiation in the eyes of their friends is accomplished by the aid of Genevieve’s red corsage and the white one worn by Susanne.

As to the grooms’ “best men,” Gustave and Maurice Freunzer, also twins, who are cousins of the Messrs. Chanteau, they are as much alike as the proverbial two peas.

Knowing their marvelous resemblance, these twins will undoubtedly keep themselves happily “sorted out”; but the case of a woman in Vienna who was imposed upon to the extent of actually marrying the wrong man has the element of tragedy rather than comedy.

This woman, who was of the lower middle class, married a man whom she took to be Herr Weiss, her fiancé, returning from a year’s absence in America to make her his wife. In less than a month he robbed her of her savings and then suddenly disappeared.

A month later she received a letter from America regretting that the writer had been too ill to return at the time agreed, but stating that he was about to sail, and that immediately on his arrival would fulfil his promise by leading her to the altar. The letter was signed “Herrmann Weiss.”

The poor woman’s worst fears were realized when, on her correspondent’s arrival, she recognized that she had been victimized by an impostor. It subsequently transpired that the genuine Herrmann Weiss had, while in America, foregathered with his double, who had ascertained sufficient of the former’s history and prospects to enable him to carry out with success his scheme of deception and robbery.

When Claude Bonnat, a baker of Marseilles, was in hiding from the police, who held a warrant for his arrest on a serious charge, he managed to communicate with an acquaintance, one Leriot, who in every respect was his exact double, and conjured him, on the strength of their old friendship, to promise that, should any misfortune befall him, he would by impersonating him keep from the young woman to whom he was engaged the knowledge of her lover’s shame. Leriot gave his promise, which sat but lightly on his conscience, as one to be kept or broken as whim might direct.

However, when Bonnat a day or two later fell into the hands of justice, Leriot sought out the young woman, of whom he had no previous knowledge, with the result that his susceptible heart was so touched that he entered into the fulfilment of his promise with surprising zeal. So well, indeed, did he enact the rôle of Bonnat that he in a short while espoused the latter’s fiancée. The couple led a life of complex happiness, which was in no wise dimmed when, some years later, on the convict’s release, the wife first discovered the fraud of which she had been the victim.

SHORTHAND IS MORE THAN 2,000 YEARS OLD.

USED AT THE TRIAL OF CATILINE.

Development of the System Was Due Especially to Tiro, a Slave, in the First Century B.C.

Shorthand is so closely associated with the hurry and rush of modern business that it is startling to think of it having been in use among the ancient Greeks and Romans. Yet there seems to be no doubt that the orations of Cicero were committed to paper with as much skill and rapidity as the modern stenographer can boast.

Just how old the system of abbreviated writing is which the ancient Greeks called tachygraphy, it is impossible to say. Xenophon is believed to have used it in taking notes of the lectures of Socrates, which would take it back to the fifth century before Christ. This is disputed by some authorities, but there seems to be no doubt about its use in the first century. A writer in the Chicago _Tribune_ gives some interesting facts about it.

The development of shorthand was due especially to Marcus Tullius Tiro. Born in Latium in 103 B.C., Tiro, who was a slave, was brought up with Cicero, who was some years his junior. Freed, he became Cicero’s secretary, and in this capacity aided him greatly. In the famous trial of Catiline (63 B.C.) the stenographic rapidity of Tiro was at its height.

In the first century before Christ a discourse of Cato Uticensis, according to Plutarch, was taken down by shorthand reporters.

Early in the third century Anno Domino is found the term semeiograph (stenographic character), used by the Greek orator, Flavius Philostratus.

Origen, of Alexandria (185–254 A.D.), noted his sermons down in shorthand, and Socrates, the ecclesiastical historian of the fourth century, said that parts of the sermons of St. John Chrysostom were preserved by the same process.

The shorthand that they used was a form of writing in which each word was represented by a special sign. The letters of the alphabet, with modifications, connected so as to admit of great rapidity of execution, formed the elements of these characters.

Manilius, who was a contemporary of Cicero, Vergil, and Horace, mentions it in verse. He says:

In shorthand skilled, where little marks comprise Whole words, a sentence in a single letter lies, And while the willing hand its aid affords, Prevents the tongue to fix the falling words.

DISTANCE WALKED DURING A LIFETIME.

MAN MIGHT GIRDLE THE GLOBE.

Some Cover the Length of the Earth’s Belt Several Times in the Ordinary Span of Three Score Years.

The greatest things of the world reduced to the unit which, many times multiplied, goes to compose them, do not seem great at all.

The sum of all the money on earth would be made up of just so many pennies, and a penny is an insignificant coin. In just the same way the distance around the earth is very great, yet it is numbered in miles, and a mile is not much of a walk.

For instance, how far will a man walk in a lifetime? It is a little difficult to fix the average mileage per day of the average man. Some men are fond of walking. Others ride a bicycle or patronize the trolley-cars. But it is safe to say that every man walks two miles a day, if only in stirring about his room or office.

If a man lives to be thirty years old he will walk twenty-one thousand nine hundred miles. The three-miles-a-day man will cover thirty-two thousand eight hundred and fifty. The man who believes in a daily constitutional of five miles will walk fifty-four thousand seven hundred and fifty miles. The circumference of the earth is twenty-four thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine miles. If a man walks two miles a day he will find, after he has walked for thirty years, he would still have some distance to walk in order to complete the circuit of the globe.