HERE AND THERE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3102, 27 August 1913, Page 77

HERE AND THERE.

—Where Nothing Matters. — India is, says Rudyard Kipling, a place beyond all others where one must not take things too seriously—the midday gun always excepted. Too much work and too much energy kill a man just as effectively S 3 too much assorted vie© or too much drink. Flirtation does not matter, because everyone ie being transferred, and either you or she leave the station and never return. Good work does not matter, because a man is judged by his worst output, and another man takes all the credit of bis best, as a rule. Bad work does not matter, because other men do worse, and incompetents hang on longer in India than anywhere else. Amusements do not matter, because you must repeat them as soon as you ha\ e accomplished them once, and most amusements only mean trying to win another person’s money. Sickness does not matter, because it’s all in the day s work, and if vou die, another man takes ovei your place and your office in the eight hours betiveen death and burial. Nothing matters except home furlough and acting allowances, and these only because they are scarce. It is a slack country, wheie all men work- with imperfect instruments; and the w'isest thing is to escape as soon as ever you can to some place where amusement is amusement and a reputation worth the having.

—Queer Things Auctioned.—

Queer things (save the Paris correspondent of the Daily' Telegraph) have from time to time been sold at auction at the Hotel Drouot, and the petrified Patagonian mummy and the head of a small Equatorial Indian chief, which were disposed of at the last sitting, add a further item to the curious records. People were so eager to see the strange remains that they crowded into Room 13, where the sale was to take place, and a few got on ladders and tables to be able to see the wonders. One of them was the petrified body of a Patagonian warrior, which had been discovered some 15 years ago by two Chilians at the mouth of the River Tucapel. He was a tall specimen, more than 6ft high, and had big, broad shoulders. Nothing, of course, could be said ns to the probable age of the remains, and though the mummy was sold without any guarantee it received numerous bids, and finally fetched the sum of 8200 f. It was bought, it is believed, for South America. The other strange specimen was the skull of an Indian of Equatorial America, with scalp and long, streamy hair. The bones had been carefully folished, and were of a deep dark colour, t seemed to have been fitted to the top of a staff or lance, and was probably some warlike trophy. Comte de Pierredon bought it.

“Advanced” CoupV-’s Vow. —

Miss Delia Dana, granddaughter of the poet Longfellow, was (says the New York correspondent of the Daily Telegraph) the bride at a eugenic marriage, which took place at Manchcster-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts. Miss Delia and Mr Robert Hutchinson, the bridegroom, stood upon a verandah, “within hearing of the swish of the waves which beat upon the garden terrace,” and there exchanged silver rings. The bride had written out her own marriage vows, which were as follow:—“I, Delia, take you Robert, as my lawful husband, and promise faithfully to fulfil toward you all the obligations arising from the married state, and I hope to be a true comrade and helpmate. As a symbol thereof I give you this ring.” Mr Hutchinson responded in the same strain. Justice Jewett performed the ceremony, and by pre-arrangement aeked both the bride and bridegroom this eugenic question : “Have you obtained the assurance of a physician that you are fitted for the high calling of parenthood?” to which the bridegroom and the blushing bride separately replied, “We have so obtained that assurance.”

—Savants for Dissection.— Two French savants, one of them Professor Pinard, of the Faculty of Medicine of Paris, and the other Dr Barrier, inspec-tor-general of veterinary schools, have (says the Paris correspondent of the Daily Mail) each made a will in which, with the consent of their families, they leave their bodies to be autopsied and dissected after their death by the Faculty of Paris, before being handed over for cremation. Dr Barrier made this announcement to his colleagues at a meeting of the Society for the Propagation of Cremation. The practice of cremation has not yet made much headway in France, but the society reported some progress, as last year there were 508 instances of cremation, to 470 recorded in the previous year. Dr Barrier announced to the meeting that Professor Pinard had made a will providing not only that his body should be cremated after death, but that it should also be used for scientific dissection in the laboratory of the faculty. The professor's opinion was that it was his duty to be of service to his fellow-men to the very end. Dr Barrier approved of his action, and as the example was contagious, he also had made a similar will, and he hoped that many other savants would do the same. An Indian Experiment.— They are trying an experiment (says the Manchester Guardian) in the censorship of public morals in a certain Indian State—an experiment which makes the efforts of certain American towns look feeble. The State is Faridkot, a Native State in the Punjab. The affairs of Faridkot are administered by the President of the Council of Regency, an interesting personage, who on the King’s Birthday last month received a minor decoration from the Viceroy. His avowed aim is to develop the perfect community wherein no crime shall exist, and all men shall work for the public good. So ho has set up a system of State registers under which the whole people are classified under three heads'- —Nekokars (good characters), Sulakars (concilia-

tors), and Siahkars (evil-doers). The theory is that no man will care to be registered as an evil-doer, and that all will attempt to reform themselves. Might one be forgiven for the phrase “ I don’t think,” without seeming unduly pessimistic? The Marriage Age.—

A paper called the Gout Parisien publishes the result of a plebiscite among its feminine readers on the question of the age at which men and women ought to marry, and the most desirable difference of age between husband and wife. There were 11,447 replies, and the result obtained by adding together the figures given by each and dividing them by 11,447 was 32 as the age of marriage for a man and 22 for a woman. This would mean a difference of 10 years between husband and wife; but the ladies who replied were not consistent, for only 801 of them voted in favour of that difference, the largest number of votes (1916) being for a difference of five years. There were 1781 for a difference of four years, and 1420 for a difference of three years, while 936 replies recommended that husband and wife should be of the same age. The other replies on this point were as follow; Two years, 932; seven years, 828; one year, 822; six years, 645; various, 1009; 357 replies simply said that it was better not to marry at all.