Central High School - EN EM Yearbook (North Manchester, IN)

Page 27 text:

MAPLE LEAVES. 21 ‘4 ern lubricants it would be very awkward to have to melt the tallow every time the machine needed oiling, and it would be utterly impossible to run our large engines and machines without some form of liquid lubricant. Look at the manufacture of illuminating gas. In it the chemist has discovered an “Aladdin’s Lamp.” The gas is manufactured by the destructive distillation of bituminous coal and is forced through many apparatuses for its purification. The first of these purifiers is a large pipe called the hydraulic main, through which water is kept flowing. Commercial ammonia, used so extensively in medicines, is obtained from this main, for the water absorbs the ammonia gas and carries it to retorts where it is prepared for market. Hartshorn is a common form of ammonia used in medicines and the ammonia itself is a very valuable fertilizer because it furnishes the nitrogen that is essential to both plant and animal life. Coke is left as a residue in the retorts and is a source of much profit. But the real money-making by-product is coal tar. From it benzol, paphtha, creosote, pitch, cellulose and a countless number of organic substances are made. The benzol is useful as a cleanser of gloves, silks and goods which would be injured by washing. Only a few of the uses of naphtha have been given. Creosote is invaluable as a preservative of wood that is exposed to the damp. Felt roofing and asphalt pavement are some of the more common products of pitch, and cellulose is being substituted for sugar in making molasses, preserves and many other sweet compounds. In fact, the by-products of the manufacture of artificial iluminating gas are so much more profitable than the gas itself, which originally was the only product sought, that instead of having a slow fire under the distilling coal to get all the gas possible, they try to get as much coal tar as they can, even at the loss of the gas. The Armour Packing Company shows how the using of waste products has extended the industries of today. Not many years ago they were put to a great deal of expense and trouble to get rid of the refuse from butchering. They had large yards where they hauled it and buried it in trenches. Not only did the hauling and manual labor cost much, but the problem of getting enough waste space to bury it in was very perplexing as the land in cities was very valuable. Step by step they kept using up this refuse in various ways until now the only thing they do not turn to profit is the squeal. As their profits were increased by using this waste, they began to extend their business further. Large factories were built where they turned the refuse fats and greases into soaps; others were built to turn the hair and bristles into curled hair for carriages, lounges, cushions and mattresses. The better parts of the horns, hoofs and bones are made into knife handles, combs and tooth brush handles, while the poorer grades of bone and most of the blood is made into a fertilizer. The hides are made into leather, one of the necessities of civilization. From these which were waste products formerly they pay all their expenses and have the good meat as clear profit. This fact enables one to see how they can have so many enormous buildings around the Union Stock Yards in Chicago and such large branch buildings in Omaha, Kansas City, East St. Louis and Sioux City. But in order to get all this stock to their packing houses and to handle it after it is there and to get rid of it after it is packed, thousands of men and milions of dollars are used annually. For instance, they spent about two hundred thousand dollars last year for advertising alone. Travel where you will you are likely to find an advertisement of Armour. Then they have thousands of traveling men in almost all parts of the world, supplying the railroads with passenger traffic, and after the goods have been sold they furnish a vast amount of freight to be hauled, besides the hundreds of carloads of live stock hauled to the packing houses daily. And they have brought out a new industry by the necessity of having refrigerator cars to ship their fresh meat in to the various large cities of America. Still, the young man starting out for himself need not think that all the waste products are used up and that no chance is left for him to advance along that line. Look at the enormous amount of work that could be done if the tides were harnessed. I will venture to say that if every foot-pound of energy exerted by the tides was turned into mechanical work, it would do more work during the same length of time than is done by all the motor powers in the world. The solar motor is a rather new device for obtaining energy, but has proved successful in Boston and near Los Angeles, where the largest one in the world pumps water daily for irrigating an ostrich farm. But think how much sunlight goes to waste. May not someone be fortunate enough to find an easier or better way of utilizing this? And look at the energy going to waste when the wind blows. True, there are a few windmills scattered over the country, but they do not use enough of its energy to make a noticeable change in its force. If all the power of the waterfalls of the world was turned into mechanical energy, there would be no need of any other power. Besides these few examples of unused products, others may be discovered that will cause a new era in the history of the world, and bring great fame to the man or men that had the courage and ability to bring about the change.

