Facts of General Interest Our Subscribers Should Read Every Word of this Page As the Points Finger prints have helped to convict several criminals. In 1904 a burglar entered a house in Hammersmith, London. He helped himself to a glass of wine, and this led to his conviction, for the imprint of his finger was found on the glass and photographed. It was found to correspond with the finger mark of George Gage, a notorious criminal, and Gage is now in jail for the burglary. In another instance a man named Edwards, who murdered a whole family in London, was convicted in a similar way, and was hanged for the crime. The finger marks left upon a cold, dry, hard surface are the easiest to photograph, and this is what makes the impress on glass so valuable to the police. Thousands of persons button their clothes with potatoes. A large number of the buttons now in use purporting to be made out of horn or bone or ivory are in reality made out of the common potato which, when treated with certain acids, becomes almost as hard as stone. The potato button cannot be distinguished from others save by a careful examination, and even then only by an expert, since it is colored to suit the goods on which it is to be used. It is every whit as good looking as a button of bone or ivory. Contracts for 13,000 miles of new railroads exist in the United States. Thomas Carlyle, in his famous essay on Mohammed, says, in substance: "A false man could not build a brick house. How much less, then, could a false man build a temple in which two hundred millions of human beings are able to worship God and find much strength and comfort in the worship?" There is nothing to show that Mohammed was insincere. That he was one of the greatest human forces known to history is more than demonstrated by the results. A wave's height in feet on the open sea is approximately one-half the wind's velocity in miles per hour. French engineers are directing submarine boats by wireless messages sent to the navigating officers. The force used in breathing for twenty-four hours has been carefully estimated at twenty-one foot tons; that is to say, it would suffice to lift twenty-one tons a foot high. The force expended each day, however, in opening the chest for inspiration is only one-sixth of the force spent by the heart in circulating the blood. Inside the lungs the surface of blood that is exposed to the air at each breadth is about fifty-six square yards. Gold-dredging is to be tried extensively in Siberia. It is the mental attitude that does it-the attitude of courage, good cheer, health, strength and kindness! The man who is afraid of no man, and of whom no man is afraid, is rich, for all good things are his by divine right.-Fra Elbertus. In 1790 the urban population as compared with total population was a trifle over 3 per cent. By the census of 1900 it was over 33 per cent. The alkaloid of opium, known as morphine, or morphia, was discovered by Serturner in the year 1803. Iceland, long isolated from the world, is to have a cable. Paris, in 1855, consumed 1,439,973,000 cubic feet of gas; in 1905, 13,946,711,000. A personal inspection of the Pyramids recently made by an English quarry owner led him to the conclusion that the old Egyptians were better builders than those of the present day. He found blocks of stone in the pyramids weighing three or four times as much as the obelisks on the banks of the Nile. He saw a stone the estimated weight of which was 800 tons. Many of the stones were found to be thirty feet in length and fitted so closely together that the blade of a penknife could be run over the surface without discovering the break between them. There is no Norway excels in the making of wrapping machinery, he claims, so perfect that it will make and similar papers. Gravitation, as a supposed innate power, was noticed by the Greeks, and also by Seneca, who speaks of the moon attracting the waters, about 38 B. C. Kepler investigated the subject about 1615, and Hooke devised a system of gravitation about 1674. The principles of gravity were demonstrated by Galileo at Florence about 1633, but it was not until the great Newton stepped upon the stage that the matter was fairly settled. The others had guessed. Newton proved-and to Newton, unquestionably, belongs the high honor of having shown us the true mechanism of the heavens. two surfaces thirty feet in length which will meet together in unison as the stones in the pyramids meet. A fire has been burning in an English brickyard for 100 years. The whale is 2,999 parts whale and one part brain. The elephant's brain is one-five-hundredth of his total weight. The brain of man varies from one-thirty-fifth to one-thirty-seventh of his entire weight. Coal stored in great heaps, deteriorates in value through oxidation. The Schuylkill river contains 2.500,000 bacteria per cubic centimeter. The Following Are Full and Accurate Reviews of All the Important Books Lately Published THE SERF. By Guy Thorne. To read "The Serf" is indeed a literary treat. This fascinating narrative of crime and mystery holds the reader's attention most absorbingly. It is