BOWLING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16508, 7 October 1915, Page 2

BOWLING.

Tho president of the Dunedin Bowling Club entertained the veteran players connected with the club at afternoon tea yesterday afternoon at the club's pavilion. The purpose of the meeting was to arrange some scheme for the afternoon play during the week.' The club has some 40 members who oan take part in afternoon play, and the president raid that it was desirable to have a committee appointed, whose duty it would be to look after the matches. The following were appointed: —Messrs T. G. Young, •T. M. White, R. M. Marks, W. Emery, H. C. Footer, and J. C- Short.

OIJH PUBLIC SCHOOLS COLUMN / FOR SENIORS AND JUNIORS. (Conducted by Magisteb, to whom all communications must be addressed.) will be glad to recseivo Nature Notes, marked papers containing educational articles, diagrams, details of experiments, etc., of Bcholastio interest to > teachers and pupils. Correspondents must use only OJrai bids of the paper, and whether using a pen name or not, must send both NAMH and ADDRESS*] GIFTS FOR THE FRONT. Though this note will, appear too late for the gifts to go by the next troop ships, the following list is supplied by a request from Otago Central; for suitable packages to send away: Tin of condonsed miik (sweetened); two plugs of tobacco (about half & pound); 40 cigarettes (two tins); two boxes safety matches; half a pound Fry's soluble c-hocolate, can bo eaten or made into drinks —when I was a boy cups of chocolate were in demand more than cocoa, and chocolato as a drink is more nourishing than cocoa; four soup squares, each making l£' pint6—it was intended in this case to send soup tabloids, six in a small tin, but supplies had run out; shilling tin of lollies; pound of seeded raisins; some almonds to fill up interstices in packet; packet of spearmint chewing gum; cake barilla soap; tin insecticide; pound of pound cake; piece of shortbread; writing; pad; packet of envelopes; an ink pencil; pair socks, pair of: mittens, pair of bootlaces; handkerohief, towel, needles, sewing (not too small in tKe_ eye), thread, darning wool, buttons (shirt and _ trousers). These were" all .packed into an eight quart billy and sbldered down; then the billies were packed into .cases. _. In this way one district provided 25 billies for residents at tho front. The cases were addressed to the Right Hon. R. H. Rhodes, representative of the New Zealand Government in Egypt, and a letter sent to him containing the addresses to .whom the billies were to be delivered—these addressed too, of course. This perhaps unusual procedure was adopted because so many, parcels go astray, and which I have reason' to believe, are pilfered to sell, and not always by soldiers in need.

But there is another point to refer to. The g.ifts were packed ih bond •to save duty! It seems to me a . mr, "vous thing that if a father—or anyone ei»:—wishes to send , a pound of tobacco to the front he has to pay 3s 6d duty and retail profit. Surely, the Government can arrange to have tobacco and cigarettes sent duty.free. If, say, 55,, is sent-1 shall try to get tobacco _abd cigarettes , through to that amount'minus the cost of postage add packing. 1 think - too, that as the gifts cheer our men up and otherwise increase their efficiency, the Government ought to, send gifts free—and letters and, papers, too. These items are a serious • tax upon tho purses of those who have friends and relatives at the front, eo why should these friends and relatives send gifts and pay extra taxation also? What Schools Coul'd Do.—lf schools were organised it is still not too late to send Christmas , gifts, though they will . not go by the troopships. Let country schoolstown ones,, too—organise gift .donations for Christmas or the Now Year, and throughout January and February. • ENGLAND AND. ROME. The following poem by Stephen .Phillips is, from a volume "Panama and Other . Poems." Readers of history know that Rome fell because the Romans-had given 1 way to luxury and looseness of'living. The poet does not think we have descended eo far as that, but wonders whether-our apathy will land us into the same depths of degradation. Sirs, now the heat of party strife is cooled, For mightier issues leisure has arrived;; The" large Imperial peril deeper calls. , Rome reeled and fell; but from a different ' foe: .' '•■/. ; We dread no' horde barbaric, and by lute' From forests multitudinously"'lured, With dreadful trample ' hollowing the ground, Hurled out. of leafy gloom on cities 'bright;' No! but a timed and calculated Force; . Unanimous, unhasting and unresting, Sleepless,' no moment, and n<p figure lost, With silent thunder 'and with lightning veiled.. Tho German hath no vengeance he . would ■ wreak. He at excluded bay arid ocean chafes, : In sighing sollen unexpanded power, With difficulty labouring for breath; ' 'And groans with teeming loins for grander fields; ' ' . An island, solitary intercepts; , World-destiny, no less, the " Cause of • ■ War." ■ And come ;it soon or late, yet it wiD . COIHOi ; .. ' ' Rome reeled and fell: she rotted from /\ within, . Languid l .by luxury, by vice exposed ; We are riot sunk into that sensual slush. ■ | 'Yet 'who shall say. if on the. final clash, . Arid all this potent people half-adream', " ■ Apathy' prove not' an Imperial vice? > HISTORICAL NOTES. The two following notes are taken from a' recent • issue of " The School "World." I ■ think. they are worth reading to children. Note how, like the late Admiral Mahan, the , writer ; draws attention to the silent infiuenceofsea. uower •/': • The- war which, Great ' Britain and her

