HERE AND THERE

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4259, 19 January 1901, Page 4 (Supplement)

HERE AND THERE

The. injunction ol Lord Robert:, to Australian;;. to refrain from treating the returned troops to alcoholic liquors, says yl Melbourne writer, was not observed. Many of •(■he troops who set out, on the march on Tuesday had not penetrated fifty yards into the city before they gave up tho attempt to march, and accepted some of the hundreds of invitations held out to them to drink. 'They did not drink too much— far from it, but marching was warm work, and they wore thirsty, anti they toasted fjord Heberts genially. Perhaps the reason why more heed was not, paid to Lord Roberts’s advice was that it had been somewhat injudiciously advertised. The Y.M.O.A. displayed it on large posters on the railway stations and alongside it—in some instances, a,t least —was tha advertisement, “'1 ry Boomerang orandy. Supplied to Her Majesty the Queen.” One somewhat careless reader, seeing the two posters together said, “By Jove! you can’t lick tho fellows who run that Boomerang brandy. T. see they’ve got a testimonial from Laru Roberts.”

My Li, Hung Fish Chang (says “Woomera” in ILo “Australasian”; is in trouble. Hd had had a row m money matters with bis cousin, and went to law. The flay before the case came on Li Hung told me bo was sure to win. His words were --"Mo all li, me gob Tim weihgood fliend on Bcnchoe, lookoc after me. O, welly ni’ niagistlatc.” The case, howelver, went dead against Li filing, and next (lay ho appeared very dismissed. “Well, John," 1 asked, “how was it you lost fV “(), welly sl lupid magistlalc; darn fool ; ho mistakec wrong ('hiuaman ; him givei- my cousin evelyting. thinkec him me.’’

If any limit Is to bo found with Lord Cur/.on’.s exhaustive summary of famine relief operations in India., some exception (says “The Globe”) might be taken to his entering into self-justification for the remedial measures employed. There ■was no need for that; never was human distress on such a gigantic; scale so successfully dealt with. Some seventy-live millions of people had to be more or less assist© 1 by the State, to fend _off starvation, and Ibis almost .impossible feat was accomplished without monetary help from the Imperial Exchequer. Peace has her conquests no loss than war, and in the whole history of mankind it would bo impossible to cite a parallel instance of such a complete victory of organised humanity. The.ro was. of course!, cruel and widespread suffering; that, is inevitable in such cases*. But whereas in the Bengal famine of. 17/0, when India, was under native rule, 10,000,000 people out of 30,000,000 in the drought-afflicted area perished, on the present occasion, only half a million out of more than twice the number nave died. And it was not lack of food that killed those victims ; most, if not all, fell a prey to the diseases which always dog the steps of Indian famines.

Efforts are being made in the United States to obtain an Act to preserve as a national park the wonderful deposit of petrified wood commonly called the Petrified Forest or Chalcedony Park in Arizona. This deposit or forest is one of the natural wonders of America and is annually visited by hundreds of sciettitists. and tourists. The district over an ' area of ten miles square ' is corvcrdd with petrified trunks and branches of trees, some of which are morel than 200 feet long, and seven to ton feet in diameter. The trees apparently once grew on the shore of some Inland sea. After falling, they became waterlogged, and during decomposition the cell-structure of the. wood was entirely replaced as it decayed by silica, and sandstone in the rocks of ttie region. One of the most celebrated objects in the forest is a natural bridge formed by an immense petrined trunk lying across a canon and forming a footbridge, over which men can easily cross. Along the slopes of the valley no vegetation whatever is to he seen, wood being very scarce, while the stone trees are scattered about in profusion, and millions of Petrified pieces of wood he down the sides. The portifioations are extremely hard, and not long ago a tlhicag firm erected machinery for grinding up the trunks to make polishing powder. Fortunately, a fall in the price of emery caaseld the scheme to be abandoned, but a similar commercial venture may be made at any time, and one of the wonders of the world may bo. destroyed if steps are not taken to preserve! it.— “Leisure Hour.'’

