NEWS AND VIEWS.

New Zealand Mail, 18 January 1900, Page 39

NEWS AND VIEWS.

yyONpEEFUL FEATS OF MEMORY, professor Max Muller, in the December ‘'Nineteenth Century, recalls hil acquaintances who were blessed with phenomenally retentive memories. He BS f S knew Macaulay, of whom it was said and believed that he could repeat a leading article of “The Times after having wad it once; but I never nad the heart ip •it him to let me hear him do.so. Profd4or Conington at Oxford enjoyed the saine reputation, but I never heard him either repeat a 'few pages after he had read them; Still, there.is nothing so. very incredible in this, for when I was at school in Leipzig, and the whole class was punished by being kept back till they had learnt two or three chapters of Cicero, I generally was off in about ten minutes. I Could not do that now for my very life. 11 lately read a . very interesting . book by the Rev Bh C. Adamd,-a master at-. Winchester, which was, and-is-still, famous for its system of “standing up.” As it was published 1 in his lifetime, and in the lifetime of the pupils whom he mentions by name, I think he may be fairly trusted. He fells us in Wykehamica (1878) that he knew a schoolfelow who never could learn his’ repetition, but who could nevertheless g‘o through the whole of the scores in the matches with Eton and Harrow from the very first, giving each player his correct number of runs, and particularly the manner in which he was out. He knew another, of no remarkable capacity, able to say the whole of the English Bible by rote, put him on where you would, lie wottld go fluently on as long as there was any one to listen. When large standings up were said, sometimes 13,000 and 14,000' lines were said, and were said well top. In ’Bfs.bbp Wordsworth’s time, one.boy in 'the Senior Part of the Fifth took up the Whole of Virgil for his standing up, and 'acquitted himself brilliantly, that being only a portion of his eight lessons. I have Hade 1 the reading of “The Times” every maiming responsible for the gradual para-.-lysis ot our memory, but what, shall we say when we are tola the late editor of "The Times,”. Mr Chenery, whose, death is still deplored by so many friends, knew the Koran and the Old Testament in Arabic and/Hebrew by heart as well as any Ullerna or. Rabbi? Perhaps those who, like myself, knew him well, may feel a little sceptical. He certainly never mentioned this extraordinary power to me. I ...have heard Bradram recite several plays ( of, Shakespeare , entirely by himself, .and without a hitch or u- flaw. ',l'Aiave myself in my youth, re- ••• jieated; -Compositions of more than a •' hundred thousand notes on the pianoforte without■: any effort. The memory is / then, I believe, chiefly muscular, not mental,; and jf. any little hitch. happens, the .. chain is. qite-ii broken, and we must he- . gin. again. It might be useful to collect such instances, but it would require great /care in distinguishing between'what one ■has. seen of (such marvels, and what due c has only-hedrd. , '

“NEVER. SAY DIE.”

The .-Point, of View” m “Scribner’s ; Magazine ,fqr December has a pretty i'dea...lisation of pessimism and ' optimise. ‘tin - a ‘ittwo drops of water .will come peli-mell against some jutting i, /.be one will take the rebuff gaily, -..reap oft, and go on its way singing; the * other WiU-stop and fret, allow itself to-bo < tY rrent of Progress, and o te Vvi® e n° d the- pessimist.. Which reminds me of an equal]?. gj.aph.ie but more practical illustration • I 4° wbsr? I have read it, or by whom ■■ dl“A y OL lle frd, -it quoted. Two frogs, an a P, a . a pessimist, very- hungry , fifta themselves in a dairy. Pressed bv they sit on the edge of a great Pan o, milk already creaming*. • “We shall Ijvbe; smothered-or drowned ifwege° in'’ " rd ratherrtielfV^rpmsh: .ot starvati and we may ; 'iert a & r6pl . ied tne :■ optimist; • aAm - /f 10 ™:ng the pessimist was found l of the milk-pan. Th° c, •churned sufficient' butter for ''otOp a o.wP b v he floated •merrily at the

A THE HORRORS OF A •FBEN’F'R ' '■ .. CONVICT.

