SCIENTIFIC NOTES.

GENESIS AND SCIENCE.

[A Paper Eead at a Confebbnoe of toe Auckland Pbiisbvtkry in St. James's Ciiuucir, Auckland, Ootobek Srd, 1883, BY THE ItKV. It. McKINNEY.

(COWCLUDKD.)

Tins, howover, is exactly what in some quarters is sought to bo maintained, and cvi" denco that is regarded as confirming the hypothesis is in these quarters confidently brought forward. But it appears to me, to gay the least of it, that this evidence is not by any means such as to produce conviction in an unprejudiced mind. When it is not derived simply from that mental faculty which Tyndall speaks so often of, and the " culture " of which, as he says, " must go hand in hand with the study of natural science," namely, " imagination," it is, of courao, sought to bo derived from the truces of primeval man that aro found in various directions throughout the world; and the principal source of this cridenco is traced out in connection with the implements and weapons that man niado uso of in his primeval condition. It is said that while man was in this condition, and as ho slowly emerged from it, ho passed through long ages of a stone period and of a bronze, until he ultimately arrived at tho period that now is, when man fabricates his implements and weapons out of iron. This is how the matter is usually put, but I suppose if we put it moro exactly, man ought to bo spoken of as passing through a fireloss period, a stone period, a copper period, a bronzo period, a period when man fashioned his implements and his weapons from meteoric iron, until he arrived at tho ago that now is, when man uses iron manufactured by himself out of the crude ore.

Now, all this theory about these periods, in so far as it has regard to the condition of man as he is usually represented to have been while ho passed through them, looks very philosophical; but to my mind it appears to bo as yot unsupported by sufii ciont data to make it anything but a theory. It has always been objected to this theory that the pooplo who passed through an era of degradation such as tho use of stone implements and weapons appear to some to indicate may always havo been a people who got separated from the primitive and civilised stock of humanity, and who, in consoquence of that separation, sank into barbarism; and this objection is ono that has never been .satisfactorily answered— perhaps, indeed, never can bo satisfactorily answered—for oven though it wore proved to bo absolutely curtain that all humanity passed through a stono period, that would not provo that mankind were, during that period, slowly emerging from brutality. It was tho stono poriod among tho Maoris until tho timo that tho Europeans camo to Now Zealand ; but tho Maoris woro not found to bo, when wo first visited them, slowly emerging from brutism. They wero, on thu other hand, a lino race of peoplo; physically equal, if not su|H>rior, to ourselves, and even with mental capacities of a high order. Anyone will see what their mental faculties wero who reads, for ox araplo, the treasures of their literature that aro preserved in Sir <!. (Iroy's " Polynesian Mythology." Some of theso storios display as much mutital acutoness, nomo am as well told, nsifthey Inul come down to us from the old (■ rooks." Tho Grooks also of the Homeric tgo wero, during that ago, in thoir bioi.z; poriod ; or, according to Mr Gladstone, in thoir copper poriod. But the Greeks of that poriod wero physically suporior to tho Grookfl of any succeeding poriod ; and, in t«lloctually, they woro little, if anything, inferior to tho Greeks of tho ago of Plato, while morally they wore not much superior to them. Besides, if it woro proved by scientific methods that all humanity passed through a stono poriod, this would not prove (and this is what at present I havo principally to do with) that tho facts of science), in so far as this matter is concerned, are out of harmony with revelation. In fact, instead of prov ing that tho ono was out of harmony with tho other, it would prove exactly the con trary. For does not tho Bible actually teach us that in man's primitive history there really was a stono period? Tubal- Cain, according to tho Bible, was the in vonter of brass or bronze, and iron-making. And this, according to the ordinary inter pretation of Bible chronology—and tho timo may have boon far longer—givos to mankind a poriod of upwards of n thousand years, during which tho only weapons and imple ments that thoy used must havo been con structed of wood or stone. And then, does not tho Bible tell us that bronze was in vontod boforo iron was worked? In fact, does it not actually teach us that there woro tho throe periods of the philosophers— tho periods of stono, of bronzo, and of iron ? Vorily, it is a most wonderful book—this old Bible of ours, when wo look calmly into it, and when wo closely examine it! Again, however, in order to give time for the emergence of humanity from brutism, gomo of our philosophers tell us that man kind havo existed in this world for an onor nous poriod. But (he proofs that havo been adduced for man's enormous antiquity appear to mo to bo very unsatisfactory. Take, for oxamplc, tho proof of this that is regarded as being derived from caves throughout tho world, wherein tho bones of animals of species that aro supposed ages and agos ago to havo become extinct aro found mingled with tho bones and other re mains of man. Now, first of all, no ono can really provo to us how long it is sinco thoso animals roally became extinct. The roindeor is commonly represented (us having become oxtinct in what aro now tho moro tomperato climates of Europe in an almost indefinitely romoto jmst—during tho stono periodof theso climates. But Torfalus tolls us that thoJarls of Orkney used to cross tho Portland Firth to hunt tho reindeer in Caithness in tho 12th century, and we havo only to go to Gibbon to learn that in tho time of tho Romans tho roindeor abounded in tho forests of Germany. But even sup posing that tho animals that aro spoken of, and the bones of which aro found minglod in the caves with tho remains of man—even supposing that theso animals had become oxtinct so long ago as is represented, their bones being found in the position in which they aro found would not, as it has always appeared to mo, necessarily provo what in this caso is sought hereby to be proved. The intermingling of theso human remains with the remains of the extinct animals might be tho result of accident or of man's own action at a com paratively recent period. As Dr. Daniel Wilson says in roferenco to this, " Ex perience is teaching tho palaeontologist that tho mere recovery of bones or imple raonts from the same cavo is no proof of contemporaneity.''

