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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLIII, Issue XLIII, 3 April 1909, Page 3

The King of Spain, when 12 years old, fell down the Palace stairs, and would have broken his royal nose only for a footman standing near who stretched out and seized the royal person. Was the menial thanked and rewarded Not so. It is dead against Spanish royal etiquette that any person under the rank of an hidalgo should touch his sacred Ma. jesty. That footman was sacked. The proper thing to do would have boeh fa* the servant to observe the fall of Alphonso, aud to have informed his superior official, who in turn would have drawn the attention of the royal nurse to the fact that the King was in ths act of falling doivn stairs. But by the time the nurso arriyea where would the royal nose have beeii? Not long ago a sentry in Berlin saw a man fall through thin ice oil the river, which ran just in front of the sentry's round. The man hung on for some time to tho edge of tbe ice, which proved rotten, and gave way. The man uas drowned. The sentry couldn't go and fish him out, because he was a sentry, and must not leave his post until relieved. THe sentry wa6 technically right, because he did his duty in remaining, and we do not know whether the regula. tions said, anything about raising his voice io give the alarm. Professional etiquette must exist, and it is inclined tq the sido of rigidity at tinws. When Nelson clapped the telescope to his blind eye, and declared he couldn't see the signal, he committed a worse fault than a breach of etiquatte ; he disobeyed an order. But had he not done so Germany might possibly not be in so great an hurry to-day to build battleships. — "Epacris," in the "Sydney Daily Tele, graph."

An employer's faith in the unemployed was temporarily shattered on Thursday afternoon uuder somewhat peculiar circumstances, says the "Dominion." It appears that two unemployed men applied in a certain quarter for work. The work was forthcoming, tho orders being to proceed to a particular kouttJ, one of his unoccupied houses in Thorndon, and remove the roof, as the house was to be rebuilt on top. "I don't know whether you want work," said tho no wemployer, eyeing the workers suspiciously, ' ' but there is ls 3d an hour if you take the job on." The toilers were glad to get the work, and set out for the scene of operations. On arriviug they found two unoccupied houses, and at once decided on the house which they were to operate o n. With some idea of impressing their employer aud so getting further work, they plied their implements with unusual vigour, and only desisted when the roof was off and tlio windows) out aud a heavy rainstorm came. on. Later they put the finishing touches to their work, and were proceeding to towu to claim their remuneration when thoy mot their employer. Ho had in the meantime been up to tho honse he had sent the men to, and bad noticed that nothing had been done to it. He upbraided the men with considerable force, and was met with an indignant denial that the work had not „ been, done. Further inquiries elicited the information that the two unoccupiedhouses had led to complications. It appears that the workers had gono to the wrong ono of <he t-^o bouses, and had lifted the roof of the house ne;,* door to tho one 'n which the contractor was interested.