FAR AND NEAR.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12662, 23 January 1904, Page 3 (Supplement)

FAR AND NEAR.

THE TREATING HABIT. Lord Alverstone presided over meeting in England in ai the Semi-teetotal Pledge Associalior spoke highly of its aims. Th innoci’rit hahil of goo which was at the hottoi one another, had her root of the of hundreds of young men and. he wa of young women. He nstiall out, early in the morning, and ha heen grieved to see between half-p.-u six anil a ipiarter to eight how man working men and women went into th pnhlie-lmnses to take (heir "nip." At the same meeting Archdeacon .Sin elair mentioned, as an example u nipping, the diary of a Scotch simp herd:—Sunday; Up the mornin , at six-a dram (whisky). Went on | to see the sheep—a dram. Came horn K to breakfast—a dram, hooked round th ■ house—a dram. Washed and dressei B for ehurrh a dram. Took a brand’ before going to kirk, lest I chouhl soiei ■ of whisky in the house of the hord! ■ THE f'TRST ENGLISHMAN IN ■ I.HASSA. W The only Englishman who has evei I visited Lhassa and seen the Dalai Lam: I is Thomas Manning. son of the Rev I Wiliam Manning, rector of Hiss, in Nor 1 folk. Manning w;i« of Cains College. Cambridge, a friend of I’urson and Charles Lamb, and the author of small works on arithmetic and algebra, published in 1796/ He was in France when the war broke out. and all the English tourists were arrested, in 1803. hut was allowed to go on account of his scientific attainments. His passport was, in fart, the only one that Napoleon signed for an .Englishman after the war began. lit order to eipiip himself for his Thibetan expedition he spent some Pin 1 factory at Canton, learning le. yfe got to Lhassa, and stayed f’>r some months; but learning lie Chinese Emperor had sent for ad. he departed in a hurry. He sards went to Pekin as Chinese refer to Lord Amherst’s Embassy. APPLES FROM CANADA. Canada is outstripping her American competitor in the apple export business. The agents of the Dominion have been located in various parts of England during recent years, watching the demand and sales. This Christmas (says a London paper) the American apple shippers realise for the first time the serious nature of the competition they have to face in the British fruit-markets. Today there are ipn'te 500,000 bushels of Canadian apples in slock in the United Kingdom. In additiofi the supplies weekly run from 50.000 to 100.000 bushels. Thanks to Canada, there will be no scarcity of high-quality dessert apples during the festive season. BREADTH OF MINT). King Edward has again given evidence of his breadth of mind in religious tuilding a chapel on his ’States in Norfolk for the mitive Methodists of Heave hitherto been obliged i rough temporary struen a field. This'has led i the Church of England nsists that the King in Is for Methodist worship s obligations as head of England, which he has :ain. He will probably, is little attention to these the late Queen Victoria ssaik-d by the same newsIding the Presbyterian at Craithie, near BalCurzon, in his official ;eroy. that is to say. the of the King in India, further, hawing liberally die restoration of several >s used for Mahometan ISTEB'S SERVANT, girl problem is one that solution, but here and o public view a man of o meets it and survives, Among this select few v, Francis C. Blackiston, ninister of New Jersey, he eternal question arose, ime noisy and abusive, ner of anil there i fair prospecVof adoniestat promised to shatter a llaekiston, however, was ■ emergency. According to tn« "Jew Vork Evening Post” he calmly took his shotgun and went into the kitchen to argue tho matter at issue. When hauled to court, the minister testified that he had never intended I to use the gun, and only took it to the kitchen for the sake of its moral effect. Maid he: "I had to make my 1 home safe. Let each of you” (addressing I the jury) "imagine himself forced to contend with a bail, threatening, and | abusive woman- Knowing that my pun word* serve to ‘bluff’ her. 1 took ■t with me. Wouldn’t yon. every one of yon, have done the same thing';” The jurors were sympathetic, memories of