POSTSCRIPTS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 73, 27 March 1931, Page 8

POSTSCRIPTS

6Y PERCY FLAGI

Chronicle and Comment

Tender and informative headlines:— THE PBIMCE AT SEA. PRACTISING SPANISH ON THE VOYAGE. Always the little gentleman. A more plebeian soul would have practised ou the passengers. * * * Kow that the member for Gisborne has publicly declared his intention to "stand right behind the Prime Minister's proposals" few will care bow long the caterwaul on the stonewall will continue. c • • To-day's profound reflection—•with more particular reference to the "mad dogs" of Australian politics— It strikes us that if Labour ceased persistently to press For tho spending of those million* which, alas! we don't possess, Or for living on the interest of the money that we owe, They could help their troubled country; on tho way it ought to go. * * « OUR SEVEN WONDERS. A smallish helping to-day ... but don't forget there's a "stonewall" being erected merely to bo demolished presently. "Baff light" (Lyall Bay) has looked them over, with this result: — (1) The Dominion Museum. (2) The Clyde Quay "Mosque." (3) The Sports Protection League. (4) Speed Cop Morrison. (5) The Good Morning Club. (6) The "A" certificate (recommended for adults). (7) The history of the Bank of NewZealand. "Bockson" constructs a little wall of his own — (1) The liberality of Labour (rrith other people's money). (2) What Mr. Coates will do. (3) How much longer will Mr. Forbes forbear? (4) How much revenue accrues from unemployment tax? (5) The size of the modern, ninepenny nip. (0) The cost of wool as compared with clothing. (7) The date when Mr. Holland becomes Prime Minister. * * * Quite unauthontic telegrams received by Labour's Chief-of-staff on the Pariiat mentary front since the boys went over the edge—that is to say, the top. "The biggest thing since tho World War. Hocb dor Holland." "The World War vas nothing to it. Skito on." "That 1914-18 fizzle has nothing on this. Becommend Dan for putty medal. Ain't he just tho fire-eater." "*Don't quit. Get named rather to ensure further publicity. Here's hoping Forbes impaled on own Bodkin." "It's great. Warn shock troops keep off celery. It makes you sleep. Practice insomnia between hot baths." "To stiffen moral oncourage our heroes to believe themselves (to)----martyrs." "Stupendous. Great War was merely struggle save civilisation. Yours is a, stonewall." "Keep Howard fgunning tho *cutter.'" *Collect wire from the Ambergrii and Beachcombers' Union, Toheroaville. tßunning? * .*. ■ .« ■ ' Presently the wrestling season will be upon us, and the stadium will resound to the histrionics and antics of the mat-men and the roaring of excited "fans." Did you know that all the modern catch-as-catch-can grips and holds date back to 3000 8.C.? There is nothing new under the sun, So that wiseacre, Solomon, said. Even Atmore's ideas, one occasionally; hears, Do not always come out of his head. Now, concerning our mat-men of might— The most versatile wrestlers we »«»t Each, shrewdly planned' hold they «- ploit, we are told, Is as old as 3000 B.C. It's a fact, though it looks like * tale. We have searched in the^files of tha.t • day—. Those vivid inscriptions engraved by; Egyptians In their ancient pictorial way, < It is all disillusioning; still It induces a ghost of a smile To reflect that the grips which bring howls to our lips Were the vogue, long ago, by th» Nile. . There is nothing new under the sun. It's either the old thing or else, Just rank imitation, with some variation, As the sage archaeologist tells. Though modem, we're xeal copy-eats, And that is as true as can. be, For the tricks that Abe plays in the ring nowadays Went big in 3000 B.C. * * * More figures for our lightning calculators and comptometrists. An insurance company has in its Sydney office something approaching a mathematical wonder. He has emerged successfully from some rather startling tests, and entirely without tho aid of pencil and paper. For example: Asked to multiply 4496 by 357S he gave the correct answer in a few seconds. But, that was nothing. Ho recited the 189 times table without turning a hair. Somebody tried him out with 456789 multiplied by 274568 as a sort of aperitif. In less than half a' minute he supplied the answer. Then something a trifle more difficult was put to this "Datas" — 123456759 x 987654321. In less than forty seconds the correct answer came. The gontleman himself then made a suggestion; he was beginning to get tired of just fiddling about. _ Why not ask him something really difficult! So he was asked to answer to 3456789634----219 x 957J3345983743. In less time than it would'take tho average man to add up his wino and spirits bill, this freak had tho figures. He multiplied £67 18s lid by 189 correctly in five seconds. He "gave any power up to the tonth of any single figure or sum of squares or cubes of any number of figures. The last test set him was to ascertain the interest for 63 days on. £128 at 4i per cent. In a fow seconds tho answer was there —238.6 pence. In Hungary there is another man who performs similarly astounding feats of calculation. Their gift has a generic kinship (it is said) to the faculty which enables certain very youthful then players to outplay older and wcfcreaM* Ijr formidable opponents.