CLIPPINGS.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 8703, 27 January 1894, Page 6

CLIPPINGS.

Tho English professional classes are _. tallest of adult males, attaining the avert height of five feet nine and one-foX inches. Taken right through, tbe _ aj _y_? sod American races are apjwoximatfchrrf the same height Most European „*jL_ average, for the adult male, fiy 9 fectjZ inches, but the Austrians, Spa_&rd» &m» Portuguese just fall short of this st&od'ard

Amoflg the many stories told of the «_. ings and doings of tho small King of the following is one of the latest :-spi,l other day he was taken to church as usual and was surprised to see a now priest in «,' pulpit in place of the usual preacher, ft 6 wa3 a "substitute" on account of ill_e__ and he turned out to be veiy eloquent aM fervid, preaching an impassioned tvrtwm This did not suit the fancy of the litu* Monarch. He frowned several time*, 4 J finally rose e_d said to his mother, '_ju, great emphasis, " Don't you think we ©ui*| to make him stop t I never heard -utom shout so in my presence before 1"

Some English doctors have made ami*, take in supposing that triplets reaching tjjl age of 21 was an unprecedented event, a lady tells of girl triplets at Hornowtk daughters of a clergyman, who all Uv&sjTiS be more than 80 years of age. TrinkitJL two sisters and a brother, of advanced:*«? are living to-day with their mother \{ Southport.

The police of Vienna are taking care of the servant girls iv th>it city, v has now became oompalsory for every Stttbcn madl —which is equivalent to oat "Mary Ana"—to be provided, ■ when cleaning wiudows, with a safety girdle goes round the waist and is fastened by */ leather strap to a staple ou the ouuittaof the wiudow, so that if she slips from the : Bill in polishing up the glass aim is suspended unhurt in mid air. Householder!) : who do not make such provision for theiy domestics are heavily hoed, aud, in _,v event of an accident taking place, have to pay the injured servant au allowance of ten.shillings a week, uutil she is suiikientl? recovered To resume work.

A " straw bridge " is a Texas curiosity. It is built across the Red River, seventeen miles from Quauan, Hardeman Co., Texaj, As described, the bed of this river is v*ry wide, quite shallow, aud is of a very fine, red, treacherous sand, making the passage of heavy vehicles impossible. The bridgeit really nothing but a causeway three vxVm long, about live feet high, and wide euough for two teams. It was constructed.by.s settler, who charges a small toll for its ujie. It is built of alternate layers of long griusj and saud, and ia rebuilt every season, as tha high water washes it away. Au attempt has been made to build an iron bridge, bat it was swept away almost immediately, anil the natives are said to find the straw cheaper and better.

The Hon. T. Fergus, iv welcoming totlii Burns Club concert at Dunedin two officers of the French warship Soorff,'now lying at Port Chalmers, is reported by tho Otago Daily Times us having said that every* one who had been a studont of Scotch ha» tory must know that the bonds which connected the Scotch aud the French in the past were very -close and sincere. They had fought together on many a held, and were warm friends and trusted allien, and, lilt Fergus thought, the hearts of the Scotch people went out to the Freaah aa uiuoli now as in days gone by for the aid which the latter gave them iv their struggles for liberty.

A well-known Sydney society lady <saya an Australian contemporary) made a novol departure last week in the form of a social entertainuient ia .the shape of a b&thuag party for both sexes at the Bronte laths. A number of veil-known society ladies ana geutlemen were present, and _» joyed tU novel situation immensely. ' The swimming party disported themselves in their picturesque costumes under the light of the moon, which was more becoinizyj than the garish light of day, which would he liable to«how up possible defects in ooinplexioia or figure, after a dip ia "the briny." It is said that several other ladies inland to organise similar parties of this kind, for which the climate is so suitable.

