GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9734, 2 February 1895, Page 2 (Supplement)

GENERAL NEWS.

A GHASTLY PHASE OK MODERN BABYLON "The Nightly Atrocity of the Strandformed the basis of the Rev. \V. (Jarlil ' remarks the other Sunday night at St" Mary-at-Hill Church, Monument. He stated that for Mr. Asquith he had profound re epecb, but that though fish may live tw c miles higher up the Thames than formerly 0 and though one and a-half tons of coal can now fill cellars that formerly required tw tons, yet London was far from being ara dise regained." It was still only a "Fool' Paradise," where fallen men, women, and angels plotted to drag each other and the city to a certain doom. Just as the winked at debaucheries practised at tome of th restaurants at the West End flourished in the closest proximity to a police station adjoining, so the scandalous street solicitations of the Strand prospered within eu n shot of Scotland Yard and Whitehall Th Albert Club might be raided and gamblers arrested, but the married and unmarried " bullies" who nightly profit from the traffic of poor and weak unfortunates it the Strand must be allowed police prote>' tion. "Oh, damnable slavery," he con" eluded, "will public opinion never come to the rescue of these poor man enchained Magdalenes. Oh, women of England how can you rest while your sisters are bought and sold alive in the market at Chart™ Cross V '"

EXTRAORDINARY SUPERSTITION'. At Radbruch, near Hamburg, there live? says a Berlin correspondent, a sheph»rd who pretends to diagnose diseases from the patient's hair. The most miraculous cures are reported to be wrought by this an who is said bo be making large sums of money. Daily from 800 to 1000 person" armed with locks of their own or other people's hair, travel to the place to consult the shepherd. For the last few days the quack, in order not to become ill him' self, receives only 200 patients daily, and then only those in possession of a "ticket A speculating Hamburg firm bought all the tickets, and sold them at a profit of 15 or 20 marks according to the number of the ticket. The farms and inns about Hadbruch resemble those of a Dlace of pilgriinage. Many persons spend the night on a chair in order to be able to take their turn next day. The chairs are to be let at from two to five shillings. The police have taken the matter in hand, to put a stop to it. STRIKE AGAINST DRINK. A " strike" against drink is one of those things which one never expects to meet with outside the realms of comic opera, yet a movement of the kind is actually on'foot at the present time in Western India, and, according to all accounts, is being very widely supported. It is difficult "to discover the precise origin of the dispute, ba» apparently it has arisen out of the practice of the liquor distillers, who have a monopoly of the sale of drink, of giving short measure. The natives protested against this for a long time, but without avail, and now, as a last resource, they have entered into a solemn league and covenant not to allow a single drop of alcoholic liquor to pass their lips until the Indian Bonifaces give them what they consider their jus? dues. The boycott so far has been wonderfully well maintained, and the "drink bill" of some of the districts concerned has been reduced to vanishing point. So serious, indeed, has the prospect become for the distillers that they are getting alarmed, and are taking to circulating insidious stories attributing to the Government an intention to recoup themselves for the loss of Excise revenue they will sustain as a result of the strike by raising the salt duties.

CHARGE AGAINST A LADY. One of the strangest cases of kleptomania ever heard of has come to light in Paris. A lady named Bide has, it appears, such a passion for smoking, and in particular for colouring meerschaum pipes, that she has been for a long time past stealing, pipes of this description at shops and stores. Is the flat which she occupied there were found no fewer than 2600 pipes, not on! of which, ib is believed, had she paid for. They were neatly arranged on racks, and 39 were well coloured. The Ninth Court, before which she was indicted for some of the thefts, would hear no excuse about the state of her mind, but sent her to prison for eight months.

j OLDEST OF BABIES. , The oldest baby in the world is naturally [ American. It was born nineteen years ago in Philadelphia, and is now no older in the matter of physical development than it was a few months after its birth. The child is the victim of a curious disease or defect which is nob unfamiliar in medical science, but this is one of the most interesting cases ' of the kind ever reported. The child at i first appeared healthy and well developed, i It grew and ate well. As the age of eight , months growth seems to have ceased abso- ( lutely. Bub it was mots than a year old before the parents began to be seriously alarmed. They then noticed that it showed . no inclination to talk or walk. Mary Frances remains practically as it was at eight months ' of age. It has nob grown, has no teeth 1 neither talks nor walks. It still lives on '■ baby food, and shows no sign of dawning '• intelligence. A slight iucrease in the size ' of the head and the lips is all that can be 1 noticed. The child appears fairly healthy 1 and cheerful, and has not developed the : deformities which have commonly occurred 1 in similar cases. Hosts of doctors have examined it. and have been unable to do anything for it. When it was three years old several of them were still of opinion that ib would grow. Now they have changed their minds. THE DERVISHES IS ABYSSINIA. The Africa Italians, publishes a statement that the Has of the Tigre Abyssinia is making preparations for a war against the Dervishes in order to inflict punishment upon them for the havoc wrought in West Abyssinia. He is credited with the intention of occupying the whole of the G hedaref, which province has always belonged to Abyssinia. The Ras will march against Touat, which is one of the most important strategical points in the, Ghedaref. Has Adal, of the Goggiam, is also preparing for war, and will attempt to occupy Metemma. The tribe! of Aganmeder, Lake Tsana, and in the Gondnr territory will support Ras Adal in his expedition. The district of the Tigrfl is now pacified, Ras Alangascia having vanquished his competitors, Ras Negussie and Ras Salassie. A telegram from Kassala states that two deserting Dervishes have arrived at that place. They declared that the Emir Ahmed Fauil was some days ago at Omdurmah, bub has now returned to Pheda. Court LIFE at ST. Petersburg. A letter from St. Petersburg states that the young Empress will probably change the whole aspect of the Russian Court, and nob rest until she has made it as much like the English as possible. The Empress is reported to have declared that she cannot lead A life indoors, that She must be allowed to take as much exercise as she pleases, must see life in the streets, etc. Id is, therefore, expected that as soon as the Emperor and Empress return from Zarskoe Selo they will often be seen in St. Petersburg. Much influence is attributed to the Prince of Wales, to whom both Emperor and Empress look up. The Emperor especially has repeatedly said that the life of the Prince ot Wales was exactly what he should like his own life to be. He is very friendly with the Duke of York, and asked the Prince to try and induce his son to stay some weeks with him. Tile Prince of Wales is supposed to have Said that the young Empress would no doubt want to have her husband all to herself during -honeymoon, but that the Duke of York would soon return for a long stay, perhaps early in the hew year. DEVOURED BT WOLVES. News has reached Bhda-Pesth from the village of HiridoS that thirteen persons* inhabitants of the latter place, have been killed and devoured by wolves. They formed part of a party of about twenty people who Were returning home through a forest from a wedding festivity. Seven or eight of the party, though badly injured, succeeded in escaping.. The whole village was alarmed, and a rel ef expedition organised. On the spot where the wolves attacked the party, all thab could ha found were fragments of flesh and bone arid torn clothing.