Nob long ago, in one of the country districts of Victoria, a clergyman gave an address ab a public meeting on, “Education and its Advantages. 1 ’ Ho was followed, explains the “Town and Country Journal.” by one of those “commonsense” speaker's, who are “most confident when palpably most wrong,” and in whoso opinion learning is always a most dangerous thing. “What do yon want with all this education ?” ho asked, contemptuously—“this Greek and Hebrew ? AVhat did Paul speak ? What did Peter speak? What did Christ speak? Good old English. And it’s good enough for me, too.”

Another electrical tuberculosis cure is being tried with alleged excellent results by I>r. C. C. Carroll of Now Yark. “Dr. Carroll, as nearly .as can be ascertained, employs a Tesla oscillator, and by passing currents of high frequency and high voltage through the lungs of a patient, in time causes the tuberculous matter to be eliminated from the system by the emunctones. . . . The claim is made for this treatment that even patients in the last stages may be benefited if not entirely cured. It is to be hoped for the benefit of mankind that such is the case, but in the light of other experiments of this nature it is to be feared that those interested in the discovery may possibly be too optimistic. That an electric current suitably applied in a case of tuberculosis in its early stages will prove beneficial has been proven, but that it can bo made to cure a patient that has but a few weeks to live is hardly to bo expected in the present state of the art.—“ Electricity.”

t see (writes a London correspondent) j that an attempt is being made to diacre- j dit my estimate of the amount of Mrj Kruger's funds in Europe at twelve mil- i Yet the “Daily Mail's” - j in Pretoria states that he ■ has seoll nine million dollars in gold (or ' roughly £2,200,000) sent to Europe on , behalf of Mr Kruger. Now if a single in- | dividual—who was a stranger in the I country, and did not. know his wqy about i very intimately—if such an indiviual l saw - this, how much may have ! been sent off that he did not seep I ; have stated on the authority of a Dutch ; banker who knows, and I repeat,, that i the sum of six millions sterling is at this j moment lying to Mr Kruger’s credit in ; Holland alone, and. to be definite, it is. lying in the coffers of the Nederlandsche i Bank, or was until less than three weeks ' ago. The rest of the twelve millions may be looked for in France, Germany j and Belgium, much of it having been j quietly deposited there long before the war broke out.

Overheard at a. railway bookstall.—An elderly woman’ stepped up- to the counter and asked a clerk whether he had a book called “The Bootless Baby, by

John Strange Winter,” aaoing that sue had heard a lot about “his” becks, and badlv wanted to read one of them, fneie have been numerous inquiries lately' for Marie Corelli’s latest work, and some amusing perversions of the tit.c nave been made. “The (Treat Christian, “The Missing Christian,” and “The Lasj Christian,” have • been asked fm but one of the librarian’s assistants was greatly' upset.the other day- when a, stom lady requested the loan of “Mr Christian, by Maria Somebody.”

Tho beautiful behaviour of Japanese children is always commented upon by travellers. It is the result or a system of careful education, which clothes boys and girl.s, rich and poor, with “a garment of perfect courtesy.” The lesson is inculcated without robbing infancy of a moment, of thoughtless happiness. A great deal can be said in praise of this system of domestic education which gams the desired end without snubbing, weary scolding or punishments.

M. ~ .Ican *Berlicr, the distinguished French Civil engineer, has presented a plan to the Governments of France, -pain and Morocco, proposing to unite .dpain and Morocco by a tunnel under Ihe Strait of Gibraltar. The tunnel will ho twenty-live miles long, will cost nearly six million pounds, and will require seven, years to build. Franco and Spain have already given consent to the pro ject. and the Sultan of Morocco is favourably' disposed. Noted exports have endorsed its feasibility', and the indications are that tho work may perhaps be proceeded with.

