NEWS OF THE WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13835, 23 February 1907, Page 13

NEWS OF THE WORLD.

"A MESSAGE TO THE NATION." Tho following "Message to the Nation," in fin our of the more general observance of Sunday a- day devoted fo rest and public worship, has been signed and chronicled by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Archbishop Bourne, and the president of |he National Council of the Evangelical! Free Churches, as officially representing tho Anglican, Roman Catholic, and iNonconlormist. Churches in England. The _" message," which is dated New \ears Day, is the outcome of a eonfieetarian endeavour on the part of tho Sunday National Observance movement, of which Canon Jiickersteth Ottlcy a.nd Mr R. 1L C,. Corfc are the lion, secretaries, jo bring the question of the more reverent keeping of Sunday before the public, and to awaken the national conscience on tho subject. Tim message is as follows: — As representatives of various Christian todies iu England, we desire to call Iho attention of our follow countrymen to the combined eflorts which are being utado to set forth explicitly and forcibly tho principle of Sunday observance. 'Wo believe it to be literallv impossible to exaggerate the importance of this mutter to ihe well-being of the nation. It is not merely that otic day's rest in seven confr„i.b»l<;s vastly to tho physical and mental efficiency of men, women, apd children, and tends to make homo life more truly what English home life ought to be. There is more than this. Under the sacred sancwhich attaches to the Lord's Day, it is intended that al( sliould have opportunity. in the worship of Almighty God, to cscapc from the grip of ordinary rares Jim! occupations into regions of higher thought and nobler aspiration. Wo aro convinced that on adequate and reasonable Sunday observance depends iu no small measure the possibility of promoting in England the deeper, the more sacred, ami the more enduring interests of our common life."

THE TRAIN TELEPHONE. An invention, perfected by Dr Alva Jones, of Louisville (United States), has solved the problem of maintaining telephonic communication with running trains. Messages were sent by wireless telegraphy some six months ago from railway stations in Bavaria to engine-drivers in charge of local trains, but while the German system is not yet reliable, the American railway authorities allirm that the Jones telephonic apparatus provides safe connection between signalmen and drivers, and will do so between two moving trains. As a safeguard against accidents it is, they say, tho greatest invention since tho air-brake. TIIO apparatus carried by tho train consists of ordinary telephone equipment. Connection with local exchanges is obtained by means of two heavy copper wires stretchcd alongside the track at a distance of from 3ft to sft above tho ground. Contact between the train and tho wires is maintained by a trolley connected with tho locomotive boiler. The trolley-arm is made of a guspipe, and carries Hvo sin'all tanks filled with a chemical mixture, through which steam is fed, making chemical connection free from vibration, The apparatus was subjected in highly unfavourable atmospheric conditions to a series of successful tests. Conversations wen* held from a train running through Central Kentucky at 15 _and 35 miles an hour with Louisville, Cincinnati, Madisqu (Indiana), and other points. Mr Theodore Harris, from the train, called up Mr Benjamin Weaver, of Iho Louisville National Bank, and talked to him for a considerable time, the noise of the train in no way interfering with tho ability to hear. Partial connection was also established during a heavy sleet storm between a train 011 the Carroli-ton-Worthvitlc line and Now York. '

TYPEWRITTEN LOYE-LETTERS.

Women typists formed the theme of on amusing address delivered 011 December 13 by Sir Richard Henn Collins, tho Master of the I'qlls. The occasion was tho annual prize distribution to tho students of Pitman's Metropolitan School. Sir Richard said that through such schools a new field of occupation had bcfu- opened, which was now almost monopolised by women. In typewriting ladies started with a. qrent advantage. For generations they had devoted, if not all, at least, a great, part, of their energies to the use_ of tho piano. Therefore men were handicapped in the cxcrcisc of typewriting, and the ladies had taken full advantage of that handicap. Given 411 expert typewriter who was also an expert shorthand writer, and: they had an ideal secretary for a. public man. Public men were numbered now by hundreds where there were only tops 30 years ago, and every fresh public man was a fresh aspirant for the society of a lady typist. Who could overrate the influence'thus brought to bear on the opinions of public men, and where could a public man cxpcct to find sympathy if not in his typist,'! l He expected to find, !,:s a result of this, a gradual amelioration in the manners of public men, and that their attitude towards each other would l.e softened, mitigated, and civilised, but much as lie admired shorthand and typewriting, he hoped ladies would not adopt eulier for their private correspondence. .Shorthand would handicap tho members of tho male sex who did not write if, and could they conceive a loveletter being written in'type? Was there anything 011 it typewriter which would depict a kiss? It would be a national mislortune for the ladies of tho community to write their love-letters in type.

WHY JAPAN WANTS MIXED MARRIAGES.

_ An address delivered at the Nippon Club m New York by Mr Aoki, tho Japanese Ambassador, urging his countrymen to marry American women, is typical of many recent Japanese utterances to the same effect. Mr Aoki congratulated those members of the club who had American wives. A Japanese reporter's translation of his speech included this remark: "Make yourselves worthy of the love of millionaires' daughters, and when your fathers-in-law become aware of your merits they will assist you in every way possible " Tile advances of such marriages from the Japanese point of view and their drawbacks for Americans are noiiccd in a letter from a Tokio resident ißyogoku) in tho Japan Times of November 10: "It is generally admitted by the Japanese themselves that, physically, they are. inferior to their Western neighbours. On an average a Japanese adult is about the size of a 16-year-old boy it, America.. The offspring resulting from such unions nve a cross, hems neither so small as the one nor so large as tho other. That the Japanese people desire to lie larger is as apparent- as their diminutive size. That ihoy also admire llio features of the foreigner is also plain. Shortly after the decease of (jencral Kodaiuu ouo of hi# friends remarked that he looked like a foreigner. I myself also have noted that his walk was much like an Englishman's. So when the Japanese father sees his littlo sou, by a Western mother, a little above the average, he has cause for rejoicinc but when the American mother looks on her littlo boy, by .1 Japanese father, and notices his short stature, sallow skin, and liowed legs, nothing but parental love can cover up such serious defects." THEATRE DESTROYED BY FIRE. The Royal Court Theatre, Warrington, which possesses many historical associations, was totally destroyed by firo in the early hours of Christmas Day.. .Originally

