GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11544, 1 December 1900, Page 6 (Supplement)

GENERAL NEWS.

«INTERN ABBEY FOE THE NATION. The Commissionere of Woods and Forests have purchased from the Duke of Beaufort the Tintern Abbey estate, which comprises the abbey and 5334 acres of woodland, the most picturesque portions of which are the lofty wooded hills and slopes with a frontage of no less than eight miles to the River Wye. The famous Moss Cottage and Wyndcliff, from which 17 counties are said to be visible, form part of the purchase. The estate is near the extensive woods of the Crown in the Forest of Dean. The Crown has also purchased the duke's farms surrounding Raglan Castle, 3169 acres in extent. It was originally proposed that the castle should be included in the purchase, but the duke subsequently withdrew what is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and picturesque ruins in the kingdom. NEW GAS LIGHT. Just now some of the London vestries that have not adopted the electric light are experimenting with an improved gas light, the invention of Messrs. Sugg. It is called the "high pressure incandescent." The gas is intensified by means of a pump concealed within the lamp post. With a consumption of thirty feet of gas per hour a light of 1000 ) candle-power is obtained. An electric arc light claims to have an illuminating power of 1500 or 2000 candles. But the arc light pales before the new Sugg. St. George's (at Victoria), the Strand (Wellington-street), and Westminster (Whitehall) Vestries are all trying the new light. STEALING WESLEY'S FINGER. A disaster has happened at Wesley's Chapel in the City Road. While the chapelkeeper was cleaning the slab erected to the memory of the Rev. Joseph Fowler it fell and shivered into a thousand pieces. Mr. Fowler's son, the Rt. Hon. Sir Henry Fowler, is having the slab carefully reproduced. That was an accident, but there have been mutilations at the famous chapel due to mere vandalism. A visitor stole the little finger from the Wesley monument, and an American lady was caught in the act of cutting a piece off a bureau in Wesley's house. These sins drive the Methodist Recorder to a very temporal threat. "People of this sort," says the Recorder, "deem themselves safe from Sunishment because they are professedly hristian people, and the custodians are Methodists who may be merciful, but it may become necessary to employ the services of unconverted policemen, who will have no pious scruples against escorting these wicked wreckers to a gaol." SHOCK FOR TEETOTALERS. A Society for the Study of Inebriety is the last place where one would look for a defence of spirituous liqours, but Dr. W. Z. Brown, of Netley, has praised wine in the face of the members of the society, which has its headquarters in London. Champagne, he said, is the ladies' wine, by reason of its delicacy, aroma, refreshing, cooling, and invigorating action, and also the wine for nimble wits. All sparkling wines have, by reason of the carbonic acid they contain, a refreshing effect, but champagne is the best because while it produces vivacity and liveliness of an agreeable character its effects pass off gradually, without entailing exhaustion or discomfort. Dr. Brown talked of the great majority of moderate drinkers and the petty minority of drunkards," and scoffed at temperance legislation. Other members of the society warmly combated the doctor's eulogy of wines, and Dr. Brown expressed his wonder that they had got up so much eloquence on cold water. THE REAL "CLOCHES DE CORNEVILLE." The peal of bells which the Old and New World may be said to have given to the little village of Corneville-sur-Risle, in the Eure department, in memory of its associations with the comic opera " Les Cloches de Corneville," was duly inaugurated recently. The Standard's Paris correspondent says that the Marquis de la Rochethulon, who has been chiefly instrumental in collecting the money in various countries where " Les Cloches" has teen played, had organised an open air performance of the famous opera, which was witnessed by over 10,000 spectators, gathered from all parts of the province. Joyous peals were rung on the bells, which will now be placed in the belfry of the village church. At the ceremony the Marquis de la Rochethulon said the belfry would be named the Belfry of Peace, because Canada, Great Britain, the United States, Denmark, Russia, and several French pro vinces had provided the bells in a spirit of concord, fraternity, and universal peace. CENSORED PLAY IN LONDON. Ibsen's play " Ghosts," which was to have been produced at St. George's Hall, London, has been vetoed by the Lord Chamberlain. The representation was to have been in German, under the auspices of the German Dramatic Society, and considerable surprise has been manifested at this decision of the censor, as "Ghosts" was some years ago produced in England in English. But on that occasion it was merely a private performance, for which no license was needed, and, when permission was applied for, Mr. Piggot, who then occupied the position of Censor of Plays, refused. His view, which is supported by Mr. G. A. Redford, his successor, was that "Ghosts" was an immoral play, which had been reprobated in every country. As a matter of fact a license was not formally applied for by the German Dramatic Society, but Mr. Redford was approached informally i and asked whether he would sanction the performance. He replied in the negative, : Mr. Redford's decision has created con- ] siderable dissatisfaction among some of the members of the German Dramatic Society, who point out that the actions of the State departments are hardly consistent when one prohibits " Ghosts" and another permits so much vicious French literature to be purveyed in Soho. * TRUE STORY OF AN OFFICE BOY. "An Old Printer," whose delightful book I of " Personal Recollections" was privately circulated in 1896, tells a characteristic story of Frederick Guest Tomlins. [ When Tomlins was engaged upon Jerrold's newspaper he had an office hard by. A boy was employed to come every morning at eight, o'clock to do the necessary sweeping and dusting. One Monday morning Tomlins arrived about nine o'clock and found the door locked, and, not having the key, walked about tor some time waiting for the boy to turn up. When he arrived he was duly admonished by his employer for oversleeping himself. The lad began to cry, and declared that he had not overslept himself; in fact, he had been up all night. "What's the matter, then? Are you ill?" said Tomlins. " Well, sir," replied the boy, " it's this way; my uncle was hung at the Old Bailey this morning, and although we were not on speaking terms with him I thought, as one of the family, I ought to go to his funeral at least, as near as I could." Quite right," said Tomlins, "never neglect your, family duties ; but when another of your relations is to be hanged please to leave the key of the office under the doormat." MICROBES AND BOOKS. Since the discovery of that insidious creature, the bacillus, numbers of deadly dangers threatening mankind are disclosed daily. It is, indeed, wonderful that all people are not always suffering from a complication of disorders. There is always a public eager for the last news of the creature's lurking-place. Lately, in Bristol, there was a scare that infectious diseases were generally picked up in public libraries, and in consequence quite a number of people gave up their regular visits. But in this reference the fear has fortunately been dissipated by some additional knowledge conveyed through a Bristol Library Association. Two lecturers pointed out in a paper which they compiled jointly that the only real danger of catching a bacillus was easily guarded against. Let readers give up the habit of licking their thumbs in order to turn over the pages. — Globe. SANCTIONING THE BANNS. ' A short time ago a somewhat laughable incident took place in the Old Church, Sheffield. The preacher, after proclaiming the banns of matrimony between a young couple, concluded by saying, " If there be any objections they can now be stated." A fashionable youth, an old admirer of the intended bride, noticing the eyes of a portion of the congregation fixed upon him, rose up and exclaimed: "I have no objection, for my own part," to the astonishment of all about him, and resumed his seat, as if he had done a mere formal piece of business.