WITHOUT PREJUDICE

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 11, 7 October 1927, Page 10

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

NOTES AT RANDOM

(By

T.D.H)

General Hertzog wants a referendum on the flag question in South Africa—but it has to be fixed up that the referendum gives the right answer. Connoisseurs of Irish bulls should note that Mr. Ramsay MacDonald was cabled yesterday as using a-very mixed metaphor when criticising the Government: “The present Government is like a limpet which drains to the dregs the cup of authority. It seems only the other day since Captain Lindbergh was making his heroic solo flight across the Atlantic, and now there has come hot from the press a book all about it from A to Z, and with the hero’s own name on the title page as author. One wonders whether the gallant author was busy fitting in time writing it up as lie soared across the waves. The story begins in 1902 when the hero was born in Detroit, but by page 25 the youthful Lindbergh has reached the stage of going up as -a passenger for his first flight in the air, an event which occurred on April 9, 1922. He immediately joined as assistant in a “barn-storming” campaign, which is the American term for going around from town to town with an aeroplane and taking people up for joy-rides for a consideration Within a few months this daring voung man was doing parachute jumps, apparently as the most ordinary part of a day’s work.

A Trentham correspondent, Mr. .J. Purvis, writes apropos of the coming change in the coinage to inform us that Britannia, the lady who used to rule the waves before Uncle Sam said she mustn’t, is of Glasgow extraction It seems that in real life she was Miss Frances Stewart, and came of a family which long owned the Easter Craig and Wester Craig estates adjoining the. city, and exercised a predominating influence in Glasgow affairs for two - centuries.

Miss Stewart’s father had taken up his residence in London, and the. lady herself was sufficiently aristocrat-e in her connections, and—more important still—sufficiently attractive in appearance to grace the Court of Charles It as a maid of honour 'I he Merry Monarch, as is well known, had a great gilt for falling in love, and, according, to our correspondent, he crowded in time between his other affairs of the heart to fall distractedly in love with Miss Stewart, and even proposed to divorce his Portuguese bride to espouse her. Humbler lovers express their feelings on these occasions bv carving twin hearts on the botanical gardens seats, but when kings feel this way the Master of the Mint is summoned into the Royal presence and ordered to strike a gold medal. Charles accordingly had a medal struck with himself depicted on one side and on the reverse Miss Stewart as Minerva.

Miss Stewart’s dazzling beautyms said to have ensnared even the Master of file Mint during the process of medalmaking. Britain up to tins date had had pennies of silver, but Charles decided oiUcopper pennies, and . Miss Stewart’s lovely form in the guise of Minerva appeared on the reverse with the single word “Britannia” engraved, thereon. Miss Stewart, our correspondent states, repelled the advances of Tier Royal lover, beyond submitting to having her picture taken, and married the sixth Duke of Richmond. We have not checked up the above facts, but our correspondent would appear to be ill error in this latter fact, as the. first Duke of Richmond was an illegitimate son of Charles himself, and the sixth was not born until 1818.

Mr. E. E. Hanks, of San Antonio, Texas, aged twenty-six years, has just staved awake 187 hours, demonstrating thereby that he is a better man than Mr. Roger Omaha, of the same city, who arose at the same time as did Mr. Hanks, but fell asleep eleven hours before his competitor. The rest of America has been wondering why on earth anybody should 'want to stay awake that long in Texas.

Item from the San Francisco -“Argonaut” concerning a millionaire’s wife. “Another diversion was ■ provided by Mrs Fifi Stillman, who threw plates at motion picture photographers and drove them from the scene of her son s wedding. ‘Throwing plates,' says the ‘Bulletin,’ for the enlightenment of its readers, ‘is not practised by the best people.’ Of course not. But we do not see whv the ‘Bulletin’ feels called upon to make this apologetic explanation of the lady’s poor marksmanship. Considering, that, as one of the best people, siie had to forgo practice, we think she did pretty well.

Train sendee on a railway in . Turkey was held up for several hours one day a month or so ago, when sixtv Turkish women, mothers, wives, and sweethearts of striking trainmen, lay on the track and -dared the strikebreakers in charge of the tram to run over them. Twenty years ago a lot of union men would have been- made motherless, others would have been made widowers, and still others would have been forced to find themselves new sweethearts; but that tram would have arrived at the next station on time Mere man in Turkey, as. elsewhere, now has to retire vanquished.

One man said to another, “You have surplices at your church?” 3 lie reply was, “No, we dont; we only have deficits.”

The grocer had just put a new boy to work, and among the other instruct ions was this: “If you don t happen to have what a customer wants, suggest something else as nearly like it as possible.” Soon a woman came into the store and asked the boy: “Have you any fresh green stuff today?” “No, ma'am,” lie answered, “but we have some nice bluing.”

What is an epigram ? asks a reader. Here is Samuel Taylor Coleridge s definition, which seems as good as What is an epigram? A dwarfish whole, . Its body brevity, and wit its soul.

They tell the story of a famous actor’who was often accustomed to show a great interest m the lesser lights about him. One day lie was good-naturedly conversing with one of his stage hands. ‘And . what, m. man. is your vocation?” inquired the condescending matinee idol. I m a Baptist,” was the reply. Ro, nogood fellow, that is your belief. I want to know your vocation; for example, lam an actor. Said the scene shifter: “Naw, that’s your belief. to-morrow. Where art thou, beloved To-morrow? When young and old, and strong and weak, Rich and poor, through joy and sorrow, Thv sweet smiles we ever seek— In thv place—ah! well-a-day. We find the thing we fled—To-dav. —Percy Bvsshc Shelley.