RANDOM NOTES

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 104, 27 January 1931, Page 8

RANDOM NOTES

Sidelights on Current

Events LOCAL AND GENERAL

(Bv

Kickshaws.)

If your wife laughs at your latest joke, according to a fiction writer, you may be sure It Is good. On the other hand you may be more sure she wants a new hat or evening frock. • • • It is alleged that the Meopham air disaster was causftl by irregular oscillations known as buffeting. One wonders if this malady is closely related to that popular medical disease during the war entitled Not Yet Diagnosed, often shortened to NYD.

A schoolgirl writes: “I am writing to ask you if you could tell me where to send my autograph book to obtain Guy Menzies’ autograph? Most likely you are frowning and asking what right I have to bother you with such trifling questions; but please do spare a little of your precious time and tell me.” The best thing to do Is to send, the album to Guy Menzies, care Atlantic Union Oil Company, Wellington. Include a stamped, addressed envelope and hope for the best.

“Pillar” writes: In one of the series of sketches which appeared in “The Dominion” of January 21, your clever artist, Mr. Paterson (who is entitled to the Order of Gloom-chasers) makes considerable artistic capital from his depiction of the individual who has a flair for remaining on top of a long pole. This reminds me that a number of gentlemen from the sth to the 16th century attained considerable celebrity by doing practically the same thing. I allude mainly to one St. Simon Stylites, who, although he had many imitations, was the first and most famous of the pillar-hermits. Apparently the authorities of a monastry were not sufliclent for him, as Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrrus, who knew him (Simon) personally, vouches for the following, which, without the episcopal imprimatur, would seem incredible: “After having been expelled from a monastery for his excessive austerities, at thirty years of age he built a pillar six feet high on which he took up his abode. He made new pillars higher and higher, till after ten years he reached the height of sixty feet On this pillar he lived for thirty years without ever descending. A railing ran round the capital of the pillar, and a ladder enabled his disciples to take him the necessaries of life. From his pillar Simon preached and exercised a great influence, converting numbers of heathen and taking part in ecclesiastical politics.

Lord Roberts is stated not only to have predicted the last war, but also the French general who was to bring it to a victorious end. This is considered to be all the more remarkable because Lord Roberts made the lattei; part of bls prophecy six years before the war began. Naturally nobody listened to him. Nobody ever does listen to prophets. Few people'listen to Dean Inge, but many laugh at him. This Is unsporting, for our modern prophets are far less vague than the ones of olden days. When Ahab, King of Israel, wanted to know If he would beat the King of Syria his pet prophet said, “Go, for the Lord will deliver the city into the hands of the king.” Unfortunately this prophet judiciously omitted to mention which “king.” Ahab went and was slain in the debacle. Modern prophets would consider such subterfuges' unprofessional except perhaps in modern i weather reports.

A real up-to-date modern prophet can even foretell the result of a race—a far more important piece of news than which king will lose a battle. It would be unfair to give away names, but a man living in Ireland actually named the winner of the Derby four years running, from 1922 to 1925. Indeed, in 1923 he named the first three horses. This useful Individual must not be confused with “sporting writers," for his skill was based, not upon guess-work, but upon real solid, nevererring prophecy. In 1922 he scarcely knew one end of a horse from another. For fun, a racing friend handed him a list of starters in the Derby. “Instantly,” he said, “I received a distinct shock and conviction that Captain Cuttie, an outsider, would win.” It did win. Next year interested friends naturally passed the list to him again. He instantly said “Papyrus will win.” At 100 to 15 Papyrus did win. Not only that, but he correctly prophesied Sansovino and Manna would come in second and third. Subsequently he foretold that Saucy Sue would win the Oaks.

Sad to say, ever since Saucy Sue did win the Oaks this useful prophet has failed to react any more when he reads a list of starters. On the other hand, there are certain by no means insignificant occurrences of to-day that nobody succeeded in foretelling. For instance, nobody, not even the “Measurers of the Pyramids,” Old Moore, the “Prophetic Almanack,” Jules Verne, Mme. Therese Gerard, and a host of others seem to have had the remotest idea that the world to-day would be in the nightly grip of broadcast programmes.

Grave allegations .have been made that all the new 10,000-ton cruisers are a waste of money. A well-placed salvo of 18-inch shells, we are told, would place one of these ships out of action. The total cost of these cruisers in all countries is roughly £160,000,000. After all, what is a mere hundred million or so in these piping times of peace when nations are cooing and billing, when armaments are being lowered on paper, ships are being curtailed in schedules/ that never bear frAit, and Mussolini is ready to kiss the Premier of France? The whole world is only spending £900,000,000 every year on armaments—a rise of only some 50 per cent, since 1913, a year that was a prelude to war. European countries spend nearly three-quarters of this sum. The United States accounts for most of the remainder.

It must not be forgotten that the Great War saddled Britain with a debt of 7000 millions. Every year 350 millions have to be raised to pay off interest alone. Moreover, it is significant that in England three-quarters of the taxation goes to pay for past wars and to prepare for new ones. Every day, every night, the 40,000,000 souls in England are stumping up £lOOO a minute for the pleasures of the last war and to keep prepared for the next. It is the same in many other countries of Europe. War lias mortgaged the heritage of every unborn child for the next 140 years. What, then, does .a paltry £100,000,000 mean to the nrmament bill of the world —just a little drop of gold falling into tlie Insatiable mouth of a dragon unconquered.