a story of action and is based upon the events of early medieval ages, date being about 1136 when anarchy and wickedness were rampant; a time in which the monkish historian wrote "Christ and All His Angels Seemed Asleep." From the first page of this historical novel the reader is initiated into the life of the hero-a serf of his adventurous daring, brawn and dash for freedom. It might be said that this is the inception of the great political idea which has gained for Englishmen their freedom. Mr. Thorne lives again the life of these stirring times; he pictures the uprising of the more intelligent serfs, how they slew their tyrant lord, their escape through the Hilgay fen and how the final tragedy was enacted on the top of Outfangthef Tower. Read it, get the history of these men-how they labored to protect their castle and lands. It's interesting and will show you how men lived and fought in the years of the dark ages. Published by R. F. Fenno & Co., New York. THE TRAVELER'S JOY. By Ernest Frederic Pierce. Price $1.50. "The Traveler's Joy" is a well written book with few characters, but those that are depicted are beautiful, sterling and true. The scene is laid in Hillingsea, a quaint English town "ten miles from the sea as the crow flies." Anthony Lane Penrose, a wealthy author of no mean standing, seeking recreation and material for a new work of art to which he may append his signature with pride, chances upon "Traveler's Joy," a clean, simple, cheery inn, in the oak, pine, birch and bracken region. There he meets Miss Madge Weston, a neighboring maiden who is compelled to spend the evening there owing to a heavy rain storm. This fair maiden causes Anthony to lose his heart and he makes many visits to her home, an old-fashioned house buried in roses and sweet plants and sheltered by stately trees. Madge's uncle, Ralph, with whom she is making her home, being Mr. Penrose's publisher, orders the idle author back to town and work, which orders Mr. Penrose readily consents to follow upon being promised the hand of Madge when his work is completed. should their love for one another still continue the same. After many months of weary toil his work of art is completed, and Anthony Lane Penrose again visits the green meadows and fields with Madge by his side as his affianced wife. Published by E. P. Dutton & Co., New York. PRACTICAL METHODS TO INSURE SUCCESS. H. E. Butler. Price 25 cents. By a little "Practical Methods to Insure Success" is book pamphlet, the value of which cannot be counted in dollars and cents. A practice of the methods herein laid down is bound to bring happiness, concentration of mind, success and long life. It is the very essence of heaven brought to earth. Published by Esoteric Publishing Co., Applegate, California. DOLLARS AND SENSE. By Col. Wm. C. Hunter. Published by Hunter Publishing Co., Oak Park, Ill. Price 35c. If every business man, officer and proprietor, manager and superintendent, buyer and seller, clerk and office man, every office boy, and as Col. Hunter says. "All intermediates." would read "Dollars and Sense," and practice the practical philosophy expounded, business methods would be placed on a higher plane, and the man who wishes for dollars will find them together with a generous supply of sense thrown in. The book covers years of experience of a successful man-ideas boiled down to pay dirt, glittering gems of thought-everyday common sense, sparkling natural chapters. Just to show you Col. Hunter's style the following explains what he thinks of brain, birth and boodle: "Human kind have three measures for gauging the other fellow. We measure the other fellow either by his knowledge, which is brains; by his pedigree, which is birth, or by the money he has accumulated, which is boodle. These three B's are like three stars in the sky. The first star-Brains-is usually the dimmest, but it is really the brightest star of all. Mankind is prone to look at the brighter stars of birth and boodle. Brains, like air and water, are not always appreciated until we have analyzed and investigated thoroughly. The foolish man thinks champagne is the finest drink. The wise man knows water is the best drink, even though water costs nothing. The foolish man has for his idealmoney or birth. The wise man takes off his hat to brains." IN MY LADY'S GARDEN. By Katrina Irask. Published by John Lane Co., London and New York. Price $1.00; postage 6c. Miss Irask's book cites extracts from the pages of Sir John Elwynne's Diary. This fair Englishman so precise and exacting in his manner is kept at his wits' ends in trying to really understand the woman he loves. He has his reasons for placing a question mark after woman and for some reason they grow larger each time he tries to make them smaller. But even in the heighth of the question mark he wins the woman of his choice. Humorous and well written. MORNING. By James Whitcomb Riley. Published by Bobbs Merrill Co., Indianapolis, Ind. Rare selections of a great author are bound in this little volume, and the purchaser of such a book will have the pleasure of spending many of his winter evenings