HERE AND THERE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXX, Issue 3830, 28 August 1899, Page 2

HERE AND THERE.

GREAT BOY OF', great broughi TON,

At Dearham, near Mqryport, the winner of: the ...belt awarded for wrestling by youths under sixteen by the Northern Counties‘Wrestling Association was J. Tunstall, of Great Broughton, who is only twelve years of age, stands over 6ft in height, and. weighs about twelve stone.' —“Birmingham Post.” RED-HEADED BOY WANTED. An advertiser in the “Telegraph” desires a “red-headed office-boy. Exceptional opportunities educational, good associations,.” .- Perhaps some htfcle wit, Whose love supreme, Desires to find •■aiho^ > 'Eb't?e The office decorative scheme. —“Evening News.”--FINED FOR PAYING TOO MUCH. Every bill posted on the hoardings in Prance has to bear a revenue, stamp, the value of which varies according to the size of the poster. A country advertiser recently was unfortunate enough to affix a stamp of 15 centimes’ value to a : bill for which 6 centimes onlyshould have been paid. The irregularity resulted in a summons and a fine of 125 phiques,” Paris.' CURIOUS THEATRE CASE. A lady, with a friend, recently took,a box at the 'Scala, and during the performance placed a fur. cph-t ph the : chair behind her. During one Of the scenes the lights < were: extinguished "• to allow certain stage-shiftings' without letting down the curtain. When the 1 lights Were turned up again the lady noticed that her coat had disappeared. She asked the manager to reimburse her the value of her coat. ■ Thisi he refued to do, and she took the case, to law.' The. Court, however, decided the case in favour of the theatre manager.—“ Daily Messenger,” Paris. ‘ ,

THE MUSICAL NONCONFORMISTS.

Had the organ been used as it is now to assist the congregational singing,' the Puritans would have had no objections to church music. At the same time, it is somewhat difficult to defend the Puri-r tans for their treatment .of church music. It ; may haver been" a - highly diverting amusement for Cromwell’s soldiers to pull down the organs and barter the,pipes for beer after blowing them through the streets, but I should not think that the action helped anyone on the way to Heaven. It was simply another phase of the ignorant Scottish prejudice which regarded the organ as an- invention of the Evil one which was not to be allowed so much as standing room in the church.— “The Nonconformist' Musical Journal.” A GHOST QF^^^&IcEPHBN’S. Among the officials tvhd have suites of rooms allbtted to them'* within ‘the- ; cints of the Houses; of Parliament is Mr Archibald J.' C. Milman; ’Clerk Assistant of the Hodse. i - With hit wife andtfamily, he,has charming;roomsjus.t off. the. Speaker’s Court. « The'dihingTroom timparacular is a very beautiful chamber; -panelled nearly to- the ceiling;,- and'-deoorated with some very exquisite blue and white china,, and a "good many' yaluable 'old; -^rints.• This ro6m', 'tbgfether with others 0 of the suite, opens.out of-a bind of transverse corridor. " 4 Not? once or'twice, ’ but several times, and in broad daylight, too, the exact counterpart; of Mrs, Milman has been seen- to pass up and down the corridor, in and out of the-rooms—and always in the absence '-of the lady herself; Servants -have scon it severaltimes' and so have other people.—“M.A.P;” . .

WATERLOO EXPUNGED: ’ ’ i The papers gravely announce that Commandant Marchand-arrives,to-day at his good town of Thoissey; To-day is the anniversary of AiYateidodj- and the Natio.nalists|jare; henceforth this date will not be the aii- 1 hiversary of the great defeat. : In future the calendars will (ready. “June 18, the Commandant Marcbaud made his entry into Thoissey.—“L’Aurore,” Paris.

WHAT THE CONTINENT IS SAYING. I Public opinion in England, is virtually in favour of extreme, measures, even war, in order to settle .and for all tbe dispute with President ' Kruger and the Boers. ThA'O-oveimment 'Will make a mistake if it neglects, to satisfy: the public, demand, ■ The uncertainty which pres, vails, and must prevail, in South-Africa until this-difficulty is clearedfup is ruining the stability of trade 1 and finance both in the Transvaal and in-the Cape Colony.—“Hirlap” (Budapest). | t ; WHAT PRICE VOTES? j An amusing story is told .in the lobby about a visit paid! to the distinguished Strangers’ Gallery recently by an American Senators' He whs ! brought down by Mr Henry White/ the Secretary of the American Legation/ -and he listened to the opening speeches of ,the debate. “How inuch will, a yote on this Bil The worthy 1 ” he asked,' applying the standard.of Washington to Westminster.'-’ ■■ It'Will be understood by those who are familiar with the . of Congress that Ee' put the Question quite seriously. - r “The Scotsman.”

