572 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



each side at intervals of two feet six inches 

 and two feet three inches, kept in position by 

 split cane worked in a kind of basket-fash- 

 ion. The whole would present, in transverse- 

 section, nearly the shape of a somewhat 

 rounded V about five feet high and three and 

 a half feet wide at the top. The top strands 

 are kept apart by a cross-stick, the ends of 

 which are tied to the top of each strand. 

 Suitable platform approaches have been 

 built at the ends, and the whole structure is 

 strong and graceful. 



Fine Art in the Workshop. — In a dis- 

 cussion of the relation of the fine arts to the 

 applied arts, Mr. Edward C. Robins insists 

 that the workshop is the place for applying 

 those principles of beauty in art which are 

 not taught there, but may be taught in the 

 technical school, and which are necessary to 

 give the worker the intelligence required to 

 enable him to profit by the opportunities 

 which the workshop alone adequately sup- 

 plies to the handicraftsman. To secure the 

 inculcation of these principles the natural 

 and instinctive love of children for image- 

 ry, for stones, for penciling and coloring, 

 for deft fingering should never cease to be 

 cultivated; and every school should teach 

 drawing as it teaches reading, singing, or 

 ciphering. The free use of the pencil is of 

 incalculable value in every sphere of life. 

 Elementary knowledge is not enough, and the 

 process should be carried on till proficiency 

 results ; and this can not be in the arts con- 

 nected with architecture unless it culminates 

 in complete mastery of decorative design and 

 drawing from natural forms and the living 

 model, as well as the practice of geom- 

 etry and perspective. The pre-eminence of 

 France in art generally, and its application 

 to industry, seems to have resulted from the 

 recognition of this important preliminary 

 training. 



Local Magnetism and Geological Struct- 

 ure. — The Relation between the Geological 

 Constitution and the Magnetic State of the 

 United Kingdom was discussed in a paper 

 at the British Association, by Prof. A. W. 

 Riickes and T. E. Thorpe. Having noticed 

 certain abnormal variations in declination 

 depending on the geological character of the 

 district as engendering local or regional dis- 



turbing forces, the authors outlined two 

 principal theories which had been proposed 

 to account for the phenomena. Many ig- 

 neous rocks and wholly basaltic rocks con- 

 tain magnetic oxide of iron, and the devia- 

 tions of the needle may be explained by the 

 presence of such rocks, either visible on the 

 surface or concealed beneath it. The other 

 explanation associates the deflections of the 

 needle with disturbances of the earth's cur- 

 rents of electricity produced by irregularities 

 in the geological constitution of the country, 

 especially with geological faults. The au- 

 thors were of the opinion that on the whole the 

 theory of the action of magnetic rocks agrees 

 best with the observed facts ; and they 

 showed that the United Kingdom can be 

 divided into a number of magnetic districts, 

 in which the directions of the disturbing 

 forces are evidently closely connected with 

 the geological constitution. 



The Eyes and Headaches.— Headaches 



are usually associated with disorders of the 

 system or of important organs. It is pointed 

 out, however, by Dr. J. J. Chisholm, in a 

 paper on Persistent Headaches and how to 

 cure them, that a large number of head dis- 

 comforts occur in which no acute inflamma- 

 tory condition exists, and no fault can be 

 found with the general health. In many of 

 these cases, especially in such as are relieved 

 by stopping work, the cause of the disorder 

 may be traced to the eye. This may be the 

 case even when no pain is felt in the eye 

 itself, and where no weakness of vision has 

 been detected. The true headache eye is 

 known as an astigmatic one, or one in which 

 the light, through defective change of the 

 lenses, fails to be concentrated to a point on 

 the retina. It is a frequent product of the 

 schools as they are now managed. Aside 

 from abandoning the use of the eyes, which 

 is impossible, the only remedy for the astig- 

 matic headaches is found in wearing suitably 

 chosen glasses. 



Musical Visions. — The story is told in 

 Nature of a young woman who has distinct 

 visions of various objects at the sound of dif- 

 ferent musical instruments. The playing of 

 the oboe calls to her eye a white pyramid or 

 obelisk running into a sharp point, the pro- 

 portions of which vary with the qualities of 