Page 26 text:

20 MAPLE LEAVES. Cox, Gill and Anderson were the corner men, and everything was in readiness this morning for the lifting. Nov. 1, 1837— Our crop of corn has done well and will furnish meal for us throughout the winter, and the fodder will keep the oxen in good condition. I have just returned from registering the stock, so that I may let them run at large until cold weather, feeding on the nuts and acorns. My herds are marked by a hole in the left ear and a slit in the right one. Neighbor John just came from Richmond with his load of salt for the neighborhood. I got about two barrels of it, paying twenty-five dollars for it. I poured a small bucketful of it into a springy place down near the river to make a lick. Dec. 5, 1837- Neighbor John came over this morning and said that this is the time for butchering and that the other neighbors, ready for work, would soon be down to the river. I made all haste to get there in time to help with the catching of the cattle and swine. They fenced in a large pen near where the animals spent the night, and tolled them into it with grain. The hundred and seven head which entered made us a good day’s work. John got fourteen, but only twelve of mine entered, although I had wanted fifteen. Oct. 14, 1838— We have just been to Neighbor John’s to a husking bee, given for the new neighbors. Some of those there were James Abbot, Col. Helvie, Mr. Ogan and his brother John. Mr. Harter, Mr. Halderman and John Wesley Williams. John Ogan says his new corn-cracker is now almost ready to grind; and this means no more trips to Bristol for meal. The last part of the evening was spent in the telling of their various experiences, especially of those with the Indians. We had not all told our experiences, when a big chief came to the door calling for the “jenup-inan.” He had a squaw and a papoose with him which he placed by my side. Then he would walk part way from us with little Conrad, our black-eyed and black-haired boy. He w’ould bring him back, and start away with his squaw; then he would repeat these actions. When I saw he wanted to trade his squaw for my boy, I shook my head and said, “No, no,” and the Indian, understanding me better than I did him. walked away with his squaw, all the time saying. “You no jenup-man, no jenup-man,” evidently thinking that any gentleman would trade. Sept. 29, 1850- Today I have worked as usual on the new Methodist church at North Manchester, and we now have it almost ready for dedication. It will be one of the best and most comfortable churches around, for it is large, roomy and well lighted, and the benches are well finished and comfortable. UTILIZATION OF WASTE PRODUCTS. ALBERT N. JOHN. As one thinks of the innumerable millions of people who have been using up and wasting the natural products of the earth during so many thousands of of years, he is led to wonder why the supply has not been exhausted and to ponder how long it will before it is exhausted. But from the well known law of physics that matter cannot be destroyed, although changed in form or chemical composition, we are safe in concluding that the resources of the people of ten thousand years from now will be as abundant as they they are at the present time or ever have been in the past, if they know how to utilize them. Science has been the leader in discovering new uses for what was considered formerly as waste-products. A good illustration of the extensive use of these is shown in the refining of crude oil. Kerosene was the only product obtained from it until about half a century ago and that was so expensive that only the well-to-do could afford to use it, while the poorer classes had to be content with the old grease-lamp or tallow candle. But now so much use is made of the by-products that the price of kerosene has been reduced until its light has replaced the dim, flickering candle, where electric or gas light has not already supplanted it. There are about two hundred of these by-products that have brought about this change. Gasoline is one of the most important, and its value in cooking, in the gasoline engine, in the automobile, in torches and flaring lamps is too well known to need discussion. Naphtha is used to run the naphtha launch, which is so popular as a pleasure boat; makes the finest of carbon for printing ink when burned, and is a solvent for india rubber and gutta percha. Lubricants hold a high place among the by-products on account of their connection with all the industries of today. Vaseline has remarkable healing qualities and paraffine is used in etching glass, making candles, as a preservative in microscopy, and in making chewing gum. an industry that has reached enormous proportions. From this we see that the by-products of distilling petroleum have played a considerable part in the unprecedented industrial advancement that has been taking place during the last century. For it would be much more unhandy to have to get up steam to run the cream separator on a cold winter morning than to start the gasoline engine by the production of an electric spark. It would seem strange to see automobiles with smoke-stacks eight or ten feet long rising up in the rear in order to get sufficient draft. And even if we had the gasoline engine but no mod-

Page 28 text:

