WIDE WORLD NEWS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3113, 17 April 1922, Page 7

WIDE WORLD NEWS.

An American wrote to Mr Rudyaxd Kipling ; —“Dear Sir, —I hear that you retail wisdom at the rate of one dollar per word. I enclose on© dollar pleas© send sample.” The famous author’s reply took the form of a post-card, on the back of which appeared the one word, “Thanks!” abov© his signature. After a lapse of some weeks the American wrote again:—“ Dear Sir, I sold your ‘.Thanks’ for two dollars. Enclosed please find 50 cents, being your share of the profits.”

The sale of Mr Perrett’s fine collection of paintings will be held at Messrs Familton and Sons’ rooms to-morrow as advertised, at 2.30 p.m. AH who have not yet been to see them should' not fail to do so, and apart from their artistic excellence they should b© a good investment. Princess Mary chose u real anniversary month for her wedding, for it was on St. Valentine’s Day, 1613, that the first Royal marriage according to the rites of the Church of England took place. The bride was Princess Elizabeth, who married the Elector of Bohemia. She went to the altar wearing a coronet of diamonds and pearls, and her father, James 1., wore jewels reputed to have been worth £600,000. Thirty years later Princess: Mary, daughter of Charles 1., and the youngest bride ever seen at the Chapel Royal, St. James, was married to William, Prince of Orange. Thereafter there was no Royal marriage in Londbn until 1677, when Princess Mary’s son, afterwards William 111., as he promised to endow his: bride with his worldly goods poured out a. fistful of gold and silver upon the open prayer book. The last Princess Mary, who was the daughter of an English King, was the fourth daughter of George 111. Her marriage with the Duke of Gloucester in 1816 was unpopular at Court, and would have been prevented had the bridegroom not been of Royal birth. It turned out, however, a singularly happy one. The Duke possessed all the virtues, but was not blessed with too much brains, and from his habit of keeping his mouth open, went, in his youth, by the name of “Silly Billy.” On one occasion he complained to his tutor that flies persisted in getting into his mouth. “If your Royal Highness would keep your Royal mouth shut the flies wouldn’t get into it” said the tutor. “I never thought of that,” meekly replied the Duke. There is a possibility of another change in the dominance of Europe. The war and its settlement removed Germany from the foremost place, andi while France suffers from a restricted birth rate, there has been a great advance in Italy. While before the war there was in Italy a constantly decreasing population, there has been a remarkable increase in the birth rate and an improvement in the mortality rate. As a result Italy to-day has nearly half a million more inhabitants than. France. The reason for the Italian growth is not ascribed to the customary explanation, that propagation ifei easier, but to improved habits of living. “Betting on football is becoming a curse to the country, and the authorities are determined to do all they can to put a stop to it.” This was. a statement by Mr Herbert Muskett at Marylebone (England) Police Court, when prosecuting James 0. Vincent for using his premises in Harrow road for betting purposes. Counsel said this betting on football matches was prostituting one of our most nqible sports. The magistrate said that, while he could' understand enthusiasm for a horse and possibly for a boating crew, he couldl not understand the excitement of the public over a large Ijody of men who were highly paid, and were hired, as he understood, by companies to play in football teams. Fines amounting to £75 wore imposed on the keeper of the betting liouse, and to £SO in the case of his son for assisting. A new use for aeroplanes was lately found. For several days the islands around Denmark were enclosed by ice, and ships held up off the coast. Aeroplanes were employed to ameliorate the conditions, and one machine dropped food on to the decks of an icebound steamer, Petrolea. Another aeroplane tried to rescue four men who were cut adrift on an ice-floe during an eeling expedition. The machine ascended with a dangling rope:, in the hope of hauling the men aboard, but failed to discover them before dusk.

A drink license was lately sought for what is known as Harrow’s “tuck” shop, a place where meals are served 1 to students of the great English school, hut the Justices refused the application. Formerly the Crown and Anchor public-house, the premises are now owned by the school authorities, and used as a restaurant. Between 300 and 400 meals are served daily, many of the customers having business at theschool. Some of the diners, it was urged for the applicant, required intoxicants, but under no circumstances would - the_ Harrow boys be served with drink if the license- was granted’. The application was opposed by ministers of religion and inhabitants, but supported by a number of the schoolmasters who attended for the purpose. “Is it the duty of a wife to he a competent cook?” This was the question put by Miss Florence Underwood, of the Women’s Freedom League, to a- speaker who, addressing its members, accused the modern wife of inefficiency. “I do not agree that it is the duty of a wife to be competent,” Miss Underwood said subsequently. “If a man wants his wife to be a domestic servant, let him marry a domestic servant by all means. But if he wants any kind of companionship' he must not expect his wife to spend all her time in domestic work. Some men believe themselves to be hampered in their careers by incompetent wives. But what about wives who are hampered in their careers by incompetent husbands?” The superintendent of an English domestic economy school, when appealed to, was enthusiastic about the high domestic efficiency of the modern wife. “The modern woman is efficient from sheer necessity,” he said. “She has few or no servants; she has a hundred outside interests. It takes less time to run a household' well than it does to run it badly. After a series of cookery and housewifery lessons in some up-to-date school, a woman often finds that she can get through her day’s work in half the time it used to take her before she improved her efficiency.” Foi the “bravest deed o<f the year Thomas Brannon, a. young miner, was lately awarded the Stanhope gold medal and £5 by the Royal Humane Society, Brannon is employed at the Netherton Colliery, near Newcastle-on-Tyne, and on November 14, gas having accumulated at the Hall Pit, Nicholas Passmore, the deputy-foreman, was overcome by fumes 40 yards from the entrance. Passmore had gone in to bring out some gear so that the miners might begin work in another part. Brannon was called, and at' once- tried' to rescue Passmore, but- was driven back by the fumes. Although this part of the pit was strange, and quite unlighted, Brannon did not cease his efforts, and Inis perseverance was rewarded at the third attempt, when he dragged 1 his comrade out of the darkness. _ Passmore afterwards recovered. Admiral Sir E. R. Fremantle, who presided 1 at the annual meeting, is himself a holder of the Stanhope medal.