Are you aware that you are a sort of perambulating metal mine? Man, and, indeed, nearly all kinds of living animals -has in his system a considerable quantity of iron. It is found in the most important organs, and there should also be a good deal in the blood, says London Answers. Babies possess a fairly large stock of iron, nearly three times as much, comparatively speaking, as adults. Then in your bones there is a very large quantity of that metallic base of lime called calcium, while phosphorus is also present in the bones in so large an amount that they are the main source of the world's supply of that valuable article. Stranger still, there is in the human body quite an appreciable amount of arsenic. What there is of this poison is concentrated in the thyroid gland, and a small quantity is also to be found in the skin, hair, nails and also in the bones and brain. There are lots of odd things about our human frames which even doctors and other men of science have only lately discovered, and of which the average person is quite unaware. Few people know, for instance, that when we go to sleep the whole body does not sink into insensibility at the same moment. According to the research of the French physiologist, Cabanis, it is the muscles of the legs and arms which lose their power first. Next those which support the head, and, thirdly, the muscles which sustain the back. So, too, with the senses. The sense of sight sleeps first, then the sense of taste and next the sense of smell. Hearing goes fourth, and last of all the sense of touch. Probably you imagine that your pulse beats with the same rapidity. This is quite a mistake. Your pulse varies with the temperature. There is a regular, annual rhythm which may be represented by something like a regular curve. Most curious of all, the annual rhythms of the pulse in men and women are quite different. A man's pulse beats more strongly in winter and fades to a minimum in summer. Woman's pulse, on the contrary, displays a winter minimum and a summer maximum. Behind the bridge of your nose is a little cavity in the skull, the origin of which appears to be unknown. It probably was a gland consisting of two tiny lobes joined together, and is named the sella turcica. Physiologists believe that this is the remains of a sixth sense which was of practical value to our antediluvian ancestors. But whether it enabled them to see in the dark in the days before they possessed fire, or helped them to find their way through trackless forest as wild beasts can today, or what other purpose it may have served, we do not and probably never shall know. There is an unsolved mystery in the ear of every human being. The functions of certain portions of the inner ear are not understood, but merely guessed at. Within the ear are three small globeshaped protuberances. These have their inner sides covered with small cells, each of which contains a tiny hair surrounded by a fluid. When you move sharply the hair follows the motion, while the lymph naturally follows less rapidly. Thus, the hairs are bent in a direction opposite that of the movement, and by means of delicate nerves the irritation thus produced is telegraphed direct to the brain. It is supposed that by means of these hairs swimming in lymph the sensation we call dizziness is caused when we rotate rapidly, as in dancing. It is also believed that seasickness has something to do with the same phenomenon. It has been noticed that some persons, when suffering from ear diseases that have destroyed parts of the inner ear, have found it difficult or impossible to maintain their balance when standing upright with eyes closed. It is, therefore, possible that these peculiar ear organs contain some inexplicable sense not generally classified as such-the static sense, or the sense of balance.-Ex. A Gentleman. The word " gentleman" has had various meanings. Originally a gentleman was a member of the gens or Roman family, and being such was, in many instances, a man of superior refinement and culture. His manners were gentle compared with those of the rude barbarian. Back to ancient Rome we must go to understand the expression "it takes three generations to make a gentleman." The manumitted slave could not become a gentleman or man of family; neither could his son or grandson, but his great-grandson might. A few hundred years ago the term was applied in England to a man of wealth and leisure if not of education, and this meaning still survives in the minds of many in the British Isles. Americans understood the term in its best sense, but recognizing how often it was misapplied allowed the word to fall into disrepute. This was evidenced years ago in New York by the substitution of "men" and 'women " for "gentlemen" and "ladies" over the entrances to ferryboat compartments. Despite the misuse of the word, however, people have a pretty