* * Vi * * During a storm which broke over Hertford.shire recently the trunk of a tree was struck and destroyed by lightning, which revealed the existence of a colony of bees. ' From the condition an cl quantity of honey they had evidently been there for some years. A bee-keeper was engaged to obtain the honey', a task which was carried out under great difficulties. The colony was a very strong one, for when a large quantity of honey was removed many thousands of bees could bo seen at Urn base of tho hollow. . a • « *

Believing that railway carriages are greatly responsible for' the spread of consumption, the German Health Department has resolved on making a reform, which is equally needed ana w6nld be just as useful in this country. The ceilings of the carriages are to be varnished, and all corners likely to harbour dust are to be The tapestry is to be of plain material and devoid of embroidery, the favourite haunt of dust and microbes. ’ The cushions will be movable, so that they can easily be changed from carriage to carriage, which will enable the floor to be kept properly clean. Sleeping carriages will bo disinfected alter each journey. .

Battle flags, as kept in most repositories in this country, are in great danger of decay. In the Royal Museum at Dresden the flags are supported at each end by a staff, the stripes of the flag running horizontally. Then the flag is mounted upon a background of wire netting, with meshes about two. inches square. At every intersection of the wires the flag id fastened to the net by a metallic fastening. This distributes the force of the flag evenly all over the surface.

The carrier pigeon, when travelling, never feeds. If the distance be long, it, flics on without stopping to take nutriment, and at last arrives, thin, exhausted and almost dying. If corn be presented to it it refuses to cat, contenting itself with drinking a little wjtter, and then sleeping. Two or three hours later it begins to eat with groat moderation; and sleeps again immediately afterward. If its flight has been very prolonged! the pigeon will proceed in this manner for forty-eight'hours before recovering its normal mode of feeding.

*«* * , Women who clamour for their rights should go to Besjuko vcshtscluna, in Russia, probably the only place in the world that is run by Women. This state is made up of 'seven villages, each presided over by a Mayoress, the whole under the siiperintendahce’ of a lady who acts as president.' ' There 1 are women magistrates, women preachers, women policemen—in; fact, every: position in the State is filled by women. The roads are made by women,"and women sell milk and deliver letters. ..If.you-'want to bring an - action-ngainst your neighbour in this State, .you, go to a woman lawyer; and if there! is l anything in your, house to be stolen, then a. burglar of The weaker, sex steals it. .* (No. place; of any importance whatever is filled by man

The term “negro” is nob applied l to,a single nation, and therefore is not synonymous with African, but denotes the ideal type constituted by the assemblage of certain physical characteristics which is exemplified in- tne natives of Guiana, in Western Africa, and in their descendants in America and /the West Indies, whither they were originally earned, chiefly as slaves. The origin of the race is one of the undecided points of ethnological science. « •» •

It has been found on study of three hundred cases of loss of hair that baldness prevails most* with unmarried men —which is contrary to' the general belief. The worries of the bachelor may bo fewer, but they are more trying to to the scalp than are the multitudinous cares of the man of family. “Most bald people are found to lead indoor lives, and almost all of them belong to the intellectual class. Usually the loss of hair begins before the thirtieth year. In women it usually constitutes a general (binning; in meh it affects the top of the head.

The discovery that there is a kind of struggle for existence and survival of the fittest among rivers is bn© of the moat interesting results of the modern study -of physiography. A notable example of this contest is exhibited by England’s two longest rivers, the Thames and the Severn. Between their valleys lie the Cotswiold Hills, and exploration shows that the Severn, by eating backward among these hills, where softer strata underlie them, has diverted to itself some of the headwaters which formerly flowed intoi the Thames. So considerable has this action been that- the Iwo rivers concerned have been denominated “the waxing Severn and the waning Thames.”

The very opportune overturning of tne coach which, as readers of “Pickwick' will remember, prevented many free and independent .electors from recording thedr votes at*Eatanswill is typical of what used to happen frequently in those “good old dare” whoso goodness is sometimes questioned. For instance, in 1768, at Berwiok-on-Tweed, victory for the Government party hung upon the votes of their London adherents. That there might be ho mistake, the Government candidates ; chartered . vessels for the purpose of conveying the freemen to Berwick direct by water, paying every shilling of probable and possible expense, even to the fare of ■ the last voter. Just in the nick of time Mr Taylor, one of the Opposition candidates, went to Lord Delavel, the other ; an didate, and said to him, “My lord.