.ADies are' waging against Germany and Austria is certainly unprecedented in history. We have not spaoe to dwell on more than two or three of its features, and one of the most nemarlmble is the struggle in the nortli of France and in Flanders. There ■ -armifes Have faced each other over a. length of 250 mile 6. Battles, in the old sense of that word, there are few or none. There are struggles for, the Aisne or the* Yser, towns are bombarded to ruins, trenches are •won or lost, but the whole presents the phenomenon of a siege, not - of .a town, but "of a country.. The fighting is incessant; now at one point,' now at another ,and ; there, is no rest for the fighters night or 1 day. We turn in vain for a parallel'to this even in Napoleon's greatest campaigns. He marched and fought pitched, battles, but his soldiers.had intervals in the: fighting; once even they said he was winning vktoriee with their legs rather than with their arms. , The nearest parallel 'we can find is the maintenance ,of those walls in the north of Britain which the Romans constantly guarded against Caledonians of various kinds. . .. . ■ \ W.e hear something daily of this long , siege of. Franco and oi th 1 © vain endeavours ' of the Germans to win their way towards Calais. But of the naval operations we hear little. 'That, according to the teaching of Admiral Mahan, who has recently passed' away, and of his followers is as it should * be. l A naval battle is. a failure on the part -of the stronger Power. It has failed to retain' the enemy's forces within his ports, land losses must be incurred on both sides. Here we can more' easily find parallels in tho history of past wars. Not in the ordi-text-books written for our pupils, which tell only of glorious victories and of destruction of the enemy's fleet, but in the larger histories of ,the wars of' a hundred

---'years ago we niay read of month-long watchings outside the. enemy's ports, Patchings which effectually guarded British shipping and jgave to',this island, then what •wo are enjoying to-day—a supply of food and other necessaries for our industry. Only when. Enidens and fJcharnhoTsts are captured or destroyed do we realise the importance of' our generally silent fleet. CORRESPONDENCE AND NOTES., War iis overshadowing everything—even ' our Nature notes, but that does not mean that they are to be eclipsed. I have two specimens f6r identification, and shall try to get .dotes (jji them for next week. " on Octobcr , 2, writes:— " Dea> ila^.tev, —So ' far ho one seems to hs./e. repit tod the arrival of the shining cuclw-o. 0?i September 28 I heard one at the M'Lennan River, but did not have a look at it until October' 1. It seems , to be about h week earlier than last, year. Kakas axe fairly numerous this seasbn. I counted 16 in one lot yesterday. Pigeons are gradually disappearing, ana' parTakeets show only ocrasionally, while that imported pest,: the blackbird, is everywhere. An- 1 other pest, the stoat, finds a living' miles back in the bush. They rob tho nests of the native birds, and have beeh known to kill native pigeons." More notes of a similar character will be very acceptable. "Juno" (Lawrence), .writes:—•" Dear Magister,—l have been reading about the very severe winters experienced ' at the Dardanelles. Can you tell,me why, when the latitude of these parts is only about 40deg. the cold should be so intense there?" Yesterday's Daily Times had,, a note on the climato at Gallipoli, which will partiaJly'answer the question, but is. not very , satisfactory for the simple reason, I suppose, that Mr, H. A. Hunt, who is • responsible for the information, -has not much data to wjork,'upon. -Who>. can supply me with the averages for Duriedin for June and. July over, say, a -term of 10 years?; For comparison purposes in the not.ps referred to, Constantinople stands for Gallipoli. and Constantinople is compared with Melbourne. : June, July, and August are, given 'as averaging ,50, .48, and 51 in Melbourne; and Decembeir, January, 1 end February, tjio corresponding months ' for Constantinople, as 46, 41, and 41. "As the northern end of Gallipoli is a degroo

