FAMILIAR PHRASES.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVII, Issue 4329, 30 June 1871, Page 3

FAMILIAR PHRASES.

Oqzzens, hi his " Phrases and Filberts," gives aia odd medley of familiar phrases, and traces them to their source : Mr. John Timmins, the broker, says of that stock, " there is^a wheel within a wheel," without giving Paradise Lost, Young's Night Thoughts, and the ProphetEzekiel credit for a phrase which may bave saved him some thousands; and when he tells his boon companions at the club" that, as for his wife, wjio is rather inclined to be extravagant, " he would deny her nothing," he "does not say how much he owes tofc Samson Agonistes for the words he makes use of. When he reaches his house, Mrs. Timmins takes him to task " for coming home atsufih an hour of the night, in such a state ;"- to which he replies, in a gay atid festive manner: "My dear, ' To err is human —to forgive divine' " (from Pope's Essay on Criticism); to which Mrs. T. answers in a snappish way, " Timmins, ' there is a medium in all j things' " (from Horace). Mr. T., disliking the tone in which' this quotation is delivered, " snatches a fearful joy" (from the Ode, on a Distant Prospect of Eton College) by saying he does not intend, in his house, to have the " gray mare prove the better horse" (from Prior's epilogue). This " adds fuel to the flame" (from.Mil: ton's Samson), and Mrs. T. observes that, if I* we could onjy see ourselves as' others see us" (from Burns), it would be better for some people ; that ever p, since he had joined thai club " a change had come o'er \ thi§ spirit ° f her dream* (from -Byron) ; that wb.en she trnßted her hap^iness^to him she had ".leaned upon^a broken* reed" (from Young's 'Night Thoughts, IJIt, an| ; Isaiah xxxiii., 6), afid^windß up aldii^leoturewith the'refleclion that " evil communications corrupt gopd f^anneiK* (frorii Ist Oortdthiap xV.,3% e)fpresBio% exasperates - Mr. Timmijas, and he asks Mrs. T., as he take^F Jgs auspenpew, '• to whom'she^aHudes?, 1 ' Is it to r wjiohadsto^% hinf^in er« repor^and" good ipir^P" (2ud Corinitli!ans,vi.,B).,k,tlftWj{ap^y, Vaman.who tay him'foram in all" (Eamle^ActJ, Scl'he ias^own^pirt&CActß, j;iiL M %ty Hfeii ft^or Badger, who had, ©xt^ad%i tiQ Wai io^i© tight (iimo« of .'3Q

and '37 the "right hand of ffJttQinWfo" (G&iatians, ii., 9), he Vu m tyipttTinn-*. as ever breathed; and here Mr.Timmini* with one boot in hil%and And the other on the bootjack, j|pauentlj «ddi, **An honest man's the Hoblest work of God I" * (from Pope's Essay). wftiiproud of . the friendship of such men,if hornet them. Mrs. T.joiot at all carried *V«y,bT Mfiffl . flood of aufchorities.rather gOTrtifaH™;}*;, " O, ' what if friendship ' flttf V name P' " (from Goidsniith'i^ Hetiait) i£t which Mr. T., wns 'by this time *90&; t dressed, wi" a,s mad- as ft MardteHiw (front the oil ISnglish superstition),' put! out the candle " in *c twinkling O? an eye" (lsb Oorinthianf, xv., 52), liei down as far as possible from the "iWaker T«I- « sel" (Ist Epistle of Peter iilfl7),' 90Mt*i " tired Nature's sweet , restorer, balnfly sleep" (Young's Night Shonghts), and wakes next* morning "a sadder Irod a wiser man" (from Coleridge'flLAnpMjrtfiT ■Mariner). * ,v, v •f

Prevention of Weevil s* ~" J."|mtes ihu\ uto the Queenslander : — i'We all know the losses "by the weevil, but I do not thjnkt •$ your readers are aware that the T^geeril can-: be kept in check to a very great Extent by ventilating the corn wittftt little sulphur. It can be clone while the corn is in the bMfct ' which is an additional advantage. To ra the thing properly, *?iew tin* tubes about three feefr long are necessary ~ th«y ' ©oafe • 4s. 6d. each in Queen-street,- Brisbane; and they will la3t for a lifetime; These tubec^ are about three-quarters of an .inch in diameter,- and holes are bored about thrM inches apart from the bottom to about, nine , : inches from the top. . One tube.it put into each bag>of corn. The other appliances *ro a pair of fpommpn ballow^ with about tax inches of quarter-inch" india-rubber , tubing attached to the nozzle; I also hiree an old pot and a few pounds, of snlphur^ommon sulphur in, sticks. Put a fire stiot; gander the pot and get up a sufficient heat tomelt ft small quantity of sulphur ; it makes a great smoke, which is drawn iuto the bollowi by placing the valve ovec the'i^pot^ the indiarubber tube is then stretched 'over a tin tube and the smoke and air is drivenf down into the corn, through which it comes up to the surface gradually, ventilating and purifying* - the grain. This is the most effectual "method for keeping out weevils I have ever'aeenfand it is .easily and cheaply .applied. £8y leaving the tubes in the bags the ventilation i» " maintained, and the com dries nicely: Should the weevil appear, a few blasts of sulphur jjdrive him out." " „ 1 The New London (Wis,) Tirm repotfe ' that a girl in that place, 13 years of age,' con^ mitted to memory 1,100 verses' of the Bibl* in a siuale week. • . ' •