SCISSORS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5130, 28 January 1888, Page 4

SCISSORS.

It is said that the late proprietor of Hengler's Circus, London, Mr Charles Hengler, left about. £150,000 to his heirs.

There aro 325,000 school teachers in the United States, and they are a mighty force, armed •with the rod in ono hand and the epelling-book in the other.

Trafalgar Square, which is just now the subject of so much controversy, was laid out at the expense of the Revenue in ISSt. The Nelson Column was erected by public subscription at the cost of £20,000.

James J. Connell, a stago manager, was instantly killed by an electric current at Robinson'sTheatre,Cincinnati, onDeeember 11. The electric current came down the bell wire when he rung down tlio curtain.

Lieutenant Younglinsband, of tho King's Dragoon Guards, has just arrived iv India, having performed a, remarkable journey. He has travelled from China to Cashmere overland, across Mongolia —a journey which no European has accomplished since the days of Marco Polo.

The Queen has had great success as an exhibitor of fat stock. The Smithfield Show —the largest ever held by the club—has given her six first, one second, and two third prizes, although Her Majesty had but 13 separate exhibits. The Prince of Wales, exhibiting in nine classes, got only one second and one third prize.

The project of the late Sir Janics Matheson, to convert tho island into productive property and to improve the condition of the inhabitants, has fallen through, owing to the indifference and laziness of the crofters. It is now relegated to deer forests. Sir James Matheson spent £280,000 before he abandoned his first idea.

Barnuin,- the showman, lately offered to give " the last thousand dollars 5 ' of a halfmillion subscription for foreign missions under tho auspices of the Universalis Church. But tlio editor of the Universalist suggested that tho offer should bo inverted. " If Mr Barnum wants to bring up the rear, we fear ho will miss being in the procession." Mr Barnum is a very smart man.

A bull-fighter, named Frascuclo, who has been killed in Spain, shared with Lagartijo the honorary title of " first sword of the kingdom of Aragon and Castile;" in other ■words, of champion torero of Spain. He had at least the satisfaction of killing his bull at the same instant that ho received the fatal thrust himself. Ho leaves an immense fortune. His regular fee for evenevent in which he took part was £SOO, and the presents which ho received on each occasion may be estimated at at least as much more. Tho Comte do Paris is first cousin to tho King of the Belgians, first cousin to the reigning Prince of Bulgaria, first cousin to aprince who will probably be one day Em-peror-Con sort of Brazil, husband of one Infanta of Spain, nephew by marriage to another, first cousin to an Austrian Archduchess, nephew by marriage to an uncle of the bite Prince Consort, nephew by marriage to a sister of the Emperor of Brazil, father-in-law to tho future lung of Portugal, and nncle by marriage to a Prince of Denmark.

During a performance of "Article 47" by Miss Clara Morris, at the Grand Opera House, Washington, on December 1-5, Miss Annie Hortoti, great granddaughter of John C. Calhoun, became violently insane. Some fivo or six years ago the young woman, who is an employe in the Post-office department, fired several shots at George Morgan, to whom she was engaged to be married, and the scene in the play where Cora is shot by Duharnel recalled, it is supposed, this circumstance to vividly that, Miss Ilbrton's mind became unbalanced.

The Liverpool Jubilee Exhibition has resulted in a loss of JC.">O,OOO. The Manchester Exhibition killed its chance. After allowing ±1.5,000 for the sale of the buildings, tlie guarantors at Liverpool have been asked to make up the deficiency—£3-5,000 ' It is understood that the Manchester scheme will show a splendid profit, and that most of it will go to a great series of technical institutions which is likely to spring from the generous offer of the trustees of Sir J. Whitworth (the ordnance engineer) to give tlie city a splendid site and nn endowment fund.

A number of very valuable presents are pouring in upon the Pope out of compliment to his jubilee. The Emperor William has sent him a mitre, studded with gems, worth £800, and the Empress of Germany has spent £1200 on a rich set of mass robes for His Holiness. The Queen of Saxony has presented a beautiful bowl of china fur l'eau beuit, and £200 in gold, and the Prince Regent of Bavaria has given a pair of stained glass windows. Presents flow from all parts of the globe, and an exhibition of what is received would prove highly attractive.

Germany already possesses compulsory accident and sickness insurance laws for the working classes, and now the text has been published of the long-expected measure for the insurance of work people of all classes agaiust want through old age or chronic incapacity, (.liters undlnvalidtii-renichrrnnrr der Arbeiter). This measure may be regarded as the most revolutionary of all modern social measures. It applies to some 12,000,000 persons. The object is to provide against incapacity through old age, sickness, and accidents which are not covered by tho existing law.

Tho prize of ±100 offered by Messrs Anthony Hordern and Sons, Sydney, for the public school boy who should gain the greatest number of marks at tho recent University examinations, has been won byMaster Daniel Levy, 14, a pupil at the Crown-street public school. Mr Banks, the headmaster, has also been awarded a gold medal for training tho cleverest pupil in tho colony. Master Levy is tlie child of Jewish parents, who aro stated to be in somewhat poor circumstances. The boy is spoken of by the teachers at thn Crown-street school as an " intellectual phenomenon."