correct estimate of what a gentleman should be. 66 Some there are who claim to be gentlemen because of the family prestige, wealth or educational advantages they enjoy. None of these accidents, nor all three, suffices to make a man a gentleman if he is lacking in character. The aristocrat may be a snob, the millionaire a boor and the scholar a pedant or worse. What then makes the gentleman? A certain nobleness of soul, training and heredity. Early our notion of a gentleman was largely obtained from the following lines which still stick in the memory: 'Tis not the gently, graceful gait, -Notre Dame Scholastic. Foreign News Gleanings. BRITISH UNIONS IN 1904. The membership of trade unions tends to expand in years of improving trade and to decline in periods of diminishing employment. In a year like 1904, it is not, therefore, surprising to find that the membership of all trade unions fell from 1,925,000 to 1,902,000, or rather more than 1 per cent. In spite of this fall in membership the total funds in hand for the one hundred principal trade unions at the end of 1904 was the highest on record, namely, $22,750,000, or over $20 per member. This state of trade union funds is largely accounted for by the fact that in 1904 there were no serious disputes, the total amount expended in dispute pay being $860,000 only. Against this is to be set an increase of $400,000 in unemployed benefit. This is a form of insurance against unemployment much practised by the older trade unions in this country, and in 1904 over two and a half million dollars were paid under this head by the one hundred principal unions to their members. The expenditure on other friendly benefits was even greater than on unemployed benefit, the amount being $4,000,000. Thus, while the expenditure on strike pay was less than 10 per cent of the total expenditure, unemployed and other friendly benefits accounted for over 68 per cent. At the end of 1904 there were in existence 1,166 trade unions, with a total membership of 1,902,308, as compared with 1,190 unions with 1,924,809 members at the end of 1903, a decrease in membership of 22,501. In the building trades (excluding laborers) the decrease amounts to 1.4 per cent, a falling off arising mainly from the unions which do not pay unemployed benefits; in the mining and quarrying group it amounts to 0.5 per cent; in the metal, engineering and shipbuilding trades to 0.1 per cent; in the textile trades to 1.1 per cent, and in the transport trades to 0.5 per cent. Over three-fourths of the total membership of all the unions is found in the above five groups of trades. The next largest group, however, comprising builders and general laborers, a section generally much affected by bad trade, shows a decrease of 9.8 per cent.-British Labor Gazette. RAILWAY ELECTRIFICATION IN ENGLAND. That there are grave dangers of the changes from steam traction to electricity resulting to the great disadvantage of railway employees is forcibly shown by the circular which has just been issued by the Metropolitan District Railway. Needless to say, the usual tactics have been observed. The circular was sent to the men individually, with a request that it be signed and returned at once. Fortunately, the men are fairly well organized, and instead of doing this meetings were called and the new conditions discussed, and counter proposals put forward. This is a distinct and great advantage, and whatever the final result it is sure to be better than can possibly be achieved by the men agreeing to the terms put forward individually. Certain it is that these terms emphasize in a marked way what the change means. It is the usual result. Improvements in machinery or method are nearly always made at the expense of the men. It may be that in some measure such a result cannot be avoided, but no impartial observer can deny that the new terms proposed by the District Railway are unreasonably harsh, and the re corre ductions much too sweeping, both as regards wages and reduction of staff. Instead of the present staff of drivers, firemen and guards, three classes of men are to be employed-"motor men," sponding to the present engine drivers; "conductors," whose position will resemble that of the guard, and "gate men, who will attend to the gates of the cars, and may be likened to the underguard of the existing system. The "motor man is to receive 7d. an hour at first, rising by 14d. annually till in the seventh year the wage will become 8d. An engine driver, with six years' satisfactory service who qualifies as motor man, will begin with the maximum figure. On a basis of 60 hours a week these wages are £1 15s., rising to a maximum of £2 2s. 6d. But the present wages of engine drivers are £2 2s. for beginners, rising to £2 16s. for an experienced man working full time. In the case of "conductors," of whom two will be employed on each train, there is a requirement that all must be able to pass as "motor men." Thus, although the wage is lower, the company will require the same qualifications as in the higher grade service. The wages for the conductor will be 5d. per hour, rising by 4d. increments to 6d. in the fifth year of service-or 25s. a week, rising to 30s. The present guards get from 32s. to 34s. a week. The " gate man in the new service is to have 4d., rising to 41d.