MEWS AND NOTES,

Evening Post, Volume LXX, Issue 79, 30 September 1905, Page 12

MEWS AND NOTES,

Honest people (says the New York Outlook) always live within their income ; but there are hundreds and thousands of us who are living beyond our incomes in the ■ matter of time. A sturgeon, caught by a fisherman near Doole, and forwarded, -in accordance! with ancient custom, to the King, was returned Hdth the intimation that His Majesty does not desire to enforce his rights in this rojpeeij. A friend left Mrs. Lncinda Ganson, of oavenport, lowa, £6000, on the condition that sho gave np her religious beliefs and accepted those of another church. She renounced the money. Mrs. Ness, one of the four women in Britain who arp sworn police constables, has just retired from her position at Scarborough. She held it for seven years, tnd in that time had 768 prisoners in her charge. Our schools (says the New York Outlook) are teaching an immense range of subjects, and they are compelled to do so, but, after all, education lies in knowing a few things down al tha roots. , In San Domingo there is a remarkable lalt mountain, a mass of crystalline salt llmo§t four 1 miles long, said to contain nearly 90,000,000 tons, and to be so clear that medium-sized print can be read with ease through a block a foot thick. Will not the women of Society, who have hearty ready to melt at stage pictures of poverty (pertinently asks the Daily News.) recollect that they are causing tragedies in many a family by their laxity in settling bills? In the matter of woman's rights" Abyssinia is far ahead of Europe. The house, and a.ll its contents belong to the wife; and, if the husband offends, she turns him out until he is duly repentant and makes •mends. The generosity of the rich (remarks a tmter in the Sunday Magazine) is seldom, of, the kind to "stagger. humanity," to borrow a phrase of President Kruger, and to apply it in a new connection. But the generosity of the poor is quite another matter. It has in it the heroism of self-sacrifice. Mr. Wilson, the junior surgeon on the Discovery during Captain Scott's Antarctic expedition, states that the taste for alcoholic drinks dropped suddenly when, he and his colleagues entered the ice region, and that the disinclination increased as time went on. The sense of the ideal (says the Westminster Review) is being developed among us, the' horizons of life are becoming more luminous, the field of moral effort is enlarging its borders, we are coining to 'think more worthily, therefore more truly, of God and man. The red cloth worn by the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church has for several centuries been made by a German firm »t Aix-la-Chapelle. The manufacture of this material is said to be carried out in a peculiar and secret way known only to the firm. Tie only law for the poor to obtain justice (writes Anthony Pulbrook ha the Law Magazine) is the law of the Medes «nd Persians, which altereth not. Once tllow any opportunity for avoiding its consequences, and the result will be that the rich litigant will benefit at the expense of his poorer antagonist. A widow who introduced donkeys on to the beach at Sonthport for the use of ■ visitors, and is still known as "The Donkey Queen," has just completed her 101 st 7§ar. She has 152 descendants — three Children, ' 27 grandchildren, 102 greatgrandchildren, and 20 great-great grandchildren. Catherine Alsopp, a. Sheffield washerwoman, lately hanged herself "by a piece of clothes-line on a nail in her bedroom, and at the inquest a piece of sugar-paper on which she had left some wntmg, was read to the jury. It was a copy of the quaint and pathetic epitaph, beginning "Here lies a poor woman who always was tired." The lines, as the expression "hired help" betrays, are of American origin, but well-known though they are, the local papers accepted them as original. The usual verdict of "temporary insanity" was returned. ■ As a naval power Russia -has dropped from third to seventh place, while Japan has risen from seventh to sixth. The naval powers now rank in this order — Great Britain, France, Germany, United States, Italy, Japan, Russia, and Austria. Practically all that Russia has left fe in the Black Sea fleet. Of her nineteen battleships only seven remain; of her eleven coast defence vessels, including smaller battleships and monitors, only seven; of her seven armored cruisers, three; of her twenty other cruisers, fifteen; of her forty-ope torpedo boat dertroyers, thirty-three; of her eighty-live torpedo boats, eighty-two. An unexpected difficulty (writes the Allahabad Pioneer) has cropped up in connection with the movement for taking up the production, of silk in Ceylon. The demand is now almost entirely for ftnpierced cocoons, for the taming out of which it ie necessary to destroy the worm inside. But all life is held sacred in Buddhist beliefs, and the question is how far this will prove an insuperable barrier to the development of the industry. The act of destroying tlie silkworm would be in distinct contravention of the Five .Precepts, , which prohibit the taking even of insect life." Lord Justice Vaughan Williams disapproves of judicial