Let us look now at another source of evidence that is adduced in relation to this subject. In Denmark, as in Now Zealand, there are hero and there enormous heaps of shells and other things, the remains of primitive feasts. These mounds are called by the Danes kjokken-mciddings, and they contain great quantities of tho sholls of the edible oyster, the cockle, muscle, and peri winkle. Tho shells of the cockle, muscle, and periwinkle found in tho refuse heaps, are of the full size. Whereas these shell fish when now found in the Baltic are only about one-third of tho ordinary size, and the oyster is not found in tho Baltic at all, except at its very en trance. This condition of tho sholl-fish of the Baltic is accounted for by the changed condition of the waters of that sea, these waters now possessing not nearly the quan tity of salt that they possessed in ancient times. But this changed condition of those waters may be of comparatively recent origin, although those who argue for an enormous antiquity for man say otherwise. There is no doubt that the waters of the ocean found their way into the Baltic in former times byseveralchannels. SirCharlos Lyell tells us himself that: " Bron in the course of the presont century the salt waters have made one irruption into tho Baltic by tho Tyne fiord, and it is also affirmed that othor channels wore open in historical times." Now, it is evident that the existence of these channels in historic times would account for the existence also of shell-fish of a size such as aro found in the Danish refuse heaps ; and how Sir Charles Lyell, knowing all this, could

argue from these shells for an enormous

antiquity for man is, to say tho loa.st of it, very strange. Then, besides, tho Baltic is known to bo now rapidly silting up, owing to' the destruction of tho forests that onco surrounded it and tho progress of agriculture ; and this also, of course, assists in accounting for tho ex clusion of the salt waters of tho ocean, and the consequent determination of the Scan dinavian shell-fish.