-or £1 to £1 2s. 6d., against the 23s. to 29s. earned by the present underguards. Assuming that the men of long service, the great majority, are placed on the maximum scale, the weekly reduc tion of wages will be as follows: And this although the conductor must qualify as a motor man or engine driver before he can be appointed at all! The large majority of the men have been employed from 25 to 35 years, and great indignation has been expressed at the proposed reductions. The men have held several meetings and decided not to accept these conditions without a protest. They have appointed a deputation to meet the directors, as reported elsewhere, and decided to put forward the following counter proposals: 1. That owing to the great responsibility involved in the general working of the motors, two men be employed in the motor compartment. 5. That nine hours constitute one day. Each day to stand by itself. Eight hours per day for overtime. Time and a-half for Sunday duty, which shall stand alone, and that a week's pay of six days be guaranteed. And that, in the event of its being necessary to come on duty twice to complete one day's work, those duties shall be undertaken by the junior men, the senior men working the early and late shifts respectively. 6. That all trainmen be granted an annual holiday on the same basis as that granted to the traffic department at the present time. 7. That all men of long service receive on retirement a small pension or grant from the company. 8. That it be requested that a staff train be run morning and night between Bromley and Hammersmith for the purpose of conveying men to and from their homes. These proposals seem to us much too modest in view of the fact that the men live in London, and that the company is seeking to compel them to reside in certain districts where rents are high. The circular issued by Mr. John Young, the general manager, says: Each trainman will be attached to one of five depots, viz., Mill Hill Park, Parson's Green, Cromwell Road, Whitechapel and East Ham, and will take the duties (day's work) worked from his depot in rotation. For his own convenience, he will naturally reside as near his depot as practicable. At present the work is so arranged that the men can live at Hounslow, Harrow, Hammersmith, Putney Bridge, East Ham, and other inexpensive suburbs. The idea of a man being required to live "as near Cromwell Road as practicable" is ludicrous. It would mean either sweltering in an unwholesome mews or paying a rent many times over what he could afford. The eighth proposal, as outlined above, is intended as an alternative to this drastic and pernicious proposal. The conditions as a whole are much worse than those in force on other lines, but their greatest hardship consists in the reductions which they impose on old and faithful workmen. We venture to say that the rates per hour are such as would not be offered to workmen in any other occupation-except agriculture. Four pence per hour, as offered to the gate men, is simply a sweating wage, and 41d., which the men propose, is very little better. It certainly cannot be considered a living wage in London. One of the most important questions of all is the proposal to employ only one man on the motor, and to make conductors qualify for the work. Neither on the Central London, the City and South London, the Great Northern and City, or the Great Western is this the case. There two men are employed, the assistant being paid a less rate, and being in the same position to the driver as a fireman on a locomotive, with the exception that he has no firing to do. This proposal to entrust the charge of the motor to a single individual arises out of a new invention which, with grim humour, has been called the "dead man's handle." It is a phrase which deserves to live. The "dead man's handle" is a supplementary spring handle which has to be continually depressed by the driver of the new electric train. If he does not keep it depressed it rises and actuates a brake which brings the train to a sudden standstill. By the use of this invention it becomes possible to entrust the charge of the motor to a single individual, for, if the driver becomes indisposed and relaxes his hold on the "dead man's handle," the train stops automatically. This invention seems to have impressed the Board of Trade, but it is full of danger both to the man and the public. Never before has it been known for the Board