TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13737, 19 May 1910, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Archibald Depau, who has Daylight gained the name of "tho Insomnia, laziest man in the world,"

was compelled by the stern hand of British justice to drag himself out of bed in London recently, in order to attend the Tottenham Police Court, where his wife asked for a separation order, on the ground oi his failure to maintain her and her children. It .was related that the ex-ti-ordinary creature has done no work since 1.04. He spent most of his time iv bed, and on one occasion when he was' ruthlessly torn from tho arms ot Morpheus, and thrust, yawning prodigiously, into tbe back yard, he crept through a window and back into his beloyed bed agaiiu On another occasion when a situation had beer, found tor him, ho pleaded patheticnlly that ho wa-i too old. He wanted his hair dyed and some false teeth, and refused to go to work one morning because it was raining. Counsel for the long-suffering wife said thc man was so thorougnly consumed with laziness that "ho could snore upon a stone." He had Jain in bed for six weeks at a stretch, and his wife had lifted him and the bed in a vain attempt to dislodge him. She and her son had tried to push him out of bed to induce him to go to a situation that was available. Upon one redletter day they induced him to get up, bus in the evening ho returned and reported that he had. not been so venturesome as to stray within striking dist„ncc of'tho proffered work. He was sent to prison in 1899 for neglecting his wife, and on being released, proceeded to make un tho heavy arrears of slumber. His wooing of the drowsy god appears to have" been successful. He got up twice, and on one of these occasions he invaded the kitchen for food, and then returned to enjoy well-earned rtposo for three or four days longer. He provided nothing for'tho house, this inglorious specimen of a husband and father, and ate the children's food when nobody was looking. Tho inspectior of police who investigated the case said.Depau admitted ho had no pain and no disease, but that ho suffered from insomina! Thc one bright spot w.is the testimony of thc Brigadier of the Salvation Army, who stated 1 that since the Army officers wont to his home and prayed with him, Depau had gone to thc station and had been at •work ever since. Impressed by the success attending this last effort, the Magistrate granted the separation and handed the man over to the care of tho Salvationist-.. At the same sitting of the Court another lazy man, indescribably filthy, was charged with neglecting his children. Ho had done no work for three years, and ho loaned wearily against the dock. His whining 3 that his wife had hit him with a po_;cr and had given him no timo to got washed, foil on unsympathetic ears, for he was promptly sentenced to three months' imprisonment. The unsavoury condition of this precious idler may bgauged by tho fact that the prisoners' dock was not used again after his exit, eubsequcnt malefactors standing by the solicitors' table.

Very tragic is the story

Human of poverty . told in a reDerelicts, turn recently issued by the

Local Government Board of cases of death from starvation and exposure, or starvation and disease in England and Wales. In 1908 there were 125 such cases. The terse., unadorned language of officialdom in which, theso stories aro told, seems to heighten their effect. For instance: "E: R., aged about sixty years, widow of a coachman, died at Whitechapel suddenly from pneumonia accelerated by exposure and want of food. She was homeless, and had'been 'lying about for some time. - " "M. A. G. aged sixty-three years, occupation unknown, died suddenly from •uranmia accelerated by exposure and want of food and nursing. She was homeless, and had been 'sleeping out' in the Whitechapel district for about five v.eeks." Tlie victims were not all of tho poorer classes and they were not all old cr elderly. An architect of sixty, who died in a workhouse from lung trouble brought on hy destitution, left in his room models of an automatic piano-player, which were seized by his landlady for arrears of rent. "A. F.C., aged thirty-five years, homeless seaman, died in a public-house from syncope, heart disease, and starvation." In eighty of the cases either no application had been mnclc for poor relief, or this step had been taken too late. An old agricultural labourer had been formerly employed in a brewery, which had pensioned him off. But about three years before his death the pension had to cease, owing to the financial difficulties of tho brewery. "Since then," grimly states the return, "do-ceassd had only obtained occasional work, and was apparently too proud to ask for relief.'' At tho last bo was unable to work through rheumatism, but he perished with stolid heroism, without applying to his children or to tho relieving officer for any assistance. Sadder than any othese cases is one reported in the London Press th_ other day. A wife, deserted by her husband, lived in one room with her three young children. One day, there being nothing to eat in the bouse, the penniless woman went out to see if eha could get something,

and while she was.away, one of the starving children looked up tho chimney and begged Santa Clans to come with some food. His clothes caught fire, and he was burned to death. The Children. 1 -.' Act compels parents to protect, their children from this risk, out where there is no money to buy food. one cannot expect to find fire-guards. It came out that the woman had applied for out-relief, but this was refused, and app3r.ently she was too proud to go into the workhouse. In spite of thc growth of luxury in workhouses, many of the povr would still rather starve, and even die. than submit themselves to what they consider the disgrace of going to '"the house."'

One has often wonMaking dered by what cunning

a process the maker of Tennis Ball, a tennis ball contrives

to inflate it with air until it possesses the desired bouncing capabilities, and then to seal it ui> so as to retaiu the air; but the method is, as in the case of so many other mysteries, simple enough when one hears it explained. When thc rubber has been treated and rolled into a thin sheet, it is laid cm a table, where an operator cut.s it into egg-shaped patterns. Theso shapes, three in number, go to make a tennis ball. To one of every three pieces is attached a little hit of black nnvulcanisod rubber. .This unvulcanLsed piece is. very important, for it is necessary for the inflation of the ball at a later stage, and a red spot is made to mark its position. A rubber solution with very strong adhesive power is used to gum the three, sections together, a little bit of bicarbonate of ammonia being _-ut inside the ball before the solution is applied. When tho three sections have been fastened together, the ha!L is half finished. In this shapole.ss condition it is placed in a mould; which is iii two halves, to be vulcanised. Tho process of vulcanising consists of treatment with sulphur at a hig'i temperature, hy which the strength and elasticity of the rubber are greatly increased. Rubber for the tennis ball, however, hr..s its quality partly determined in an earlier stage, during which it is impregnated with chemicals to assist in the vulcanising. The necessary decree of heat is noiv applied, and the vulcanising is complete. Tho moment heat is applied to the shapeless ball, the littlo bit of bicarbonate of ammonia inside is turned into !_as, and the ball is swelled out to the size cf the mould. Then thc operator looks for the little red spot, under which is the piece of un vulcanised rubber. He _icrces the ball there with a hypodermic needle, an instrument like a bi_; bicycle pump. Tlie use of the little bit of unvulcanised rubber is that it enables the operator to pierce the ball at that spot without damaging it, because the rubb.r inside will fill up the hole that the needle makes. The ball is placed in a circular frame and inflated until it can just pass through -the frame. It is then coated with solution to _ivo it durability, n;ld is ready for its felt cover. Tho cover is in two nieces, which ' aro attached to the ball with solution. The cover is then sewn, and later oh trimmed, and then all that remains to be done is to iron tlie ball. Tho ironing process is effected by placing the ball in a metal mould, which revolves round it until it has smoothed away the smallest inequality, and a Crm, oven surface is presented. Tho ball is then ready for tho tennis court.