domestic disturbances crowded round them, and the minister was promptly acquitted of the charge of assaultTHE "TRUST” AT ITS BEST. There is much that is worth study in an article on "The Progress of Temperance” contributed to "Macmillan’s Magazine." by Mr R. E, Macnaghten (says a London paper). For the moment the squabbles of publicans and their would-be exterminators have been shelved. For ourselves we have no wish to confound the publican, who is often a most eitimahle tradesman, with the sinner, or to see the machinery of legislation turned to an unjust use on the principle of doing evil that good may come. But the wider question of Tern Ks Reform is one that must he ed if the vitality of the nation espond to tho calls made upon icse crowded years. Any contrite the discussion that helps to ic way for wise reform deserves isirleration of all who have the ts of the community at heart, enlighten focusses attention upon I one or two salient points. He is wholly In favour of the application of the <jOthenluug system to England as the i best and only hope of salvation. He ■ points out the fallacy of girding at the i profit which is aimed at by Trusts, of ] which the object is to get rid of the incentive of profit as an encouragement in the sale of intoxicating liquors. As Mr Macnaghten says, the small profit which is sought, and not always earned, by these Temperance Trust Public Houses, must be regarded as "nothing more or less than an insurance against the margin of possible loss.” The world is not full of pure philanthropists. But it is moderately full of persons who are quite willing to hack these excellent . schemes with a portion of their capital so long as they can see a reasonable \ security for their money. Their object is not to earn high dividends for themselves. They are content with a very i modest rate of interest, more modest than they might expect from an enter- > prise less benevolent and more commercial. Bui they cannot and will not afford to run the risk of incurring losses ■ for tho sake of an ideal. Hence the . necessity for endeavouring to secure a profit as an insurance margin, since tin-co-operation of the whole community b a most, desirable, even a necessary complement to the spread and success of the Trust system. Ry arguments such as these .Mr Macnaghten seems to entertain a hope of reconciling the convinced teetotallers to the idea of a ; Pnhlie House Trust on Gothenburgian lines. Here ho is. we fear, on optimist. There is no heavier obstacle in the way of Temperance Reform than the bitter disagreement of those who. while pur- - suing their own policy of total prohibits I or less whole-hearted reforms, are unable to form a Coalition Ministry to secure a common object—the lessening of the drink evil. i PELEE OBELISK GONE, j o n c extremely unique effect of the 1 latest outbreak of volcanic force on the ■ island of Martinique (says the “New York Tribune'*) was tho development 'last winter and spring of a vertical shaft risilfg one thousand feet from the •. summit of I’elee. Scarcely less wonder:ful to the disappearance of that shaft daring the lost summer. Professor E. I <y Hovey. of this city, tells the story itrieffy in the lasf number of "Science.” ""Between the end of April and the early fclrt of ’Aptfust the obelisk underwent alterations in height. The HHKLjiaJitft was by no means regular. had amounted to a hundred BT feet there was a recovery to half that ■ extant. Other less conspicuous gains followed later losses. Most of the movements were- slow, but between July 5 and 7 there was a shortening H which amounted to about one hundred H mill sixty feet. The total diminution H jn. height does not seem to have exceeded its hundred feet, hut as the cone out | By nt which the shaft protruded had inBy creased its elevation fully four hundred 1 in the mean time, the column dis-j ■©'appeared from view, A second spine, K'OTtOdib/ reaching above the dome, was' B| on September 8, and within a ■Ji.weefc it grew twenty metres. For a Wm,i to looked* m if fast winter’s perKlimHem Wto be paralleled, fhat BnlJivpa was disappointed, however. On Met sbMt, sod so further reference