jocosity. He complained of the inordinate length of cases iri modern days, attributable largely to the system of judicature,, which resulted from the issues being absolutely undefined. Counsel talked a great deal, and Judges talked still more, with the result that the case took a long time to try. Talking was supposed to be primarily in the interests of litigants, but every day please lasted meant a heavy fine to one - side or the other. Judges had an audience who naturally laughed at bheir jokes and philosophy, but there should be a limitation to the joking powers of the beneb, especially in criminal cases, for they generally meant a tragedy at home. It was not sufficient excuse to say that jokes did not affect the verdict, because they often did count. A novel idea has been realised in Paris ky M. JLeo Claretie, who, besides being an eminent educationalist, is an ardent idvocate of rendering education attractive. His system of the history of France in dressed dolls is to be placed on public 'Inhibition as an object lesson in its capabilities. Even the prehistoric periods, rhose life can only be known on the testimony of the rocki, are represented. 'Within the pale of history every age is represented by ita leading figures, a« Gaul, pre-Roman, Roman, and Franlrisk Then comes the Crusades, the Englijso wars, the later Middle Ages, the early. modern jperiqdj and go on to the Third / Republic. M. Claretie's ideal of "history" seema curiously euperficial and' spectacular, and would have provoked caustic comment from the author ■of "Sartor- foxaetttJk"

A resident 6-i South Kensington has a canary aged tjwenty-four years and two months. The only sign of age about the bird is that 'its wings ' and tail have dropped, and it is therefore unable to flyup to its perch*. This long-lived bird still resides in the cage in which it was hatched, and only leaves it periodically when it has to be cleaned and whitewashed. Apparently some of the Brtish schoolboys are beginning to "think imperially." At an examination in a Witley school, Surrey, tho lads ( were asked to write their impressions on "Empire." The subject impressed one' youngster as follows: — "England has long been mistress of the seas. She- has not got all the land yet, but she will acquire it by degrees." A woman in Spain has awakened from a trance which is said to have lasted 31 years. She has been under medical observation, it is declared, during all that time. ■ She has now regained her senses, but cannot be persuaded tnat she has slept for years. At a performance of "looping the loop" in Hanover (says Mr. Punch) there was a, praiseworthy innovation. The vehicle containing the artist fell off the track among the audience, injuring many of them, while the performer was scarcely hurt. This is undoubtedly the right way to put a stop to tho demand for these foolish exhibitions. A German physician reports -that the air of the Egyptian desert is about as free from bacterial life as the Polar regions or the high seas. Tubercle bacilli are killed when exposed six hours in the sunlight. He considers the desert especially suitable for rheumatics and patients suffering from kidney diseases and tuberculosis. The American institution of, the "bee" is little known in England, and when the experiment is resorted to it attracts comment. Thus," we read: — -"In order to prevent any addition to the cost of a new chapel near Basingstoke, a gang of amateur navvies removed 77 tons of soil from the approach of the, building to a neighbouring field. The workers included the minister, a farmer, a newspaper proprietor, a reporter, 'and members of the chapel choir." The love of landscape (says a "writer in The Times), the recognition of the swewt faces and voices of the countryside, is n sentiment that has always tinged the spirit of man, because the impact of natnre on our. lives is too immediate, too continuous to be ignoied. No one can travel from birth to death in such mental concentration as to be unconscious oi the wind and the ruin. Along the Columbia Biver a kind of bread is made by the Indians from a moss tHat grows on the spruce fir tree. This moss is prepared by placing U in heaps, sprinkling it with water,' and permitting it to ferment. Then it is' rolled ' into bails as big at a man's head, and these are baked in pits According to a Parliamentary return, the taxation on all lands of food and drink, excluding corn, in the past 20 years, has amounted to £800,000,000. In 1886 the customs and exoise duties were 17s per head of the population ; now they are £1 4s 2d per head. The following is Sir Wilfrid Lawsou's latest anecdote. Two of the unemployed were discussing the banquet in Westminster Hall at which the officers oj) the French fleet were the. guests of parliament. "I say, Bill," one asked, "what's this yere ententy cordiyal they talk about?" "Don't know. I'fancy it's one of them durned teetotal drinks." The Russian soldier is probably more heavily burdened than any other. A foot soldier in the aimy of the Tsar carries over 681b. The weight borne by the foot soldiers of the other principal European nations are said to be as follow : — French, 62ib; British, 621b; German, 