RANDOM NOTES

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 133, 1 March 1929, Page 10

RANDOM NOTES

SIDELIGHTS ON CURRENT EVENTS LOCAL AND GENERAL (By Cosmos.) Greece is said to be the cradle of th® race. Perhaps that is why someone is always rocking it. * • * Mexico’s new president promises every bandit who surrenders a free plot of land. With flowers, perhaps 1 German policewomen, whose force was founded only two years ago on the English model, are believed to have achieved the longest single-word titles in any lauguage. They are divided into as many grades as. their male colleagues, one of the highest ranks being: “Polizeigefacngnishauptwachtmeisterin” ( Policeprisonheadf emalepolicesergeant). The greatest feat ever accomplished in all-round or “straight” billiards was performed by Willie Smith at Manchester recently, in his match with Tom Newman. Smith completed a break of 2743, thus beating by 1256 the previous world’s record, set up by himself three days previously. By specialising in certain strokes, such as the “anchor” stroke, or the “pendulum cannon,” bigger brakes have been made. But Smith did not specialise. For some reason, the guillotinft brings up visions in our minds of the evil days of the French revolution, and we forget that France still retains this somewhat barbarous method of executing her murderers. In spite of centuries of experience, mankind has not yet decided the best method of executing its criminals, much less the far greater issue of capital punishment itself. Whilst France has clung faithfully to the infamous guillotine, the various States of America, with the progressiveness of youth, have tried every conceivable method from the oldfashioned rope with modern improvements to the distinctly modern electric chair and the ultra-modern lethal chamber. Mexico contents herself with throttling machines, and Russia —well Russia is satisfied with almost anything.

Yesterday’s reference to Millais* painting, “Bubbles,” brings forth the following interesting note from Mr. G. W. Barltrop:—“With regard to your paragraph as to the original model of the famous picture ‘Bubbles? I maymention that when in London a short time since, I visited the naval museum at Greenwich Hospital, and on my mentioning that we had come from New Zealand, the petty officer who was showing us round told me that he had visited New Zealand many years ago when serving on H.M.S. Orlando. I recalled the fact that on the occasion of the Orlando’s visit to Wellington a friend had pointed out a young midshipman as the original of Bubbles, and I asked the petty officer if this was correct. He assured me that it was so, and added that ‘Bubbles’ was new Lieut.-Paymaster James; that ho was now married, and had a little, curly-headed kiddie who was just another ‘Bubbles.’ This seems strong presumptive evidence that your own note is quite correct”

For many centuries it has been the custom for the King of England to bestow his honours at the New Year, but the origin of this practice appears to be lost in antiquity. The custom of giving and receiving gifts at that time of year dates back to the days of the Druids, who distributed gift branches of the sacred mistletoe. We know that Henry 111 followed the Roman precedent and acually extorted gifts from his subjects at New Year. These gifts in later reigns became voluntary, but none the less obligatory on those who wished to stand well with the throne. The custom reached its climax in Tudor times. Not only are manuscript accounts still preserved of money gifts to the Sovereign, but it is on record that Wolsey presented Henry VIII with a gold cup valued at over £lOO. These sums of money in ail amounted to many thousands of pounds. As a mark of appreciation of the gifts received, it was usual for the Sovereign to give “rewards.” Indeed, Elizabeth is supposed to have been exceedingly conscientious in this respect. During the Commonwealth the custom of giving gifts became obsolete, and was not subsequently revived. The rewards continued, however, and from them has grown the now accepted annual bestowal of the New Year honours.

It has taken no less than two Chicago civic elections to rout “Big Bill” Thompsop. Such, we are told, is the concentrated power of money and patronage in certain organisations in the United States that some people are still astonished to see so powerful an institution as “Big Bill,” Mayor of Chicago, no longer holding the reins of power. Foreseeing signs of possible defeat in 1928, he .rushed into the civic battle all the forces at his command. For months before last year’s elections bombs were exploding all over the city, to the very great disadvantage of his opponents. On election niglit bombs exploded in all the houses of the anti-Tliompson leaders, whilst in the streets violent slugging, shooting, kidnapping, and outright murder were doing all they could for his cause.

Ip, spite of all these aids, Big Bill had to contemplate a wrecked machine when the elections were over. But it was not only in the intimate city affairs of Chicago that this astounding man made himself felt. The whole world could not but be amused at Thompson’s challenge to King George. The superintendent of the Chicago schools refused to fall in with “Big Bill’s” little plans for the education of the scholars of the city. King George was solemnly charged with having a diabolical scheme towards introducing British propaganda into the Chicago schools. Naturally, the superintendent of these schools was accused of being a party to this, for the text books, poisoned with pro-British toxin and intended to reduce America to a state of subjection to the British Empire, passed through his hands.

Indeed, there was only one person who stood between the United States school children and the British Empire, and that, of course, was “Big Bill” Thompson. Even the libraries were searched for tainted history books. As a matter of fact, many of the books in the Chicago Library had been given by Queen Victoria, Tennyson, Gladstone, Disraeli, and many others after the fire of 1871, when most of Chicago was destroyed. But. as many-people pointed out, if “Big Bill” wanted to do the job thoroughly,'he ought to destroy every book suspected of taint, including the whole of Shakespeare, much of Mark Twain, and most of the betterknown authors of the United States themselves.