narrative. which conics down to the opening of < Holier.

Concerning the, method by which a column twice as high as the Washington Monument could he erected on the t summit of a volcano one has difficulty I m reaching a satisfactory conjecture. Possibly the task would he easier if ’, Pelee produced lava, but it does not. j The only materials ejected since its l activity was renewed eighteen months ( ago are dust, small rocks, steam and I gas. Rivers of mud have flowed down ( *l» sides, but these are supplied by a r mixture, of two of the substances just I mentioned. Could the obelisk have been manufactured out of molten rock ' half a century ago, or at a still earlier period, and remained like a loose plug m one of the passages opening into the main crater? The suggestion does not seem credible. It would also he curious to know how far below the . visible top of the mountain the lower part of the shaft extended. Again, was it not odd that the slender mass remained in a vertical position? How was it kept there? Within the lasi few weeks a striking contrast to the general type of volcano to which Pelee belongs has been afforded by the eruption of Manna Loa. The Hawaiian cone discharges lava in enormous quantities, but makes little ado over it. Whether the chimney through which that fluid comes up from the earth’s interior he exceptionally broad ami straight, it is impossible to tell. It is safe to say that the comparative serenity of the outpouring is due in part to the fact that little water is encountered on the way to the surface. The sudden conversion of that fluid into steam when it meets molten rock would result in an explosion like that of dynamitic Some incident of that sort, no doubt, explains the violence with which Pelee occasionally shoots dust and steam to a height of four or live miles aliove its summit. Interesting as is the general dissimiliarity between volcanic action in the two regions, it furnishes no clue to the mystery under consideration. It is no easier to guess how an obelisk could be formed in Hawaii than in Martinique. MEN’S CLOTHES. Commenting on the fall styles in men’s clothes displayed at the Horse Show, a well-informed writer in the “New York Times” says: Never have so many colored and fancy waistcoats been worn. The patterns, however, even for a Horse Show, were not very loud. The allround turndown collar was a favourite style in neckwear, used even with frock coat and afternoon dress. Reginald G. Vanderbilt wears very deep collars of this kind, and full scarfs of black or some dark shade, pulled and fastened by a small tie pin set with pearls. Alfred Vanderbilt appeared, immaculately dressed, every afternoon, with frock coat, slate-colored trousers, gray and brown figured waistcoat, top hat. and dark four-in-hand tie. The four-in-hands ! art- much wider than in previous years. Red ies were generally worn. Many of those were putted Ascots or wide four-in-hand. That shade of red known as cardinal was the favourite. Ties of tliis Wind were worn by Robert L. Gerry, Frank Otis, Austin Gray, and Arthur Burden. James Henry Smith has brought some rather striking clothes form England. He has a tan covert coat with large buttons which is decidedly horsey. He affects brown spats in the afternoon and large-checked trousers. He also wears one of the morning coats which are becoming very popular. Thev are built on tlie cutaway pattern, but the skirts are long, with flap pockets. A very exaggerated style of this same garment has been worn by E. Berry Wall. The coat belonged to a suit of the same color and pattern. It was light gray, and butt- . mud quite high in the neck. Mr Wall still sticks to the poke collar, which lias not been adopted in New York. “For the afternoon a number of men are wearing, with slack or lounge tweed or home-spun suits, brown derby hats. These are English importations. 1 the crown is very high and beiled, and I there is hut little brim. Harry Syihes 1 Lehr wore one of these hats with a i grayish-brown suit, and Elisha Dyer, Jr., also had another of the same kind. Ihe top hats are of two varieties. Reginald Vanderbilt and men whose i faces are round and rather full wear the 1 curling brim. Alfred Vanderbilt sticks ; to the straight up and down hat with J scarcely any brim whatever. This hat c has been popular with the King of Eng- i land. In evening clothes, the coats are • made with very long tails, reaching I quite full and spread out a bit like the I I caudal appendage of a raven. Some are I below tile bend of the knee. These are 1 cut square and others are rounded. White waistcoats are very much worn i with evening clothes. They are single- i breasted, cut low. in modified U-shape. i A number of men wore gold buttons on I their white waistcoats. The white , srpiaro tie and standing collar are seen 1 with evening clothes. Very few winged 1 collars are worn-" ,