MR KRUGER’S TIP FROM VIENNA. ! The situation in South Africa has become such that ; a serious crisis, appears to bd^u’iteideyitable.' ’ " Whatever may te •the rights and wrongs of the, case, ’ it seems highly .'improbable, that'England !will remain 'patient ;’ahjr longer. The Boers, even if* they are in'the 'rightj are Maying a dangerous game; inatantalising the British liort. f ' He has 'only to lift his paw to put an end to the whole bother—an end which would not be satisfactory to President Kruger.—“Tagblatt” (Vienna). , . KAISER ON SEA POWER. ■ , The Kaiser paid. England 1 and Englishmen two compliments recently in one: Week. ■ One showed that .our. sea. p ower Was worthy of emulation; ■: Speakmg at a luncheon party given by the. Lubock Yacht Club. the. German Emperor said: ; —“I hope that the blossoming forth of the sport of sailing : will .contribute to strengthen the interest, in,German enterprise abroad, and to promote the training of capable yacht - sailors. I hope that the flag which. my grandfather, like Nelson before him, not only tied, but nailed, to .the mast, may only be - brought * down ; again . when it pleases, God, and then T trust, “with honour.” ' JOURNALIST ATTACHE. ’ Germany has created the office of “jour r nalist attache”’'-to its., Washington legation. A newspaper representative. Dr Witte, has been sent oypr from Berlin as a part of the diplbmapc'machinery. It is Dr Wittes business, ;to "read all the newspapers that come--t<r the embassy, paying special -attention to - anything relating to German interests. : ,’lf the German diplomats, think it necessary.-'tocoi/fi rect or.esplain .anythingg.which appears, in ’ the. American press <■=- is: Dr - Witte’s , duty either-to* write' something for3-‘-the:; newspaporspr-terseo ihat a'Etatbnlent'in

regard to the matter is issued to the correspondents. “Anglo - Dutchman” (Amsterdam), ' , ARE WHITE WAISTCOATS USTPRO- .... . FESSIONAL? :“What is “unprofessional costume”? A ballet-dancer who appeared ini long skirts, might reasonably be described as improperly -rr of top properly garbed;, but what is. the objection to a barrister wearing ®, white coat in Court on a hot day? ‘ -Yet the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland fell -foul -of The Mac Dermot, Q.C., on'the ground that a white waistcoat is not professional costume for counsel in court. We cahnot be so disrespectful as to suggest that the Lord Chief Justice is talking pedantic nonsense; but we think The Mac Dermot would have been within his rights to stick to his white waistcoat, instead of hiding it in pinning his gown over it. The fetish of “professional costume” may easily ho sacrificed to a trifle too slavishly.—“St. James’s Gazette.”

EXTREME MEASURES

A remarkable event has occurred at Tsingkiangpu. A man by the name of King had a son who made his father and mother “lose face”, because of the wild, rakish life he led. .He gambled, loafed, smoked opium, etc. If he stole his father would be taken, to the yamen, and the whole family would suffer for the son’s villainy, and the vital question was, how could the family be protected? At last they arrived at the conclusion that the only way to protect the father and mother was to take extreme measures with the son, which they did with a vengeance. The father and uncle took him out among the graves followed by a crowd of -curious neighbours and friends, and, putting a rope round his neck, each relation pulled on-an end, and the son was put beyond ruining, the family in this world.—“ North China Herald.” THE CENTRAL AFRICAN COM- . POSITOR. The repent issue of the “British Central'. quaint lapses of the native compositor. This ’*ia ‘ what ‘ the guiless native sot up apropos of a Government postal notice: . “Postmen : are being equipped with nietal hdxes'fOr the purpose of collecting -correspondents, and sulky articles will be accepted.” , „ ■ . The following startling medical bulled tin" wds -nipped ! in' the bud by the European proof reader; H‘“The patient’s temperature,, rose raqjjdly -to IQD4“ degrees and' then ho became delicious (delirious).” v In the.same.report occurs the following-: r; sentence : ,-rr“Thore j has been an average attendance ■at the dispensary, at Zoomba, -including Europeans, Sikhs, and ..natives, "of 34 per diem.” Few would recognise it. as it appeared in the first'proof: “Three , has' beni an, average attendaiici 'to the Disfeusany in Zom Beinelu ;Diny‘ Eunfeans, sikhs and natives of 23 fer diow.” ■' I All we say is, preserve us from the compositors' of vZomba.

ATELLING COMPARISON. Cecil Rhodes’ projected'Cape to Cairo railroad will cost about $50,000,000. If Great Britain ' can 'connect her South African, with . her Egyptian (possessions fprisqch l-a sum as .that; it seems as if she ought not to hesitate. In the United 'States; a .Short time ago;; private parties - found no difficulty in raising about $400,000,000 capital to buy out the Carnegie iron properties.—“ Minneapolis Tribune.” .. ENGLISH' AND AMERICAN WIVES. , , Except in the South, (of the United - ■ States) there iVlitbi'e-'roM', family life as it is understood in'England./-- 1 The .American main’s , cDhcera ,:! money; < :and;jih,en to/give his, wife everything in the world she. wants, and that is the end , of-iitt -when they -are fond of their'wives make companions of them. Thisan Ameridan rarely does.-' He hasn’t time. Gertrude’- -'Atherton, - in “The Young Woman.” -funny; if not so pitiful. In> (Order-.to inspire their. Boldiersi‘.with respect!; for “la;, chose jugee,” the fireeaters at the manoeuvres caused dummies labelled “Dreyfus”,to,-hp sabred-; .The, innocent Dj?e'^s iJ is i a;; captain, in the French armyV ahd the gentlemen in question are, as a fact, teaching their men an officer of the General, Staff. Tins,'ls; imprudent .rr-“L’Aurore,’’ Paris! FI§H irHAT CLIMB AND FISH :h THAT walk. I* Tiie Indian, climbing fish—ahabas, as it is. now exhibited in the London ’ Zoological.- Gardens for; the-first time since. 1879, a pair having just been deposited, in/the ; fish -house. This extraordinary creature • occurs '• in- the rivers and; estuaries' of- India, Ceylon, ;and Burma.' “Ttus quite a small fish, only measuring... a; few inches. in length ■ and has the'-power--of -travelling: long -distances , on • land 'by hitching ' itspectoral fins , round the blades of grass or twigs which/ lie'jin-its path; In thte same' way ite can ascend rough branches of trees, i