NEWS OF THE DAY

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 56, 8 March 1943, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Couldn’t get Round to It Unconscious humour was caused at yesterday’s sitting of the Auckland Armed Forces Appeal Board by the use of a malapropism. An employer wak appealing for the release of an employee from military duty, and when the chairman of tho Board asked him if tho reservist was married, ho replied, "No, he’s not married. He has an impediment in his speech.” The Weaker Sex Tho tram was full. A young woman was standing alongside a scat occupied by an elderly couple. Instinctively, the man rose to offer his seat to the woman Howevor, he was forestalled by the eld erly lady, who unceremoniously grabbed the tail of his coat and pulled hjm down again. Surprised, the man turned to her, and she remarked, "They dress like a man, they smoko like a man and they drink like a man—now let them stand like a man!” Borstal Statistics When counsel in tho Auckland Supremo Court expressed doubts whether a term in the Borstal Institute brought about the reform hoped for, Mr. Justice Callan said he felt bound to point out that official statistics published by tlie Prisons Board and Prisons Department showed that in the main boys sent to Borstal did not come back to tho criminal court. "The system may not be perfect,” said his Honour, "but I cannot have it criticised without pointing out that statistical fact.” Modernist and Bible Critics A lecture on Archaological .findings by Miss H. H. Watorston, late of London, was a surprise on Friday night to a Palmerston North audience. The age of written documents in Egypt and Babylonia was shown to date back to 4000-3000 B.C. and pictures of these remarkable stone and clay tablets ana fragments of papyrus writings, were shown. In Genesis lies a statement that Adam left a written record of his history (Gen. 5, 1) —that statement was proved beyond shadow of doubt.

Rattling Tomatoes When a case of tomatoes is opened at the public markets to disclose the quality of the line being sold, it is a common sight to see Chinese buyers take up a tomato and shake it. By this means they can tell whether the fruit is ot the "cored” variety or is good red flesh throughout. Bomc tomatoes develop a strong core right through the centre. When that is tho case, the expert buyers can, by shaking them, feel, and sometimes hear, the core hitting tho inner side of the fruit. This does uot mean that the fruit is not edible; it merely shows the variety being offered, the full-fleshed being generally preferred.

Paganism from Germany In the last fifty years, German professors have been busy casting doubt on tho Bible. Their statements have boen that there was no writing before 800 B.C., —that Moses did not write, and that the Jews concocted fables to show their origin from glorious ancestors during their stay in Babylon GO4-53G B.C. All these assertions fall flat as the archaelogist has excavated the greatest of tho ancient cities Erech (the Enoch of Gen. 4:17), Kish, Babylon and Nippur, aud there found, writings confirming the great statements of Genesis re tho Creation, the Fall and the Flood. These facts were placed before a Palmerston North audience on Friday night by Miss*H. H. Watorston, late of London. Genesis, a set of Ancestral Tablets Archaelogist P. J. Wiseman makes the statement:—"The Book of Genesiß was originally written on tablets in the ancient script of tho time, by the Patriarchs, who were intimately concerned with the events related, and whose names are clearly stated. Moreover, Moses, the Compiler and editor of 'the Book, as we now have it, plainly directs attention to the source of his information.” This statement was shown to be correct in a lantern slide address on Friday night in Palmerston North when pictures were shown of writings, written in the lifetime of Adam 40003000 8.C., from Babylon, Kish and Pgypt. Miss IJ. H. Waterston has further surprises in store in her series of lectures at No. 18, The Square. February’s Record Rainfall Reporting on the weather during February, the Dominion Meteorologist says totals were well above average in Taranaki, Western Wellington, Nelson and Westland. Mangahao dam and Otira had more than 30 inches of rainfall. Over three times tho normal falls were received in the vicinity of Mt. Egmont and of tho northern Tararuas, and also in western Nelson. In a number of cases, this is a new February record for wetness. Rainfall was generally deficient over the northeastern half of the North Island, markedly so along the east coast north of Tauranga. Falls were light also in northern Hawke’s Bay, the southern Wairarapa and from Timaru southwards almost to Dunedin. In the remaining districts, mostly moderate surpluses were experienced.

A "Standing” Joke I This is a true story concerning an Onehunga tram incident. An elderly man, who for the sake of the story will bo called Mac, had been to a meeting where he had punctuated his stories with glasses of the amber and white. The time came for him to catch his last tram home. This he did and, as a precautionary measure, he asked the conductor to tell him when he arrived at his stop. Everything in the tram was lovely until, at Royal Oak, a lady stepped into the tram and for a second stood beside Mac. He immediately sprang to his leet and offered the lady a seat. She accepted, and a broad smile spread across her face and also that of the conductor’s. For the remainder of the journey Mac resolutely gripped tho strap. Tho next day fie came into the city on an afternoon tram and the same conductor was on duty. He immediately burst into laughter. Mac, a little worried, asked what the joke was, and learnt to his surprise that he had "done the decent thing” in offering the lady a seat when the tram was empty)