In England, there is a marked development in the fashion of wearing jewelbuy with evening dress. The Xew York “Herald’s” London correspondent says: “It is no longer correct to sav that no gentleman would ever think of wearing anything but mother-of-pearl or plain gold stud links in an evening shirt." He adds: "Enamels are being very much used for these adjuncts of evening dress, and when lightly treated arc certainly very beautiful. For waistcoat buttons, links and studs of pale rose enamel on gold, with a raised resign in the centre, in brilliants, are now made. Another design is a set of studs made by white enamel in sexagon form, outlined with diamonds, and the effect of the shirt front is extremely good, giving the appearance of diamonds only and causing people to wonder how they are fitted to the shirt. Single studs are not exactly so much worn as formerly, and perhaps two studs are more fashionable than three, though it is purely a matter of taste. The very latest design for studs and links is bright crimson enamel, with Louis the Sixteenth lattice work of diamonds in platinum over enamel. White waistcoat buttons are nearly always fancied nowadays. Though some men still prefer plain mother-of-pearl, lately a tendency has come in to have these pearl buttons outlined with platinum or plain gold and studded with cither a diamond or a coloured jewel. They occasionally are made of onyx, with a diamond in the centre, and these look well even with a black waistcoat. But the smartest men of the day not infrequently are seen with waistcoat buttons matching their studs and links. In the matter of even-ing-dress ties one particular pattern is all the rage just now. It is a modification of the old batswing shape, the knot being very small, but the ends not so broad as they were in the batswing variety.” BELL’S TETRAHEDRAL KITE. The plan which Alexander Graham Bell has in mind for solving the problem of aerial navigation was described by him a few weeks ago in “The National' Geographic Magazine.” That account is now supplemented in the pages of "The Popular Science Monthly” with further details by Gilbert H. Grosvenor. Although much work yet remains to be done before the demonstration can be considered complete and satisfactory, the additional details which are now supplied strengthen the favourable impression made by Professor Bell’s earlier experiments and his theories.

For lifting power Professor Bell relies upon a kite of his own design. I’ntil recently the most efficient instrument of that kind was the one designed by Hargrave. This was known as the box kite, and has been highly serviceable to meteorologists in sounding the upper air. It has been pointed out, however, by Professor Newcomb that that model is unavailable for a flying machine. It will carry light loads, but is unsuited to heavy ones, no matter how great the enlargement. The difficulty is that the weight increases with size much more rapidly than does buoyancy. The bigger the kite, then, the more useless it becomes relatively. By adopting a cell of an entirely different form it made possible to multiply dimensions almost indefinitely and to secure a proportionate gain in efficiency. That much the public knew late last summer in a general way, but Mr Grosvenor is now able to give a striking illustration of the fact. With a box k : te. or even a series of them flown tandem, it has rarely been practicable to raise the string to a greater angle with sea level than 40 or SO degrees. The tetrahedral kite lifts it up almost straight, its angle with a horizontal line usually amounting to 80 degrees. Moreover, the Bell kite is said to preserve its equilibrium to a remarkable degree in squalls—certainly a valuable trait if anything is ever done with it. In at least one particular the tests with the new design have gone further than those of the Bangley machine. From the beginning of his experiments the inventor of the latter has had misgivings about the operation of launching. Nearly all of his models disappointed him at that stage of his experiments, and the failure of his full grown airship a month or j two ago was officially attributed to some fault of the device which was | to give it a start. Now. while Pro- ! lessor Bell did not imperil any one’s life or soundness of limb, he has managed to send up a kite that was capable of sustaining the combined , weight of n man and an engine. The fabric was first made to rest upright ■ upon three light boats, parallel with > each other, and the latter were secured i ' i ,\ > : ■

e to the former so as to constitute parts lof the airship. It was then an easy a, matter to set the thing afloat on the . surface of the water; and when a e steamer, taking it in tow, acquired a 1 1 speed of twelve or fifteen miles an . hour, up went the kite steadily and f gracefully. ■ Wheels, running on land, . might have been substituted for the 3 boats, and perhaps these will prove s more convenient when propulsion is ef--1 fected by screws thrusting against the i air behind instead of towing. Howi. ever, Professor Belt, has already rei corded at least one successful launch i of a large craft. : In outward appearance the tetrahe--1 dral kite is unlike the four-winged ; machine designed by the secretary of i the Smithsonian Institution and that invented by Sir Hiram Maxim, but i they all work on the •same principle. : They utilise the aeroplane for lifting purposes. The differences are only those of form. Thus far the gas bag type, of which the airship of SantosDumont is the most familiar representative, seems to have shown greater popularity, and to have yielded better results. It devotees include at least a few men who are trained engineers, though none of them, perhaps, are so distinguished by other scientific service as Bell, Langley, and Maxim. When competition between the two systems has been carried further perhaps there will be a different story to tell. EDUCATION IN THE TRANSVAAL. The Education Department in Pretoria says Miss A. I.ilV Rees in the Dunedin “Star.” recognises fully the immense importance attaching to the question whether the rising generation is to he moulded in English hands or left to grow up in ignorance and consequently in revolt against progress and Constituted authority. There is a vast difference already between the adult floors and the children who have lived in the concentration camps, who have been taught in the schools there, and who have travelled with the camps to