in pleasing poetic reverie. MILITARY MEMOIRS OF A CONFEDERATE. By E. P. Alexander. Published by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, N. Y. Price $4.00 net. One of the most valuable books upon the war's history of America is found in this charming and interesting volume. Not often have we the pleasure of learning any of our nation's history in such a pleasing style of narration, as is given by this great brigadier-general in the Confederate Army, Chief of Artillery, Longstreet's corps. The book was written, not for the purpose of setting forth the valor of Confederate Arms, nor the skill of Confederate Generals, but for the purpose of dealing critically with each campaign. The approximate positions of the armies are most interestingly narrated and the book will be found of particular benefit to military students and staff officers. For one who wants a genuine history of America's greatest battles he can read no better book or clearer descriptions than will be found within these six hundred and twenty pages of solid war news. BACHELOR BETTY. By Winifred James. Published by E. P. Dutton & Co., 31 West 23d St., New York. Winifred James in her book "Bachelor Betty" has written a very clever and interesting story. Bachelor Betty is a young Australian girl who wishes to go to London. The book tells of her travels from Australia to England and of the different classes of people with whom she comes in contact. When in England she lives the life of a bachelor girl and experiences great trials in housekeeping. For a living, she writes short stories for magazines and newspapers; her aim is to write a book, and those interested along literary lines will find matter instructive as well as interesting, among these well written pages that call forth so vividly her trying experiences. HEART MELODIES. By Mary Allette Ayer. Published by Lothrop Lee & Shepard Co., Boston, Mass. Price $1.10 postpaid. The author's name is all that we need. to know that this book is full of exactly what it implies. Miss Mary Allette Ayer is known too well to dwell here on even a slight part of her noble work. "Heart Melodies" will make a most beautiful gift of friendship. It is a volume of choice selections and is COMMON-SENSE sure to be sought by those who recognize the value of ministering to the mind, the noble and gracefully expressed thoughts of others. HIS WIFE. By Warren Cheney. Published by Bobbs Alaska holds the cite of interest in Mr. Cheney's book, "His Wife." It is written on the people of the uppermiddle class and the scene pictures the Russian government post in this cold country of the north. The story itself is unlike anything that has been written unless one might liken it to "Ibsen's Brand" with a dominant modern woman in the title-role. The tale is mainly a character story; but in the secret trouble that comes between the hero and his wife-a woman strange to the settlement-there is an element of mystery which heightens the interest and gives opportunity for a big climax. Mr. Cheney takes clever advantage of the effect of contrast by introducing the idyllic love story of two youths-the daughter of the hero, and the son of the commandant. The lightness and brightness and hope of this young love, running its course side by side with the troubled and entangled love of the older couple, gives the tale a reality that is seldom surpassed in fiction. The women are most unusual. Fascinating, feminine in every fiber, they are still reasoning human beings; there's a selfhood about them which gives both charm and credence to the story. THE LION'S SHARE. By Octave Thanet. Published by Bobbs Merrill Co., Indianapolis, Ind. Price $1.50. This novel marks the entrance of another popular novelist into the ranks of those who attack the ruthlessness of our modern captains of finance. Her's is a spectacular attack, emphasizing the families made homeless, the women reduced to starvation or worse, and the men driven to suicide, through the slight of hand manipulation of stocks in vogue to-day. Though the plots are entirely dissimilar, we are reminded of "The Lion and the Mouse." In the book, as in the play, the Lion weakens, seeks some sort of atonement, and all ends happily for the mouse. This ending may not be true to life, but the reality of the characters make it seem So. Briefly the plot is as follows: A General of the United States Army overhears what he believes to be a plot to kidnap his ward and brother's child. Meeting quite by accident, his sister-in-law, Aunt Rebecca, who is on her way to California, he requests permission to accompany her on her journey, stating that he also is bound for the same land. While en route, the train is held up by bandits. The General's quick action with his barkers ends the affair and naturally he is made to feel quite the "whole thing." He is not only a hero in the eyes of his ward, but also becomes the object of interest to Aunt Rebecca's Secretary. While in San Francisco his ward mysteriously disappears and a complication of interesting episodes ensue. The final of this inestimable book takes place when San Francisco is burning and is being gripped in the giant hands of the recent earthquake; up and down the avenues of San Francisco, into China town, goes this unflagging story of mystery and freedom. 