WITHOUT PREJUDIC

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 120, 18 February 1928, Page 8

WITHOUT PREJUDIC

x -. * NOTES 'AT RANDOM [During the absence oh holidaof "T.D.H.," “Notes at Random.” wihe contributed by; “Wi.”l The Waipa County Council war » motor speed limit of 25 miles ovets roads. Doubtless it will provide lie requisite scenery for motorists to <oy as they tootle somnolently throughhe county. The writer is himself a Scot, bihe can appreciate the joke about cle Sandy Macpherson, who left sehooecause he had to pay attention. Men who complain of the priciof , shirts nowadays may congratulate tmselves that they did not live in lor times, when shirts were indeed sts. “The shirts of all who can find ney to purchase them, by fair mean: or foul,” says a writer of that period,ire wrought throughout with iieedla<o of silk, and curiously stitched vjitll ien seam, and many other knacks begs; in so much as I have heard of Tts that have cost some 10 shillings, me 20,’ some 40, some 5 pounds, sot 20 nobles, and, horrible to hear, soni 10 pounds apiece. Yet the meanest’irt that commonly is worn costs a cvn, or a noble at least, and this is scely thought fine enough for the sir.est person.” • • • Tn the reign of Henn- VII embtiered shirts were common, but it wdeft to bluff King Hal to introduce thuxurv of wrought historical shirts, lese were so decorated as to lead the aywrights of the time to ridicule em. The fact is that these garmentsere sometimes so adorned with work or woven figures as to be ridiculous, In an old play called “The City Jfch” we read; “Nav, Sir, she is a Puritan at her idle too: She works religious petticoats; for flowers She’ll make church histories; bests, My smock-sleeves have such holy nibroideries, And are so learned, that I fear in ne All my apparel will be quoted by Some pure instructor.” It has been unkindly suggested it a politician is one who keeps on is toes all the lime, but never gets on e other fellow's. Tn these progressive days of ski grafting and other surgical marvel it is no surprise to hear of soineor. advertising for an ear. A Chicag lawvei recently inserted an advertise ment in the Press as follows “Attorney, representing non-resident society woman, will pay 2500 dollars (£500) for one left ear to be removed and grafted on client; operation will be performed by competent surgeon, and will keep matter strictly confidential. Applicant must be over 25 vears of age, light skinned. Applicant will submit name and photograph to attorney.” One letter and a photograph were received shortly after by the attorney from a voting woman, whose identity was also withheld. “She is married.” lie said, “and she writes that she has a baby. She won’t sell her ear for 2500 dollars, but she will for 4000 dollars. She savs she needs the money to pay bills. The sum is all right, because my client had in tended to make the partv an additions present of 2500 dollars if the operatin' were successful.” The society woman in question, wr is 31, it was learned, lost the 10l and left side of her ear a few yea ago in a motoring accident. There is a campaign on for commc sense and plain English in busim letters. “TTt.” “inst..” “prox.,” “It to acknowledge,” and so forth, he come under the ban of the reforms. At their best, “ult.” and “inst.” d “prox.” which are abbreviations Latin words, were at least a respectl touch of the hat to the old traditi of the clerk as scholar. They e jargon now. and we are well rid ' them, but thev were once good nif ners, and they were meant to plea and impress their reader. Somect who has now been interviewed ass coldly “Whv call a letter ‘a favour’ Whv, indeed, at the present time? Bt Pepvs called a letter from the Due of York a favour—as he very truly cosidered it to be-and that usage ws polite rather than a commercial font for long after his day. The commrcial usage of later davs made all liters “favours,” and debased the crrenev, but the fault was that of tying to lie too polite, and on too maiv occasions.

The “Churchman,” of New Yokpublishes a “Motorists’ Prayer. ’ Tier need one. Here it is:-" leach us t< drive through life without skiddn; into other people’s business. Presetour brake linings that wc may so before we go too far. Help us t hear the knocks in our own mot>r and close our ears to the clashing < other people’s gears. Keep alch in our radiators and out of our sor achs. Absolve us from the mam t trving to pass the other autom-bt on a narrow road. Open our eyso the traffic signs, and keep our tx on the brakes.” The New York correspondent : ae London “Daily Mail” asserts that Jtrican women spend annually ontEir beautv the sum of four hundred trims (sterling, not dollars). Throughdme States (he says) you will find OJUU beautv parlours, taking over theianter £1,000,000 a day. There are Ufferent kinds of beauty preparatioi old to the 30,000,000 women who pna dailv this large sum. So eagevdo thev haunt the parlours that a 1 i.an specialist who comes each wmr to America keeps, like the dentist < c>c tor, an engagement book, with nv.iting list filled six weeks ahead. As an offset to this bill ofccts against the women, he puts the mocan men in a statistical position inn which they cannot afford to Inw stones. In the barbers’ shops ie savs) thev spend £170,000,000 eaclyff, and not all of it goes in simple nas and haircuts. Face massage, sw.llcs up £20,000,000, and hair lotions £<- 000,000. America is the country f vouth, and men as they pass mdcage seek to remove those signs of ci that mav tell against them in the kt competition of the business world, man will emerge from a de luxe slot Fifth Avenue with £2 less, in i pocket as the result of one visit to 1 “barber.” FAIR PLEDGES. Fair pledges of a fruitful tree. Why do ye fall so fast? Your’ date is not so past But von may stay yet here awhile To blush and gently smile, And go last. What! were ye born to be An hour or half’s delight. And so to bid good-night? ‘T is pitv Nature brought ye fortl Merely to show your worth, And lose you quite. —Robert Herrick.