the sea coast and back again to their homes inland. The parents are dull, heavy, apathetic, uninteresting, the children active, intelligent, swift 1 ,to imitate what they admire in their teachers. and eager for knowledge. They quickly learn to speak English, and, strange to say, even the most bitter among the irreconcilables make no opposition to their children receiving an English education. The fact is they recognise that English is imperatively necessary if their children are to succeed in any calling in after life. A very determined opposition to English school is. however, being made by the most dangerous class of men in the new colonies—the Predikants, chiefly in the Dutch Reformed Church. These men use every influence they possess, from the power of excommunication downwards, to prevent their congregations from sending children to English schools. They are making great efforts to establish and maintain purely Dutch schools, in which English shall be taught as a foreign language, and in which bitterness against British rule shall he kept alive- But these schools are not likely to succeed or to last very long. In the first place, they depend on private subscriptions; secondly, they are as a rule understaffed; thirdly, the majority of teachers in them are uncertificated and untrained; and, most important of all. the parents are aware of these facts and conscious that pupils taught there will he at a disadvantage in comparison with those educated in the more up-to-date English schools. There is therefore little or no attraction for them in the idea of these Dutch schools; and if they send their children to them

it is only under the compulsion exercised by their spiritual guides. How are the Government providing, then, to meet the .wonderful opportunity they have of instilling ideas of irogress, of justice to all, of truth and air dealing—ideas unknown to their parents? The policy pursued in the O-K-C. and Transvaal is identical, Mr Sargant. the late Director, having now become Minister of Education tor both colonics. About 1,000 teachers are employed, the majority of whom have been jrought from Great Britain or her oversea dependencies. The colonial idea of passionate devotion to one particular corner of the earth, combined with strong attachment to and pride in the - Empire as a whole, is most useful in , dealing with the Dutch population of our new possession. It is an entirely new ! view for some of them to take that | there need be no rivalry or thoughl-of comparison between the country they love and the great nation which now ' commands their allegiance. Praise of ■ Britain has hitherto seemed to them to , imply disparagement of South Africa, : and they are apt to feel that in be- ; coming British subjects they are vir- : tually called upon to renounce the land ' of their birth. Colonial teachers ask them not to love their country less, but more, and are living examples of the truth that there is no antagonism ! between local patriotism and Imperial , unity. No spot on earth to compare with New Zealand, with Victoria, or with Canada, as the case may be—and yet we are at one in our pride in being subordinate to a greater power, and thus being sharers in a national greatness, fame, and glory beyond our own achievement. This view is a new one to the Boers, but it is really adopted by the children. There are other considerations which point to colonial teachers as particularly fitted for the work to be done in South African schools at the present juncture. The conditions of life are in many cases primitive and rough. Experience in meeting unforeseen difficulties, a training in overlooking personal discomfort for the sake of some ulterior object; readiness of resource, and a hopeful belief that there will always be a happy ending to the most dreary or alarming situations arc, as a rule, characteristic of the colonial. These are admirable qualifications for a teacher in South Africa, It must not be supposed that the Education Department is indifferent to the welfare of those in its service. But it is impossible for the conditions of life to bo made as smooth, safe, and conventional as in lands where civilisation is now advanced. It is the duty and the privilege of the Government to establish schools not only in the centres but also in very sparsely-populated districts. Xew farm schools are continually being opened, and to these the over-sea teachers are drafted as fast as they arrive. The authorities in Pretoria arrange for the passages of parties of teachers, send inspectors to meet them on landing, buy and furnish hostels in all towns of any size, where lady teachers may five together instead of being subjected to the annoyances, dangers, and exactions of the ordinary South African board-ing-house. Inspectors in country districts are responsible for the well-being of such teachers as go to remote farm schools. The department arranges for their conveyance to the scene of their labours provides such board and lodging as is obtainable—in some cases with a family, generally Dutch; in other instances erecting a small house, or a marquee tent and fittings, and leaving the teacher to make her own arrangements with regard to board. Many of the girls engage a Kaffir hoy, and undertake their own housekeeping. It will be easily understood that in such wide stretches of country it is impossible for inspectors to visit individual teachers except at rare intervals. Meanwhile tents will blow down, provisions run short, school material and furniture often be wofußy insufficient, friction arise in school working, days and weeks follow in monotonous succession, unrelieved by intercourse with social equals or even with fellow-coun-trymen. The society of other British women is a privilege that cannot be too highly appreciated, but is rarely enjoyed by lady teachers on farm schools. Men from England and the colonies arc certainly plentiful enough in most districts, and their kindness to lonely teachers may invariably be relied upon. But in this unchaperoned and unrestricted friendliness there are fresh dangers, especially to youpg apd inexperienced girls. Eew people realise to the full how dependent they are on the props of public opinion and the grooves of convention until they are thrown alone and unfettered into entirely new surroundings, where such props and gtooves seem non-existent. It is a dangerous and in some cases a cruel experiment to permit girls to embark upon such experiences unless their characters have been sufficiently moulded and developed to supply the place of outside influences. ‘ IX A DUTCH POET. Along the quay in the busy harbour ■ of Botterdam the quaint Dutch boats i crowded, creaking rhythmically with the rise and tall of the water, ; side by side, stern to rudded post, - postling one another in a great confur sion of picturesque lines and gay carvi ipgs. At all the little cabin windows r are cleajt lace curtains, and on the - deck brass and copper pots are drying s in the sun. Hanging from spars and > ropes, the family wash flutters its f many hues against the windy sky. r Chubby, red cheeked children climb in i and out of the cabin doors or press s their round noses against the tiny wiji- - dow panes. The women gossip in s the sun or clatter around in pursuit s of their household duties, while the s men lounge about, their hands in the I pockets of their baggy breeches, and e through clouds of tobacco smoko surt vey this scene of nomadic housekeeph ing with phlegmatic content.—(Edward d 1 Pepfield, m "Scribiier’?,"