nearer the equator than Constantinople, utid the southern end a little more bo, the climate of the Peninsula for iihat reason alone ought to be slightly milder than it is at Constantinople. But several climatic modifications other than latitude have often to bo considered.| For instance, the prevailing winds are_ from tho north-east, and these and east winds como from the arctic regions over Russia, and tho oold waters of the Black Sea, or from Asia, aver Asia Minor—again a cold wind in winter. The waters around the Gallipoli Peninsula will alw bo comparatively cold in winter. On whole, though bad enough for men in " bivvies," I think the winter conditions Of the Peninsula are somewhat exaggerated —I. hope so, at any rate. . From Mr, W. H. Rose, the' chairman of the Oamaru District Sc<stt Antarctic Memorial Committee, has been sent tho following. which I am glad to find space for. But the competition is confined to pupils of tho Oamaru district, is it not?-r-

In oonnection with the Scott Antarctic Memorial Essay for 1915 the oommittee is issuing the following memo to the head teachers of the public schools throughout the country " The . subject of tho essay will be taken from- the constitutional history of "the Stuart Period (1625-1649) but to ensure original work the exact theme will not be. announced beforehand. The committee regard the stirring story of the evolution of .British oivil liberty as especially appropriate for an educational essay today. Preparation for the essay must make the senior pupils of our primary schools realise the full measure of civil liberty which we as British subjects owe to the constitutional niartyrs of the Stuart Period. The' title of the essay is " What we as British subjects owe to-day to the great struggle for civil liberty in the Stuart Period.' Essayists arc requested to study closely the events of these three periods—from 1588 (the defeat of Spain) introductory, 1603 to 1625 James 1., 1625 to 1649 Charles I. The prizes will be of the value of £3 3s each. All Sixth Standard pupils are eligible., The date fixed for the writing of the essay is November 26, 1915, a list of competitors giving full names and ages to be sent' to the chairman not later than November 12."

A fortnight ago I gavo a letter I received from a reader who defes not appreciate Mr Morris's astronomical articles. As an antidote, Mr W., E. M'Adam (Anderson Bay) sends mo the following.. Wnat a difference in the outlook!:—

" Dear. Magister.—You recently published a letter ' concerning astronomy' which interesting as proving the possibility, even in the present day, of the existence of the type of mind that could formulate such a production. The writer reminds one of the flat-earth fogy who challenged the late Mr A. R., Wallace to prove by actual measurement the rotundity of the earth. This 'Mr Wallace did successfully, though not to the conviction of his, challenger, who had, however/'only to cast his glance upward to the moon at the time of any eclipse 1 to see the curvature of the earth projected in shadow on the illuminated face of her satellite. As a set .off to this farrago of nonsense I ; send you ,a precis of a recent, speculation on the structure of the universe, which appeared in the publication Nature, of date July_ 15 last, being as therein stated, the subject of the very instructive article whioh appears in the July number of Science Progress, by Mr H. Spencer Jones ■of the Royal Observatory, Greenwioh.- The idea, as he states, that the centre of our system is occupied by_ an immense sun, many thousands of times larger and more glorious than our own sun, and that round about it are millions, of i lesser suns. of various , sizes, together forming the nucleus of an immense spiral nebula, of which the spiral arms coiling around the nucleus appear to us as the Milky Way, and that this to us immense system is but one, ; and perhaps a comparatively i small, island universe amongst- thousands or millions of other island universes in space. is an idea which by its magnificence appeals to the mind of mail. What forms the substance of the article is the_ ibsfeis of truth upon' which this conception is founded, and the straightforward and clear .way in which, the author has marshalled his evidence makes the article of particular interest."