WITHOUT PREJUDICE

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 113, 5 February 1924, Page 6

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

NOTES AT RANDOM [During the absence on holiday of “T.D.H.” this column will lie conducted by “Wi.”] Oil seems to have had the reverse of a smoothing effect in the United States Senate lately. I like that little story, told in th# cablegrams, about King Alphonso adding his name to the list of notable personages whom, Dictator Rivera proposed to have banished. It reads like a page from “The Prisoner of Zenda,” or “Rupert of Hentzau.” It may not even be true, although Spain should furnish a likelier setting for such a romantic scene than any other country. Here we have the fierce Dictator of Spain, with his moustache bristling, his sword clattering,, approaching his Royal Master with a sheet of paper concerning ,which W. S. Gilbert would have sung: “I have a little list Of Society offenders who might well be underground, And who never would be missed.” King ■ Alphonso was, judged by Gilbert’s standard, over-modest. There are a great many people in Spain who would certainly miss him. So far as constitutional limits would permit, he has played the kingly game, and still lives to -tell the tale. No small achievement with a Spanish background. It is noteworthy that merry-go-rounds and ice-cream carts have kindred schemes of colouring.—Edmund Vale, in “Blackwood’s Magazine.” Occasional dips into- American fiction and infrequent hours at the “movies” have given me a general idea of the meaning of the word “roughneck.” The word, I take it, is in tended usually to describe a hairy looking ruffian who is prepared to commit any kind of crime for money. Mr. R. W. Service, the Canadian poet, thinks, however, that the term dates back to the time when to shave the back of one’s neck was a sign of sar- • torial grace. In those days every barber would ask you if you wanted a “neck-shave,” and not to have one put you in the category of those who were indifferent to their appearance, or too unsophisticated to conform to the fashion of the day. Yon were a man with “hair on his neck,” an uncouth fellow, in brief, a Roughneck.

The other day I was discussing in these notes the preculiarities of thb left-handed. Since then I have chanced upon a referencte to the strange case of Miss Thea Alba, whose ability, simultaneously to control several conscious acts had attracted the attention of the Berlin Metaphysio Research Society. Here is the note on the case:—

Apart from having been, throughout her school days, a most intelligent pupil, and from a certain propensity to occasional left-hand writing, Miss Alba until quite recently had not exhibited any abnormal behaviour. One day, however, when-' questioned about an occasional absent-mindedness, she declared in the family circle that her usual habit was always to think of two or three things at a time. In order to test this ability, she was asked to try whether she could write simultaneously (different words) with both hands, whether shb was able with one foot to describe a circle and at the same time to write a 3 or an 8, etc. The latter task she mastered . spontaneously, the former after half an hour’s training. Within six weeks she went through a whole programme enabling her to exhibit her unexpected art on the stage.

Being a good drawer . and pianist, she trained herself to paint and dravt with both hands as well as to play the piano with one hand and write or draw with the other. . In. connection with a medical examination she proved able spontaneously to draw a life-sized portrait with both hands within 20 seconds; Though her face was covered down to the mouth, all parts of the portrait were traced at the right place. Moreover, Miss Alba Succeeded in writing simultaneously with three pieces of chalk, one of which she kept in her mouth. Another achievement demonstrated .at the meeting of the Medical Society, and which is no less surprising, consists in writing with three pencils or pens at a time, keeping one with the left ana two with the right hand, (between the second and third and the fourth and fifth fingers respectively). In order to illustrate the independence of the various operations, she will write simultaneously in three languages— English. German, and French-and even talk in the meantime. Her left hand always writes backward while both hands sometimes in addition place the words upside down.

Bv the way, I came across a late witticism of Gilbert’s anent the famous Rolls-Royce car, Mr. Cyril Maude’s daughter asked him if his new Rolls-Royce was a success. He replied: “It Rolls, but it wont Royce.”

Much in the same way as the Ford has become a national institution in America, so the Rolls-Royce has w England. There.is a difference, but we need not go into that. It is understood, of course, that a man who keeps a Rolls-Royce ought to be able to pay his milk bill. In the evolution of the name Rolls came first—die late Hon Cffiar'les Bolls, youngest son of Lord Langattock. He was born with the snecd mania fully developed for his first exploit was to drive a steamroller about his father s estate on a certain Sunday morning, meeting his scandalised father and a party of churchgoers returning from service.

Young Rolls did a lot of motoring in France in 1896, and incidentally drove from London to Cambridge m 115 hours. In 1902 he took Lis MA. decree and then went into business as on expert advisor to would-be pu - chasers of cars while dealing in a small way in foreign cars. In 1904 ho met F. H. Rovce. who bad just built a small 2-cy.clinder car, and the result of the meeting was the founding of tho now celebrated business.

Royce, by the way, had had a rough time of it as a boy. . As a ho sold newspapers m the street- * 13 he was a telegraph boy, and at 1R he had acquired engineering experience in one of the railway workshops Rolls was. killed m an aeroplane smash at Bourtiqmouth.

SANCTUARY. Diere isn’t a sensation in the world that I like more Than to turn my lonely »» my very own front dooiTo close it fast behind me, and o leave the world outside. With its worry, work, and hubbub and the folks I can’t abide! I love my quiet fireside—l love my rows of books — ~ , My pleasant rooms—my pictures with their well-remembered looks; If I’m tired, or cross, or hungry, I only long the more To get behmd tho shelter of my very ” omi front door. — Janet