.the Dreyfus case,, or 1 A?'-“55. ot the conscientious agitation which ■■- A aro '?* ed . was. tlie release with a fre° narobvioiV'- y caDv i ct Eugene Rorique, whose lias been frequently inp± d p“1- t le F r n , ch and Belgian ‘US w r llQ h ? s returned home, corresnonjw ;S , ti Jarae ' B Gazette” Paris oi vt ii ’ dr l awn a-terrible picture the fi C ven l ot Pe “ al i S - e i tlemeiit at Cayenne, I was that amiable • Gne P waf ( U ? helped to Dreyfus. ”d«fike tv-” ma 4 named Bonini, had a iU to do°H- t°?u 1 was too weak aml* the warder 0 Big your grave!” said The p'c7H’i>f t? the wretched man one dav. . itf" : Jp lv \ e j Ijoiight this was a joke. “Die feet'- hl Q ei ed ” 1S tormentor savagely; “six task T l le oonrict executed the dcr 'atjpr yv knGel - dow , n ’ said the wartbat Ii q a G i :illnir i ß , the grave. Feeling, made - hcmr had coms . the convict make Vnl w 'i ~a P P®a l tr mercy. “You drawi-ie- said 4 ae warder, and, .Tbn * !-• i • revolver, shot- the mail dead. “Now' fef e into the grave. somenfWo ear case!” lie called to scene ° '■ t' o - I^ iS witnessed the t ra nsfei'ri 1 e * himself with the sole }° another prison as latteV L 1 cHii 4 i oy hls crime, and the other convict a oa wa r d 6r at. Cayenne. An--warder nt sight by a ette he had gf USlng tP. throw -away a cigarshot c!ead d in^ sen d another wus Piece of bread. for - filing a THE STORY OF THE RATATFq t»ti. MONDS AND CHUBB’S SAFE. " making “Tn^rv. 11 "iT» he Romance of Lock- ' vember,’ Mr Magazine for Noetory of tbp .Roberts tells a good disanpearanco °of ni a« S dc^'l . c ® byi.which the

mentioned that .only sei en oP hie servants had access to t-he box which contained the jewels, and apparently'it ought- to have been.as easy inatter. enough to discover tEe" culprit; but,the thefts were so well organised that all ordinary methods of detection failed-, ,®nd rwhether the: Rajah dismissed his retinue cr put them to death on suspicion,, the Thefts continued with unvarying regularity. Then, in his last ex-, trennty, the Rajah bethought himself of Messrs Chubb.. An Englishman in a sinjilar position’ would have contented himself with ordering a safe, the leek of which was impervious rto any key bjit his'own, but the Indian-devised a more-wily experiment. He wasn’t content with merely preservin"' his jewels;- he wanted a. safe which v/ould help hun to catch the thief. So he” requested Messrs Chubh-to make him a-safe-fitted with eight different keys, one for each. of his-servants and one for himself. A small piece of glass about six inches square was to be let into the front of.the sale, and the lock Tras to bo so coTiStx'n.ctcc! that the photograph of the particular servant.that nad" last opened - the'safe wr,s i- to appear , immediately in front of the glass • and to remain.there until the safe had >’«en opened by another key. One hardly knows which to admire most, .the clumsy, ingenuuy of ,the Rajah ; .or.the skill with whichMessrs Chubb carried out lire idea. It As sufficient to say that' in leas' thsn'a "rteek the_ famous' firm 'had 'devitee’d an which would! contain the seven hhotcgraphs. • This apparatus was their'-fastcued to the inside of ihe safe, and. ccmmxuncated with the loc-k. By a stnitingly devpv mechanical-contrivange) the key -pi emli servant, as it turned the lock, ously. acted on his'photograph, amibxcrght it into view. .

