NEWS AND NOTES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 63, 11 September 1909, Page 12

NEWS AND NOTES.

SLEEPING SICKNESS IN EUROPE.

Occasional cases of sleeping sickness are still reported in Europe. The latest victim is a French priest, who was stricken recently while in the Luxembourg Garden, in Paris. He is a member of the Ordre dv Saint Esprit, a man of middle age, having a robust frame and, until a year or two ago, a fine presence. Five years ago he went out to take charge of* a Roman Catholic mission in West Africa. He made several journeys in the Upper Übangi, and two years ago felt the first symptoms of the sleeping sickness while visiting those parts. He was invalided home and . sought the best treatment. There is another case of sleeping sickness in the latent state in Paris. The patient is Dr. Gustav Marpin, who contracted the disease in West Africa, through, he believes, the bite of a tsetse fly. Returning to Paris about two years ago, he suffered the first symptoms of the disease, being generally in a state of intense lassitude. During the last two years he has undergone the recognised treatment) There 'is said to be very slight hope of an absolute recovery, but thus far lie has escaped' the later symptoms manifested in Father Beauchene.

The cost of old-age pensions in the British Isles from April to Juna was £2,046,000. ■

A plain porringer of the time of Charles 11., dated 1675, weighing 6 2-5 oz, was sold at Christie's recently at £14 per ounce.

Tobacco in Holland is looked on with, so favourable an eye that ministers see no irreverence in smoking a pipe or cigar in church.

As a result of the Royal Naval and Military tournament, £4000 will be available for Service charities. The receipts amounted to £21,323.

Delegates representing 1600 Esperanto clubs and societies in all parts of the world were represented at the Esperanto Congress at the White City.

The Territorials numbered on Ist July 260,676, or 86.3 per cent, of a possible 302,047 ; 98,335 were under twenty, and 62,506 engaged for a year only.

A Chinaman convicted of piracy .at Singapore, and sentenced to death, declared that he would "take his case to the court of the next world."

About half a million specimens of leaves and flowers a month, said Mr. Melvill Beachcroft, are sent round to London day schools for lessons on nature.

At an inquest at Stepney on a woman who died suddenly it was stated that she had been insured by about forty relatives in different insurance companies.

Children in France, as a general rule (says Footwear), are remarkably well shod. Nothing is too good for the youngsters, whose fathers and mothers treat them invariably with indulgent solicitude.

In consequence ojt a strike 'of clergymen at Liengnitz, in Silesia, one of the prisoners in the local' gaol has been authorised to hold the Sunday service there.

It is. neurasthenia (says the British 'Medical Journal) which breeds the almost universal anxiety about health, which is one of the signs of ( the times. This leads to a corresponding prevalence of quackery of every kind.

The members of the Hairdressers' and Barbers' Union of Cork have decided to afford all tho men in Cork City, who are out of work owing to the> strikes and lock-outs, free haircutting and shaving every day of the week, Saturdays excepted. There are about 2000 strikers who are idle.

For a pair of Chinese porcelain beakers, 13fin High, of the Kang-he dynasty, enamelled with peonies, prunus, and chrysanthemums in famille verte on a black ground, £2730 was lately paid at Messrs. ' Christie's rooms.

The baptism of the twin children of Mr. and Mrs. A. Gillingham at Kirkham, near Preston, lately, was attended by the father's twin sisters, who acted as godmothers, and by the mother's twin brothers, who were godfathers.

Amongst the plans recently, passed by the ' Pretoria Town Council werfe :—: — Reek's Rink £5100, and 'the Olympic Rink £3000.

In addressing the students of the St. Martin's Art School, Castle-street, W.C., Sir Hubert yon Herkomer advised them not to let methods come too readily. His best work was often done when he did not car« a straw about it. Certainly all the pictures he had given away were his best.

When the Declaration of Rights .was drawn up and became the law of the land, one of the first propositions therein laid down (writes the Spectator) was the right of Englishmen to bear arms in defence of their liberties." But it is useless for a man to bear arms unless he has been trained to use them.

If .an enterprising firm of European boot Jnanufacturers' started a boot factory in India (says the Shoe and Leatier Record), and worked on correct lines, handsome profits would eventually be earned. Labour is cheap, but native workmen in^ the boot trade have a very great liking for strong drink.

Upon a recommendation coming before the Strand Union guardians that an artificial leg be provided for a patient, a member (Mr. A. Sargeant) remarked that "the unfortunate thing about the supply of artificial appliances for patients is that they sell them." Mr. A. Burden : Surely, he would not sell his leg ! Mr. Sargeant : One fellow sold a nose which we gave him.

Discussing in his annual report the remedies for mental disease, Dr. William Graham, medical superintendent of Belfast District Lunatic Asylum, gives first place to healthy regular work. "It is admitted to-day," he says, "that the best cure of all mind disturbances is digging in the soil. ■' There is something about mother earth which gives steadiness, poise, balance — in a word, health physical and mental." ,

While, as is well known (writes the Rome correspondent of the Morning Leader), the clergy are not allowed to go to theatres, their attendance hitherto at kinematograph entertainments has not been questioned*. However, the Cardinal Vicar has now published the following decree : — "It is among our duties to see that good habits prevail among the clergy and to protect their morality. Having ascertained that members of the regular and secular' clergy attend kinematograph spetacles, many of which offend religion and morality, we informed the Holy Father, who authorised us to remind tie clergy that they may not frequent theatres and that they are particularly ordered not to attend kinematograph exhibitions of any kind. Any clergyman contravening this order will be liable to canonical punishment, including suspension from the celebration of Mass-and the-divino-offices."