the building \va9 iho Public .Hall, and among others was visited by such weli■known politicians us Mr Gladstone and Mr Chamberlain. and entertainers, including Charles Dickens. Mr Gladstone addressed the electors of West Lancashire in ihis hall on the memorable occasion in 1863. when ho was defeated by the present Viscount Cross on the Irish Church disestablishment question. The building was converted into a theatre some years ago. Mr Louis Calvert's company hail given a performance of the play ''Sunday" on Christmas Eve, and when the artists left a.l midnight all seemedwell. At 3 o'clock Police Constable Sanjtty noticed smoke issuing from the basement of the stage, and gave the alarm. The. lire brigade, with two engines," speedily arrived, but the flames had by then gained a complete hold on the proscenium, and within 20 minutes of their arrival the wltojo structure was a. mass of (luwcs. The lire practically burnt itself out, for'little could bo done, owing to tlio combustible nature of .the building, a large portion of which was of wood, ami filially, only the out-side walls remained standing; The firemen, however, were fortunate in preventing the flames from spreading to an adjoining distillery and cabinet works. Most of the artists' dresses were saved, although slightly damaged liv water, but the whole of the scenic effects and other properties were destroyed. The total loss is estimated at £10.000, -part of which, however, is covered by insurance. IUIUIED FOR A FORTNIGHT. A miner named' L. B. Ilicks, of Bakersfield, California, who had been buried 15j days by the sudden collapse of a tnnnel in the mountain-side of Keeni River Canon, was resetted on December 23, after over a fortnight's siitferings that outvie in sinister interest the imaginings of Edgar Allan Poe. Ilieks's six - companions were killed instantaneously by a. fall of rock, and l») himself .was only saved from death by a stoel trolley-car, under which he lay. Tubes were forced down to him, through which food was passed, and conversation was maintained • with liirn. Ilicks, who throughout his awful trial bubbled with buoyant and witty conversation carried on through the tubes, , was mentally intact when carried to' the Ijospital, and tlio doctors say that lie will he complete!}' restored to vigour in a' few days. AGITATION IN SERVIA. On the night of December 25 a demonstration was made by 2000 students in front of the Royal Palace at Belgrade against 'King Peter, the Cabinet of M. Pasics, and the intended Servian loan. Shouts were raised of " Down with Pasics! Down with the loan I Hurrah for a republic !" The polico advanced with drawn swords, and a gendarme fired several revolver shots, wounding a student. Eventually the demonstrators, were dispersed, but later on tin# reassembled and uttered the tame shouts. Then they returned to the university, where h student addressed bis comrades, saying that in the reign of King Alexander the polico were not allowed to attack the students. He added that that was the first day of the struggle with the police, which would be continued. THE WRONG MEDICINE. Mme. Hargault, a lady of 60 years of age, residing with her son, a. lace manufacturer, at Sebastopol, having slight heart, trouble, called in r doctor, who prescribed sulphate of sparteine pills for her. The proscription was sent to a chemist. The old lndv took a pill and died half an hour later in terrible agony. The doctor discovered symptoms of slrvchiiinc 'poisoning, examined the pills, and found that, thov wore composed of strychnine. The chemist had made a mistake owin" to the similarity of two jars. lie admitted his mistake, and said that ho made up tho pills while chatting with a customer on a subjcct which interested him.

SOLICITORS AND CLIENTS. • There must be in every profession which was numbered by. tens of thousands discreditable members from time to time. Human nature would not be what it was if tliesj did not cccur. But they had before them a great standard of honourable conduet, which was followed by an enormous percentage of the leading memlxirs of the profession. Perhaps he saw as much of it as anybedy from some of tho duties lie had to discharge, and these, who suggested that the men of the solicitors' profession were not actuated by the highest principles of honour did not know 1 lie nrofession at all. It was not. anything like 1 per cont.— a n'.ore fraction of 1 per cent.—who brought, discredit, upon the profession.—The Lord Chief Justice, qucted in Law Journal.

MOTOR OAR SMASHED. BY TRAIN. An nccieenl has recurred near Lubhen. in Germany, 'jn .which flic occupants of a lari?o motor onr wove all but rut to.. tiiowa by nil express train. AYhcn Iho -express, goiug full speed, \\iis noarins; Lubbcn, the ear, tinvolliiipf at a great pace, caino lo a snot whoro ti'o -road crosscd jhe metals. The brako failed lo act, and tho car was caught bv tho locomotive ami smashed to atoms. Tho motorists fortunately succocdwl, when only o. few yards from tho train, in jmiijii'»sf clear of the car, and cscaped unscathed. Tho locomotive \vas derailed.

COM'IJC.I [IS PROMOTED,

An Imperial Edict Ins l;e.en issued in China raisi|i£ Confucius to ||tc sarno rank as Hcaion and Earth, vjli'eh am worshipned by the Unineror alone. Jt is believed that this edict has Iwen promulgated in deference tn the religious scruples of (ho Olirist:an student* in the. Government colleaes, who object lo kow-jow as required by immemorial custom, before Ihe tablet of Oonfucjus that is placed in all State colleges.