RANDOM NOTES

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 256, 26 July 1935, Page 10

RANDOM NOTES

Sidelights on Current

Events

(By

Kickshaws.)

It is reported that wheels are turning now that were idle a year ago. The General Election is, after all, not so very far away.

The League is said to be still Britain’s sheet anchor. Even half a league we understand, would be a mile and a half better than no league at all,

Travel folders aro stated to be iu great, demand for teaching school children geography. We thought a use would be found eventually for travel folders;

Concerning Japan’s claims to the largest wooden building in the world, “Pioneer” says:—"When Kipling was visiting Wellington in the early ’nineties, aeompanied by two Wellington men, lie passed the Government Buildings. One remarked 'largest wooden building in the world.’ Kipling, after a glance at it, replied, "That is not correct.’ He did not supplement the remark hi any way. It would be interesting to know what he had iu ills mind.”

it has required a strike to bring before the notice of the world the French nalned American town of Terre Haute. It seems indeed incongruous that Terre Haute should be located in Indiana. For some reason we have got used to America giving its towns names such as Wisconsin and even Coscob, but the United States of America, on closer investigation, seems tc have towns that belong anywhere but where they are. One can understand there being a town of Energy in America and only regret a lack of Pep Plain Dealing and Method, Index- ant; Keener are also in keeping with the character of our cousins in America. We would like to know, though, whe gave the town of Troublesome its name. What was the cause that created the town of Bug or Meddybemps, and Bass. There is no town of Big Boy, but there are plenty of other Bigs. Big Licit and Big Cow are easy enough to tinderstand, but Bigreecly must have liatl a curious history. America, it is said, is a curious blend of big business and idealists. There is no town of Big Business, but there are 17 Arcttdias ami 16 Paradises.

Some of the names of tin; towns ol the United States of America give us sidelights on the pioneers who gave the towns their names. Nodaway is a name that might have been purloined from some sleepy English village, but it isn’t. Sleepy Eye and Faranat’ visualise a tired pioneer making his home where his wagon bad rested. How, though, did Sip and Stab get their names? What caused Jim Falls or Happy Jack? Was there some love affair behind the founding of the town of Kissimee or is it merely an Indian name.

Something drastic seems to have given Wapwaliopen its name and Lackawack seems to have been a case of sparing the rod. There aro some places in America that defy ail conjecture as to how they camo by their names. There are some curious places in England, but there is only one Sheets Shinopple; and it is in America. Moreover, Britain lias never adopted Battiest as a suitable name for a town. But then America for some curious reason takes a delight in naming one town Looneyville.

The bust of Lawrence of Arabia will find itself in good company in St. Paul’s Cathedral, for this cathedral has become the burial place of a curious blend of military and naval heroes, not to mention famous artists, bishops and historians. Both Wellington and Gordon lie buried there, as well as sonic eight generals or so, four admirals, ami a prison reformer. Nelson, oddh enough, rests in a tomb intended fm Cardinal Wolsey. If there is a dignity and awe about the cathedral to-day at one time this was not the case. Respect was not always accorded the great cathedral. In the reign of Edward IV, for example, the authorities had te prohibit the throwing of stones at the pigeons, and the playing of ball in the cathedral. Subsequently the aisles became market places. Queen Mary had to forbid beer casks, fish, and horses from entering the cathedral. Elizabeth had to make it illegal to fire off guns in the cathedral. At one time the walls were plastered with advertisements. Cromwell, of course, turned the place into a cavalry barracks.

It is a curious fact that although the public at one time desecrated St. Paul’s in a manner that would never be tolerated to-day, there was a time before that when a church was considered so sacred that not even marriages were permitted to take place inside the building. Christian marriage was therefore, at one time solemnised outside, not inside the church. As a matter of fact there are churches in England, quite modest affairs, that go back as far into the past as does St. Paul's. The oldest church in England is said to be a tiny log structure in Grcensted, a small village in Essex. This church Ims been in constant use, so some claim, for the last 1000 years. At any rate it contains timbers that were cut in the year 900. This says much for the durability ■ th( timbers. The smallest church in Britain is claimed by the people of Luilington. Polegate, Sussex. This church has not grown with the times. In size It. is only sixteen foot square, In the Lake district at Westdale Head there is another tiny church 42ft. by 16ft. with a roof made from a Viking ship. There are, however, other claims, because cubic, not square, measure should be the deciding factor.

If there are some old churclies in Britain and elsewhere, there are also some curious ones. At Hordon. Hants, a cowshed has been converted into a church and on a small island off Tenby a church lias been converted into a ln Guernsey there Is incidentally a church made almost entirely of broken plates, glass and sea shells. Malta can counter this with a church made of human bones. Every iietail of the architecture is made of the bleached remains of those originally buried nearby. The altar indeed Ims a background of human skulls and there is an arch of the same material.- On Blacklead Island, in the Arctic, whore is a church made entirely of sealskins. At least there used to be. It may yet be there. A missionary is said to have built this church on a sewing machine. A church erected to commemorate Um life of a famous pirate by the mime ot Orme departs from the usual in that it has two spires. For some reason the daughters of this pirate decided to erect a church ir memory of his misdeeds. One wanted a church with a square tower and the other sister wanted a church with a round steeple. Orrnskirk Church shows how they settled the argument; neither gave way.