CHRYSANTHEMUMS. Every year, in November, at the season which follows on the hour of the dead, the crowning and majestic hour of autumn, reverently I -go to visit the chrysanthmums in the places where chance offers them,to me. For the rest, it matters little where they are shown to me by the goodwill of travel or sojourn. They are, indeed, the most universal, life most diverse of flowers; but their diversity and surprises are, so to speak, concerted, like those of fashion, in I know not what arbitrary Edens. At the same moment, even as with the silks, the laces, jewels, and curls, a mysterious voice gives the password in' time and space; and, docile as tiio mast beautiful women, simultaneously, in every country, in every latitude, the flowers obey the sacred decree. It is sufficient, then, to enter at random one of those crystal museums in which their somewhat funereal riches are displayed under the harmonious veil of the days of November. We at once grasp the dominant idea, the obtrusive beauty, the unexpected effort of the year in this special world, strange and privileged even in the midst of-the strange and privileged world of flowers. And we ask ourselves if this new idea is a profound and really necessary idea on the part of the sun, the earth, life, autumn or man. (Maurice Maeterlinck, in “The Century.”

HISTORY OF THE ANCHOR. The ship’s anchors in general use, up to the beginning of the fast century, consisted of a. long, round, iron shank, having two comparatively short, straight arnjs, or flukes, inclined to the shank at an angle of about 40deg., and meeting it in a somewhat sharp point at the crown. In large anchors, remarks “Science Siftings,” the bulky wooden stock was built up of several pieces, hooped together, the whole tapering outwards to the ends especially on the aft or cable side. About the beginning of the last century, a clerk in I’lymouth naval yard, Bering by name suggested certain improvemnts, the most important of which was making the arms curved instead of straight. At first sight, this simple change may seem of little value, hut consideration will show that this is not the case. The holding power of an anchor depends on two principal conditions, namely, the extent of useful holding surface, and the amount of vertical penetration. The latter quality is necessary on account of the nature of ordinary sea bottoms, the surface layers of which are generally less te'nacious and resisting than is the ground a short distance below.