Persons making a trip to Motuihe, or to . .Islajad ((says _ , writer in tba New ZtuMtid Herald) had better take warn* ■' ing by„._ case which occurred a few day? ago. Tbo island ia a legalised quaruutint) s„tion for, dogs as,well as human beingt,', A lady going down there for an exouraioq was followed by her dog, a small pet of th« terrier breed. When she landed, the poor animal was pouacod upon by the quarap* tine man, w_o itoid the owner that aim km rendered terself liable to a penalty of £o_t' During the whole time the party was oa t&J island, tho keeper devoted himself to jnafe-. ing this lady „ lifo miserable by references, to the awful crimj to which she li&d boss guilty, and the oooraious penalties she had incurred' The dog was consigned io a dungeon cell, and the lady had to leave tbo island without it. She will be charged with its maintenance for six, or twelve months, besides the liability to all thoas pent-ties. Since her return she has bm engaged in an exciting telegraphic correspondence with some official in Wellington the subject. Surely there is too mush red-tape bore. The custodian of the is—a# should attend when an excursion part? arrives, and ahouM tell any one owuiag - ,; dog to tie it up on board the steai„«?*# that it .may not oome on shore. Whs* tendency there is amongst vi&e'&ks to. magnify their office 1

Mr Phil Eohktson, in his delightM volume, "Some <~_3±ry Sjghts am Sounds," gives several pkasutg stories *f -,- wild animals. Creatures that have grown used to captivity dislike very much, to gs* free, says the aathrav and as a rule thsir "escape" is only the result of accident 0* compulsion. _n illastsation of this, »8 describes (says the Loudon Daily Netcs) t»* bad manners of wellbred Soik toward, ft decent beast out for an airing, and tks native delu—ey of the anitnal, which fte*vents him from thratting his company epos people who so HiSs appreciate it s—A bfisf cot long ago ,got loos a in Chicago, asa» '■ starting off Ich: a ramble up the bouier&T". was utterly, ooaph-sed by the solitudes. which it found itself creating —» it #f*" , vanced. It saw «uly the backs' of people Every vehicle was going in the oppoaita . direction. _t did njA- matter which war the bear moved, everybody and eyewttosg went at o_ce in the contrary. So _ms»j dreadfully bored by the monotony » being _kme, turned off to the lake £w»*» whew it promised itself plenty of <&eera» -=. yoang society, as boarding house adv«r»se' ' ments put it; but, instead of this, it fossa the same thing at once beginning to nappes all over again. Nursemaids fled with thetf charges as if they had met the peatilenif| ■ that walked abroad. <xrown up men sod women scattered in a_ directions. BiYflS ■ the very dogs would not stay with the bear; - so Bruin, in iufinite disgust, roads hix>w& to tbe emptied hand stand and down in the centre tbsreof, all among » c brass instruments; with his face camp* - cently set towards the pleasant breescM 1 * the lake, and moralised upon the unsoc»bility of hums- bebigs in the matter* 1 bear- And later on, when his keepers asm aftex him, the poor beast, heartily gl*»** seeing someone at last who did hiai as if he were the plague, coma (to™ pleasantly from the band stand home with them, munching banana* &* *».; went."

Ia crossing the Atlantic, football .*»» ( .. clearly no* lost its perils. An *5_ ' writer has taken tho trouble to gather t&™ the New York paper* of a siugle day a .*» ~ of reported mishaps. It opens with UP*?* Frank Ranken, of tho Montauk te»hi, w» had his leg broken in two places »-*,?:„? the early scrimmages." James McH*Ur___ the same team iwd all Jiw lo*# *r__ knocked out. M*pes of the ®%S£ : team had a severe shoulder straiu. Christy, of the Wooster XJmWg, died from a kick in the stomach' J" widowed mother was at his " Captain W«te» of the Harvard this account, " will n«v«r^ pg, oiv___.*; **> *=- wrencn AS- tllO *^^^_____| X "' __-.jp WQfJimg ___ __ _*d *j_______^'^rfS^_£3 m_-B_gr iFil-i mb__lT- : " the co____ of _»re— —_ _* t,_s *_f^Sfti«' Orango gam« at .astern F&rfc ia *^J!# hended becivuse, when he sees a » n^^__ l j iß V oa the ground, he ", rw_» and jumps OUW^.j. • '...'ii'lifflii

feet first" At g*~«e at Springfield f—ckie punched his head into Stillman's AlcGxe* was for several mta*—es *__I7*«< a mountain of men," and, after 'Siting himself, was ««badly wioded," j took some minutes to recover. Beard '__rped "unconsciously-" on Wrighting- !__£_«_, and Acton hit Beard a smart T&0 on the chin. It was thought at first, ___fTiior_ was "thrown down harshly adl * dozen men had fallen on him," ithat Jjv osse was broken, but it was only badly It appears that the American **|_js are supposed to play under Rugby tsSfi s - i i i i