23 By THE SHAMELESS DIARY OF AN EXPLORER. Robert Dunn. Published by The Outing Publishing Co., New York, N. Y. Price $1.50 net. While This is an uncommon book of unusual interest. mainly it is an account of a recent attempt to reach the top of Mount McKinley, its chief interest lies perhaps in its being an absolutely frank record of the daily happenings during the journey. Most of the books of exploration are written in a comfortable study and conform to fashion. This is different and is written in a very spirited language and spirit of "the trail." Published THE SECRET AGENT. By Joseph Conrad. by Harper & Bros., New York. Price $1.50. This story is written with splendid literary skill-a story of anarchistic plot and counterplot, full of tumultuous action and vigorous movement. The book abounds in minute and lifelike descriptions of the lives of anarchist and the inner workings of their associations-phrases of life that have never before been portrayed. This story marks anew the power and insight of this masterful writer, and moves with breathless rapidity to a dramatic climax. An interesting feature of the book is the large number of illustrations made from artistic photographs. It contains nearly two hundred illustrations of views or incidents in Funchal Granada, Algiers, Athens, Constantinople, Jerusalem, Cairo, Luxor, Naples and Nice. The story was intended specially for voyagers who have visited the same places, but will be equally interesting to those who are planning a similar trip. And those who must stay at home may in these pages be able to look through another's eyes at the places described. THE SPORTSMAN'S PRIMER. By Norman H. Crowell. Published by The Outing Publishing Co., New York, N. Y. Price $1.25. Mr. Crowell has met with unusual success in the very interesting manner he has seasoned his book "Sportsman's Primer" with humor and pathos. It is a book every sportsman should read and a book every man, woman and child will be interested in. It deals with football, hunting ducks, automobiling, frog catching, baseball, hunting the goat, tennis, wrestling, angling, hippopotamus hunting, horse racing, mountain lion hunting, golf, dog training, moose hunting, elephant hunting, trap shooting and hunting javelin. THE HARVESTER A NEW A new publication-new ideas--a new field clean-wholesome - has the charm and taste to please-a magazine for the Church-the Home-the School-has writers of merit-full of interest from cover to cover-printed in clear bright type-from time to time letters from China, Japan and India will be published. Agents wanted-Special terms-Send for Samples 25 cents the year THE HARVESTER PUBLISHING CO LAFAYETTE, IND. Leads and Holders Using more colored Leads than any other business house in the world and unable to find a leadholder that would hold and keep on holding, we invented one with a positive stop, no provoking clutch. It has stood the test of a fifteen years' constant use; it doesn't wear out; the lead can't work back; it is a double-ender; it is perfection for editing copy, checking, etc. We mail it for 25 cents, loaded with two leads. We sell black, blue, green, yellow and red leads, for $5 a gross, 50 cents a dozen, 5 cents apiece-made for us, 3 inches long, the best quality we can get. Stamps acceptable. Luce's Press Clipping Bureau 80 Devonshire Street, Boston When writing to advertisers please mention Common-Sense. POULTRYMEN Have you seen a copy of Coons' Poultry Advocate? It is published for you. It is the largest and best poultry publication for the price. Subscription 10 cents per year. Sample copy free. OWEN COONS, MOHAWK, N. Y. WOODLAND SECRETS By Lillian M. Voight Cherry Cloth, 214 pages The entrancing beauties of wood and field are here set forth in a manner which is at once delightful and satisfy!ng. He or she who enters the home of the lowly and the gaudy denizens of nature's recesses thru this book will find in Miss Cherry a competent and charming guide, Twenty-one families of plants are treated. There is a beautiful frontispiece in colors, and the book has numerous halftone illustrations from nature, by the author. The teacher and the lover of woodland and prairie will find this book a delightful companion. Sent postpaid on receipt of 75c North-Western School Supply Co. Dept. C Minneapolis, Minn. THIS BOOK contains more matter on the subject of pipe, fittings and valves than anything ever printed. Especially prepared to interest Engineers, Draftsmen and Architects. If you are interested in engineering subjects and drafting send 25c, for four months trial subscription to Browning's Industrial Magazine. New data sheets each month. Browning's Industrial Magazine, formerly "The Draftsmen," for one year, and a cloth bound book. Above sent for $1.10. Second edition of a booklet on CirLettering sent postpaid for 25cculars of books free. THE BROWNING PRESS COLLINWOOD, OHIO When writing to advertisers please mention Common-Sense, |