MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS

Bruce Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 2263, 8 May 1891, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS

At a sale of picures in. London, a portrait of Mrs Buller, by Sir Joshua lieynolds, realised 4500 guineas.

Mr J. L. Toole wus ppsented with a splendid Maori skull at Auckland. He is bringing it home, and intends to lend it to Mr living for use in '' Hamlet."

The arbitrators in tho recent Donelly-Bacon-Shakespeare controversy have come to the conclusion that if Wi'liam Shakespeare did no v wi-ite the works attributed to him it was some one else of the s-tme'name.

Lady Florence Dixie has written a characteristic letter to Lord Salisbury, has printed it, and is circulating it. It is a battle cry oq behalf of women's suffrage, and calls on " dear Lord Salisbury " to l)o faithful to his convictions, and support Mr Haldane's Bill " to secure for women equal civil and political rights with men." " Verily " she says, " I declare the party which brings about this change shall eventually, by the gratitude of woman, rule the world. '

Sol Miller offers the following sentence for school teacher? to dissect, and is willing to beb a quart of molasses thai some of them will find nothing wrong with it : A widow wo;uan who wa3 always noted for her truth and veracity, and who had recently celebrated her centenuial anniversary, died of pneumonia fever, Friday evening at 9 o'clock p.m., aud her funeral obsequies were numerously attended by many people.

A good story is told of the firm of Harper Brothers, New York. There were four in the firm, and the duties were strictly divided. It was one of the rules of the Harpers that all applications for charitable contributions, of which there were a good many, should be referred to Mr John Harper, who was the cashier of the firm. There was, therefore, truth as well as wit in the response of Mr James Harper to a Methodist preacher from the country, who, on presenting a subscription paper to him said, " Brother Harper, I have called to see you this morning on the Lord's business." " Well, sir, you will have to call again. The man who attends to the Lord's business is not in."

' The Hawk,' a London paper, writes : — '" We are really too courteous in dealing with foreigners on affairs of war. In France or Germany if a harmless tourist be observed sketching or photographing any place at all near a fortress, he is incontinent* ly thrust into prison, from which he only escapes with moat endless trouble and the most abject apologies. We, on the other hand, throw open all our defences, and politely beg possible future foes to come and have a look round. I commented two or three weeks ago on the facilities offered to foreign visitors to inspect Portsmouth dockyard, and I now hear that a German man-of-war has lately thoroughly surveyed the New Zealand harbour of Port Nicholson without interference. Of course our toleration of such things is absurd, but it would have been only in accordance with the rest of it if Lord Charles Scott had sent a ship to aid the Teutons in their work."

A veteran master printer in St. Louis, recently said to a lucal reporter: " We are on the eve of a great revolution in the typographical appearance of literary matter, especially newspapers, that is, the use of black paper printed in white letters, instead of white paper printed in black letters, as now. The change is one to be desired by the public, for the reason that a white letter on a black ground possesses greater contrast and distinctness, and is, consequently, easier on the eyes. The change will give at first an odd enough appearance to printed matter, but the merit of it will eventually result in its general adoption, and in time the black letter will be as rare as the white letter now is. Sign painfers aud show card printers

recognise the superiority of the white letter, and are rapidly adopting it, as is evidenced by the numerous white lettered signs now to be seen on the street and in the shops. The change would be comparatively inexpensive to publishers, and as black is cheaper than white paper, a saving could be effected. With our newspapers thus printed, reading on cars and in dimlylighted places would be not only practicable, but easy." " Madam," said the eminent surgeon, " I am happy to say we have discovered at last the cause of your husband's condition. A small portion of the skull was fractured by the injury that deprived him of consciousness a year or more ago, and a splinter has been pressing upon the brain. I have located the fracture, and in a few minutes, with the help of my assistants, the splinter will be removed. You must not be surprised, madam," he continued, " at anything he may say when be returns to consciousness. It has been many a long month since the injury happened to him, but you will remember that to him there has been no lapse of time whatever. If he was interrupted in the course of any remark he was making at the time of the accident, he will finish that remark as soon as the pressure is removed from his brain." The surgeon resumed his place at the bedside of the unconscious patient, and the operation proceeded. It was a complete success. The moment the splinter was removed from the man's brain a natural look came into his eyes, and his anxious friends in the room adjoining heard him say in a slow, hesitating monotone : — " hen and a half lay an egg and a half in a day and a half, how mauy eggs will six hens lay in seven days ?"

The trials of Brother Talmajje on account of his inability to raise money (outside of his personal resources) for rebuilding his tabernacle, says the New York ' Sun,' are growing apace. The contractor stopped work on the building some time ago because his money was not forthcoming, in spite of the loan of §125,000 by Eussell Sage. Contractor Charles T. Wills agreed to put up the building for $95,000, but subsequently changes were made in the plans which raised the price to $127,000. He has received only $65,000. Instead of $20,000, which was due him him last August, he received from the trustees of the church two notes for $5,000 each and four for $2,500 each, all due in four months. These notes, Contractor Wills says, have not been paid. He now brings suit against the church for the balance due him on his contract, and asks that liis claim be made a first lien on the property, superseding even Russell Sage's mortgage. He will seek to have the unfinished tabernacle sold to satisfy his claim.

The instant you arrive at Paris station you are in the midst of spies. You are driven to a hotel in a cab. In half an hour the cabman will furnish the police with any particulars he may have been able to gather concerning your position, destination, business, etc. Arrived at ycur hotel you become the object of scrutiny, a3 close us it is secret, on the part of divers persons, who, though attached to the place in capacity of manager or cashier or eveu porter or " boots," are in reality enrolled soldiers of the great detective arniy. And here I may mention a special characteristic of the French detective system, its faculty of rectuiting adherents in all classes of society. French spies for the most part are not simply spies and nothing morn. They have a trade or occupation of their own, to which they seem wholly and solely devoted, while yet assiduously pursuing sub rosa their spying.