In the year 1831 chain cables began to supersede the hempen ones, with the result that the long-shanked anchors in vogue were no longer necessary, and anchors with shorter shanks and with

heavier and stronger crowns gradually came into use. In consequence' of these changes, a commission was appointed in the year 1838 to inquire into the bolding powers of anchors, and the principal result of their labours was the adoption of the so-called Admiralty pattern anchor, which continued to be used in the Navy up to the year 1860. The invention of the steam hammer in 1842 made the welding of heavy masses of iron a comparatively easy and reliable process, so that from this lime onward the strength of anchors fully kept pace with that of the chain cables which had come into general use. A number of paten ,s for anchors were taken out prior to the great exhibition of 1851, and public attention having been called to the models there shown, in the following year a committee was appointed by the Admiralty to report on the qualifications of anchors of the various kinds. Practical trials were then instituted, and, as a result, Trotman’s anchor took the highest place, Rodger's anchor being second on the list. Some of the tests to which the anchors were submitted were of doubtful value, such, for instance, a “facility for sweeping.” Xowaday, however, at all events for deep ships in shallow harbours, it is considered an advantage for an anchor to offer as little obstruction as possible above the ground. A DOG’S CEMETERY. Those who have ridden upon the top of omnibus along the Bayswater Road, London, have, says a writer in the “Penny Magazine,” probably noticed a number of little tombstones in an enclosed piece of ground, close- to Victoria Gate, Hyde Park. It is a, cemetery for dogs, and as such is unique, for it can claim the distinction of being the first cemetery in this country. It has been a burial ground for canine pets for upwards of twenty-two years. Here lie the remains of nearly one hundred pet dogs, the majority of whom have died in the neighbourhood of the park, many of them, alas, having been run over in the Bayswater Road. Curiously enough, this canine necropolis came into existence by accident. The first dog to be buried’there was “Cherry.” He lived with his master and mistress in Cambridge Square, near by. and used to accompany their children on their rambles in the park. When he died in 1881, his master took his corpse to the keeper of the lodge at Victoria Gate and asked that his dog might be buried in the park, which request was acceeded to. He told a friend of his pet’s testing place, and so the news spread until almost everyone residing in the neighbourhood came to learn of the existence of the dogs’ cemetery. “Cherry,” it should be stated, died of old age. He was an accomplished animal, and was never so proud as when his master’s children dressed him up as a soldier, in a little uniform coat and helmet and a musket. In the morning, it was his invariable custom to fetch his master’s letters and carry them up to his room. When the door was locked and “Cherry” could not get in, he would gently push them underneath the door.

In the same grave with “Cherry,” lies all that remains of “Kaiser,” a Spitz, who was run over on April 15th, 1885, and whoso name- has been inscribed upon “Cherry’s” tombstone. The cemetery also contains the remains of “Prince,” a pet dog of l I.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge, who was unfortunately run over at Victoria Gate, almost within a stone’s throw of his resting place. Each grave is neatly tiled in, and is Screen with plants or bright with flowers, borne of them are mounted with shells. The burial ceremony is generally performed by the keeper of the lodge, but rarely in the presence of the bereaved owners of the lamented pets.

THE BARBER’S CHAIR. The chair in a barber’s shop, says Jlr Timbs, was long proverbial, from its capaciousness, for accommodating all occupants; whence arose the phrase as common as a barber’s chair. The barber’s chair has lasted to our time as the oracle of news; and Douglas Jcrrokl used wittily to note the topics of the day under the head of the barber’s chair in a newspaper he once edited. Plutarch remarks that barber’s are naturally a loquacious race; and gives an anecdote of King Archelaus, who stipulated with his barber to shave him in silence. Not so, however, have thought most of barber’s customers; the cithern, or lute, was hung up in the shop, to be played for their diversion; and snapping his shears or fingers was a barber’s qualification. Of his art, as practised of old, Lyly gives a curious sample in these phrases of “the elegant occupation”:—“How, sir, will you be trimmed'.' will you have your beard like a spade or a bodkin? a penthouse on your upper lip, or an ally on your chin ? a low cur! on your head like a bull, or dangling locks like a spaniel? your moustaches sharpe at the ends like shoemakers’ aules, or hanging down to your mouth, like goates’ Hakes? your love-locks wreathed with a silken twist, ox shaggie to fall on your shoulders?” A TALE OP LORD SHAFTESBURY. There is a delightful little story of Lord Shaftesbury in the charming work, “Portraits of the Sixties,” which has just been published by Mr Justin McCarthy:—“Only a year or two before Lord Shaftesbury’s death I was walking with a relative—a little girl—in Bond-street one day. She was holding in her hand a letter from a young school friend of hers, and was reading it as she went along. Some acquaintance met me, and I stopped to exchange a few words with him, while she walked slowly pn, still reading her letter as she made her way through the crowded street. Suddenly a gust of wind blew the letter out of her hand and tossed it into the road. The child was about to rush after it, heedless of passing carriages and cabs, when a gentleman with tall, commanding figure and grey hair stopped her in her rash course, went himself into the middle of the road, captured the flying letter, and brought it hack to her with a sweet smile and a gracious bow. I came up at the moment, recognised Lord Shaftesbury, and offered my tribute of thanks to him.”

