INTERESTING ITEMS.

Northland Age, Volume IV, Issue 47, 13 July 1908, Page 7

INTERESTING ITEMS.

f There is no nation or race that fan keep its greatness when courage ie dead in the heart of its women.— Mrs. E. P, Lawrence. Racing is not entirely a business it is not merely a gambling gumo ; it is not purely a sport ; uor is it conducted simply to improve thbreed of horses. But it partakes ol all these at once.—“ Century.” Most people have lost count, not wish tq regain it, of the number ol ships larger than the Lusitania which are shortly to be laid down by vaii ous companies. The truth seems ti be that the big ship is the big gooseberry of a time of little news.— “Saturday Review."

There are some services which you cannot do to a friend without sacrificing his friendship. I once had the opportunity of extracting a distinguished man from a position which was extremely mortifying to his pride. lie was inordinately grateful, but he never forgave me for having known of his catastrophe, and I saw him no more.—‘Westminster Gazette.'

Tragedy comes about from an abandonment to the emotions, and the tragic attitude is one of sympathy with this absorption in the moment, this child's way of taking thiugs seriously, of crying over every little scratch. To the pure reason emotion is something pretty, ridiculous, or useless, and the conflicts of humanity no more than the struggles of ants on an anthill.—“ Harper's.”

The origin of the great ocean basins has been the subject of many speculations, more qr less plausiblo, but none convincing, for the reason that we have no knowledge whether these depressions are <ners surface phenomena, or whether they are accompanied by and related to differences in the constitution of tho interior of the earth beneath than.— R. D. Oldham, F.G.S. The age-limit of workers is twelve in all European countries but Germany, where it is thirteen, and Switzerland, where it is fourteen. Germany limits the week's work for children to thirty-six hours, England's maximum being thirty-two and a half. Switzerland, on the other hand, allows sixty-five hours, Holland sixty-six, Belgium sixty-seven and a half, France sixty. The hours for women and young persons are fifty-five and a half in England, and range elsewhere from sixty in France to seventy-two in Italy. Belgium is the only country which does not forbid nightwork to women; but it limits the age to twenty-one, allowing sixteen as the initial age to men. On the whole, the regulations ore more favourable to labour in England than anywhere else.—“ Spectator.”

Tell three artists to paint a picture to the title “Spring” ; on# may give you a vista of growing applebloora, opulent and boar toning in the morning sun, with an enchanted carpet of blown petals ; tbe second by an idyll will show* you the subtle allure of the blood— a youth and a girl, perhaps, laughing, glancing, bravely swinging hand in hand down some country lane ; while the third will probably set on his canvas just that mystery which Maeterlinck clothes in language and Chopin in sou.id : trees, with solemnly grotesque arms stretched out to a sky »' cool, silver spaces, their twigs vwqllei at the tips by folded bude ; everything breathlessly waiting for so toe word 'in the twilight ; everything with the paasior. and pang and divine wistfulneos of all very beautiful earthly things behind it. And then p«ople will ask “Which picture do you like ths be«t—A, B, I or C “Acsdems.” American wonvo art, as » wheff*, i pampered and worshipped oat of ail I maaon, a condition wbfeh Ip som*- ! times found in yeting ivi--1 ''Atlantic KouUii#*”