ITEMS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XV, Issue 4673, 21 May 1890, Page 1

ITEMS.

The bow that is always bent slackens! or ireaka. Here Is a kindly story of the late Bishop if Durham. It is said that while he was ■ Cambridge professor, and had already eached the verge of middle life, he proloaed to a yonog lady, and was rejected she shortly afterwards married another ilergyman, and when Dr Llghtfoot had leen for some time Bishop .of Durham,, he bund her in a country vicarage trying hard o make both ends meet. . The good bishop ook the first opportunity that presented tself of giving his successful rival a good iving. A writer in Sorter's, in dißonsslng 'Men's Women," says:—To begin with, ihe is old enough to know her world horoughly; yet, though she need never lave been beautiful, she must have kept ler youth. She 1b in no sense a light voman, neither is she over intellectual; ihe "would not speak Greek, even Jf Bhe sould. She is a creature of infinite tut, shorn every being with the outward aemjlaiice of a man interests profoundly. iVith him Bhe ia always at her best, and ihe contrives to get out of him the best here is. She listens well, and. grows lympathetic as she listens. Has he a ipeclal weakaesß? she half tempts;, him ,o believe it is a virtue. An adept in the mbtlest forms of flattery, she would force ;he meanest of us to shine even when he s ill at ease. And yet, above all. she remains sincere. Her interest in him ia real, and survives the fleeting moment. Be is a man ; that Ib, .to say for her, the brightest page in nature's book. She reipects convention, knowing well when she nay venture to be uuoooventional; yet ihe is unapproachable and irreproachable, [n return, he adores her. A Primrose dame was canvassing the jther day in a Dorsetshire (Eng.) briokield. An old laborer heard her out very ittentively, and then asked permission to put to her one or two questions. The first, question was : "Have, you got a vote yourself V Of course the Primrose dame iad not. " And why haven't you got a rote ?" pursued the brlokmaker. The lame either did not know or preferred not ;o tell. " Wiell, ma'am," observed her interrogator, "if, as I suppose, Parliament don't consider yon and the likes o' pou fit to have a vote, don't you think It's, ;aking liberty for you to go about teaphn' them as h»8 been given votea what ;o do with 'em V The conversation then iropped. .. > . ""Xes,"lsaid, "and what a delightful life they lead! They are always doctoring and increasing and complicating their lisorders, and always fancying that they will be oured by some nostrum whioh somebody advises them to try." "That !b often the case," he said, " with invalidssuch as you describe." " Yes," I replied, " and the ludicrous thing is,, that they Jeem him their worst enemy who tells them the troth, which is Bimply that, nnless they give up drunkenness, and lust, and Idleness, neither drag nor cautery, nor spell nor amulet, nor any other remedy will avail."—Plato. A most extraordinary death was re cently investigated by DrDanford Thomas and a coroner's jary. Alessandro Oaula, aged 39, for some short time past carried on business as a hairdresser at 45, Broad-ley-terrace, Lissoh-grove. A vooalist named Edge came Into the shop in order to be shaved, and when this task had been performed, he asked Caula to aiog him a song. Probably wishing to distinguish himself before a professional and a customer, he Bang not only sweetly but loudly, putting all his energy into the production of harmonious sound. At the close, just as he was about to out Mr Edge's hair, he fell down. The poor fellow died almost instantly. There had occurred a double rapture of the blood, vessels, ono on the brain and the other the aorta, or large vessel leading to the heart. According to the medical evidence the fatality was undoubtedly due to overexertion from singing. Fortunately death in this way is most singular and rare, or aome excellent musical folk might experience a slight twinge of nervousuesa.