Among the Siamese about six weeks, including parts of March and April, are annually given up almost wholly to worship, much of which consists in efforts to propitiate spirit.-;. 'The spirit of the river next each village, and on which most of the local traffic is carried on, is propitiated by a floral offering. Tiny boats, curried to the water's edgo, arc- filled with tlio choicest flowers, and tapers aro airangcd among them by which to illuminate the little barks. At an hour after dark a signal is given, and simultaneously thousands' of these little boats aro launched and go sailing down the stream.

The London correspondent of the Freeman's journal says : —"I have just heard particulars of a curious and remarkable breach of promise case, in connection with which proceedings have already begun. The plaintiff is a constable in the mounted forces of the Royal Irish Constabulary, and the defendant is the daughter of a high colonial official. How or where they met lam not in a position to say ; but the gallant pooler seems to havo made a complete conquest of the young lady's heart, aud they were to havo been married not very long ago. Some meddlesome relation, however, interfered, and tlie young affections of tbo confiding constable were .suddenly blighted by the intelligence that all was off between them. He now wants material compensation for the injury he has sustained.''

Lord Salisbury's health gave rise to much anxiety about a year ago or less ; but he has been completely restored, us far as appearances go, by a course of waters at Ryy.il, in Auvergnc. Royut is now one of the most esteemed baths in Europe. Some years ago to be ordered there was worse than being convicted under the Crimes Act —for in that ease you have an appeal, and your partisans accompany you to gaol with bands ami banners ; but owing to tbo number of great and clean people who are congregated there, the society has become as good and interesting as that of Custom or Carlsbad. It is well known that lust year Sir Charles Dilke, Sir James Haunen, and two other of tho principal actors in the great Crawford divorce case, all found themselves seated together in the waitingroom of the same consultant at Eovat.

The Madrid correspondent of the Daily Chronicle has drawn attention to a remarkable phase of religious fanaticism in the village of Tolox, in tho province of Malaga. The devotees of the religion took it into their heads, or rather were led to believe by their leader, a woman who declared herself a prophetess, that the highest form of religion was to conduct Die mundane affairs of this life in the garb of Adam and Eve before tho Fall. Another portion of their doctrine was to inflict upon themselves wounds in the hands, breast, aud feet, such as aro shown in tho representations of tbo crucifixion. They also burned all, or nearly all, their worldly possessions, in the belief that a higher power would provide them with food. Tlie Government felt called upon to interfere, and a number of the leaders of

this strange sect have been put upon their trial.

A niosb wonderful invention (says the St. James's Gazette) is reported from Vienna. An Austrian engineer has, it is said, designed a truck to run before every railway train, being maintained always at a fixed, but adjustable, distance in front by tbe force of an electric current transmitted along the metals from a dynamo on the engine. The?current is conducted through mercury contained in glass tubes on the pilot truck. If, therefore, the truck comes into collision the tubes are broken and the contact consequently destroyed. The interruption of the current" instantly and automatically applies the breaks on the following train. It is claimed by the inventor that two expresses, fitted with this system, might with impunity bo sot to run full tilt at each other. The collision of their pilottrucks would arrest the progress of both trains before they could meet. The element of human fallibility is accordingly entirely eliminated, and drivers may dash through a whole series of danger-signals without risk, being automatically arrested the moment they roach the spot that is really dangerous.

Hero is tho experience of an anxious young married couple with their first baby, who certainly deserve sympathy, and who, it is to bo hoped, will iii due time learn that two-thirds at least of the reports of " what the doctors say " in newspapers was never said by any doctor who possessed common sense.' " ' Oh, Charles,' said my wife the other day," writes the husband, " ' here is a German physician who says that babies should never sleep on their right side ; and yon know I always lay Tommy down in that position V "Well, well,' I said consolingly, 'it evidently hasn't hurt him ranch. He is tho picture of health." ' Oh, you can't tell by that how he has felt I He may have suffered terribly.' The next day I read in ono of our prized ' Infant Columns,' ' A baby should always be put to sleep on its right side, as the pressure on tho heart is thus relieved.' "Here,' I said, 'we must go back to the old way !' and baby was turned accordingly. Within twenty-four hours my wife came hurrying to me," newspaper in hand. 'Charles, how ignorant wo are I Wo certainly don't deserve such a treasure as our baby. Here we have been malting Tommy sleep first on one side and then on the other, when I have just read that a baby should always lio on its buck, as digestion is thus greatly assisted. No wonder the little darling "is restless.' So Tommy was turned over on his back, and thero he lay, till one morning I picked up a magazine and read, ' It may not be generally known that the most healthful position a baby can be placed in for a nap is fiat on his stomach. Many children sutler greatly from the ignorance of their nurses on this point. ' Now I understand what made baby kick and scream so when we placed him on his back;' and straightway ho was put to bed on his stomach. ' He'll get used to it by-and-bv,' said my wife. ' Raise him a little higher on his pillow.' 'But I have just read that a baby should nover lie on a pillow : it is liable to cause a curvature of the spine.' ' Oh, mercy,' screamed my wife, 'do throw the pillow away!' But that very day we read, ' A rush of blood to the head often results from having a child's head on a level with its body.' ' Bring back that pillow,' I said. ' But I don't want his spine curved,' protested my wife. What shall we do? Tommy seems ns

anxious about it as we are.''