‘IAN M ACL A REN ON TES RESTLESS ENERGY OF AMERICANS'. '

In This month's “Nbrlh AmerlcKn Review” “lan Maclaren” records h:y • i«dpressions of life in America, and compares Bmisn and Americau obaracterist-icK-While an English merchant sr.unters*dowii' to his office between nine and ten, a-New York man rises at half-past six in. his suburb and is. busy at work at eight o clock. The Englishman takes off an hor.f during The day for luncheon at his; crab, while the American-eats his noa] in fifteen minutes.• The Englishman spends' more than another hour at afternoon tc-a -and gossip with friends, and eaun+erim' about-between.his club and his office, while tne American packs, every minute with work. The. very walk of an English merslow,' dignified,' and that ci the Ainerlean, rapid; eager, arixicUs —the one looking as if time : were of no inaportance nor circumstances; and the other as if tho loss of a minute might mean ruin —are fbe_ visible indices, to the character of the elevators were introduced, into English city, buildings, and there arc many London offices to which you still have to make rn Alpine ascent of four stairs; but a- New Yorker regards a stair as"a survival" of barbarism, and hardly knows how-to use it.-The higher, buildings Lave, several sets c-i elevators; like the four tracks which r jplwsys lay down to work the swift and slow traffic. “Don’t go in there,” my friend said wren whom I was going to lunch at a club ou the top fioor of many-storied New York ‘braining. “That’s an accommodation ek..vat.or.p. .stops,, yep, know, at-every static/ni' This is the express-for the top- floor.”' _Would it have made ranch difference?” . f Eaid *, " Ver >: “early a minute,” as if the Joss or .he minute would.have thrown us back for the rest of the •day.- -No-man goes, siew ii- he mag jhe. chance ..of ■going fast, -no' man stops to talk if he can talk' walkiim, no man walk-s if he can ride in a, trolley era-, no one goes lir a trolley car if he can get a,convenient steam ear,/end by hud by no. one will go in a steam car-if he can be -shqi .thfqpgh a pneumatic tnbe<- •

BEMEBIES FOE- BALD.NErJS

If-there is. one cause of preffintare decay of the. hair which, in my-oninion.- deserves to be prominetiy noted, it.is. that,'.cays Dr Andrew Wilson,.which dep&ndsran the.'hebit of wetting the .head constantly, c.s,‘ for example, in tUe morning, hath, ancTusing water, as ,'a hair-dressing.' it is ' quite b cc-mmon/thing.to'fihd that a man 'who jfe qiway-S drenefting his - bend in this-- wav; grows -prematurely ■bald, • -The re a soil 'ishot far to' SCck; .- Man is- not ‘.unvaquatic, animalp and his hair is ! not constructed on the lines .seen, in those creatures that: inhabit the sea. A seal’s hair is luxuriant enough, but'it is intended for a protection against, the cold and. chill of the water. Man’s hair is nourished naturally'by little oil glands we call them ‘‘sebaceous glands” in science—and constant wetting of the-head must have the effect of limiting the usefulness of these glands which, by the way also, keep the skin at large simple and elastic. Therefore, it is nt-t -at’ all an unimportant caution, to people who are becoming bald to say to them that they should avoid the use, of water in. relation to their scalps. By all means have the head washed occasionally, but that constant wetting of the scalp will weaken the hair is a- matter which experience fully endorses as regards its truth. Again, one hears many people object to the use,of a little oil as a hair-dressing. 1 am convinced -a little simple application of pure oils—any chemist will make up a brillientine which, however, must not contain, much spirit—such as olive cil, almond oil, castor oil, glycc-rine with a little scent added, rubbed into the sealp each morning, while the hair is effectively brushed at night, will prevent baldness and premature grejuicss also. Where the hair is weak,get the chemist to add a, little tincture of eantharides to the brilliantine as a tonic, and, of course, if the general health is love in tone, we must.see to the cure of this latter condition, ‘ /;' >' .-. '' / > GORDON ON IRREGULAR WARFARE. - A very curious, extract from an article written by. General. Gordon and puhlished in fhe.“Arniy and Navy Gazette”’the day before the battle of Majuba Hill, has recently been printed in the London “Times/’’ After describing the immense advantages possessed by Irregulars who, like the Boers, -shoot well, though admitting that their want of discipline tells against them an tirae, Gordon continues:—“l therefore, think that when regular forces enter'jnid a campaign under these conditions the for-

aier-ougg-p to a.void'any unnecessary haste, d ? e3 A>ot press with tlieiii, while j e A.ooy- increases the burden- on a country without resources khd UhaccustomOd lnrtW^im 8 * *i C -V *rt ,4 11 engagements bH if possible, to be avoidin ff Bep s b /. “EPS raised-from .people who in tiieir liabits resemble .those in*arms, or corps raised for the puri Tne. regular forces will act as the jackbone of the expedition, but the rock and cover fighting will be done better by levies ot such specially (raised Irregulars.” /|*/,?° ; wa nt to join in the indiscriminato uootilo; criticism which is now beinr’ poured on-the War Office, says the “Speccomment upon Gordon's letter), do th “ K they made a great ”v * a ? ce P tin S practically all the LL™ c , r ; :S V n lrre £Tffar corps made by the Transvaal refugees. TheV miglu ftavo had four thousand of these men tney nad chosen, ana they would I pro 7 ed 7 er y useful. Instead, they civ-’m • T,7 ’ tlu; y considered-the

