Dec. 26, 1884.] 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



523 



conditions, while yet impulse and the restraining power of 

 will are diflerently related in one and the other condition, 

 the problem of satisfying justice is a most perplexing one. 

 Here are in effect two different persons residing in one 

 body, and it is impossible to punish one without punishing 

 the other also. Supposing justice waited until the abnormal 

 condition was resumed, then the offender would probably 

 recognise the justice of punishment ; but if the effects of 

 the puni.shment continued until the usual condition returned, 

 a person would suffer who was conscious of no crime. If 

 the offence were murder, and if capital punishment were 

 inflicted, the ordinary individuality, innocent entirely of 

 murder, would be extinguished along with the first, a mani- 

 fest injustice. As Huxley says of a similar case, "the 

 problem of responsibility is here as complicated as that of 

 the prince-bishop, who swore as a prince and not as a 

 bishop. ' But, your highness, if the prince is damned, what 

 will become of the bishop 1' said the peasant."* 



(To he continued.) 



CHAPTERS ON MODERN DOMESTIC 

 ECONOMY. 



VIII.— THE FRAMEWORK OF THE DWELLING-HOUSE 



(continued). 



GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF CONSTRUCTION. 



A MODEL outhouse, designed to work in conjunction 

 with the dry-earth or ash system, or a combination of 

 both, ought to be constructed in such a way as to provide 

 an arrangement which shall be wholesome and economical. 

 Its mechanical parts should embrace : — (i) An apparatus 

 for separating the ashes from the cinders in such a manner 

 that the former shall find its way into a hopper-box, from 

 which it can be discharged in suitable quantities over the 

 fiBcal matters by means of a crank and pull-handle, whilst 

 the cirders are entirely and automatically thrown into a 

 compartment, from whence they can be readily removed for 

 future use. (ii) The waste soil ought to be received into a 

 pail of such a shape and size, and so placed, that the earth 

 or ashes shall completely cover its contents ; an intervening 

 mechanical partition, made to screen the soil, is desirable, 

 though not iudispensaVjle. Of course, the pail ought to be 

 capable of being easily removed ; or, it a vault be used, it 

 should admit of being thoroughly cleared with the utmcst 

 facility, (iii) A separate receptacle or bin ought to adjoin 

 the outhouse for the reception of house-sweepings, garbage, 

 <fec. 



Experimental researches have shown that the water 

 system of sewage is not only defective, because of its bane- 

 ful influences over our water supply and the general health 

 of the public, but that it is wasteful, almost to an alarming 

 degi-ee. The soil becomes impoverished of those ingre- 

 dients which nature seeks to restore through an equalised 

 balance of plant and animal life, but it is in a great 

 measure thwarted by this intervention of man. Most of 

 the valuable constituents of the soil are practically lost ; 

 they only help to induce contamination of the atmosphere, 

 instead of re-taking their part in the enrichment of the 

 earth. When the process of mechanical separation is 



* Should any doubt whether these conditions of dual existence 

 are a reality (a doubt, however, which the next case dealt with 

 in the text should remove), we would remind them that a similar 

 difficulty unmistakably existed in the case of Eng and Chang, 

 the Siamese twins. It would have been almost impossible to 

 inflict any punishment on one by which the other would not have 

 suffered, and capital punishment inflicted on one would have 

 involved the death of the other. 



applied, the sludge that remains behind is almost valueless, 

 because it is deprived of many essential components which 

 cannot be replaced except by artificial means. Fortunately, 

 there are chemical processes which deal adequately with 

 sewage, and these ought always to be called into use where 

 they can be conveniently applied. In former issues we 

 drew the attention of our readers to the ABC process of 

 the Native Guano Company ; we are glad to be able to 

 record that their efforts to utilise sewage have been duly 

 recognised and rewarded by the Councils of both the 

 "Fisheries" and the "Health" Exhibitions with the 

 highest possible awards. 



What we desire to point out now, however, is, the way 

 in which the waste matters of a household can be best con- 

 verted into valuable material, in a thoroughly wholesome 

 way. Those who possess moderately large sized gardens 

 would do well to adopt the earth and abh systems of treat- 

 ment without delay, and without applying to the necessarily 

 tardy local authorities for any assistance. They will find, 

 by the use of Moiile's " Patent Earth System " or Morrell's 

 "Patent Self-acting Cinder-sifting Ash-closet System," 

 that they will be able to secure an adequate supply of 

 mould of the very best manurial quality for their own 

 grounds, and at the same time completely cut themselves 

 ofl'from foul sewers, with their innumerable disadvantages, 

 necessitating costly trajped drains with inspecticn pipes and 

 orifices, which, if we may be allowed to speak figuratively, 

 have a kind of predisposition to get out of order periodically. 

 Moreover, they can secure all these advantages at but a 

 moderate outlay for new out-houses and s| ecial earth- 

 closets. In our descriptive notes, to follow hereafter, we 

 shall give a few specific examples of the best forms of 

 apparatus already introduced. 



The dry earth system is undoubtedly the best from a 

 sanitary aspect. Earth of a loamy nat'ire, perfectly dry 

 (yet not so dry as to fly into a dust when u.sfd), and finely 

 sifted, ought to be employed ; if these precautions are taken, 

 not only will it act as a perfect deodoriser and disinfectant, 

 but, in combining with the waste soil, form a paiticularly 

 rich manure, which can be used to the greatest advantage 

 in the garden, and when produced in excess, can always be 

 sold fcr a good price. Sand should never be used, as it is 

 neither absorbent, deodorising, nor disinfectant. We Jiave 

 no doubt that if a large body of householders in each 

 suburb of this city were to decide to use the earth system, 

 the local authorities would very sron commence to send 

 their collecting carts round frequently and regularly ; or, if 

 they do not do so, ihey would net be at a loss to find 

 capitalists to collect and tj pay for house refuse of such 

 good quality. 



It may be urged by some persons that finely-sifted and 

 dried loam cannot be readily procured, but we have no 

 hesitation in stating that the authorities or other collectors 

 would find it worth their while to supply the required 

 earth in place of the valuable manure. Then, there is 

 another very weighty argument in its favour. Let ns sup- 

 pose that suitable earth cannot really be obtained ; an 

 unfailing supply of ashes are to be found in every house- 

 hold, and will, under Morrell's ashsystem, be found amply 

 adequate to the requirements of the C2se. By that pro- 

 cess the ashes are carefully separated fiora the cinders; 

 the former is substituted, either wholly or in part, for the 

 earth, whilst the latter, which are undesirable in a manure, 

 are stored for reburning. There is no waste, whilst the 

 refuse is doubly utilised in this application of the one to the 

 other ; the sum total being an actual diminution in quantity 

 of house refuse, with the manufacture of a valuable and 

 saleable product. 



Ashfs mixed with the manure have been repe&,tedly 



