CURRENT TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVI, Issue 12587, 23 August 1901, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

Religion is so mu:h a question of personal happiness that it is not at all surprising to find " Dio Blatter fur Vofeg.eisund-

TO FAST OR NOT TO FAST.

heitspflega" supporting those great founders of religions who d's-eined! it salutary to prescribe a certain amount of fastim:g for their 'disciples, as being wisei in their generation.. Intemperance of food, our ponderously -titled) contemporary says, is quite as harmful as iatezreperaince of drink. Of a.li the sins of nutrition it characterises the •imnucd'emaitc use of meat as the most heinous. It given to the body in a. form that is favourable- for easy assimilation the albumen that is absolutely necessary to life, and hence, tho earliest effect of its excessive use must be to surcharge the body -with nutriet&ts. Here, it seems, one shouldl make a. definite enquiry as to what/ constitutes hunger. Some people, it would appear, do not know whem they are hungry, and imagine that every sensation of a desire to eat must be gratified immediately. This is. quits as grave an. error as to •believe that or.ee hungry it is necessary to eat to satiety. The.se two mistakes, says our German friend, lead to an unfavourable developmeot cf the. human body, for the weight of the body grows to a degree that is detrimental to the activity of most of the chief aaidl finer organs. For every stature an approximate weight may be stated that may be: accepted as normal, and in i&ocord'atnico with this weight are,{idjustcd the vital organs, particularly tho heart. When a hieaut has volume sufficient onily for a body of 1501 b, and is put to work to satisfy the demand's of a body of 2001 b, it soon shows that it is unequal to its task, The activity of the

other orgaias is also hindered by the fati that is deposited about the heart, and excessive nutrition further injures the mental capacity. Over the particular conscquencea of excessive nutrition, such as hypochondria and the gout, " Die Blatter" very wisely draws a veil. All of this 'tends to ooimibat somewhat the accepted domestic theory that if a woman! wishes to make the home happy, she can do so only by "feeding the brute'' who presides over it.

THE GIANT SLOTH.

The expedition sent to Patagonia by the "Daily Express" to look for the Mylodon or Giant Sloth, has

returned without the animal. Mr Hesketh Pritchard and his companions penetrated the dense forests of the Cordilleras, using a battered and rusty old steam launch to ascend the rivers. Forest covers something like 4000 square miles of country,, extending right to the base of the mountains,; and every valley seemed to be blocked by a glacier. The Andean lakes, many of them large in extent, were rendered dangerous to the travellers by reason of numerous icebergs. On occasion the little launch, waa unmercifully buffeted by wind and waves. On the N River Leon*- a squall turned (the boat round eo that her nose pointed dowa slream,and it was impossible to resume the journey. In order to keep steering way it was necessary to steam faster than the current, and the little vessel raced down an uncharted river at seventeen knots an hour. The pump gave out, and the boiler had to be filled with a cooking pot. Evidently, when Mr Pritchard's experiences are published, they will make exciting reading. The expedition, was not reMiltless. A new puma was discovered, remarkable orchids were collected, and rare birds, animals and plants were brought back. A new lake in the Andeani chain was the most important of the geographical discoveries. Some remains o£ the giant sloth were found, and, again these had the extraordinary appearance of freshness noticed in the original finds of t)t Moreno. But Mr Pritchard established the fact that if the mylodon as still living its' home is not in the country indicated in the traditions and stories of Indians. Having investigated the forests on the eastern side of the Cordilleras Mr Pritchard will complete his work by penetrating the forests from the Chilian side, and Mr Pearson will this time furnish him with a steamboat specially adapted to the navigation of the streams. This P-a.tagonian expedition was in the first place a kind of counterblast to Sir George Newnes's Antarctic expedition, and it seems that newspaper enterprise will in "the near future be responsible for the expiration of raos'li of the Binikniffvm places of the earth.

BOEE. MOTIONS.

A Parliamentary paper which was issued' at the beginning of last month con-

. tains some very fine examples of the Boers' capacity for lying. Tha particular document in which they appear is a letter written* by the telegraphist at Evmelo to General'Viljoen on November 2, 1900, which subsequently fell into tha hands of Sir Bindon Blood.- The veracious telegraphist alleged that his information! was originally obtained from Dr Albrecht, the officer in charge of the German ambulance, and that it was 1 * specially desired by Mr Kruger and General Botha that it should be communicated to .the forces in the field. The first little effort of ima-,ginati'o-n .;«"S.s. that a . congress of delegates aofjjthe; I?o,fvers had been held in Paris, and that Britain's plea for another six months in'which to terminate the war had been rejected on the proposal of Holland and Austria. The doctor doss not appear to hava given any further hint as to the intentions of the Powers ; he probably thought it best to leave some scope for the imagination of the gentle Boers. Another of his little stories was to the effect that France had arranged to land troops in England on November 1, and that there was not the least likelihood of their meeting with, any opposition, in their march upon London. Tha French Government had provided a man-of-war for the conveyance of President Kruger to Europe, and was making elaborate preparations for his reception. Buis worse things than this had occurred. Australia., India, Canada and Cape Colony were insisting upon having their troops returned, on account of the great cost of tire war, and would listen to no entreaties from the Home authorities- on thtf subject. The colonials had quanjeHed with the regulars, and General Roberts, seeing no chance of a reconciliation, had deprived thiean of their arms. All these stories appear absurd enough when read in the light of this information that is available to the newspaper readers in this country, but they. are regarded as ■ absolutely true by the unfortunate Boers who axe kept in the field) by the persistent mendiwsity of their unscrupulous leaders. Thers should be a bitter day of • reckoning for the men who have used their influence to prolong the murderous strife.