611b; Swiss, 591b; Austrian, 471b; Italian, 431b. At the little town of Wadebridge, Cornwall, there is a bridge of a unique character. Owing to the strength of the cur- ; rent, ordinary stone foundations would not hold, and numerous devices were tried without success. Eventually bags of wool were sunk in the stream and the piles driven in, and this strange founda- ' tion has proved wonderfully firm and satisfactory. Tho Rev. Mr. Sibree, oi) Apia, in a recent letter to Mr. T. Pratt, financial agent of the London ■ Missionary Society in Sydney, states that the new' vokano at Savaii was at the time of writing still in active eruption, flames and smoke being distinctly visible at Apia, forty miles away. It was feared that there had been considerable loss of life. A singular instance of Tibetan superstition came to light when tho -treaty between Tibet and Great Britain was drawn up. The powers of Lhassa refused to ' sign the first draft of the treaty because I ty covered several sheets of paper, so the treaty had to be engrossed on one huge 6heet. The Orientals thought it would bring them bad luck if they put their names to anything which covered more than one page. The following official figures have been issued by the French Customs Depart- ' meat: — Tho imports for the first seven months of 1905 amounted in value to 2,731,171,000 ft (£109,246,840), as against 2,659,822,000f. (£106,392,880) for the same period of 1904, and the exports to 2,b04,673,000f. (£105,386,920), as compared with 2,496,139,000f. (£99,845,560) during the corresponding period last year. Lord Halsbury has just completed the tenth year of his third' 1 term of office as Lord Chancellor. He has filled tho office of Lord Chancellor longer J;han any since Lord Eldon; he is the exception to the rule that no criminal lawyer ever reaches the woolsack, and his emoluments from the public purse have reached. the vast sum of £160,000, with the- promise of more under tho Government that won't resign. The cheapness of human life in the United States is one of the conditions which strike the British visitor with painful surprise. Thus, an American contemporary remarks : — "American railroads have six employees for every milo oil tracic, and the British roads have twentyeight. This may be one reason for the almost utter absence of fatal accidents on British roads as compared with the frightful slaughter that has for years been evident on our American roads." The following extract from the report of the New South Wales Railway Commissioners for, year ended 30th June, 1905, is gratifying : —"We are pleased to be able to state that, by the continued introduction of safety appliances, and the exercise of cure on tho part of the staff, 35,158,150 passengers were carried during the year without any train accident resulting in loss of life." A certain old family physician (says an English paper) never tires of proclaiming the virtues of a glass of cold water taken when waking in the morning. "Many people, "^."ne remarks, "avoid drinking water a's though it- were poison, although ■ftfthout it no ono can be properly healthy. When taken early in the morning 'it has a cleansing and bracing effect on the system, while its beneficial effects on the liver can hardly be exaggerated."

In "Tho Damnation of Theron Ware," by Harold Frederic, published in 1896, one of the characters is made to say : "The Qhinaman has the patience to live everything down — the Caucasian races included. He will see us all to bed, will that gentleman with the pig-tail !" Somebody interested in such matters has compiled an interesting table, of statistics of the number of stamps of all countries issued during the past sixty years. From this statement it appears that tho collector who 'would have' an absolutely perfect collection must possess 19,242 different stamps. Of these, the Republic of San Salvador ihas moro issues to 'its credit than any other country. The number up to 30th June was 451. Oceania has 1425 varieties, Asia 3628, Africa. 4005, Europe 4089, and America 6095. ¥ "Rain cures" are the latest American invention. Messages from Austin, Texas, describe a large number of alleged "rain cures." All that is required of the patient is that lie shall stand in the open air with his body bare of all clothing and let the falling rain pour on him. For nervous disorders ' and rheumatism, the treatment is described as infallible, and many chronic diseases are mentioned as yielding when other means failed. One sharp downpour of rain, followed by a good rubbing-down, has cured scores of cases of obstinate colds. . To the statement sometimes made that excessive eating is a greater social evil than drunkenness the London Daily News replies: — "No man rises from too good a dinner to murder his wife. Not even lobster-salad in excessive doses has ever been )mown to make a man mad. Tlie craving for ten times as much) food as a sane body requires does not drive men into crime, nor does the knife and fork like the tankard, briug ruin and disgrace on a man's dependants vmi relatives. Let us by all means ' beware of the intemperance of over-eating, but despite their friends, the products of the brewer