POSTSCRIPTS

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 138, 8 December 1945, Page 6

POSTSCRIPTS

Chronicle and Comment

BY PERCY FLA&E

Adam'was the first"1 man'to advertise the apple. ■::- -::• *" Did you know that Chess club members in Britain before the war numbered more than half a million? *. , •"- - ■-- j; • Victor Hugo: "The first symptom of true love in a man is timidity; in a girl it is boldness." •ie- a « . The doctor's little daughter watched her father testing the heart and lungs of her young brother. At last she said: "Getting any new stations, daddy?" •*:- -::- * SMART JUDGE. Elizabeth Niederberger (34) and Casmer Zyks (44). who were found guilty of disorderly conduct in New York, won't be sentenced until four days before Christmas. "I want to give each of you a sentence as a Christmas present," said the judge' POOR MAN. Lawrence Tibbett: "If you want to learn how to be a singer, Milton, you should try to vocalise with a mouthful of pebbles." , . „ Milton Berle: "I tried that out in the back yard but I got hiccups and broke 14 windows." HOLY SMOKES! The missionary in New Guinea made church-going more attractive to the natives by distributing cigarettes after the service. His church was crowded every Sunday until the shortage of cigarettes began. It was soon deserted. Explained the native head man, "Finish cigarettes—finish Hallelujah!' -;:- -::■ ■» WON'T THEY BRIDLE? Canadian military authorities told London newspapermen they weren t to interview 20 brides leaving for Canada, to avoid outbursts of anger from' 80,000 brides still waiting for passages. , ~ Newspapermen found the Canadian brides at a rest centre, and just had them talking ecstatically when a ser-geant-major arrived and banned further discussion. . _ # . V-PIG DAY. A victory gift of 100 prize sows has been made by W. R. Carpenter and Sons to native villages in New Guinea and New Britain. The pigs were distributed from the steamer Salamaua, which anchored in Simpson Harbour,' Rabaul, for the first time in nearly four years. ' The Salamaua, which has been an Australian troop-carrier, has had her funnel repainted in the company's colours of yellow and blue, which are recognised by natives-throughout the islands. : ' ■' . SHIP HIT MINE. Eighteen hundred Chinese lost their lives when a Chinese steamer struck a stray mine in Pearl Harbour estuary, near Hong Kong. The victims were mainly soldiers who were being taken to Hong Kong from Canton for passage to Manchuria, where they were to help in taking over the province from the Russians. The 650-ton steamer Hoi Chu, in which they were trayelling, struck a mine when it was six hours out of Canton, and sank in 30 minutes. Four motor junks which were in the vicinity picked up 200 survivors, including a number who had been wounded in the explosion of the mine, and brought them into Hong Kong that night. ■::• -::- -::- JAPANESE BOOKS. A greatly increased demand for books printed in the United States and England is anticipated by Kiichi Matsumoto, Director of the Imperial Library of Japan since 1921. Matsumoto requested the Ministry of Education to increase the library's book purchase budget to 350.000 yen, of which he would devote 200,000 to buying books in the English language. The remainder would be used to buy either old, out-of-print Japanese books, or books of other nations. Like the library of Congress in America, the Imperial library received a free cop" of every book printed throughout the country. Matsumoto said also that he would again endeavour to have all library fees removed, in order that even the poorest students' would not be hampered in the pursuit of learning. At present those wishing to study in the library must pay 10 sen per visit, while those privileged to • withdraw books pay a fee of 10 yen each six months. •;:■ -::- * VICTORY. After the sirens ceased and the whistles died People looked at each other; they | stared around. • Dumbly, bewildered: hearing, feeling, ! seeing | Silence falling, utter absence ox sound. All that fury of wild rejoicing pastAll that passionate clamour over and done—• Only silence, clearer and colder than moonlight, Setting and spreading everywhere under the sun. Nowhere a stir of air. no sigh of grassNo wind blew and no bird sang from the tree: ■,■,, It was beautiful, terrible as the worlds ending ~ And the oncomjn^ofEt^ug^^