The Daily Herald from Chicago, Illinois • Page 23

Section 2 Thursday, November 6, 1975 THE HERALD the fun page BROTHER JUNIPiR Ask Andy Compasses invented by Chinese Andy sends a complete 20-volume set of the Merit Students Encyclopedia to Laura Brown, 11, of Dora- vllle. for her question: WHAT IS A LODESTONE? The first people who put a lodestone to work were the Chinese. They learned that a bit of magnetic iron can perform a fabulous trick. When allowed to turn freely, it points to the north So they floated a sliver of magnet on a little raft in a bowl of water, tt turned around to point north and became the world's first magnetic compass. In the 1200s, Marco Polo returned from his visit to China with many tales of fabulous inventions.

For one thing, he described how a lodestone -or leading stone is used as a compass to point to the north. Actually these remarkable stones were discovered long before, though nobody in Europe though they could be useful. The Roman writer Pliny reported that certain magic stones were found by a shepherd boy of ancient Greece. This boy. named Magnus, wore tips of iron on his sandals and on his shepherd's crook.

As he wandered the slopes of Mount Ida, he noticed that certain stones tended to cling to his MARK TRAIL bits of iron. They were, of course, natural magnets perhaps an iron oxide called magnatite. Or perhaps they were bits of a metallic meteorite that became magnetized as it plummeted down to the ground. The story of Magnus may or may not be true. But we do know the wise men of ancient Greece knew a lot about their so-called magnet stones, though they did not figure out how to use them as lodestones to create the magnetic compass.

THIS DISCOVERY was made by the clever Chinese. During the Crusades, all sorts of Eastern ideas were borrowed and toted westward across Europe. One such idea was the magnetic compass, based on a suspended lodestone. Later observers noted that the magnets, alias lodestones, have opposite poles that either attract or repel each other. In the 1500s, Dr.

William Gilbert of England figured out that the compass works because the earth itself is a giant magnet. Its North Pole pulls the opposite pole on each little compass magnet. This sounds confusing because we assume that the north pole of a magnet swings around to face the North Pole of the earth. Actually, it is more accurate to say that the north-seeking pole of the magnetic lodestone points to the North Pole The opposite end of the little magnet is its south-seeking pole which naturally swings around to point to the South Pole. Andy sends a 7-volume set of C.

S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnla" to Gregory Stewart, It, of Eugene, for his question: A RANGERS? The Texas Rangers began as a group of 100 mounted riflemen in 1835. Their task was to defend the Indian frontier and the Mexican border of the territory of Texas against lawless activity. They wore no official uniforms, but they were successful because of expert riding, shooting, tracking and fighting ability. They gamed the reputation of using quick thinking instead of violence.

In 1874, 450 Texas Rangers became official peace officers Then their duties included tracking down bank and train robbers, murderers and cattle rustlers. The famous rangers became part of the state highway police. Although they still have no official uniforms, they continue to help by Ed Dodd NICE ID KNOW TRAIL. VOU.GCWE/ THIS IS AND THIS IS MX GLAD TO YOU OVER. GENE FATHER HAS THE SHOOTING PRESERVE DOESN'T HE TO MEET HIM I'VE HEARD HE'S A GOOD CONSERVATIONIST AND WILL NOT ALLOW OVERSHOOTING OR LAW- THATS RIGHT; MR.

CAPTAIN EASY by Crooks Lawrence WHO I'M CAPTAIN AMD MY AKB POONEK'6 WASH YOU 00 VOU MIND TEUUN6 WHAT" THI i ALL ABOUT? YOU V6 MAPE THE FATAL MlfTOKe OF INrRUPINe 0W THE- SECRET MOUNTAIN COMMUNE- OF W-W-W0 N-N-WOMA WOMEW CWLV-- WEN ALLOWED: SHORT RIBS by Frank Hill THAT VCPPKA MAOE FROM AMERICAN WHEAT HAS SOME BAP SIPE EFFECTS THE BORN LOSER by Art Sansom I mi, VOU ITWOUUWTCCA AWfeOOD.HE COULD U6K I VOU, TOO 1 WINTHROP by Dick Cavalli STZ3PPEP WEARING- 6CWEBODYAMJST HAVE TO-D HIM ABOUT THE WORK TflA HAVING CONE. FREDDY by Rupe SEC, IT'S SIMPLE. ftNO IF IT WAS BLACK IN TH' 3KV WA4 BLUE AT NIGHT, IK 1 MNT1ME, ttf SUN COULDN'T VOU COULDN'T SEE THE SMRS, SHINE THRU IT? ERNEST, TH REASON FOR EVERYTHING IS CLEAR TO TH' SIGNTIFFIC MIND? PRISCILLA'S POP by Al Vermeer MY HE JIMMtE-D BRUSSELS OPEN OUR SURE IS CANDY JAR SMART' ASIC? HELPED HE'LL Do ALL RIGHT WHEN GROWS PROBABLY THE RB.I. MAKE A MIGHTY NICE CATCH POR SOMEBODY control emergency situations under the department of public safety. Do yon have a question to ASK ANDY? Send it on a post card with your name, age and complete address to ASK ANDY in care of The Herald, P.O.

Box 680, Arlington Heights, 111. 60006. Entries open to girls and boys 7 to 17. (c) 1975, Los Angeles Times CARNIVAL Dick Turner "Stop me if you've heard this one SIDE GLANCES "Junior? He's upstairs in his room! Why don't you organize a search party and see II you can find him?" il-fe it's got power wittnan HP Locations: Schaumburg--Opposite Woodfield Shopping Center 882-6800 Downers Grove--Opposite Yorktown Shopping Center at Butterf icld Rd and Highland Ave. Mam entrance off Highland Ave.

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lOtnemakers Furniture showroom-warehouse A division of John M. Smyth Tills art fair hundreds LimiTEd editions oThER (IttiojJte TRIABLE ArT CO. to5ee. puM TJ SPECIAL c)Rt FA if.