MISTAKES WE MAKE

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 52, 24 November 1928, Page 27

MISTAKES WE MAKE

ARTISTS AND THE MOON Curious mistakes committed by authors, artists, students, advertisement writers and the community in general formed the subject of a particularly entertaining address by Professor W. A. Osborne to the Melbourne Rotary Club recently, reports the "Age.” Dealing with the extraordinary superstitution relating to lockjaw, he said it was a common mistake for people to believe that a cut between the thumb and the index finger would bring about paralysis. On one visit to a small country township he had found the owner of the local hotel with a small cut on the hand and a huge wedge of wood between his teeth to prevent the development of lockjaw. (Laughter.) On the way to the township he bad read a book in which a surgeon had “cut upon a quivering nerve." If any surgeon ever struck a “quivering nerve,” then he would immediately leave the operating table and go home for the day. (Renewed laughter.) In another book the hero had dived into Sydney Harbour to rescue a girl who had fallen overboard, and had been pursued by a shark. A “race” had ensued, and the hero, at the most exciting stage of the story, had felt “the hot breath of the dread sea monster upon his neck.” (Increased laughter.) For an examination he bad given the question, “What are the effects on an adult of an exclusive milk diet?” The reply had been, “The patient becomes easy going in temper, no longer has any desire to smoke or a tendency to take alcohol —in fact, the patient would lose all his manly qualities.” (Laughter.) How often did they find a certain type of artist when painting a rainbow placing the violet band on the top of the the rainbow, the red band below. One had painted a rainbow in perspective, and another had included both the sun and the rainbow in the one picture. That would never do. (Laughter.) Some seemed to lose all their powers of observation. Frequently the dark side of the moon faced the sun—(laughter) — and occasionally stars were to be noticed in the circle of the moon. (Increased laughter). Moonlight striking coloured glass did not “throw” the colour, yet artists and authors frequently made it do so. There was no such thing as brain fever, and it was nonsense to say that fish was good for the brain. Then there were persons who would state that ozone was “good for you,” and thus persons would go to the seaside, 1 sniff up the odours of decaying seaweed, and say, “that is splendid; that is ozone!” (Loud laughter.)