Another argument that has boon mado use of in relation to thin question ia the argumont that is derived from tho fact of truces of man being found in alluvial doposits. For example: a piece of burnt brick is found deep down in the mud of tho Nilo Valley. Now were wo, as Sir Charles Lyoll stays, to assume six inches in a csntury to bo tho depth of doposit of alluvium placed in tho Nile Valley (which is about what it is), the burnt brick met with at a dopth of 60 feet would bo 12,000 years old, and another piece of tho same material found at a depth of 72 fcot must have boon buried more than 30,000 years ago. But, sotting asido other matters which might be brought forward to shown the inconclusive ness of this reasoning, I think thin is milli cicnt. In tlie heat of the sun the mud of tho Nilo Valley is opened up in enormous craoks. I rcmombor rend ing of an Arab in the presence of fiomo tnivellor attempting .to reach the bottom of ono of these sun cracks. Ho lay down upon its margin, and thrutitintoittho long polo which Arabs usually carry with them. This polo is usually nino or ten feet long, yet with this and tho length of the Arab's arm added to it tho bottom could not be reached. Supposing, then, tho burnt brick had fallen down a rent like thin, and oven supposing that it had not sunk after wards in tho soft mud through its own weight, its prenenco at tho dopth at which it is found would be accounted for ia a very simple manner without tho assumption for iU deposit of an enormous antiquity. Another nourco of OYidonco whence argu ments in relation to this subject are ad duced has roferonco to implement* of stone that arc found at considerable depths in tho peat bogs of Denmark. "Steonstrop has taken out with his own hands," us Sir Charles Lyell tells im, "» flint instrument from below a buried trunk of ono of thoso pjnos—tho pinus mloester, or Scotch fir." Kow, it is argued that this flint instrument must have been a relic from a wonderfully remote past, as post grows very slowly, and tho Scotch fir does not now flourish in Denmark, and has not flourished in it ox cept in very romoto tiiincs. Well, all I need t=ay about this in that if tho Scotch fir has not flourished in Don murk except in very remote timon, and in historic times bus become well-nigh extinct, that would not prove that there might not have been a survival of some pinos of this, species in a particular place, and under particular circumstances, till a compara tively recent j>oriod : and as to the slowness of tho growth of jioat, it ia onough to say that while this is usually tho caso, it ia not invariably so. Hatficld Moss, in Yorkshire, was a forest when tho -Romans invaded Britain, as in shown by the fact that the Roman road through it is covered with forest trees, over which lies the pout bog, and in Rosshiro, in Scotland, peat was dug in tho seventeenth century in a placo whoro fifty years before an entire forest wm blown down. In fact, it is much oaiior to ncconnt for flint instruments found in tho peat bogs of Denmark without the hypothesis for their deposition of an enormously romoto antiquity than it is to account for other things that are found deep down jn tho earth and in other odd positions that aro know>! to bo of modorn origin. For oxamplo, portions of tobacco pipes havo been found in jaxtnposition with Roman tmttcry and other remains of Roman art, and (lie same kind of ignoble relics havo boon found at a great dopth in tho oarth, in sinking a coal-pit in Ayrshire, in Scotland. But, indocd, it does appoar that some of our philosophers did actually arguo, from tho finding of these relics, that our ancestors, in tho timo of tho Romans and pro-historic man, wero addicted—as some of our grave and reverend Presbyters that I havo heard of aro addicted—to tho uso of tho weed.

1 haro simply in this paper examined Bomo of the arguments that havo boon brought forward to show tho great antiquity of man. But there aro argu ments that might* bo brought forward on the othor side of this controversy, argu monts that might bo adduced to show that no such great antiquity can be claimed for man as is claimed for him in some quarters in our day—such as thoso derived from tho fact that man's remains aro found in no very old geological deposits, and from the fact of tho comparatively rocont character which attachos to all Mane historical monuments. This latter argument was well put by Lucretius long ago in regard to tho non-eternity of the material universe, and it applies also to tho point I am spoak-

ing of— "Si mUlafutt aenetalis oripo, Terrarum ft aeli, sempcrque clcrnafuit. Cur supra bellum Thtbanumtt frintra Trogae, l\"on alias alii quotiuc cccincrc portae."

