Scientific American Supplement, No. 1157, March 5, 1898

Scientific American Supplement, No. 1157,?by Various

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Title: Scientific American Supplement, No. 1157, March 5, 1898
Author: Various
Release Date: April 27, 2007 [EBook #21225]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN SUPPLEMENT NO. 1157

NEW YORK, March 5, 1898.
Scientific American Supplement. Vol. XLV., No. 1157.
Scientific American established 1845
Scientific American Supplement, $5 a year.
Scientific American and Supplement, $7 a year.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAGE I. ARCH?OLOGY.--Requirements of Palestine Explorer 18489
II. BIOGRAPHY.--Emperor William II. of Germany.--An interesting biographical account of the German Emperor, with his latest portrait.--1 illustration 18486
III. CIVIL ENGINEERING.--Heat in Great Tunnels 18492
IV. ECONOMICS.--Causes of Poverty 18490
V. ELECTRICITY.--Liquid Rheostats.--By H. S. WEBB 18498
The Neutral Use of Cables 18489
VI. ETHNOLOGY.--The Influence of Scenery upon the Character of Man 18488
VII. FORESTRY.--Apparatus for Obtaining the Cubature of Trees.--3 illustrations 18493
VIII. GYMNASTICS.--A Novel Way of Riding a Bicycle. --1 illustration 18489
IX. HYDROGRAPHY.--Influence of Ocean Currents on Climate 18490
X. LANDSCAPE GARDENING.--Park Making 18490
XI. MARINE ENGINEERING.--The Newfoundland and Nova Scotia Passenger Steamer "Bruce."--1 illustration 18492
XII. MECHANICAL ENGINEERING.--Machine Moulding without Stripping Plates.--By E. H. MUMFORD.--A full description of an ingenious moulding machine.--7 illustrations 18494
XIII. MEDICINE.--The Progress of Medical Education in the United States 18499
Deaths under An?sthetics 18499
XIV. MISCELLANEOUS:
Engineering Notes 18491
Miscellaneous Notes 18491
Selected Formul? 18491
XV. NATURAL HISTORY.--Tapirs in the Zoological Garden at Breslau.--1 illustration 18488
XVI. STEAM ENGINEERING.--An English Steam Fire Engine. --1 illustration 18493
XVII. TRAVEL AND EXPLORATION.--My Recent Journey from the Nile to Suakim.--By FREDERIC VILLIERS.--The advance to Khartoum.--An important account of the recent travels of the celebrated war correspondent. 18486
XVIII. TECHNOLOGY.--Artificial India Rubber.--This article describes some important experiments which have been made in which India rubber substitutes have been produced from oil of turpentine 18495
Deep and Frosted Etching on Glass 18496
The Koppel Electric Locomotives.--This article describes a system of electric trolley traction for narrow gage railroads.--7 illustrations 18497
Slate and its Applications.--This article details some of the various uses to which slate is put in the arts, with a view of slate store vats for breweries. 18496
Birthplace of the Oilcloth Industry. 18496
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[Illustration: LATEST PORTRAIT OF WILLIAM II. OF GERMANY]
EMPEROR WILLIAM II. OF GERMANY.
Since William II. of Germany ascended the throne as German Emperor and King of Prussia, on June 15, 1888, the eyes of Europe have been fixed on him. He has always been rather an unknown quantity, and he is regarded by the powers as an enfant terrible. The press of the world delights in showing up his weak points, and the "war lord" undoubtedly has them, but, at the same time, he has qualities which are to be admired and which make him conspicuous among the rulers of Europe.
He is popular in Germany, and it is not surprising, for, in spite of being autocratic to the last degree, he is honest, courageous, ambitious, hard working, and, withal, a thorough German, being intensely patriotic. Indeed, if the people of the Fatherland had the right to vote for a sovereign, they would undoubtedly choose the present constitutional ruler, for, while the virtues we have named may seem commonplace, they are not so when embodied in an emperor. One thing which places William at a disadvantage is his excessive frankness, which is, in him, almost a fault, for if he couched his utterances in courtly or diplomatic phrases, they would pass unchallenged, instead of being cited to ridicule him. His mistakes have largely resulted from his impulsive nature coupled with chauvinism, which is, perhaps, justifiable, or, at least, excusable, in a ruler.
Since the time when William was a child he evidenced a strong desire to become acquainted with the details of the office to which his lofty birth entitled him. It is doubtful if any king since the time of Frederick the Great has studied the routine of the public offices and has made such practical inspections of industries of all kinds; indeed, there is hardly a man in Germany who has more general knowledge of the material development of the country.
In the army he has worked his way up like any other officer and has a firm grasp on all the multifarious details of the military establishment of the great country. He believes in militarism, or in force to use a more common expression, but in this he is right, for it has taken two hundred and fifty years to bring Prussia to the position she now holds, and what she has gained at the point of the sword