MORAL'FACTORS OF THE Y/AR.

Writhe National; Review”-Mr Spencer yyilkinson discourses upon “Moral factors in tne ~vYar, and summarily disposes of vff n argiimehts qi the notoriety hunting clr ii* h n +x < l t rw Englanders” who H?' the lioerd a holy cause. An efieouve passage in Mr Wilkinson’s article runs. as. Icllov/s-: “The Boers are fighting xCr t-coir rigfixs. to exclude British settlors /com tner Body politic, and for their in-ten-ticn-to break up the body politic which biea w jjidtcuii, Tyatli infinite pain«, has for a century-been building up around them, a b-.rac.uxe under the shelter of which their ijis.tes iia/o grown up. Great Britain is fighting co maintain that structure, and . .o assert me-right of her xieople to a place rn .tjie Boer l States corresponding to that ®L V ?? ' '■s, B-oer or Dutch inhabitants oi the Lntisn . Colonies Bu 1 - the ; -wrongness, the wickedness of tho Boer Policy ib beet seen in their attempts to raif/e the- blacks, against the British. The -British .authorities have exerted their utmost endeavours to keep the Basutos and c„hex tribes from any sort of attack on ihs Boers. That a word from the British Eesiuent^ would have let loose the Basutos oo the Free State everyone knows. That word nas not been and will not be spoken, .though it would relieve Sir George White irera his difficulties,and though the Boers nave been saying and doing all they can to persuade the Basutos to massacre the British. The"liieftrian will ask not only . what - were the righto and wrongs of the ■moment, but what-each of. the two States • Blood for in the. world. The answer will be that the Be,ora stood for ignorance, for prejudice, tor . race hatred, and for mis-' government, and that Great Britain stood lor lair play, for freedom, and for justice.”

“GTJIDA” ON “MEMOIRS.”

, /Yhen “Ouida,” gets excited about anything, whether the alleged cruelties of the .Italian. Government, the ilitreatment of animals or the behaviour of British tourisffa on the Continent she hits out very hare.. The latest objects at which she tilts (in the course of an interesting article in tjl£ '’fortnightly Review” are the nimievouh of “memoirs” such as Dr Burch-b on Bismarck, which are published now a --ay?. 'Here: is a characteristic cut:—”Tiie vulgar, insatiable curiosity oi the- general world breeds such traitors as these makers, of post-mortem recollections; breeds them, nourishes them, recompenses them. There would be no supply it thcre-- : .wer.e ,»o .demand. The general . world- has; a greedy appetite for diseased food; as witlr its jav/s it devours putrid game, decayed - oysters, and the swollen livers of tortured geese, so it loves to devour with its frothy brain all that belittles, 'r/diouies,_ dishonours, or-betrays the few. .amongst, it—the very few!—who are above it i.h mine!, in' will, in force, in fame. “Come, come !” they cry to the great man’s Bervanift when the- great man lies dead: “teJi fffi, you who saw him in. his hours of abandonment, tell us of all that can drag .him down nearer to our level! Tell us of hiy'.vartcocele, tell us of his dyspepsia, tell ns of his caprices, tell us of his humours, t ell ns of his tears when his poisoned deg lay dying—you saw them through the key-;hol.e-=-tell ps-of his hasty words, his pettish ■'foiblea,' Iris human mortal waywardness—you .know «o: much about them, you who ■waited behifld. his chair and filled; hie tobacco-peiich—come, come, comfort us": hie great shadow seems still to lie upon the -earth and. make us small and' crawling i» 'kects: crushed by his spurred boot— corre, ocme, ccmfcrt us !”