An unknown gentleman's offer of twenty-five prizes of 10s each to the tidiest children in London County Council schools was accepted by the Education Committee.

The Town Council refused to give permission to Pagel's Circus to appear at Stellenbosch, Cape Colony, on the grounds that "the people of Stellenbosch were too poor to spend money on circuses."

Manchester County police have instructions to take all drunEen men home when they can ascertain their addresses, instead of locking them up. It may be the cheapest and most comfortable way in the end for both parties, but the policy is open to question.

According to the chief constable of Sunderland, threatened public houses in the lower parts of the town give a pint of beer for 'the price of half a pint, with the object of increasing their turnover of stock in view of compensation.

Lever Bros., of- Sunlight Soap fame, who bought a large piece of ground at Capetown some time ago, state that they will erect a large factory when the duties, freights, and transport charges are placed on a permanent and. sound footing. They are waiting for union to bring this about before they proceed further.

A Paris newspaper announced that M. Chauchard, the late proprietor of the Louvfe, had directed in his will that any one bearing his name should receive £4000. It was with great difficulty that four claimants were persuaded that the statement was a hoax.

At a recent dinner in Biakesley there sat down two grandfathers, three fathers, three sons, two grandsons, and one gTeat grandson all of the name of John Grantham. Four of the John Granthams represented four generations.

The intrusion of a stranger at the Dover Town Council meeting caused an objection to be raised. The intruder, explained, when called upon 'by the Mayor, that he was. "a foreigner who had come to study English ways and manners." He was allowed to remain.

Excavations for the Manchester-Liver-pool Canal, brought to light an interesting oxample of prehistoric art. The antler of a deer was' found at considerable depth, among deposits estimated to be at least a million years old ; and carved on this antler was a clever representation of a human being in a tree, evidently on the prowl for game. The head was elongated' like that of a very large dog; but the calves of the legs (proving that men were distinct from apes even so long ago) were as shapely as those of a modern athlete.

John North East West was the name of a witness at a recent Poplar inquest.

The treasurers of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts have acknowledged the receipt of an anonymous donation of £1000

" The flower of our country, Lord Nelson, got wounded at twelve minutes past one and closed his eyes in midst of victory," wrote James Payley, a sailor on board the Victory at Trafalgar, in a letter which was sold at Messrs. Sotheby's the other week.

According to the Bloemfontein Post, this, is the latest the children bring home from school. They say that an inspector, at a recent inspection, propounded the following queries to an English class : — " How do you spell 'debt?' " and quite several of the kiddies got it right. "Goot," said the bi-lin-guist, "that is one soort 'det' (I must write phonetically here), meaning you owe money to somebody ; now, dere is anoder soort 'det.'" Lamentable ignorance pf the class ; no replies. " Vel, yel, vhat say you when you haf no life in de body? (Testify) d-e-a-d-*pells 'det,' nic?" Shades of Mackintosh. i -

Sir Albert de Rutzen at Bow-street presented a cheque' for £10 to SergeantHerbert Wells, 106 X, in recognition of an act of bravery. It was staffed that on 14th June a man named Abrahams shot himself in the s head, and afterwards ran along the East Indiaroad flourishing a revolver. When the sergeant approached him he threatened to blow out his brains, but the officer seized and overpowered him. ' Sir Albert said the members of the Metropolitan Police Force were always rdady to lay down their lives if necessary in the dischargb of their duty.

Estate of the gross, value of £813, with net personality of £6, has been left by Mr. Charles Hopper, of Croft-on-Lees, Yorks., a well-known antiquarian, who died on 21st January, at the age of 73. Mr. Hopper was for many years employed as an outside porter at the Sunderland office of a northern newspaper, and out of his savings he managed to gather together a large collection.of pictures, which were valued some time before his death at several thousand pounds. He was also a collector of rare books, which are said to have numbered 5000 'volumes. Mr. Hopper was a member of the Northumberland and Durham Antiquarian Society.

Speaking at a luncheon at St. Paul's School on the 7th July on the occasion of the opening of new science buildings by'iLord Curzon, the Bishop of (Manchester said he certainly would not be standing there if it had not been for the munificence of Sli, Paul's School. "iMy father," he added, "was one of those not very uncomomon persons, a poor clergyman with a large family, and ihe certainly could not have sent me to any public school or any university, but in the first place St Pauls opened its doors without any payment, except one shilling paid to the porter of the school; and later I was able, by the munificence of the "Mercers' Company, to proceed to the university without costing my father one single sixpence. I can claim that the whole of my education cost my father one shilling, and I claim it was not a .bad education."

Sir William Ffolkes las been elected president of the King's Lynn Sons of Reffiey, a most exclusive Bocial society, which has been in existence for nearly a century and a half. The members assemble in their tempJe in Reffiey Woods to transact business and to indulge in old English pastimes. Near the temple is a chalybeate spring, the water from which enters largely into the concoction of a wonderful punch which is served at the banquet, and of which the recipe has been kept an inviolable secret by each succeeding president fov over a century.

The first lifeboat is still in existence at Redcar, in Yorkshire. This boat was placed at Redcar in the year 1802, to be used 'as a boat " for saving life in storms- or other dangers to ships " coming into or near the mouth of the Trees. It was built by a shipwright of the neighbouring _ port of Sund-erland from plans of his own invention, and Parliament considered his work so meritorious and advantageous that it voted him a sum of £1200 as a reward for his time, trouble, and ingenuity. This fine old boat did excellent service for over seventy years, and then, owing to the introduction of newer types and better boats, it was placed upon the " retired list," and transferred -to tho shed where it-no w-ie.