NEWS AND NOTES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5665, 12 August 1905, Page 11

NEWS AND NOTES.

The Bible Society reports a circulation of 5,857,045 copies for tho year ending March 31. This total is an increase of 100,2.81 copies on the previous issue, and represents 2003 tons Oi •Scriptures in bulk. About uvo-huhe

of the issues are despatched from tbe Bible-house in London, while throefifths are printed and distributed from otner countries. Tho society's record output last year for one day from the Bible-house alone was on Juno 1, when SI ca-.es wore despatched, representing a total of nine tons of Scriptures in 23 different languages. Tho record output for ouo month last year was 43 tons of Scriptures, which vvero despatched in 4ill cases and 70 shipments; tins represented 110,370 books in 114 different languages. Thu record consignment of hugnsh Scriptures rent out lust year was 22 tons in three days.

Tho reformers of sailors’ uniform had prepared us (says tho “St. James's Budget”) for some changes, but not lor sucii a revolution as is recommended by tho Devon port committee. Not only aro tho wide trousers to be narrowed, but Lite flapping collar is to bo abolished. Tho alteration has been rendered desirable by me development of the modern warship. The ruliici.uig, ircc-and-easy stylo may have been In and proper when Jam's principal business was to footer the flying breezes; but now that Lucre nave given place to macliinary and steam tho outlying portions of his garments aro apt to bo caught in die thousand-and-ono bits of mechanism which stud tho ironclad battleship and cruiser.

.Mr Gully, tho late Speaker of tho House of Commons, at one time was very despondent as to his future, and bis despondency was shared by two of ins comrades on die Northern Circuit. There is a well-known story of those 111 roe discussing seriously wtictiior they had not better throw up England altogether and seek fortune in India, or one of tho colonics. Luckily, they decided to give fortune another chance, with very notable results. -Ur Gully ended as Speaker of tho liouso of Commons; another was Lord Chancellor; a third died Lord Chief Justice. The others wore men known us Lord ilcisoheil and Lord Russell in our times.

Tho author of “Homo, Sweet Home,” John Howard Payne, was born in Now York city, Juno 9, 1792. His celebrated musical composition, tho opera of “CTari, the Ma.d of Milan.” was put iiiion tho stage at Covent Garden Theatre, London, May 3. 1323, and in this work occurred the song of •’Home, Sweet Home,” sung by -Hiss M. Tree, who sustained the part of Clark The song immediately became immensely popular, 1,01X1,000 copies of it having been sold during its first year, although Payne’s name was omitted from tho title.

Tho dead-set against organ-grinders, chiefly Italians, in London is meeting with some success. The warfare lias now been conducted for some years by tho Street Noises Abatement Committee of the Betterment of London Association, and, although local authorities havo been slow to move, and in some cases have enforced the by-laws wn. considerable laxity, the steady co-opera-tion of tbo literary and professional classes is beginning to prevail, and street “music" in the West End is becoming a greatly diminished nuisance. In some forty squares and gardens notices aro now fixed prohibiting organgrinding, and arrangements are being made to place notices in some 30 more. These notices —small enamelled iron plates, many of them worded in Italian —are fixed in response to requests from supporters of tho association. The committee are preparing a monster petition to the Homo Secretary, and will shortly call a conference of medical men to consider tho general question of noises in London.

Spain is to make an effort to recover from tho crushing blow dealt to her naval power in tho war with tho United States. King Alfonso haa signed, for introduction in the Cortes, a bill authorising tho reconstruction of his fleet. Tho estimates include provision for eight battleships of 1-4,000 tons each, nine auxiliary cruisers, and two training ships. Four of the cruisers havo already been finished. Tho work will occupy six years, and riritish dockyards will be entrusted with tho greater part. The naval personnel will be doubled, and the headquarters staff greatly augumented.

Since the mayor of Huddersfield made his remarkable offer of £1 to every infant born in the district of Longwood during his mayoralty and eventually roared to tho ago of twelve months, the health authorities in the borough havo seriously taken up the possibilities of successful child rearing. A scheme has been adopted by tho corporation which provides that payment of Is shall bo made to the first person notifying tho medical officer of health of the birth of a child within 48 hours of such birth. The medical officer is to draw up for circulation amongst parents detailed advico to mothers, and draw- public attention to the subject of infantile mortality, and two lady health visitors are to be appointed. A day nursery is to be experimented with for twelve months, at which milk will bo supplied specially for feeding infants under one year old.

Laurence Oliphant, in “Episodes in a Life of Aventuro,” has described a visit in tho sixties to the Island of Tsushima, near which the great battle has just been fought. The occasion was an important one. Russia, starting from VTadivostock, sought to occupy tho island as a naval station, and had actually sent hither a frigate, which hid itself up in a secluded bay. Oliphant describes in his graphic stylo how ho scoured the island, discovered the Russians’ retreat, and reported to Admiral Hope, with the result that the attempt to occupy was dropped.