how much will you give me to make our election sure?” "Anything you want,” said Delavel. “Then give ms four hundred pounds.” His lordship drew a cheque and gave it to Mr iaylor, who took it to the bank and got gold for it, and then sought the owner of the two vessels which were to convey the voters to Beirvvick. To him he offered gold it ho would simply run the ships over upon the coast cf Norway instead of taking them direct to choir destination. The shipowner dossed with the bargain at once, and the “free and independents” were in Scandinavia, and did not roach Tweedside until lung alter the election was decided in favour of l)e----lavel and Taylor. **. V * *

A rev. gentleman, speaking at the Diocesan Conference at Warwick, gave a startling instance of what poverty sometimes compels cur poorer brethren to do. Alluding to the waifs and strays of society, he said he knew of six boys who shared one tooth-brush between them. The speaker confessed that not all members of the class showed the same desire for cleanliness, but tho incident ho related evidently came as an eyeopener to tho Conference. It reminds ine of a story I heard a, short, time since about Jostis College. Oxford, winch, as everybody knows, is the Uriel coni re for "Welshmen at tho LDiversity. A stranger one day entered the quadranghin search of an “undergrad.” named Jones, and not knowing his precise location called out his name. Instant!-.-a large number of windows were opened, and heads all belonging to Joneses popped out. The inquirer solved his difiiculty by asking for the man with a toothbrush. Only one Welshman possessed that qualification.

The reckless and rather impudent criticism indulged in by the Far! of Rosslyn (formerly something of. a scapegrace), in his war book, “Twice Captured,” has naturally brought a hornet's nest about his oars. Mr Winston Churchill, "who was himself slightingly referred to, takes up the cudgels vigorously on behalf of thef cavalry, whom Lord Rossi yn accused of v r ery mrheroic behaviour at Hanna's Post. Speaking at tho Pall. Mall Club dinner, Mr Churchill hinted that there were correspondents whose morbid and sensational lettets were quite sufficient to justify a censorship. As one who had been over the ground, and heard the story from a dozen actors in tho event, he wished to say that there; was not a vestige of truth in these scandalous statements. It was intolerable, he added, that a man should endeavour to veil lus ignominy ■ by splashing mud over other persons. And then he proceeded to go for Mr Hales, the “Daily Chronicle” war correspondent (an Australian) with equal vigour! '

A .delicious anecdote of Leigh Hunt (almost justifying .Bickelos’s “child of nature” gibe) is told by the veteran publisher Sir George Smith, who has commenced his reminiscences in the “Cornhill.” He one© paid Leigh Hunt £IOO or £2OO, and,' as thei author did not seem to understand'the use of a cheque, sent to the bank and got it cashed for him. -He took the<notes away (Bays Mr Smith) carefully enclosed in an envelope. Two days afterwards Leigh Hunt came in a state of great agitation to tell me that his wife had burned them. He had thrown! the envelope, with the bank notes carelessly down, and his wife had flung it into the fire. Leigh jlunt’s agitation while on his .way to Jbring this news had hot prevented’ himTfrom purchasing on jthe ro.id a little statuette of Psyche, which he - carried', without any paper round it, : in his hand. I told him I thought'something might be done, in the matter. I sent to the bankers and got the numbers of the notes, and then in company with Leigh Hunt went off to the Bank of England. I explained our business, and we were shown into a room where three old gentlemen were sitting at tables; Thev. kept ns waiting soind time, and Leigh Hunt, who had meantime been staring all round the room, at last got Tip, walked up to one of the staid officials, and, addressing him, said, in wondering tones, ‘And tin* is the Bank of England! And do you sit here all day, and never seel the green woods and the. trees and flowers and the charming country?’ Then, in tones of remonstrance, 'he! demanded, ‘Are. yon contented with such a life?’ All this time he was : holding ' the little naked Psyche jn one hand, and,’'with his long hair and flhshi'ng.'eyes, made a surprising figure. I "fancy X can still see the astonished faces of the three officials; they would have made a most delightful picture. I said, ‘Come away, Mr Hunt; these* -gentleman-am,very.hupy.l succeeded in carrying Leigh Hunt off, and after entering into certain formalities wo Were told that the value of the notes v/ould bo’paid in twelve months. I gave Leigh Hunt tho money at once, and he went away rejoicing.”