I have no time to-night, however, for going into these matters. I must content mysolf at present with saying, and I trust with having in sorao measuro shown,' that the enormous antiquity claimod for man is, to say tho loast of it, not proven. I believe, after all, that the Bible account of this matter is tho correct account. But I believe this also, that we do not as yet properly understand what the Bible really doos teach aa to man's antiquity. The common account that is given of man's antiquity, according to tho Bible, is that ho was created four thousand years before the birth of Christ. This is made out from the Hebrew Bible, but the Hebrew Scriptures differ in this mattor from Josephus, and from the Samari tan Pentateuch, and also from the Soptua

gint. I cannot see but that the Septuagint is as good an authority in a matter of this kind as tho Hebrew Scriptures. According to theSeptuagint,then,mancameinto being about eight thousand years ago, and not) as the Hebrew Bible as at present interpreted makes it—about six thousand years ago. When Biblical chronology is properly un derstood, which I believe at present is not, the Scriptural record may be found to put man's origin still further back than the Septuagint puts it, and so give time to have everything accounted for in re gard to man's antiquity that needs to bo ac counted for, and thus it would come to pass that our venerable old Bible would be found in this, as in everything else, to har monise with tho most advanced science, when that science is, as all true science must be, based upon facts, and not the pro duct of fancies and hasty generalisations. I said towards the outset of this paper that a dogmatic spirit in reference to theße subjects about which I have been speaking to-night is not a good spirit. I bring this paper to a conclusion with reiterating the same remark, and respectfully suggesting that we of the clergy should be careful and avoid such a spirit. We know that some of tho greatest and best mon who gave themselves to the study of a Biblical inter pretation, from Origenand Augustine+down wards, looked upon the chapters of Genesis that we have been glancing at to-night as (liko some of our Lord's parables) invested with a garment of fable, while designed to teach spiritual truth. We may hold what we consider to be more correct opinions about these matters than to view them in this light, and it is right that we should endeavour to persuade others into the beliof that the opinions we ourselves hold upon these and kindred subjects ara the correct opinions. But we should, at tho same time, be care ful not te denounce as infidels or as un- Christian good men—and we will find them plentiful enough—where opinions about these matters are diil'eront from our own. The regions that wo have been traversing tonight are dark regions, and we can only, at tho beat, grope our way in them as yet, and we should, in reference to them and in reference to regions of a like nature, endeavour to cultivate a spirit of liberality in our judgments upon tho opinions of others, if we presume to judge tliom at all. Wo should do this if we are not to drive from our churches the more thoughtful of our hearers. Bolief in the Lord Josub Christ, and love for Him who poured out for us His mo.st precious blood, and perfection of Christian character, in so far as it is attainable in this sinful world, is manifestly, us it appears to me, compatible with much variety of opinion about such a Bubject as I have been treating of to-night; indued, in regard to such a subject as the Old Testament generally, and in regard even to the mostf undamontal subject of all— tho subject of divine inspiration itself. If wo were to lay it down as an essential article of faith that all men are to boliovo in relation to these subjects as we may believe ourselves, we would, I feel satisfied, by so doing make tho way to heaven narrower, and the gate that leads thereunto struiter than we have, any ground from reason properly exercised for making them, or any warrant for making them from the words of our blessed Master Himself.

I began this paper with a quotation from Mr Froude; I conclude It with another. He said to the students of one of the Scottish universities, "To anyone who holds what are called advanced views on serious subjects, I recommend a long-suffer ing roticence, and tfio reflection that he miiy after all be possibly wrong." I alter Mr Froudo's words somewhat, and say, "To such of you aa are disposed to hold very conservative opinions on such subjects as I have been treating of to-night, I would recommend a vriso liberality, and the reflec tion that you may after all be possibly wrong."

t Somo of St. Augustine's works in reference to this uro very wonderful. For example, ho says: " Moses had In view and in his spirit when ho traced these words nil that we can evor discover of the truth which has escaped us hitherto, or which escapes us still, but which, nevertheless, may yet bu discovered in them."

MISCELLANEOUS.

