WITHOUT PREJUDICE

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 178, 22 April 1924, Page 6

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

NOTES AT RANDOM

(By

T.D.H.)

'The railwaymen extracted one rise pay because of the keenness th* public to welcome the Prince of Vales, and they hope to extract another because. of the keenness of the publicto see the Fleet.

One of these days the railwaymen may find a grievance that can stand on its own legs without dragging in the Fleet and the Royal Family.

With oil so much in the news at present, it is interesting to note that in •HALS. Hood oil is used for every purpose, even for the oil-burning kitchen ranges that are capable of serving 1400 dinners in ten minutes. In the bakery, which has an output of 14001 b. of bread a day, there is also an oil-burning furnace. Originally, as everybody knows ? there were to have been four warships of this class, all named after great Admirals—the Hood, Anson, Rodney, and Howe—but the other three were scrapped. Possibly there was not enough oil in the Empire to go round, and the American oil companies might want to have the shins’ movements submitted for approval (before they handed over oil to take them anywhere-

The Hood is named after the most distinguished member of a family numerously represented in the Navy and the Army. Samuel Hood, who was created Viscount Hood, saw his sea service in the American War of Independence, when his chief service was to chase the French out of St. Kitts, which they had taken, a feat he per-, formed with a force much inferior -t»that of the French commander, the Comte de Grasse. In the Napoleonic War, Hood took Toulon at the instance of the French Royalists, and also add-. ed Corsica to the Dominions of George 11l for a while. Although the finest ship in the Fleet is named after him, Lord Hood was by no means Britain’s most distinguished sailor, and, indeed, his fame seems never to have been sufficient to attract anyone to write a biography of him. A cousin of Admiral Lord Hood’s was. the Captain Alexander Hood who accompanied Captain Cook on his second voyage, and was later killed in action off the French coast in the famous duel between his ship the Mars and the French Hercule, dying as the surrendered sword of the French - commander was placed in his hands. The French commander also died of the wounds he received in this desperately-fought encounter.

The most depressing aspect of th® railway trouble is that the Labour Party wants to make it an excuse for calling Parliament together.

With an American life insurance company starting a campaign against kissing, it is worth noting that a strike of telegraph and postal officials was recently threatened in Austria because of the questions to be answered by heads of departments concerning members of their staff. The object isto facilitate a decision as to which clerks are to be retained when the reduction of officials is finally completed. The question which has caused most indignation is one in the section “Manners and behaviour,” and asks whether the official is inclined to flirt with members of the opposite sex

A neurotic is an electric motor th a* has tried to turn round and look into the dynamo.

Sir Wallis Budge, curator of the Bri-. tish Museum, tells, bow two old ladies, apparently sisters, came regularly to the museum and sat in front of a certain mummy for a considerable time'' seeking for psychic guidance. They explained that when they wanted t® make a decision in their lives they always asked the mummy, who always nodded its head if the answer was “Yes.” Sir Wallis examined the mummy and found that the bone at the nape of the mummy’s neck was resting on a support, but that, the head was in some way or other just swinging clear of the bottom of the casket. Then he realised' that a certain vibration would cause the head to move very gently in an affirmative directionOn making further investigations he found that when a board of the floor was trodden on heavily at a given point, the mummy’s head would slowly move! And so this was the secret! He never told the old ladies, who maybe still ruling their lives upon the inclination of the head of a five-thou-sand-year-old mummy, caused by the peregrinations of a twentieth century sightseer!

One half the world doesn’t knotfi how the other half lives. —This is al great disappointment to one half the world.

Graiid Duke Alexander, cousin of the murdered Tsar of Russia, who was solemnly crowned recently in Paris, one of Europe’s most ardent spiritualists and holds seances with friendly assistants sometimes as often as three times weekly. It is from the spirit world that the certain resurrection of Russia —out of the hands of the Communists —is known to him. lie says. This already has been decreed in the beyond and will surely come to pass, he adds. “There is something higher that always triumphs over wrong, and it surely will bring jus* retribution to the atheistic usurpers of Russia,” declares the grand duke.Alexander is in constant material communication —that is to say. . by mail-—with his friend and fellow spiritualist. Sir Conan Doyle.

The inquiring friend, in process of bein'' shown about the newly-acquired country estate of the , American millionaire, stopped in amazement and do* manded : “What on earth are you doing with that zebra?” “Ah!” said , the host amiably- “ There’s been so much talk about the danger of overindulgencc in this new stuff that. I thought I’d better provide mvself with a stop signal, and that zebra is just the thing. When I see it all one colour, then I know I’ve had enough.’ The New York “Sun” unkindly speaks of “the fence where the Pnnce of Whales sustained his broken collar bone.” NICHT AND DEATH. Mysterious Night! when our first pax* ent knew Thee from report divine, and heard thy name, , Did he not tremble for this lovely frame, This glorious canopy of light and blue? , , . Yet ’neath a curtain of translucent: dew. Bathed in the rays of the great sete ting flame. Hesperus with the host of heaven came, And lo! creation widened in man 1 ! view Who could have thought snch dark* ness lav concealed Within thv beams, 0 Sun! or who could find. Whilst flv and leaf and insect stood revealed, That to such countless orbs thon mad’st us blind’ Why do we then shun Deatn with anxious strife? If Light can thus deceive, wherefore not Life? —J. Blanco White.