The relation, between woman and priest is a subject touched upon in Mrs Humphry Ward’s how novel, “Eleanor.” In the .following passage the authoress is describing her heroine being drawn towards Father Benccko, the excommunicated priest: : —“And meanwhile what attracted'her was not in the least the controversialist and the man of letters—it was the priest, the Christian, the ascetic. Torn wifu passion and dread as she was, she divined in hint the director she felt towards him,' as the woman so often feels’towards that sexless mystery, the'priest; Other men are the potential lovers of herself or other women ; she) knows’ herself their match. But in this man set apart she recognises the embodied conscience,' the moral judge, who is indifferent to her as a woman, observant of .her-as- a. soul. Bound this attraction she flutters, and has always fluttered since the - beginning of things. It is' partly a "yearning for guidance and submission; partly also a secret pride that she, who for other men is mere woman, is, for tho priest, spirit, and humor tal. She prostrates herself; but at the same .time lie seems to herself to enter through her submission upon a region ol spiritual-independence where she is the slave, not of man, but of God.” » , ...» .... * - What- the late Marquis of Bute was to Cardiff, that, in a, very great degree, Sir Charles Mark Palmer, who’ was TB on November 3, has been to the town of Jarrow-dn-Tyne. It was he who founded the) famous iron and ship-building yards, which bears- his name, and which brought such prosperity to the neighbourhood. Shipbuilding; hmvever, has by no means exhausted his energies, for bo is the owner of’iron 'and coal mines, and ho has long been reputed to be a veay wealthy man.' Aa was fitting, lie was made the first’ mayor of Jarrow a quarter of a century ago. ‘ :

Tellingiv-written incisive pages, which i would bear cutting from their context, i abound: in Mrs Humphrey Ward's pre- ! sent work, as in its predecessors. The j here is a vivid picture of the entry of ! eoene of. .“Eleanor’ is .laid- in Italy, and | the Pops.and Iris cortege, into St Peter's ; j —“ln a. pround timidity—as one who j feels herself an alien ana on suffrdnee : —she hangs again upon the incompar- | able scene. This is St. Peters; there ■! is the dome) of Michael Angelo ; and ; here, advancing towards her amid the red of the cardinals, the clatter of the guards, .the . tossing of the flambelho, as though looking at her alone—the .two 'waxen fingers raised for her alone—is 'the white-robed, triple-crowned Pope. She i „

threw herself upon the eight with p.i tion, trying to penetrate and poscecs it and it baffled her, passed her by. Loir

force or resistance within her cried ou.i to it that she was not its nubjec-—ra ther it:; enemy! And august, unheed-

ing, the great pageant swept on. Close, close to Jicr now’ Down sink the crowd upon the chair.-,; the heads lali like corn before the wind. Lucy is handing, urn. The Pap.d chair borne on trie should':--of the guards is now but a lew feet distant; vaguely she wonuers that the old man keeps Ids balance, as he clings with one frail hand to the arm ei the chair, rises incessantly—and oicsses with me other. She catches the very look and meaning of the oyc.s—the sharp long line of the closed and toothless jaw. Spirit and spectre —embodying tnc Past, bearing the clue to the Future.”

For a voting practitioner in ales to come to * London with practically no monev in lus pocket, and with only Ins knowledge as his stock-in-trade, and, while yet a comparatively young man, to become the trusted attendant ol Royalty, and to bo entrusted at the most critical period with tire lives of Princesses, is a record of which anyone may ’.veil bo proud. That is tho record oi Sir John Williams, who was 60 on NoreWicr «. Ho has had the distinction ol ushering into tho world tho future King el England, ns he mis always been_ the medical attendant ol the Duchess et York. Bir John himself is one of the most gittev, men in London, and is gifted, not only with a groat fund of common tense, out with a shrewd sense of humour, which makes him exceedingly popular.