of Trade to entrust the care of a train to one man, nor does it seem reasonable to rely upon such a device for safety. It will be seen that the motor man must keep his hand upon this handle continuously while the train is in motion, and such an effort, however slight, is bound to have evil results to nerves and physique. We are also informed that in some circumstances the man is liable to shock from the electric current, which may have other consequences of a serious nature. We trust, altogether apart from the question of the effects on the employment of firemen, that the men will adhere to their first clause that two men shall be employed on the motor. The nature of the work and the multiplicity of the signals alike demand such a condition. A motor-driven train is not a tramcar, and should not be compared thereto, nor the conditions of tramwaymen imposed. We hope the men will stick together and support the deputation they have elected. It is to be hoped also the directors will meet them and consider the counter proposals put forward by the men in a sympathetic spirit. A MEDICAL VIEW OF LONG HOURS. The influence of long hours and underpay upon the health of their employees is seldom given attention to either by railway companies or any other employers, and while the workmen's medical adviser might be conscious of the fact that overwork or lack of suitable nourishment may be the real cause of their patients' illness it is not often that the medical man will be candid enough to tell them of the underlying trouble. That is left to the despised agitator. When such corroboration is obtainable it is all the more valuable, and the Medical Press, speaking on the subject of long hours of railway men, says: The hardships and grievances of railway employees, such as overwork, underpay, and incidental risks to life and limb, are not brought be fore the public with the same degree of prominence that is accorded to other dangerous occupations. At a recent meeting of the A. S. R. S. Dr. Mcnamara, M. P., showed, from the Great Eastern figures for October, 1903, that of 1,291 engine drivers and firemen, 84 per cent had worked at various times during the month more than twelve hours at a stretch; 320 worked more than 15; 56 more than 16; twelve more than 17; and 2 more than 18 hours. Among signal men a similar stress of work is recorded. Cousidering the great responsibility of each of these men, it is a matter of some surprise that such a state of things should be allowed to go on. It has more than once happened that a signal man has been found guilty of an "error of judgment" after some terrible accident had taken place, whereas if the truth were known, it would probably be found that this official was suffering from sheer fatigue and nervous exhaustion. Long hours of duty with inadequate intervals must sooner or later cause the strongest constitution to break down, and such a condition of things clearly constitutes a "standing menace to the safety of the public." The public are looking forward to the increased facilities for travelling offered when the London Underground Railway is electrified, and to extension of electrical railways throughout the kingdom, but if cleanliness and speed are to be purchased at the expense of cutting down the wages of the railway men, and of rendering it difficult for them to obtain their meals under healthy surroundings, such an event had better be postponed. A UNIQUE STRIKE. Italian railway men have discovered a new and very effective method of calling attention to their conditions, and instead of striking and leaving their work they are carrying out the rules and regulations to the extreme letter, exasperating the travelling public and reducing the working to a state of paralysis. It seems that the employees presented a petition asking for ameliorations which it is said would have involved an expenditure of £4,000,000 annually. The Cabinet has presented a Bill to Parliament granting part of the requests, but establishing severe penalties for those among them who instigate, promote or direct strikes. It is against these measures that the employees have instituted their new policy. The Morning Post Rome correspondent says: Now, for the first time, the men are observing every jot and every tittle of each section, subsection, and footnote of the railway code, with the result that efficiency is impossible. When, for example, the engine driver has turned on the steam for heating the carriages he declines to start until (in strict conformity with the letter of the regulations) he has sent a man to ascertain whether every carriage is adequately warmed; to make assurance doubly sure a second emissary is despatched to check the statement of the first! The shunters, signal men, and others are all displaying similar zeal in the discharge of every minute particular of their duties. Every carriage