POSTSCRIPTS

Evening Post, Issue 12, 14 July 1936, Page 8

POSTSCRIPTS

Chronicle and Comment

Br Percy Flage.

Europe's fundamental error seems to be that in times of peace it did not . prepare for peace. » • *'' . It was a safe bet that febrile France would be alone in smelling something sinister in the Austro-German agreement. |.*~ • ■ , | Wrestling history demonstrates that it is an ominous sign (for the other fellow) to be points ahead of McCready ' at or about the sixth round. A small boy was relating to his parents what he had been told at school about Columbus going thousands ol miles on a galleon. "Don't you believe all you hear about them American cars," retorted paterfamilias. • • « FOR JAY-WALKERS. He who stops . And looks each way ' Will walk again : ! Another day. . CAMOU FLAGE. ♦ * » '. . BRAIN-TEASER. Not so many as usual have discov- ; ered from the facts set down who ■. "bumped off Ed. Perrin, the wealthy •Iplayboy. To date, the successful sleuths ■ are "Miramar," who rang us up on ■ the Sabbath with a triumphant note s in his voice; "Cameraman," who has i sorted out " " for the "hot : squat," T.P.T. (Palmerston North), ■ ■'Herlock Sholmes," "Needle-Eye," ■ "Plain Joe" '(Petone), "Sal Capone," ; "Aiby," Ray Mollison, "F." (Levin), and , three Anons..' whq 'phoned the ans- : wer. One of these last, who has [ a grown-up schoolgirl voice, protested i that it took her a full hour after tea ,on Sunday evening to discover the i miscreant. We placated her by pointing but the mental and ethical value of such exercises, and once more all was , quiet along the Potomac. "Cameraman" has sent in a mystery, p teaser of his own concoction, which, he ; assures us, is a fair and square test. \ We shall see. I WORLD'S HIGHEST WATERFALL.' > Dear .Mr Flage,—ln "Schools' lit notes in your column on Saturday; s night week it was stated that the i* Sutherland Falls were the highest in " the world. In a recent Government ; publication the same falls were de- ■ scribed as the highest known falls in, ; the world. Being a, true blue New, : Zealander, I am naturally proud that Iwe possess something ; so outstanding. I However, another New Zealander who ■ has been fortunate enough—l mean wealthy enough—to visit America, : claims for the Yosemite Falls the dis- , Unction of' being the' highest. in.. the .' ■ world. In support of this claim he has submitted the following figures for ;my edification:—See ' "National Geo- : graphical Magazine," July, 1926, Vol. 50; . (L) No. 1: Sutherland Falls in three : sections 815; 751, and 338 feet. Total 1904 feet. Yosemite Falls (highest . in the world), 2600 feet, its first sec- . tion being over 1500 feet. This rathef makes our Sutherland Falls pale into insignificance, don't you think? Surely there must be an explanation. ! ' Hopefully yours, " ■ LET'S HAVE THE TRUTH. Lower Hutt. Seemingly New Zealand misses th<i "honour" by a narrow margin/ Thai" : matter was referred to the Chief Librarian, Assembly Library, Dr. G. H« Scholefield, who supplies the following figures (from the "World Almanac," 1934, published in New York):— Kukenaam, British Guiana, 2000 ft; Roraima, British Guiana, 1500 ft; Sutherland, New Zealand, 1904 ft; Yosemita (upper) Calif., 1430 ft; Yosemita (lower), Calif., 320 ft; Ribbon, Yosemite, 1612 ft; Tugela, Natal, 1800 ft These' am the highest waterfalls recorded. » * %» A MILE WITH ME. These verses, written by. Dr. Henry van Dyke, are reprinted at the request of "Kiwimoa" (Lower Hutt),. who hopes that their sentiments will appeal U others as they have moved him. O who will walk a mile with, me Along life's merry way? A comrade blithe and full of glee, Who dares to laugh out loud and ifree, ' And let his frolic fancy play, Like a happy child, through tha flowers gay That fill the field and fringe th» way. : Where he walks a mile with me. And who will walk a mile with me Along life's weary way?', A friend whose heart has eyes to see The stars shine out o'er the darkening lea, ■ ■' • And the quiet rest at the end o' the day— A friend who knows, and dares to say The brave sweet words that cheei the way Where he walks a mile with me. With such a comrade, such a friend, C fain would walk till journey's end, Through summer sunshine, winter rain. And then? Farewell, we shall meet again! ■** , * . HARD LUCK RACE STORY, And so, "the tumult and the shout- ; ing dies," and another Trentham Winter Meeting is over. Of course, when tha sports edition came out the races could be run all over again, and after a final inquest on Sunday morning the matter would be dropped—bar settlement with the "bookies" on Black Monday! The next problem for solution will be to pick the winners of the Grand National double. And so it goes on. So many hard luck stories to listen to—■ how'one person backed so and so the first day and "let it go" the second, on which occasion it won and paid £9; how another was put off a "real good thing," etc., etc.! Of course, people never go to the races with the objectof making money—oh dear no! They go because they'"love to see the horses" and "it's a good day's outing anyway"; even if in the course of "seeing the horses" and "having a good day's ous ing" they do lose a few pounds of. their own money and a like amount of the landlord's. But talking of bad luck stories, this is a true one, and takes a lot of beating. Some years ago I took a "treble" on the Christchurch Winter Meeting. If the three selected horses won I was to receive the sum. of £400 for 10s or some equally absurd amount. Two of the chosen duly "came home," and I waited anxiously for the fatal day when the third horse was to "do his stuff." The horse lost— of course, but this is the sequel. In the next day's paper I read that, on the morning of the race, a man had been arrested for attempting to poison the aforesaid horse, and further, that later on in the same day the horse's jockey was fined £10 for "failing to ride the mount out"! Talk of bad luck! "The race is not always to the swift nor the battle to the strong." True—only too true! KAPITI. Devonpovt, Auckland.