GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 10014, 28 December 1895, Page 2 (Supplement)

GENERAL NEWS.

SOLDIERS AND ENTHUSIASM.

" Remember," Slid the German Emperor the other day, in addressing a number of recruits, "with what enthusiasm your brothers went to war 25 years ago, ready to die On tho battlefield for the Fatherland. Remember how they strode 'rom victory to victory, borne up by their firm confidence in our God, proud to be able to fight under the eyes of the great and never-to-be-forgotten Emperor, who will always remain a hright examplo to uk of soldierly virtuo?. In constant remembranco of the groat history of your people which you havo partly participated in, keep true f o your God, to your Sovereign, and to your Fatherland. Your toward, your distinction, you will find in my satisfaction, in the recognition of your superiors, and in the esteem of your fellow-citizens. Remain steadfast inwardly and outwardly, and never forget the oath of allegiance which you have sworn to me, always remembering your duties as soldiers." WOMAN MI'KDEIIED IX A WOOD. A report comes from Romans, in t.|;g department of the Drome, to the effr-ce that a horrible murder, attended by frightful mutilation of \he corpse, ha« j i«: i~» rl brought to light there by the discovery of the body of an unknown woman in tl, o Parmans Wood. The corpse, whirl) )„,j been much mutilatod, presented a -ickefm ■> appearance. A portion of Hip bvly m-iJ lacerated, as though it had been by some animal, and there is lit,:doubtt that a dog which w«s seen near (lie l<xly Imd gnawed at the remains, it i» ihnugln that tho murderer must first hav* rut Ins victim's throat, and then completed las hurriblo butcherv. A struggle lui evi. dently taken place, for the grass iuv* 1 tlu spot was greatly trampled about, The police, so far, are without a clue to the perpotrator of tho crime. THK WORTH OF l'APrii ITU'. Paper pulp is ono of the mo*t useful articles in the roach of mankind. Mixed with glue and plaster of Pari* or Portland cement, it forms a paste well adapted to stopping cracks, breaks in wood, metal, and other material. The pulp must be kept in a close-stoppo 1 bottle, in order that the moisture may not evaporate, When required for use, make it of tho consistency of tl.iri gruel with hot water, add plaster of Pari* to make it slightly pasty, and use it at onco. The strength of tho pa«t"\w!i<>n unco it is thoroughly hardened, is almost beyoiii belief. It has been successfully applie 1 to the stoppage of leaks in iron water pipes. Paper pulp and fine sawdust, boiled together for hours, and mixed with glue dissolved in linseed oil, makes a perfect filling tor cracks in floors. It may be put on an I left until partly dry, then covered nitk paraffin and smoothed with a hot iron. PANIC AND MUTINY. A warder thus describes the scene oi terror in the gaol at Rome when the recent earthquake shocks wero felt:— The prisoners wero in a stale of mutiny. They were all shouting out and kicking at the coll doors, begging to ho let out. 'We don't want to be buried alive; the prison is fulling ; Madonna Satitissinn help u«; let us get out.' After this came another shock, which tended to rnako the prisoners mora menacing. One of them, a young Roman, managed somehow to break down the door of his cell. Four warders rushed to secure him, and overpowered him, He was wounded in the hands, having used to break tho door a heavy iron bedttea.l. Cavaliero Doria had telephoned to the Prefect and to the police station to ask for troops, and upon tho arrival of four companies order was soon restored."

SIMMONS' I'ERIIA Tho perils to which medical men are exposed in tho ptactico cf their profession have been illustrated by the f■illmvini; ca«e. A man came under the carco' a wall-known operating surgeon for the purpose of undergoing an operation. Two days afterward?, when tho nurse was arranging tho patient's bedclothes, she discovered a revolver secreted beneath one of the pillows. Observing .1 discreet silence, she took the weapon and put it in a place of safety in a distant pare of the room. Nothing was said on the subject until the patient became convalescent.. Slio then (according to a London correspondent who narrates the story) inquired of him why he had placed tho revolver under his pillow. His calm, laconic reply was • " That is easily answered, nurse. If my wound had been doing badly I intended to shoot my surgeon, and after that I should have slmb myself." It is needless to say that tho surgeon knew nothing of the peril he incurred until long after the event.

THE REASON* WHY nORSKFLESH IS LIKED IS GERMANY. Everybody is aware that tho horse is the cleanliest of all domestic animals. It will not eat anything but good healthy food, nor drink any but pure water, A horse would rather starve than take the rotten stuff often given to pigs and cattle. It is nothing but prejudice that prevents us from eating horseflesh. A similar prejudice retarded the introduction of tho potato a hundred years ago. To-day wo could not get along without it. Yet the prejudice against potatoes can bo explained. The poople had been told that this American root, c&usod fover, and rendered the ground unfit for all other crops, The exception against horjeflosh is not even founded upon any objection to its properties. It is solely due to tho influence of the Church. The clergy did everything possible to prereni the newly-converted Saxons from returning to their heathenish practices, and prohibited the uso of horseflesh to stop tho sacrifices to Odin and Tlior. A long time passed before theie sacrifice' wore altogetherdiscontinued. The nations of Europe liavo suffered enormous loss by this prohibition of horseflesh. Especially ftom tho humanitarian point of view the results are most deplorable. Millions of people are forced to live on potatooi and similar food wanting in nutritive qualities, while millions of pounds of the very best meat aro wasted, Horseflesh is the most nourishing of all meats, and its taste is hardly to be distinguished from that of beef. Tho flesh of a Wse fod on oats has a smell similar to gooseflesh. Tho fat is preferable to lard. Above nil, ib should be remembered that no flesh is so healthy a; that of the horse. Trichinosis and similar diseases are unknown in horses, Tuberculosis, very common in cattle, is very tare in horses.—Frankfurter Zeitung.

TUB EXECUTION'S AT KU-CIIENU A correspondent of a London paper, in a letter dated from Foochow, gives the following description of tho execution of seven men condemned to death for the cheng massacre" Tho foreign commissioners, with the excoption of Commander Newell and Mr. Banister, left their quarters early, and reached tho magistrates' yatnen at 6.15 a.m. They at once took seats just outside tho groat gatq. Tho Taotai and Prefect wero sitting at a table in the centre, while a double row of soldiers lined the way to the gate at the street, 100 yards off. As the commissioners took their seats a drum was beaten, and a salute fired. Then each of tho seven condemned was brought from his cell and conducted rapidly up to tho officials, before whom lie knelt for a moment, and was tumbled into a cape, and a bamboo stuck down his back, '3 which was fastened a piece of paper on which the sentenco was written. When this part of the cormnony was ov«r the prefect and magistrate donned scarlet robes and scarlet hoods, and the lino ol march wa3 taken up to the execution ground near the river, just outsido the city gate. At a given signal tho condemned knelt with their backs to tho official stand, and tho five 'executioners began tlioir bloody work. When tho heads wero off the whole vast concourse of people sent up a great shout, clapped their hands, and departed. Tho heads are now hung in open baskets in conspicuous places about the city." A SLKRP-I'ASTINO CONTEST. Some time ago a number of Americans formed a " sleep-fasting contest," in which numerous peoplo tried which could stay awake tho longest. The show was held at San Francisco, and ended in W. C. Woodford, tho only competitor who remained awake, being forced torotire by the management, tho physician having declared him in danger of losing his roason. Woodford had been without sleep for 1581 m. 48min. when finally compolled to close his eyes. Foi this performance he was rewarded «ith £20 and the '*championship," tho previous record being 144hrs. 20inin., at Detroit. The men who took the second and third prizes (£lO and £5) had given i" *'' #r 05lu!.