A LADY’S THICK ON A BAILIFF. A lady living in a flat in a Paris suburb neglected to pay her rent and had to receive a bailiff and a police commissary. She received them amiably, and even assisted them in drawing up an inventory. When the business was completed she conducted her visitors to th door, when it was found that it was locked. ''Gentlemen," the lady remarked, "you are my prisoners- You have,been so

courteous and considerate that I should be loth to lose your company. Therefore I have locked the front door and thrown the key out of the window. This flat is on the fourth floor. The door is an exceptionally strong one, and your joint efforts will be powerless to. force it open. The next door flat, and that on the floor beneath are both unoccupied. Consequently it would be idle’ to expect assistance from any one in the bouse. The only thing for you to do is to halloa out of the window down into the street, and make yourselves a laughing-stock. The lady then sat down complacently and waited. .Some four hours of captivity elapsed before they could make up their minds to shout and gesticulate at the window. When they did so a crowd rapidly collected in the street. Policemen arrived, and striding through the crowd, walked upstairs, wimrc. will! the aid of a locksmith, they opened i.r.e door and found themsel“e>- face to face with their own chief. ‘i c iatlor, wilh the bailiff, made off in a cab as hurriedly and as inconspicuously as he could manage it. A “NEAT, STYLISH, AND • ELEGANT” MATRON. An American physician, writing to the superintendent of nurses of a large training school in the United States, informs her that he wants “a graduate nurse to superintend and manage a small hospital of about twenty beds.” He then proceeds (says the “Hospital”) to set forth his requirements as follows: “She should have some executive ability. Age, 25 to 32; height, sft 3in to bit Gin; weight, 118 to i4slbs. Fine personal appearance, neat and stylish, elegant disposition, popular, good education, medium complexion, pretty eyes, first-class references. Applicants will please send recent photographs, which will be returned if desired. State whether single, married, or widow, where born and raised, city or country, and salary expected.” HEDGING THEM IN. Particulars are given of a motor car track which it is proposed to construct on a gigantic scale at Long Island, New York. It will be 112 miles long and forty feet wide, and will cost £350,000. The road itself will have two tracks ten feet apart with steel “runaways” for the wheels, practically on a level with the rest of the grass-covered coarse, so that a car can easily run aside. The track will be fenced in by a thick hedge, protected on the outside by massive wire netting, so strong that neither animal nor person can break through. Tolls will be charged for the use of the road to pay interest on capital and cost of upkeep. HOW TO LIVE TEN YEARS LONGER. A health expert who has been airing his views before a Manchester audience claims to have solved the problem of how to add ten years to life. According to this gentleman, those who wish to add a decade to their existence should avoid over-eating, especially flesh meat, shun alcohol, sleep in fresh air with open windows, never exceed three meals a day, walk as much as possible in the sunshine, breathe deeply, and sleep on the right side so as to allow free action to the heart. Th great mass of humanity, he says, suffer from ignorance of dietetic principles, whereas the study and observance of these principles would make people healthy and able to enjoy life to the full. A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE, A very notable Duke, who has estates ( in the three Kingdoms, and who holds almost princely sway over many workers, had oceasion to dismiss a labourer for some slackness or misdemeanour. The man was angry at being “sacked,” and—having nothing further to fear or to hope—wanted to say something very hard and hurling to his master. He could think of nothing much of the kind, for the Duke had been good to him and to his. He was turning away, when he suddenly remembered that the Duke’s “Lady” held a position at Court with the Queen. That was Ids chance, and his cue, so he turned round on the Duke. “Oh, yes, your Grace,” he said, “I’ll go home. But though I’m a poor man, thank God I never had to send my missis out to service, as you had.” The