Whoever writes the history ol the South African campaign can certainly not afford to omit tho record of Lord Dumlonald, who was 48 on October 20. He has attained fame as an inveiltor, and was actually in South Africa lor tiu> purpose of looking after the interests of a gun which ho had invented wneii ho volunteered for the front, and was in command of a detachment which did a good deal of satisfactory' work. Lord Dundonald’s grandfather was known as Lord Cochrane, and won considerable glory by destroying Napoleon’s fleet in the -unique Roads early in the: century. One of the, most famous exploits in the history of the navy, indeed, is connected with this hero, who attacked a Spanish ship cf war carrying 32 guns and over 300 men with a little vessel of 54 men and 14 small guns, and actually captured H - * . . *

In the November number of the “Universal Magazine” Mr G. P. Filial, an Indian gentleman, gives some quaint descriptions of what he saw during b’l days in London. His description or tne English climate will strike a responsive chord in the hearts of the New Zealanders who have experienced its vagaries:—lt is winter, now. It will bo summer, next. Now, it is dark before one has time to get out of bed. Next, it will bo dawn before one has lime- to got into bed. Now, it is morning before it is daybreak. Next it will be night before it grows dark. In winter there is no daylight before 8 a.rn., and all is dark before it is 4 p.m. It is winter now. Neither the working man, nor the shopman, nor the clerk, sees his wife in daylight, except it be on Sundays; nor . docs he see his children except in bed. London is enveloped in gloom. It looks as if the sun itself lias gone on a. holiday. Occasionally, though very rarclyj it peeps through, and then ton realise how dear to you has become the sun which you disliked in India. tor the first time in your life yon undoratand an Englishman’s dress. Why'he should wear a vest and a amrt and a waistcoat and a coat and, on top of them all, an overcoat; why he should nave socks and boots and goloshes, and why even his hands should be gloved. You wear all these and you would welcome something further, if that would stop the cold. But it dees not. You walk briskly, yet the cold tells. Yon feel a peculiar sensation at'your toss. Gradually it spreads, till at last you feel that you have lost all your toes; and you (lo not recover them till you are back at vow fireside. You feel pain at .your finger tips. It increases. Though gloved, your hand can hardly hold your umbrella. You become painfully conscious of your ears. Not that they arc elongated. They become pin 1c first, then they begin to glow, they are red now, and now blood-red. You bear it all quite philosophically. Here is a girl who was walking close to you, shooting forward all of a sudden. What ho! Sho runs. Yes, she runs to 1 recover her toes. There is a. cabby vigorously beating his breast with his hand? Not that he is attempting suicide; he wants tc. recover his lingers.”

In .some steel manufactories electromagnets have been substituted in place of hooks for lifting plates and bars. The magnet being put into .contact with the centra of a, har or plate, the current is turned on, and instantly the magnetic grip becomes effective. The crane carrying the magnet then swings its load to the required position, when, the current being turned off, the magnet immediately releases its hold.

Experiments are being made in Germany. with beech as a. material for railway sleepers. It has been found that without preservative treatment such •sleepers arc apt to rot internally, though they may be apparently sound on the exterior. On the Alsace-Lorraine linos favourable results have, been obtained with creosoted beech, sleepers, which have shown an average life of nineteen and a half years, while others, preserved with /due chloride have proved still more satisfactory, their life being twenty-one and a half years.

After a journey of many thousands of miles, a box which was despatched from Tunbridge Wells, filled with delicacies for a soldier fighting in South Africa, recently returned. It was sent off at the end of last year to a Private Murphy, but before the box had reached its destination the soldier was invalided home, aud arrived some time ago. The Christmas box, however, still continued its travels, and apparently went all over the war country, for upon it were no fewer than thirty-seven penny postage stamps presumably affixed by the Natal Field Force.

When we read of the men who inhabited- the caves of Europe at a.time when mammoths-dwelt'on that Continent, we seem to have gone hack a period so immeasurably remote that we can hardly picture in the mind’s eye the appearance which the representatives of our race then presented. Yet, according to Professor Tylor, the natives of Tasmania “remained within the present century representatives of the immensely ancient Paleolithic period.” Recent studies of the representatives of the Tasmanians, who became extinct when, brought into touch with modern civilised man, show that the workmanship of their rude implements' was below that exhibited by the “Drift and Cave men” of Paleolithic times. '