Hydrophobia lias been cured in France by subcutaneous injections of pilocarpine, with a draught consisting chiefly of bromide of potassium and hydrate of chloral.

Luminous paint, as hitherto made, has a yellowish -white appearance in daylight. A Dresden firm, Sohatte and Co., now pro ducos various paints, pure white, blue, red, greon, violet and grey ; so that the objects which become luminous at night may have a pleasing appearance by day. A " burglar alarm platform " is a recent American invention. This is placed level with the floor, in front of a safe or vault, and in so constructed thnt when it is stopped upon an electric circuit is closed and an alarm given nt a distant point. The plat form is supported on spiral springs, and by day it is prevented from being depressed, when stood upon, by moans of a sliding framo and supporting pins. In the courso of a comparison of the size of t.lio planets, an imaginative astronomer remarks : "Apply thoprinciple that attrac tion is in proportion to the mass, and a man who weighs 150 pounds on the earth weighs 390 on Jupiter and only 58 on Mars, while on the asteroids ho could play with boulders for marbles, hurl hills like Milton's angels, leap into the fifth-story window with ease, tumble over procipicesi without harm, and go around tho little worlds at seven jumps." The Melbourne "Argus " says:—" With a view to tho early dissemination of informa tion concerning important astronomical dis coveries, acentral bureau has boon established at Kiel, in Denmark, to which, in future, astronomical telegrams will be sent in the first instance for transmission to all parts of the world. Liberal arrangements have been made with tho telegraph companies, who havo compiled a special codo for scientific messages of this description. Under the new system the Melbourne Observatory will be tha central office for the Australian colonies. Mr Ellery will communicate to Kiel any new disoovcries in the southern skies, and he in turn will bo informed of similar developments in the northern hemi sphere. L. Pilleux has lately called attention to the heating of iron during its magnetism. The fact has been previously observed by D. Tommasi in somo researches, which are not yet published, upon the comparative study of tho chemical properties of ordinary iron and of magnetized iron. In order to "obtain a constant magnetic intensity, he employed an electro-magnet of a single branch in place of an ordinary magnet. Whon the current, even if it was produced by a weak battery, had traversed the coil for some hours, the magnetized bar became perceptibly warm. He at first attributed the heating of the iron to the heating of the coil; but ha was greatly astonished one day when he had removed the bar in order to clean it and had forgotten to inter rupt tho current, to find that the coil was not heated at all.—" Les Mondes. i

The superiority of the Cambridge tele scope in the specialty of zone work is said to be unexcelled, its adaptation in this respect enabling it to be set as many as twenty-two times in a minute. The instrument is nine feet in length, with an object glass eight inches in diameter, and at each side is a

system of prisms and reflectors, together with graduated circles divided into spaces of five degrees; tho figures on the latter are believed to be the finest in tho world, four delicate microscopes being used in read ing them. The prisms and reflectors are placed in glass cases, and serve to carry the light from, a single flame to every point of the telescope where illumination is neces sary. By this means the small wires in the eye piece used for calculating the position of a star, and also the graduated circles from which the degrees are read by the micro scopes, are brilliantly lighted, while an other series of reflectors throws a flood of light over tho recording table. The rapidity of movement is marvellous. Contraction of the Sun. In connection with the recent discussions on solar energy, it has been lately asserted by M. Rey do Morando, in tho Paris Academy, that fossil botany has given a new extension to Laplace's hypothesis of a gradual contraction of the sun. Tho ex tensive coal-beds found in Polar regions appear to show that these latter at one time received nearly as much of the solar light and heat as equatorial regions. So long as the sun was of such a diameter as to heat and light tho two poles, there was great uniformity in our planet's vegetation, but about the Cenoman : ian epoch (i.e., the Cretaceous) this state of things ceased rather rapidly. Plants with caduceous leaves appear first in northern regions, and gradually spread southwards, confining arborescent ferns and other primitive plants to an ever narrowing equatorial zone. In the Polar regions, moreover, vegetation disappears. These facts, according to tho author (fol lowing Dr. Blandet), are explained by the ■ gradual contraction of the sun, but remain inexplicable by the simple hypothesis of a gradual cooling of the earth.

