RANDOM NOTES

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 226, 20 June 1929, Page 10

RANDOM NOTES

SIDELIGHTS ON CURRENT EVENTS LOCAL AND GENERAL

(By

Cosmos.)

“Ladies ready to wear clothing* reads a notice in a provincial draper’s window. Well, perhaps it’s about time. ♦ ♦ » “At a recent Lincoln County plcnlfl the rolling-pin throwing contest was won by Mrs. W. H. Upsall, who threw the rolling-pin 67ft. Mr. Upsall won the 100 yard dash for married men,” states an exchange. There’s nothing like a little incentive to keep men moving.

Sir Maurice Low, whose death was reported yesterday, was educated in England, but spent most of his life in the United States. Even in 1909 he was well known as a writer and journalist and investigated for the United States Labour Department certain new aspects of British labour legislation. Again in 1903 he visited England in connection with the trades union movement then new in Britain and practically unknown in America. Sir Maurice, knighted for services rendered to the British Government, besides being a prolific contributor to various reviews, is the author of several books, including “American Life in Town and Country” and “Woodrow Wilson—An Interpretation.”

Aeroplane accidents are always apt to be staged in a sensational manner and the recent disaster in the English Channel is no exception. The fact remains, however, that whereas some four or five thousand people meet their death in Britain every year as a result of street accidents, only two are killed in aeroplane accidents. A comparison with the aeroplane’s main competitor, the railways, show that on a mileage basis the aeroplane is very much safer. For instance, the number of killed in Great Britain on the railways amounts to just over 2000 persons every five years. During that time the miles run by trains have added to the enormous figure of 1,915,000,000. At this rate, including both killed and injured, there are 63 casualties every million miles on the railways. The casualties in the cases of civil aviation in a period of nine years averages out at just over three persons for every million miles flown.

No comparisons can ever hope to be absolutely fair to both sides however. In this case the railway have not only travelled three hundred times the distance of the aeroplanes, but have done so with many more passengers, not only in the aggregate but in each load. Where a train can carry two or three hundred passengers, an aeroplane carries ten or twelve. In the case of an accident to a train, many more people are likely to become casualties. Allowing for this and for the fact that the aeroplane covers its mileage at a very much greater speed, the total proportion of of accidents compare not unfavourably with the railways.

Probably if the housekeepers of famous. men could be persuaded to write their true histories the world would be provided with some peculiarly human stories'that historians always seem to miss. For instance, Mrs. Jaffray, for 17 years housekeeper of the White House, the official residence of United States Presidents, sums up the various Presidents that she has served. Taft, she said, was the best-natured President ; Wilson was the kindest, and Harding the best dressed. Mrs. Taft was the tiniest first lady of the land; Mrs. Wilson the most motherly, and the second Mrs. Wilson the most affectionate. Mrs. Harding had the loveliest clothes, and Mrs. Coolidge was ostensibly the happiest. Two pictures that most readily come into her mind are of President Wilson as a broken-heart-ed man kneeling beside the bed of his sick wife, begging her to eat just a little food. The other picture is of President '"aft sitting beside his wife after she had lost the power of speech, following an illness, saying over and over again to her, “Now, please, darling, try and say ‘the’ —that’s it ‘the.’ That’s pretty good, but now try it again.” Some historians make great statesmen appear just a little inhuman. Perhaps that is why history is so difficult to remember.

It would seem that love potions still continue to play a prominent part behind the scenes, even in this hardhearted world of to-day. Although the 92-year-old Anna Pistova, who figured In the news yesterday, seems to have overdone the doses in her particular case, all sorts of queer rites have been ordered by so-called witches and fortune tellers similar to her. For instance, late one night a Berlin shopman heard his wife repeating the words “He will be true; he will be true,” with Coue-like persistence. His conscience smote him and he vowed to himself that his wife’s prayer should be fulfilled. However, when he went into the room he changed his mind on seeing her deliberately burn one of his best waistcoats. She confessed that her conduct was due to directions given her by a fortune-teller named Anna Kuhn. This good lady had said that a husband’s fidelity could be secured by burning one of his garments.

A few weeks later the shopkeeper caught his wife burning a pair of his trousers. He came to the conclusion that drastic action was necessary and obtained a summons against Anna Kuhn. She solemnly told the Magistrates that her method of ensuring marital fidelity had in many cases succeeded, and was acquitted on a technical point. It would seem that whilst an overdose of Anna Pistova s pills ;vas over-drastic, ah overdose of Anna Kuhn’s inflammatory prescription must inevitably restrict the owner of the clothes to the immediate vicinity of his home.

New light on Christopher Columbus is shed bv a burial record of the explorer, which is to be exhibited at the Seville Exposition. It has been pronounced authentic by Spanish hlstoriaus. According to this document, Colunibus did not die in poverty, as has been supposed. He had means, although he was not wealthy. Until a few years ago, it was difficult for research students to delve among the Spanish archives, as copving of Government records was forbidden. The restrictions have now been removed.

A woman died the other day after having lived the 85 years of her life on two farms within five miles of each other. She was born on one, and when she was married moved to the other, where she lived the rest of her long life. It is said she never was out of the county. One wonders, in the hurlyburly of this world, whether this wo man found peace in the quietude of hep life—or is peace something that is entirely on the inside, and is little affected by outward circumstanceeti