and distiller is the dragon that is devouring the nation." A man of seventy-five named Clarence How, but better known as "Old Charlie," lately died from senile decay in the Masterton Hospital. He was well-connected, and his father was tthe originator of the publishing firm of How and Co. He lived, a solitary life in a little cottage near the Waipoua river. He was of an extremely independent disposition, and though for some time he was not fit to be alone, and on more than one occasion collapsed in the street from physical weakness, he steadfastly refused to go to any charitable institution, and when at last he was taken to the hospital ft was much against his wilL With the opening of the seaside season, the Daily News draws attention to an over-preecnt danger :—"lt: — "It is wise to take for granted that wherever there are sands there is also broken glass, and mako provision accordingly. Pieces of smashed bottle may bo found lying in wait for paddling children, and may inflict unpleasant injuries. It would not be amiss if an example could be made of such as are saJsh and careless enough to use the sands as a dustbin." Want of thought— a carelessness almost criminal — is at the root of the evil. In some of the Wellington schools special instruction is given as to the responsibilities connected with banana-peel acd broken glass. Writing of the agricultural crisis in Spain, The Times correspondent says, under date 13lh August: In many districts the farm-laboureis are seizing flotka of sheep by night, which they kill and eat. - The authorities are poweness to j prevent the depredations. When any I arr^ts are made all the peasants in the '< neighbourhood hurry to" the" police 'ahd I declare that they are all equally guilty. In fact, all are eager to go to prison, and the lucky ones detained express their joy at the prospect of being someuiiere where they will at least have food. The twenty-third annual report of tho Scottish Fishery Board (says the Westminster Gasette) gives the lobster an en- ' tirely bad character. It is an essentially ] surly, suspicious, and unsociable creature, which regards anything that comes near it_ as a foe. The main motive of ita activity is defence, and in defending itself a blind unrelenting vengeance is a I fitting corollary. It procures a hole in which to wait for its prey, and to which to retire after a fight, and then it is unsafe tor any animal to approach it. The figihting tendency makes it difficult to keep lobsters in confinement. When once they have settled down, however, they will live at peace with one another, but it is only an armed neutrality. The report of the Select Committee on the agreement between tho National Telephone Company and the British Post-master-General was issued on Ist August. It recommends Chat, with certain modij fications and provisions urged by the committee, in the general public interest the agreement should be approved by the House of Commons. If this approval be given the agreement was to come into force on 31st August, and the transference of the National Telephone service to the Stale will take place on tho last day of the year 1911. The interests of I the staff are protected, so that no officer will find himself under the new control in a worse position than on 2nd February, 1905. One cannot help (says the Westminster Gazette) sympathising with the gentleman who last week was the victim of tihe truth embodied in in vino veritas. One William Nelson was found lying drunk in the street and taken by tho police to the police-station. On 'being offered food he refused it, saying that he had just had some. A little later, when brought out of the cell, he most incautiously, as it proved, said, "This ' will be another twelve months for me." The Inspector said, "What— for being drunk?" Nelson replied, "Oh, I thought it was for housebreakiug." Whereupon, as may be imagined, the police made enquiries, and found that tho Victoria Hotel had been broken into and food and spirits taken. Indeed, the miserably truthful Nelson, on being charged with having committed the offence, admitted he had dono it. It is not always well to anticipate, or at all events assume, the worst. Trentham Hall, the beautiful Staffordshire seat of tlie Duk« of Sutherland which lies on the borders of the Potteries, is to be closed, at least for a time. In a letter to the Earl of Dartmouth, Chairman of the Staffordshire Countj Council, the Duke states that owing to the pollution by sewage of Iho Trent ho is forced to the conclusion that Trentham i 3 a ruined residence, and that he has no choice but to close the hall where hia family has. resided for so long a^ period. The Stoke-on-Trent Corporation having taken no- steps to check tho dischargo of the sewage of the borough into the Trent, hi» Grace's solicitors havo been instructed to take legal proceedings against the Corporation. The nqws of the proposal 'to close Trentham Hall has been received with deep -regret throughout Nortfli Staffordshire, where the Duke and Duchess have dono much splendid philanthropic work. The great paik and charming woods at Trentham havt always .been open to the public as pleasure nnd recreation grounds.