Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 91.djvu/750

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���The skilled mechanic or electrician has the advan- tage over the pick-and-shovel man in rifle shooting

��command of the hands by her work that made her good with the pistol the first day.

The trained gymnast has the edge on the untrained man. He may require a little time to get used to sighting accurately, but he has command of his body, he has learned to make any set of muscles respond when desired.

The man of untrained hands, the "working man," regardless of his hard biceps and triceps and del toid, will have more trouble mastering rifle shooting in all its phases. Such men find little trouble in holding the rifle like a rock in the prone position by the aid of the sling, because mus- cular strength and a little knack in sling adjust- ment are all that are required. But when it comes to rapid fire and snap shooting, they lack the command of eye and nerve and muscle. This is the story in theory.

The way to learn how to shoot the rifle is to shoot the rifle — doing the preliminary work with the empty gun, and then with the humble .22, which shows bullet strike, but does not cover up by heavy recoil the sin of "yanking the trigger," which is un- doubtedly the cardinal fault of the beginner.

��Popular Science Monthly

How About that Third Cup of Coffee for Breakfast

IN the matter of cutting down the daily food consumption to a reasonable minimum, why not be- gin with coffee? Although coffee is a true stimulant, it is essentially a drug and has in itself no food value. Its effects in the main are due to an alkaloid, caffeine, which, it is believed, is a heart stimulant. In a sound, healthy individual, doses of caffeine equivalent to that obtained from one cup of strong coffee produce no noticeable effect except a slight nervousness. Doses equivalent to one and one-half cups produce marked unsteadiness in muscular and mental work. Doses sufficient to produce any real stimu- lative effect raise the blood pressure, some- times dangerously, and stimulate the action of the kidneys in a manner considered by

��physicians to be harmful.

���A minaret of a Turkish mosque? No; a power-house smokestack in beautiful Salt Lake City

��The Most Ornamental Smokestack in the World

ALT LAKE CITY has perhaps the most ornamental smoke- stack in the world. Since it adorns the top of a building in which smokeless fuel is burned , no one unacquainted with the plant and the purpose of the stack would be likely to suspect its function. It resembles the minaret of some Turkish mosque, but it belongs to a power- house. It stands six feet high, the lower half being of stone construc- tion with the smoke vent through the center. The upper half is extended as a tubular steel chimney surmounting a crown- shaped dome of metal. This dome serves as a roof for the observation plat- form for visitors, greatly adding to the appearance of the tower and complet- ing the illusion. The entire city and landscape for miles around can be seen from the platform.

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