22 MAPLE LEAVES. THE ORACLE. MAVME G. SWANK. The oracle was the response delivered by a deity or supernatural being to a worshiper or inquirer, also the place where the response was given. These responses were supposed to be given by a certan divine afflatus, either through means of mankind, as in the organisms of the Pythia and the dreams of the worshiper in the temples; or by its effect on certain objects, as the tinkling of the caldrons at Dodona, the rustling of the sacred laurel, the murmuring of the streams; or by the actions of sacred animals, as exemplified in the Apis, and the feeding of holy chickens by the Romans. The oracle, situated at definite and limited places, dates from the highest antiquity and gradually declines with the decline of Animism and with the increasing knowledge of mankind. Among the Egyptians all the temples were probably oracular. In the hieroglyphic texts the gods speak constantly in an oracular manner and their consultation by the Pharaohs is occasionally mentioned. The Hebrew oracles were by oral expression, as the speech of God to Moses, dreams, visions, and prophetical denunciations; besides which there were oracles of Phoenicia, as that of Beelzebub and others of Baalim. They were also in use throughout Babylonia and Chaldaea. where the responses were delivered by dreams given to the priestesses who slept alone in in the temples as concubines of the gods. Among the Greeks, there were more oracles of A'pollo than of any other person. In these twenty-two the Panhellenic one at Delphi, which was the most celebrated, may be taken as a typical example. The divine agency at Delphi is said to have first been discovered by shepherds who tended their flocks in the neighborhood of the chasm, and whose sheep, when approaching the place, were seized with convulsions. Persons who came near the place showed the same symptoms, and received the power of prophecy. This, at last, induced the people to build a temple over the sacred spot. According to the Homeric hymn on Apollo, this god was, himself, the founder of the Delphic oracle, but the local legends of Delphi stated that originally it was in the possession of other deities, such as Gaea, Themis, Phoebus, Poseidon, Night, Cronos, and that it was given to Apollo as a present. Other traditions, perhaps the most ancient and genuine, represented Apollo as having gained possession of the oracle by a struggle, which is generally described as a fight with Python, a dragon, who guarded the oracle of Gaea or Themis. In the innermost sanctuary there was the statue of Apollo, which was, at least in later times, of gold; and, before it, there burned upon an altar an eter- nal fire, which was fed only with fir wood. The inner roof of the temple was covered with laurel garlands, and laurel was burned as incense upon the altar. In the center of this temple there was a small opening in the ground, from which, from time to time, an intoxicating smoke arose, which was believed to come from the well of Cassotis, which vanished into the ground near the sanctuary. Over this chasm there stood a high tripod on which the pythia, led into the temple by the prophetess, took her seat whenever the oracle was to be consulted. The smoke, rising from under the tripod, affected her brain in such a manner that she fell into a state of delirious intoxication, and the sounds which she uttered in this state were believed to contain the revelations of Apollo. These sounds were carefully written down by the prophetess, and afterwards communicated to the persons who had come to consult the oracle. The pythia was always a native of Delphi, and taken from some, family of poor country people. When she had once entered the service of the god, she never left it, and was never allowed to marry. In early times, she was always a young girl, but later, an old woman dressed as a maiden. Before ascending the tripod she always spent three days in preparing herself for the solemn act, and, during this time, she fasted, bathed in the Castalian well, and dressed in a simple manner. She also burned, in the temple, laurel leaves and flour of barley upon the altar. The effect of the smoke upon her whole mental and physical constitution is said to have sometimes been so great that, in her delirium, she leaped from the tripod, was thrown into convulsions, and died after a few days. At first, oracles were only given once every year, on the seventh of the month of Bysius, which was believed to be the birthday of Apollo. But as this one day, in the course of time, was not found sufficient, certain days in each month were set apart for the purpose. The order in which the persons who came to consult were admitted was determined by lot, but the Delphian magistrates had the power of granting the right of first consultation to such individuals or states as had acquired claims on the gratitude of the Delpliians, or whose political ascendency seemed to give them higher claims than others. It appears that those who consulted the oracle had to pay a certain fee. They also had to sacrifice a goat, an ox, or a sheep, and it was necessary that these victims should be healthy in body and soul, and, to ascertain this, they had to undergo a peculiar scrutiny. An ox rereceived barley, and a sheep chick-pease, to see whether they ate them with an appetite; water was poured over the goats, and if this put them into a thorough tremble, the victim was good.