MULTUM IN PARVO.

Otago Witness, Issue 3100, 13 August 1913, Page 59

MULTUM IN PARVO.

The total number of schools in Queensland lasi year -was lzß7.

—An eigiity-eignt-year-old lady of Toronto has recently cut eigxit teeth. —in proportion to its size, Britain ha* eight times as many mi.es of railway as the United States. Tobacco seeds are so minute that a thimbieiui will furnish enough plants tor an acre of ground. . . The tip of the minute hand of the average watch travels nearly four-faiths of a mile every year. , A co.ony of bees have made their home in the parish church at Rednulo, Leicestershire, in spite of attempts to remove them. Found to be unfit for food, 2830 tons of grain has been destroyed on arrival at the Fort of London during, the last year. Luring last year the total wool yie.d of Queensland was 136,878,2701b —a decrease on the previous year s production of b 503 9991 b. • —ln the village of Louth Kymo (Lincolnshire), of about 409 inhabitants, there resale six couples who have already celebrated their goideu wedding. A cat caused the death of a monthold baby on whom an inquest was held at Islington. The cat was found lying across the child’s face. A Frenchwoman has been captured by Moorish tribesmen, and bargaining for ner release is proceeding on the basis of 16s per hair of the captive’s head. Colonel Benjamin Holmes, of Summit, Hew York, claims to have used one razor for 53 years. He estimates he has shaved himself with it 11,024 times. Fir will grow at as great an altitude as 6700 ft above sea level, yellow pine at 6200 ft, ash at -eOOft, and oak at 3350 ft. The vine ceases to grow at about Z3Cdft. —-A royal sturgeon measuring Bft 10m in length and weighing about 18st was recently landed at by the steam trawler Florence. There was keen competition for it on the market, and it was sold for £9 2s 6d. . . The Paris Municipal Council passed without a single dissentient a motion approving of a Bill to be brought before the Chamber to give to women the right to vote at municipal elections. —An American newspaper records that Mrs Jessie Young, of St. Louis, U.S.A., has just been married for the third time. All her husbands have been brothers. Mrs Young says it is convenient to have only one mother-in-law.

The captain of the Hamburg-America Line steamer Carl Schurz reports that, while passing through the Caribbean >Sea, the vessel was brought to a stop by a whale 42ft in length, and weighing three tons. A female spider in Texas weaves a balloon 4ft long and 2ft wide, which sire uses as a means of locomotion for herself and family. She fastens it to a tree by a single threat which she cuts when she wishes her airship to be set in motion. —-At the beginning of June in each year about 300 organ-grinders leave Italy for London. They return to their native land in October, and live well for the next eight months, when they again start on their pilgrimage. The highest clouds are those delicate wite fibrous, detached masses of frozen vapour known as cirrus clouds. They are always seen high against the blue sky. The topmost point of the highest of those may be 10 miles above tbe earth. —To bo acceptable as a soldier in the German army a man must be able to swim. The best swimmers are able to cross a stream of several hundred yards width, even when carrying their clothing, rifle, and ammunition. A marked crab that had been caught off Catterline, on the Kincardineshire coast, was sent to the Fisheries Officer at Aberdeen for examination, and it has now been ascertained that the crab was liberated at Boadnell, Northumberland, on October 9, 1912. Catterline is 120 miles from Beadnell

A magnificent three-row pearl necklace, composed of 199 well-matched graduated pearls, belonging to Mr Mortimer Singer, was sold for £16,000 at Christie s in Bondon. A five-row pearl necklace, composed of 471 pearls of fine orient, which was described as the property of a lady of title, was sold for £IB,OOO. Some years ago a cow belonging to a farmer living in Bromyard, in Worcestershire, had the misfortune to meet with an accident which necessitated the amputation of one leg. The animal passed through the ordeal successfully, was measured for a false log, and in a very short time, with apparently no inconvenience, it took its place with its companions. One of the fattest men on record died in Ca'ifornia a few weeks ago. Ilis name was George Comstock, and he was well known in the circus profession, where his weight, of 4031 b. or 29st 21b. conferred celebrity on him. It took 12 men to carry him to the motor car in which ho was conveyed to the hospital when ho was taken ill.'

Manv old houses in Holland have a special door which is never opened save on two occasion? —when there is a marriage or a death in the family. The br’ido and bridegroom enter by this door; it is then nailed or barred up until a death occurs, when it is opened, and the body is removed bv this exit.

Probably the roost expensive piece of laoo that has been made for years was on sale at Eadv Eondonderry’s stall at the Royal Irish Industries Exhibition in London. where, foi a piece of hand-woven lace, 8 little over six yards fn Wpth. £460 was asked —equivalent to over £75 per yard. fnmilv of four children named Stanlev. living at Ri’sinpton. near Ashford, has probably "establishetl a school record. Two have not rn'ssed a day’s attendance for six years, one for five years, and the other for one year. During the period named the children, who live two miles from sehool, have walked 14-fiOO in'l os. What is believed to be the first motor car chapel ever constructed is bmpe used in the United iStnt.es by the Catholic Church Extension - Soeietv in the sec Cons of the south-west where the members of the Church are too widely scattered to have stationarv churches or chaPels. It penetrates regions which railroads do not reach. The enuipnrr nt includes all usual essentials for earrvinp out the rites of the Catholic Church in regular form and with appropriate solemnity. —• Tn certain of the schools m "Russia the hi chest reward triven is the inbia.l letter of the Czarina’s name. It consists of the initials in solid po’d on a b’uo bow. Should its possessor ever become a pomrness it will entitle her to a hipher salary than she could otherwise obtain.

The longest hunger strike on record was carried out- some years ago by a Frenchman named Granie, who was arrested {or murder in circumstances which left no doubt aa to his guilt. Ho determined to starve himself to death in order to escape the guillotine, and from the day of his arrest refused to eat in spite of every effort on the part of the prison authorities, who first tried tempting him to eat by placing the most dainty meals in his cell, and, when that failed, attempted forcible feeding. Granie held out for 63 days, at the end of which time ho died. Sheet steel is the latest material utilised in the making of furniture. It is used for sideboards, wardrobes, chiffoniers, writingdesks, and is finished in such perfect imitation of the various woods that the difference cannot be detected. The wood finish is applied under a very high temperature, becoming an integral part of the metal and never cracking. This unique furniture has the recommendation pf being fireproof, and a lighted match left on a pressed steel sideboard would have no effect whatever on its surface.

The Queen of the Hellenes is a fine painter and a very accomplished musician. Someone fond of statistics has figured out that in Great Britain alone about 1,600,000,000 miles arc covered annually by all sorts of vehicles, including motor cars. During the past year 750 persons were killed by vehicular traffic —that Js to say, one person for every 2,135,333 miles. ■ Motor vehicles to the number of 50,000 covered approximately 300,000,000 miles, and killed 200 people, or one person for every' 1,500,000 miles.