DEATH OF MARWOOD THE HANGMAN.

Details of his Life.

Marwood the hangman is dead. The man whose grim task it was to despatch go many of bis erring fellow-beings has gone himself to the grave. His death was caused by in flammation of the lungs aggravated by jaundice. The hangman was in his 64th year, and had held the office of executioner since 1871. When it was first reported that he waa ill, it was rumoured that the Irish Invincibles were the cause of his sickness, but since his death this has been author itatively denied. "He died," says a writer in one of the London dailies, quite tranquilly, as one who was conscious of having done his duty, and thus retained to the last that amazingself-satisfaction which distinguished him in life; It is said the man showed a strange and horrid pride in his office that embittered the public odium which must always attach to "the common hangman," and rendered him personally an objeofc of exceptional aversion. It was not so with Calcraft, who looked upon himself as called to perform a hateful duty, and deprecated notoriety. But his successor, now gone, is reported to have plumed himself on hln occupation. Over the door of his little cobbler's shop in Horncastle he had ostenta tiously painted the words "Crown Office," and never lost an opportunity of handling, as if they were honourable-trophies, the noows in which so many criminals had dropped under his hands from life to death. They were arranged upon his walls as if they had been professional treasures, and he had something, it is said, to tell of every ghastly cord, and grew garrulous with a complacent glee as he recalled the details of this death struggle and of that. In popular fancy, the hangvnan is a sullen, morose, misanthropical man, with lowering brows ar,d heavy brutal jaws, of broad dies': and long arms—a being, in fact, of the conventional murderer type —who goes about his work with a dogged insensibility to its dreadful character. But the deceased was nothing of the kind. In physique he looked below the average, though such was not really the case, while his general 'tone was 'one of cheerfulness, and his bearing that of a man who was well content with life, as, perhaps, ho was, for in the service of the Grown he had suc ceeded in becoming well-to-do, and, having lived down the local tendency to hoot ana hiss him in the streets of his native place, gradually assumed the airs of a local celebrity who had deserved well of his fellow-citizens. He was apt, people say, to look upon himself as a high offical of the Law, and_ would linger over reminiscences of his grim duty with a complacency that made many who talked with him shrink from the vain glorious being as they would not have re coiled from a silent and shame-faced executioner of the Law's dread doom.

"The common hangman " that is dead was particularly proua of having invented what he called " the long drop." The law provides merely that a man shall be hanged by the neck till he is dead, and the details of the execution are left in the discretion of the officals in iinmedi&te charge of the wretched rite. Marwood, believing that he was improving upon the art of homicide, introduced, as is known, the use of a greater length of cord, insuring, as he believed, a more certain rupture of the spinal cord, and therefore, he argued, more certain death. That he was right is very doubtful at best, for it is surmised that, though the pheno mena of death may bo present, life may not be actually extinct, and that, though below the head all signs of existence may have fled, the brain and nerves may still be sentient. But of this dreadful theory enough. Suffice it to say that mishaps such as make memory sicken to recall often happened, and that, though Marwood had its way, it is not at all certain that his victims died more rapidly or painlessly than before. At any rate, it is beyond doubt that in some other countries modes of execution prevail which are superior in certainty and mercifulness to our own—in Spain, for instance, where the blindfolded criminal feels nothing but the sudden tightening of the steel collar that binds him to the pole, and draws his lost breath with the gasp he gives under the turn of thogarrotting scrsw. In France, too, they have the guillotine, which is swift and unerring; but in England there is a general aversion to a method of execu tion which literally requires that the blood of thoso who shed blood shall in turn be shed, and the French knife, therefore, with its awful accessories, and even still more horrible associations, is never likely to be tolerated. In the East, notably in China and Japan, execution is as humane as, perhaps, it can bo made, for the victim, with his eyes bandaged, .is struck before he thinks his time lias come, and the pondorous blade, with its razor edge, shears off the heads of the doomed with a precision that is amazing.. But the tendency of civilisa tion has been to remove the actual fact of one man killing another as much as possible from publicity t>y thrusting some mechan-' ism between the two, as if to make it seem that the interpolation of a medium modified the act. At one time the executioner seized the pinioned convict with his hands and strangled him just as if he were him self the murderer. That time, however, has passed, and so we use a scaffold with a trap door and a hanging rope, to make believe to ourselves as it were that in so putting a

