TOPICS OF THE DAY

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14407, 15 July 1912, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY

In the "Wide World" for Buddha's July there is published for Bones. tho first timo a. detailed

account of that great Bri-tish-Indian Archaeological triumph, the finding of Buddha's bones. , When Buddha's death took place at Kusingara, fivo centuries 8.C., seven rajahs reverently consigned his body to tho flames. Afterwards charred fragments oi tlio Holy One's bones were divided amongst priestly applicants, who undertook, to preserve tho relics under memorial fanes. Five centuries passed, and only a few treasured portions had escaped the risks of timo nnd chance. Then tho good king Kanishka built over theso such a colossal shrine that it drew pious pilgrims to his chief city from nil parts of India and Cathay. A_-nin thc centuries passed, and between A.D. 629-645 a traveller noted that ho found tho great shrine in ruins. In time both city and shrino had becomo a tradition —oven memories of their geographical position had perished. Buddhist records were as vague about tho whereabouts of Gautama's sacred remains as about tho place where flowed tho '"River of the Arrow." Somo fifty years ago European research decided that the present site of Peshawar was once the site of Kanishka's capital. Antiquarians then were free to quarrel as to which of many ancient mounds beyond the - walls might hido tho ruins of Kanishka's shrine. As it proved, an absolutely right deduction was made from certain indications in ancient Chinese writings; and in 1908 the Indian Government was moved to finance tho work of disinterring. To find ono secret chamber in a monument which had once stood besido a monastery, and amongst a hundred lesser pagodas, was tho problem. Even when encouraging fragments of wall and sculptures wero unearthed, theso often turned out to bo shrines of no special importanco. It was not till tho end of two years' digging, done under direction, by ono hundred and twenty coolies, that science found itself on tho right track, amongst walls majestically solid and strong; and then. there was J an almost hopeless search in tho.earthI choked chambers beforo at last that innermost crypt was revealed, where lay a crystal reliquary shut in King Kanishka's wonderfully adorned casket, of which logends had survived through all the years. Fortunately tho casket bore indisputable tokens identifying its contents as the true Buddha relics. The monument has delighted archaeologists by proving to havo been evidently tho largest ever constructed in ancient Hindostan. The precious bones are now rejoicing tho Buddhists of various nations to whom they havo been consigned for preservation and worship.

Ono of the farmer's worst

Tho enemies is hail, which beats Menace down pitilessly from tho of clouds, and in tho course Hail. of a few minutes ruins his

year's crops. Against this "devastating scourge, which is estimated to cause a loss of not less than £40,000,000 annually in tho different rural districts of tho world, many preventive methods have from timo to timo been tried, without any great success. The ancients used to shoot arrows or hurl javelins at tho gathering clouds, in tbe hope of frightening them away- In medieval times religion was brought to hear on tho hail menace, with equally unsatisfactory results. "Hail crosses" wero erected, church bells were rung, and special prayers were held, while thero existed a special class of professional "tempestarii" or weather wizards who dealt in dire incantations and conjurations! In tho Tyrol, by the way, the old "hail crosses" aro still relied on by the peasants. But despite theso formidable precautions the hailstorms continued unchecked. Religion and deraonology having failed, science was resorted to, with littlo better results for the timo being. The "paragrele.'' a sort cf lightning conductor, was supposed to prevent the formation of hailstones by drawing the electricity from tho.clouds. By 1827 over a million of these existed in European countries, but their vogue soon declined. The idea of shooting at tho clouds originated centuries ago in Styria'and tho North of Italy, and was largely adopted in France before tho Revolution, when the "paragrele" superseded it. In 1896 experiments mado in Styria again brought the method of cloud-bombarding into fashion, nnd attracted the attention of scientists. By the use of a cannon, to tho muzzle of which is attached a sheet-iron funnel, a smoke ring is sent whirling aloft, widening as it ascends. Tho hail-rocket and hail-bomb, which burst within the cloud, aro also supposed to render hailstorms abortive. But scientific investigations carried out a few years ago in Austria and Italy, have shown that these methods, in addition to being purely empirical, are quite unreliable in practice. The "paragrele" has also been revived and brought up-to-date aud installed on the Eiffel Tower and other lofty edifices in France, while plans aro in progress to provide the whole of France Algeria, and Tunis with these "electric Niagaras," as they havo been christened. Dotted at intervals of six miles or so along a line transverse __ thta usual path of hailstorms, they are supposed to act as a barrier, absorbing tho electricity in the clouds and rendering them innocuous- As to preventing hail, however, the pl att no scientific basis. Tbe system which

appears to bo more likely to provide s satisfactory solution to tho . problem, is that cf hailstorm insurance, which started in thc 18th century and is now represented by a great number of companies, some being subsidised by Government. The compensative method is now generally considered both cheaper nnd more reliable than the various preventive methods abeve doscribed-

A recent contribution Cnprogressivc to the old wrangle. Cats. cat v. dog, points

out that the great show defect of thc cat is tho want of any real variety in size. "Tho public may gaze in admiration at a great St. Bernard, and may laugh at a tiny Yorkshire in its absurd glass case, marvelling that both "should belong to the same family, yet find a certain sameness about tho occupants of tho pens at a cat show." Here and thero one may como across a large cat, or another may bo beautiful though small, but tho variation is of no vast importonce. There is no breed of giant cats, nor are there feline dwarfs. Also, cats seem steadfastly resolved against any striking differentiation of type. They mar show short ears or longish ears, dense coats or silky coats, and other minor characteristics reoognis'xl by judges' "points" ; but no variety has ever developed, for instance, tho long '"terrier" head or the immense, head which a bull-dog has learned to boast as his chief charm. Only thc royal cat of Siam can bo quoted, says this critic, as moderately uulike its cousins of Persia, Russia, and England. Here is tho structural difference of a long hind leg, giving a curious and exceptional gait. Tho tailless Mans, too, lias struck out a lino of its own. With thoso two exceptions, variety at a cat show can only bo looked for in colour and coat. Where this complainant goes wrong, however, is in forgetting that man has never domesticated the most imprcssivo varieties of tho cat tribe. Dogs of all nations and sizes may bo cultivated into the finest show specimens; but both giants and dwarfs amongst felines still prefer to walk by themselves. Bengal tigers and Ceylon leopards, African lions, tho puma, tho jaguar, the ounce, tho ocelot, th© margay, tho colo-colo, tho lynx, the caracul, ail her near relations, represent tho size variety which would give moro zest to an exhibition, and would display quite striking differences from the ordinary fireside puss. Agreeable creature cs sho is, she cannot show every virtue of her whole noblo family. Whereas tho wild dog is usually a poor specimen, the best and biggest cats remain majestically untamed. So far, in comparing the Cat Show and tho Dog Show, wo havo to consider tliat while ono brings together all the dog. varieties of tho world, tho other can only collect tho very few types of cats which, as domestic animals, will consent to be shown.