News and Miscellany

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 9, 1914

News and Miscellany

Notes and clippings from the daily and weekly press

— A simple device for keeping the feet warm is an electric rug that has lately been put on the market. It is ready for immediate use by merely "plugging into the circuit" either in a vehicle or in the house, and, it is claimed, is much more convenient than various complicated foot warmers heretofore used.

— Emperor William has been emulating the example of Mr. Gladstone in using the ax as a promoter of health. On the advice of his physician, he engaged for several days in splitting and sawing wood on the imperial estate surrounding Sans Souci Palace.

— Income tax schedules by the hundreds of thousands were turned in to Uncle Sam's officials all over the land during the last few days, and they will be sorted and tabulated at Washington. Until this tabulating is completed it will not be known whether the new tax will bring in more or less than the $100,000,000 annually which the Treasury experts expect.

— Slot machines for selling books have been introduced in Germany. The books are arranged behind glass windows; underneath each volume is a number, which corresponds with another number placed on a slot alongside the apparatus. When a mark (about the value of an American quarter) is dropped into this slot, the book is released.

— On March 15 a serious earthquake occurred in the prefecture of Akita, island of Hondo, Japan. The population of the city was about 30,000, and it is believed that hundreds of the inhabitants lost their lives. The shock is thought to have resulted from the eruption of Asama-Yama, the largest volcano in Japan, situated some ninety miles northwest of Tokio.

— Germany is preparing to duplicate Colonel Roosevelt's social and scientific journey to South America with a special tour by Prince Henry of Prussia, brother of Emperor William. Prince Henry, it is announced, will visit all the republican capitals that lately entertained the American ex-President, his announced purpose being to extend the trade of the fatherland in South America.

— Senator Gore of Oklahoma advocates the purchase by the government of oil lands in Oklahoma, and the building of a government pipe line to convey oil to the seaboard for use by the navy as fuel. The navy now uses 30,000,000 gallons of oil a year, and in a few years will need 125,000,000 gallons, and Senator Gore urges the government to provide for an economical supply of the fuel.

— The Boy Scouts in this country have had a remarkable growth. Over 300,000 have now been enrolled. Their motto is said to be, "One good turn every day." They have been used in many cities and towns for clearing up rubbish and improving conditions generally. They are trained to be truthful and honorable, and aside from the military spirit, which has largely been developed, the movement is entitled to much credit.

— The Rev. Dr. Walter Laidlaw, secretary of the New York Federation of Churches and the best-informed man, it is said, in America on the population of New York City, states that there are 75,000 fewer potential Protestants in New York City now than in 1900, because immigration is almost exclusively Jewish and Roman Catholic. Of the 1,329,000 increase in the population of New York City since 1900, he classifies 654,000 as Jewish, 462,000 as Roman Catholic, and 156,000 as Protestant.

— Aviation has created the necessity for laws to regulate aeroplanes in mid-air. At present there are no such laws. The general practice of aerial navigators of rising in one country and alighting in another, and altogether ignoring national boundaries, has brought it within the range of international, commercial, and navigation laws. At present there are no courts for air cases anywhere in the world to fix damages for collisions in the air, or for accidents caused by the dropping of articles, or any breakages that may endanger the life of the people. Law experts are at work developing a new international code for the regulation of airships.

— Eight years ago there was only one girl in the country who could write 82 words a minute on a typewriter, and keep it up for an hour. She won a prize for speed and accuracy in 1906, held her supremacy for four years, and in 1909 raised the number of words to 95. Then in 1910 a man wrote 109 words a minute. He kept the lead for two years, but lost it in 1912 to a girl who wrote at the rate of 117 words. In 1913 another girl took the prize with a record of 125 words a minute. This marvelous increase in speed—a gain of more than 50 per cent over that of 1906—is due as much to improvements in the typewriting machine as to greater skill on the part of the operator.

— The new federal reserve system will begin business with a membership of at least 7,500 banks. This was apparent the latter part of February, when at the close of the last day on which national banks could signify their intention of accepting the terms of the currency law less than 50 of the 7,493 national banks of the country had failed to respond favorably. Official count of the banks and tabulation of their resources and liabilities is now going on at the Treasury Department. Most of the institutions which did not come into the new system are comparatively small, and it is estimated that 97 per cent of all the capital and resources in the present national bank system is represented by those whose applications are in.

— A most interesting service occurred at Philadelphia recently, attended by 10,000 Jews, when the rabbi buried the scrolls of the Mosaic law, a ceremony probably never before witnessed in America. The Torah, consisting of fifteen parchment sheets and bearing the writings of Moses, had been partially consumed by fire some weeks before at the burning of the synagogue. A tradition as old as history itself declares that when any harm befalls the sacred scrolls, Israel is doomed to destruction unless the wrath of divine providence is appeased by a proper burial of the documents. Accordingly, the patriarchs of the orthodox Jewish community assembled at the ruins, and gathering around the bits of the Torah that still remained, offered prayers that their people might be saved. Women wept as their husbands and fathers repeated the ten commandments and prepared the Torah for its burial. As many as could be accommodated within the walls were allowed to pause for a moment before the remains of the shrine. Crowds five times as great remained outside and recited the Kaddish, the Jewish prayer of mourning.