human being to death we arTn^t^ W. making a fellow-mortal commit {1,^% W In the caaoof Marwood, howcrer tk^*t W no need for such delicacy, for i rt?lt' Ef with pride of the part that his iron W» W and knuckles took in tho oxetßtior*^ f■' ring to the men whom justice hair I' made over to him to do his woreffi^H p they had been personal antagonteipiS! if pi astonishing typo of character mutf ki P rare indeed, for, even amonff ',iufi**l W majority who still rightly ina&t^L^ X' taining capital punishment in outcfr (*• W> code as the supreme penalty for tta™*' est of offences against humanity a^ very few who would not if thoy coSd *t|; gate the pain attending tho 'nS^ doom. Society ia revenged upon th l Tict in hw expectancy of death. !JV °J*' ncr of it does not probably affecttWO?' least. But it in while ho ia waitin»f V hand to strike him that the man vh not be forgiven on this side of the "^ pays to his kind the penalty of!; 8 crime, and it matters not a jot if^ the executioner holds o rifle, onil'**" rope. Perhaps, it is the knowledge sr' fact that the suspension of his fate I real punishment of the asßassin jT^ perpetually leading tho thoughtful •fej^l cuss the question of merciful jfta execution. The rifle ia a bunglinijT 8' * ment at best, for how aro we to ateads^I**1 ** hands and eyes of the men who b9HJN| tho word of a corporal to shootml'l oomrade by word of command?-,,&"• again, as history tells üb, loses its iK the grasp of a sympathetic exacS"1 I and, though we can subsidise theh2*i E men to strike the blow, what hir'a^T 1 give to hearts that they shall ceasefo i I pitifully, and so unnerve the arms to* I already in our py? The ropvfoj^ I been proved again and again, ereai h S I congenial hands of the pead haoga » I blundering meanß of torture. If 2? I upon elbows, slackens in the wrong d** 1 or breaks, when an old cord is us|dS; I strain has been wrongly calculated s* I wonder, therefore, that humanity/ m 1 dalised at such mishaps, should -^S I about for some other means of fulfilfe i* I last dtmands of justice. "■I Nor surely should science be nnjg|§! i proridethe means. For, apart if^ C.■, ■ i yarious methods which commend tleiS? • 1 to specialists, there are others whereby?': i stantaneous death can be Mau"Jnwfflfflr might cite, for example, executioß L I lightning, which electricity seems toki I placed within our power. When MM j of the "Coming Raco" imagineiaE I wonders of " rril, and showed us the (i cutionore of the Ana destroying thedot^ ( by a touoh of the terrible (staff, hy£l really have been pointing out, as ho d<*jj so many other instances, a directl^;. which science has yet to work ihm reform, since in the magnetic cS ' we hare undoubtedly a life-{E ' weapon that is quite as formidat^t vril. Therecould beno bungling, or dttw. of th« nerves giving way, for death aj|jß I follow the completion of the circuit u M . tainly and swiftiy as under a Hgl4o» flash, and thus, without any of the draij accessories now »ttending public at^. tions, justice would be satisfied and ii«. last penalty paid. The suggestion ij, all Brents, worth consideration in \i^_ high quarters where such serious nuttai; are settled, and we put it before thwn<m possible mode of Vapid punishment wii^: : admitting of few chances of failure, v«j spare the shock now sometimes inflict^ q publio feelings. How and by what ihi*. the mysterious potency could bo omplgwl if at all, remains for electricians toaeo^' but enough is already known to sugjjHHl hope that the ropo as an instrument of q» oution may before very long bo dismei^ even if Marwood is not to be the lastdfmj common hangmen.

