CURRENT TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIV, Issue 10786, 25 October 1895, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

Stamp-collecting does not at first sight appear to be an amusement likely to call forth the evil passions of

A BTABlEcollectob’s GBIEVANCE.

those who take part in it. To the outside observer it certainly seems to bo one of the most harmless and least exciting pursuits which ever afforded relief to the boredom of an idle hour. "Dummy ” •whist becomes sensational, and "the gentle art” is dissipation itself compared with the unruffled calm which broods over the patient study of antiquated postage stamps, and the laborious collection of ink-marked visages of representatives of many lands. But the fact is, that to the sincere enthusiast on stamp-ccllecting, any interference with his peculiar bobby is a crime of more than ordinary magnitude. In Sydney the elements of a very pretty quarrel have arisen through an offence of tbia sort. A few weeks ago Mr Cook, the PostmasterGeneral in that city, in a moment of weakness decided to gratify the desire of local stamp-collectors for stamps now out of date by "post-marking” them, that is by artificially bestowing on them a greater measure of antiquity than that to which they werfe entitled. In doing so he had evidently not counted the cost. Nemesis quickly overtook him in the shape of that distinguished philatelist Major Evans, whose anger at this tampering with his favourite science knew no bounds. The aggrieved Major hastened to fulminate a charge of debasing the philatelic currency against the PostmasterGeneral, and, as the cable informed, ua, he has written Home to Mr Chamberlain on the subject. What action that austere individual will take in the matter remains to be seen. In the meantime it is impossible not to marvel alike at the temperament which finds consolation in the study of "philately," and at the ridiculous sense of proportion which deems, the matter of sufficient importance to distract the attention of the Secretary q£ State, for the Colonies. It,is quite true that some extraordinary examples of an apparent o.verestimation of trifles on the. part of great men have been a source of wonder to their fellows. Dr Johnson was assiduous in his collection of orange peel, and Horace Walpole, we are, told, turned with intense interest from the recreation of building up empires to the serious pursuit of collooting bric-a-brac and cultivating flowers. But it has remained for a colonial to disturb a nation’s peace by a dispute over the antiquity of a few postage stamps, the average age of which is not more than half a century at most.

THE WOMEN OF ARMENIA.

Much as the newlyratified sobeme of reform means for Armenia, to the women in particular of that nation it comes as an answer to their prayers through

many generations. It is the Armenian woman, who has preserved the nation by her patient dignity, her unfaltering faith, and her unflinching heroism as daughter, wife and mother. These characteristics are evidently national, for as early as the fourth century no less than thirtysix women converts to Christianity are said to have preferred martyrdom to the renunciation of their faith. In the great religious wars that took place later, Armenian women rivalled their German neighbours, who, as Tacitus telle us, were never weary of encouraging their husbands and sons on the battlefield, and of tenderly nursing them when disabled by wounds. The peculiarly hard conditions of life amongst the Armenians, arising, as they do, out of the dangers that constantly menace them, have resulted in the development to a rare degree of the womanliness and integrity of their women. The preservation of their home and their family is their only consideration, and the articles of their creed are two-piety and industry. Their households are large, often containing two or three generations, and over all these the grandmother presides with unquestioned authority. Every member of the household pays the utmost deference to her wishes, and ehe chooses wives for her sons or grandsons. This office falls to her as being the most experienced and wisest woman of the family, and no one would dream of questioning the wisdom of her choice. An Armenian home is characterised by its absolute cleanliness-*® noteworthy quality when the primitive utensils and inconvenient methods of housekeeping of these people are considered. Nor is this all,, for the Armenian housewife is a skilful cook. An enthusiastic traveller through the country says that “ no one haa ; eaten a good dinner who baa not eaten one cooked by an Armenian.” The chief meal, served in the evening after the day’s work is over, consists usually of delicately prepared cereals, vegetables and fruits, both in season and preserved. Meat is but little used. Fruits and flowers abound in the country, and the chief accomplishment of the Armenian woman consists in preserving fruits and in making confections from flowers. A kind of holiday attends these preparations, and the whole household of women assemble' to watch the interesting ceremony and to learn the delicate manipulation necessary, for a perfect preserve. Owing to the terror caused by their border enemies, early marriages are made necessarydf the. family ; is to-be

preserved, and the elder women at® untiring in training the young brides in housekeeping ways. The unity in family life pervades the whole nation, and is, without doubt, the secret of Armenia’s persistence through long centuries 6f oppression—an oppression which fails most mercilessly on the women.

INSULATING MATERIAL.

The extraordinary development of the fnjMn meat trade c£ this colony, and the desirableness of

using every means whereby the meat can be stored and carried with safety and economy, render of some importance the question of the insulating material to he used. It is, of course, well understood by most readers that to keep the meat in a refrigerated condition it is necessary to have cool stores, both on shore and on shipboard, the walls of which have to be lined with some material that will prevent the external heat finding access. The insulating material that has hitherto been most employed is charcoal, and'it has been found very suitable in all particulars, save one. A well-known property of charcoal is that it is extremely absorbent of oxygen, and this makes it highly inflammable and very difficult to extinguish when once ignited. It has even been advanced that charcoal is liable to spontaneous combustion, and capable of burning in vacuo, on account of the large amount of oxygen it contains. These cannot be said to be ascertained scientific facts, but sufficient is known to make it clear that charcoal is very dangerous as an insulator. There is good ground tosuspeot that the use of charcoal in the walls of the cool chambers has been responsible for the several mysterious fires that have occurred on meat-laden vessels. One of these fires broke out on a steamer in Lyttelton Harbour, and there was considerable speculation as to its cause.. The great danger to life and property consequent upon the liability to fixe on frozen meat ships ought to be guarded against in every possible way. A substitute fpjr charcoal has been found, in. the shape of pumice stone, subjected to a process discovered by Mr J. C. Firth, of Auckland. This material, of which there is an inexhaustible supply in the North Island, is claimed to be equally effective with charcoal for insulating purposes, and to have the advantage of being absolutely safe. A considerable demand has sprung up for it, but so far as we are aware the insurance companies have not yet recognised its superiority by making a differential rate of insurance for meat insulated by its means instead of by cbarcoal. Of the lightness, cleanness and efficaciousness of pumice for the purpose in view, there cannot be the slightest doubt, as severe tests, conducted under the most stringent conditions, have proved its capabilities.