RANDOM REMINDER

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31091, 21 June 1966, Page 26

RANDOM REMINDER

OCCASION

It’s not often you peasants are able to share in a really great and glittering occasion, but today is one of them. This column began operations, in a typically modest way, just eight years ago today, with a typically useful piece of propaganda about jay walkers. On May 21 in the following year, 1959, this column began supporting the family of the artist whose work should appear above, provided he is back from Hamner in time. Other relevant facts: when “The Press” went to front page news on March 16, 1964, this column naturally assumed responsibility for

the back page. There are some who may feel these tasks are transposed, but we are well aware of our position in newspaper society. The number of times this column has appeared must or should now total about 2500. It is satisfactory to be able to state that the average wordage each day is about 400, making a total of about 1,000,000 (one million). Unfortunately, our research department insists that the average number of words each day is only about 387 which leaves us a little short of what would have been an eminently satisfactory score.

In the period under review, the subject matter covered has ranged from Aaron’s beard and the abacus to the zoetrope and the zygoma. Such erudition has been possible only through the warm interest of hundreds of correspondents and several large works of reference. The purpose of ail this, really, is to thank all those who have written to this column, expressing their interest, making suggesand Putting forward Incidents, several of which were obviously true ones. The lack of worldly goods to accompany the correspondence is forgiven. Just this once.