The "Bang" Girl.

An unknown exchange discourses X eloquently on the effect of bangs on a —Bangs on a girl give her an unruly like a cow with a board over her face. 1

take the gentlest cow in the world andjflg a board over her face and turn her outnfl a pasture, and she gets the reputatiolH being unrnly, and you would swear iW would jump fences and raise merry hofl and you wouldn't give bo much for hell 810 only for beef. It is so with the a If she wears her hair high on her forehwi or brushed back, or even has frizzes, rag has a good look, you will go yourbottw dollar on her, and feel that she is as good 8 gold, and that when she tells her young matt? that eho lores him there is no discount on it&'i and no giggling back ; but take the same gin; withherfronthairbanged.andwhenshelooßH at you feel just nt though she would hookjuffi you can't trust her. She has a fence-jtimpsf ing look that makes a young man feetiM though he wouldn't feel safe unless she vras< tied hand and foot, ep she couldn't get ''om of the pasture. A girl who bangs may ajij to be good and true, but its awful hard: work. When she looks at herself in W, glass, and sees the quarter of forehead, sra Bays to herself, "lam dangerous, they warns to look out for me." She thinks she is raj right, but she is constantly doing thug which a girl who wears her hair brushe back would not think of doing. The bat girl may belong to the church, and may t to put on a pious look while the hymn being read. But she Will look out from t hind those bangs sidewise at some me and lowly young Christian who is trying I get his mind fixed on the hymn ; and he wi get his mind fixed on her, and it will breal him all up, and he won't know whether)) is singing/ A Charge to keep I Have,"s " She's a Daisy." The bang girl may plABi her bangs down on the back of the'pswi ahead of her during the morning prayota and try to be good, but her corset will b|| too tight, and as she hitches around to easts the pain, one eye will rise like the morning1' sun over the back of the pew, and that ej^g will catch the eye of a young man;1 two seats to the right, who k tryjmjjjjj to cover his face with one 'hs&lfijii while he tries to keep_ the flies off th^ pomade of his hair with the other, andj his interest in the prayer is knocked into; ii cocked hat, TheWiging of a girl's hait| changes the whole nature of 'twp little wretch, and she becomes as a gun thas; is loaded. You take a picture of "Evan; geline" and bang herhair,andshejw6uldlook': as though she would " run at" people. How? would Mrs Van Cott, the alleged female preacher look with her hair banged? It.fer just the same with boys. You take a nice*; pious Sunday school boy, who can repeats 300 verses of the New Testament, and cuts" his hair with a clipper, and he,- looks I'Mtfc1; Tug Wilson. '"•''V'/|. ' '"'VI

' What sort of a servant have you now f' I inquired a San Francisco lady of a friend IB ivlipm.she was visiting. 'Oh, splendid !, IS she replied.. He's a Chinaman, and he is 80 ;£ methodical in his habita that I know jusfe I what he is doing at any hour of the day. 8 He is now probably putting away the dishes |H and tidying up the kitchen. Come and see m if 4'm rights She led the way to the fj& kitihen, quietly opening the door,.and | there, in the middle of the floor, sat John •}. Chinaman washing his feet in the fish kettle« •

STAR SATURDAY SUPPLEMENT, OCTOBER 20, 1886.

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1 * There is in thia mythology a charming myth, having reference to the subject I liavo been speaking of above I quote it from memory, and no doubt Imperfectly. It is this: Tho heavens and tho earth were eloso together, forming, in fact, a chaos. They, however, becamo separated, but still feel this separation, and evermore griovo o vor it. Tho earth heaves sighs heavenward, which men call mist, and the heavens drop down tears, which men call rain.