must leave the station clean, so one dirty compartment means the retention of the whole train; every box or trunk must be properly labelled and must be of certain dimensions, and these rules must be carried out; at the ticket offices the clerks enforce without mercy the printed order that the traveller, who has usually scant means of ascertaining beforehand the exact amount of his fare, must present himself with the precise sum down to the last soldo. When every lira piece is wrung on the counter and every fivelire note is held up to the light to see whether it is genuine the result is simply chaos. Wildly excited passengers rage about the stations, invoking maledictions on the railway men, but the latter are unmoved, they have the sublime consciousness of having performed their duty-in conformance with the regulations. The effects of this policy are simply disastrous to the traffic. Every train now leaves late; many have had to be suppressed; every line is disorganized; at any moment some tremendous smash may occur-strictly according to clause X, section Y, sub-section Z of the railway regulations. Meanwhile the battle has been extended to the Chamber of Deputies, where the Socialists are championing the cause of the railway men by obstructing public business. Italians have not forgotten the vehement obstruction practised at the time of the famous decreto-legge of the Pelloux Ministry five years ago; the same system is now being revived. But then the question at issue was merely political. Now the whole economic life of Italy is at stake. While this state of things lasts those are wise who avoid travelling on the Italian railways. Never was there such a strange burlesque as this, which the Messagero, with its usual cleverness, calls "strict application of the rules," which Tacitus, long before railways, foreshadowed in the biting epigram: "That State is worst governed which has most laws."-London Railway Review. The Diet of European Nations. The following is a summary of the dietetic habits of the rural population, the healthiest portion of the several European countries: Belgium-Coffee, black bread, potatoes, vegetables, chicory, and sometimes salted meats. England-Beef, pork, potatoes, vegetables, tea, cheese, beer, cider. Ireland-Oatmeal, bread, potatoes, milk, beans, butter, vegetales. Scotland-Oatmeal, bread, potatoes, milk, butter, coffee, tea, very rarely flesh. Rhenish Prussia-Milk, soup, dried fish, grapes, potatoes, flesh only on the feast days. Saxony-Bread, butter, cheese, soup, vegetables, coffee, flesh only on the feast days. Bavaria Porridge, butter, milk, cabbage, potatoes. Italy-Macaroni, bread, fruits, beans, peas and lentils, wheat, rice, grapes, wine. A very little flesh is eaten on feast days, but only in certain regions by the very rich. Spain-Bread, vegetables, fish, fruits, flesh only occasionally. Russia-Rye bread, cabbage, mushroom soup, wheat cooked with milk and oil. Sweden-Potatoes, rye, oatmeal, barley, milk, salt herring, beer, no flesh food. Switzerland-Cheese, milk, coffee, vegetables, soup, wine, very rarely flesh. France-In the neighborhood of Bourgogne meat is eaten but once a year. The peasants of Morvan eat meat twice a year; the peasants of Sardinia once a year; the peasants of Auvergne very seldom; the Bretons never, except rich farmers, who eat flesh on feast days. We see from this table that European peasants, the hard workers, subsist almost wholly upon fruits, grains and vegetable food, a regimen which is highly economical, and by which they are sustained in good health. The peasants live to be much older than the aristocrats and crowned heads, who feast upon meats and the luxuries of courts.-Health. Must Pull Together. A large part of a man's life is spent down town, in the thick of the fight for business supremacy. He cannot succeed largely unless he surrounds himself with the best class of employees, and he can only insure their being faithful at all times to his interests by first being faithful to them, as men. An employee should be ready to sacrifice himself for the good of the business, to work "overtime" if necessary, to manage on half pay, if necessary and possible, to put his shoulder to the wheel, to strive with all his might to make his efforts of the greatest avail. The employer, on the other hand, should be glad to see his men take it easy when the rush is over, should offer them little courtesies, and opportunities that come his way, should be glad to help them get ahead, should give them every advantage, and should make his appreciation felt in other ways than through the pay, envelope alone. It should be a case, at all times, of "tote fair." There are two ends to every load. Readiness at one end to bear the brunt must bring recognition of this readiness from the other end, if the load is to be nicely balanced. Both must "tote fair."-P. D. |