At Moorosvillo (North Carolina) Ralph Cameron, one of the most popular and successful art photographers in this district, recently became engaged to tho daughter of a substantial citizen. One day Cameron visited the Anglican minister, and tearfully confessed to being a girl nineteen years of age. She explained that, being an orphan and forced to earn her living, she found hotter chances for success as a youth than as a girl. The minister persuaded the police not to place the masquerader under arrest.

Tho Marquis do Turenne d'Aynac, who recently died in his chateau at Cnnrbous, in the Herault, gave a remarkable instance of courage when he was in tho French navy. He was once on a cholera stricken gunboat, and the sailors under his command became so frightened that they couid not go

I through their work efficiently. To jailay their apprehensions the marquis I slept ad night by the body of a sailor ] who had .'nod from cholera; and lie ! thus snowed the men that they need j not have such dread of the plague. i

A magazine writer says that >nesevonth of the people of the Unite,! .States—that Is to say, 10,000,000 —are in a state of poverty, being under-fed. under-clothed and badly housed. In the city of New York, ho says, the poverty stricken vary from 14 to 25 [rer cent. Yet all around the city are deserted farms, where willing hands could produoo ample food, and everywhere householders arc crying out in vain lor domestic servants.

While at a fire ouo cold winter night tho chief of a fire brigade was asked if ho would havo a drink. "I will have some whisky,” ho said, "but I won’t drink it.” With the man who had invited him ho went to the back room of a restaurant and ordered whisky. Ho did not offer to touch tho g!a.-.s to Ins lips, “Pour it down the back of my neck,” ho said. "It soaks into my flannels and does mo inure good than if i were to put it in my stomach, ami it’s a heap less dangerous.” "Oh, this is no new wrinkle,” he said, when questioned. “Some liftmen put it down uio back of their necks and some pour it iu tlieir bools. Both ways aro good, but I like mine on my back. It is an old trick of firemen when they get very cold. Of caursP, all firemen do not take choir whisky this way. It would he a butter thing for them and for tho department if they did.”

An unpublished letter of Victor Hugo has just been discovered. The letter is addressed Lo Alexandre Weill, and rich in psychological interest. It is written from Hautevillo House, and runs as follows:—"You recollect mo a little, and 1 am touched by tiro fact. I thank you for tbe opportunity of reading tho works of your genius, always so strong and so full of matter. We arc—yon and I—at once at profound variance and in mysterious accord. Tnero aro, beyond the world of men, horizons where our spirits penetrate and meet. I am one of those who, like you, 'believing in God regard themselves as works created for tho solo purpose of glorifying the Creator.’ Tho severe solitude in which X live, and in which I feel that I shall die, permits me no other thoughts. I am composed of an Alas and a Hosannah'. Alas, when 1 luo-k at the earth. Hosannah, when I dream of what lies beyond, and when I feel in my brain, flashing through my skull, the splendid penetration of Heaven. In God, then—that is to say in fraternity—l clasp your hand.— Victor Hugo.”

Sociologists aro considerably perturbed over the revelations made by tho annual report of the Registrar-General for Ontario for the year ended 31st December, 1903. It is quite evident that " race suicide.” so emphatically condemned by President noosevelt. is a common practice in the so-called banner province of die Dominion. Tho population is estimated at 2,193,692, but the births registered numbered only 48,742, or at the rate of 22.1 per 1000. This is far below the average of most .European countries, and comes do e to that of France, which is 21.9 per 1000. It is noticeable, however, that in the French-Canadiau districts of the province thero is no disposition to curtail the number of births, Nipissing, for instance, having tho high birth rate of 49.3 per 1000, while in a purely English speaking district like Prince Edward county the rate was only 14. G. Tho number of illegitimate births was 782, a rate of I.C per cent., as compared with 3-9 per cent, in England and Wholes, and 6.2 per cent, iu Scotland.

A now story of Whistler is recorded. Tho artist and a friend went for a walk along the Embankment one wonderfully starry night. Whistler had been in a very discontented mood all day, and inclined to find fault-with everything. Nothing pleased him; the houses wore ugly, the river not what it might have been, the lights hard and glaring. His friend pointed out several things that appealed to him as beautiful, hut tho master would not give iu. “No,” he said, ''Nature is only sometimes beautiful, only sometimes—very, very seldom indeed—and to-night she is, as so often, positively ugly.” “But the stars! Surely they aro fine to-night?” urged uie other. Whistler looked up at the sky. “Yes,” ho drawled, “tiicy’ro not bad, perhaps; but, my dear fellow, there’s too many of them.”

No fewer than 5307 assistant school masters in England, or nearly half the whole number, get less than £IOO a year. In ono school the joint pay of the head master, his daughter and a monitress is only £BS. An assistant mistress receives £l2, a head master £62.