A Mad Genius. His Wonderful Models.

Otago Witness, Issue 2325, 22 September 1898, Page 59

A Mad Genius. His Wonderful Models.

Confined in an asylum on the outskirts of London is a remarkably clever craftsman, interesting facts of whose life and work are given in the July number of Pearson's Magazine. This man, who goes by the initials of H. J. P., has made many wonderful -nodels, inoluding one of the Great Eastern, which was adjudged the finest piece of ship-carving at the Fisheries Exhibition. "Despite his passion for things nautical, he has also built a wonderful giant, which he has devoted to the service of arms. Standing some 14f L high, with girth zo correspond, and clad in a marvellous uniform of blue and soarlet, bestrewn with medals won in heroio fight, this grim-visage.ct warrior stands on sentry duty. "A mammoth thorax open*, cupboard fashion— behind the scenes— aiid a. J. P., entering surreptitiously, shows off the varied accomplishments af his towering toy, which he has fitted with a larynx — a by no means unskilful bit of throat anatomy. Through this his owne*- produces unearthly shrieks, and formidable coughs ; whilst the monster mouth, opaning and shutting at will of the concealed 'prompter,' reveals * row of tusk-like teoth. "Through speaking tubes connected with the immense ears of the giatvfc, which flap responsively to sound, H. J. "P. carries on constant and presumably pleasant converse with his affable Paladin. With a tongue one yard in length and a smile whose width compasses a foot And a-half, the imposing appearance of the soloic." tr»av readily be imagined. "Answering to the helm when * robe is touched, his huge glass ayes roll in terrible effcits of vision, while canvas eyelids, fringed with Jong, coarse lashes, shut -eadily and jimultaneously, or with gigantic and wicked wink, when 'worked* : ineide by a wire.' His i huge head, made *mcji« w7rreous by a bushy beard contniToninu an o^my regulations, revolves on the ungainly >'.«iclv in. realistic fashion. A wonotirj"» success would certainly await in is wooo«" Goliath were he 'starred' at • iildvan s parties — for no juch skilled giant arohitofhira has been, seen even on ibe par' i-nime »tage. "The c.L.Uure smokes a t>ipo of Brobdingnagia.i ovoportions stuffed "JviiA r>rown paper, wbii h U. J. P., with * distinct cßnse of humour, ',-sures him is 'true iobacco.' H. J. P. smoke the real weed himself with much enjoyment, bub uofc vaste 'his on his •yooden friend."

— As near as possible 800 gal of fresh water are used in a large battleship daily. About two-thirds of this is taken ap by the boilers, and the remainder is used for drinking, washing, cooking, etc. When the itore which she has taken out with her from port has been used ap, a vessel has to depend apon her evaporators for further supplies. Every modern warship is fitted with evaporating machinery to distil the salt sea water. Pake a clay off Thursday. Eat turkey give thanks. Read in a newspaper that a consumptive cough would be 3topped by taking Wooda's Great Peppermint Cure. Took ifc on and dropped the consumptive cough — cost Is 6d. That's worth a holiday, and turkey's the festival feed jyhere I come

— German Socialism, like all the " isms," loses in intensity as ifc gains in volume. Strength brings responsibility and the extreme revolutionists in Germany are already complaining that their leaders are becoming mere opportunists. And it is inevitable that ihey should do so, provided always that the Emperor does not once again, as so often before, play into the hands of his enemies by starting on a fresh " Sozialisten-hetze. Then, indeed, the prisons would be full and the Extremists would rejoice.— Saturday Review.

— The camel is the only animal that cannot siwim. It is nn extraordinary fact that the tiomenl it loses its footing in a stream ifc turns over, and aakes no effort to save itself from drowning. —It is said that not many of the Cuban refugees in Florida enlisted for the present, war. This is due to the fact that they ara cigarmakers and cannot march. They can sit clay after day rolling cigars without becoming tired, but few of them can \ alk more tb.au a mile wiUiQivt exhaustion.