HERE AND THERE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3103, 3 September 1913, Page 77

HERE AND THERE.

The Right to Carry a Razor. — American negroes in Jackson, Mississippi, demonstrated to show their approval of the decision by the Supreme Court declaring that a razor is not a weapon but ‘ an implement of the toilet.” The American negro has long cherished tfc® right of carrying a razor in his vest p-*sket in the same way as the cowboy in the West cherishes the right of carrying a sixshooter in his hip pocket. Statistics show that Americans of African descent are even more ready than their white fellowcountrymen to whip out their weapons when provoked, and not infrequently social affairs in the South —more particularly dances under negro auspices—have terminated in sanguinary melees. A despatch from Jackson, Mississippi, says:—“Out of gratitude to the court for returning the razor to its place in the vest pocket the negro cotillon leaders have organised what they call a Supreme Court Razor Club, which will have charge of social events among the village cut-ups.” the legal decision promises to be more far-reaching than was supposed, and will result in a revival of interest in the turkey trot, tango, pickerel flip, and supper lurch. The latter is the latest of the eccentric dances. It is the signal for the man to grab his partner and lurch with her in the direction of the supper table. Dances were almost entirely discontinued in Jackson's fast black set when razors were barred, “but on hearing of the courts decision local society immediately commenced to arrange for a series of summer events."

Military Service for Women in Franco. —

It is a truism that the trench nation is nothing if not logical, and that the trench have Descartes in their blood. The feminists certainly are at present affording fresh evidence of the national characteristic in France, where Madame Dienlafoy has asked permission of the War Ministry to enrol an auxiliary force of women for military service. there are at present in the French army over 40,000 men attached to the commissariat and medical services; and it is the idea of Madame Dienlafoy that these should be replaced by women. * The scheme must not he confused with the organisation of volunteer nurses which obtains in England, and is more than paralleled in 1* ranee by the 150.000 women who have been trained as military nurses by the various ‘‘Societies de secours aux blesses.” The proposed scheme contemplates the inclusion of women in the actual military establishment of the country. The idea, is not new. Seven years ago the German publicist, Herr Hans Fschelbach, proposed as part of the Feminist platform that women should be enrolled in brigades and taught in “ practical schools ” to cook, sew, and keep garments in good repair, nurse the sick and wounded, undergo gymnastic training, swim, march, and even to dance and sing (though there is no obvious purpose in these accomplishments). Thus they were to form an auxiliary division. Recently the German “ Suffragettes have adopted the proposal of Herr Eschelbach ; and their leader, Fraulein Pauline Woruer, demands military service for her sisters, not as a duty, but as a right. “ Military service,” says Fraulein. Worner.

“ has greatly served to the physical and intellectual development of men; it is to wrong woman to seek to deprive her of these advantages.”

A Millionaire in a Dav.—

“What,” it is asked, “are the oil resources of Canada ?” Ca.ru the great daughter Dominion contribute much to the vast future oil requirements of tire Empire? In 1912 she imported enormous quantities of the fluid from the United Slater —76,524,771 gallons of crude oil, 33.361.181 gallons of naphtha and lighter products, 14,272.898 gallons of illuminating oil, and 5,984.517 gallons of lubricating and heavy paraffin oil. There is (says a correspondent) no immediate encouragement in the outlook. Indeed, the report of the Canadian Bureau of Mines, 1912. states that the future of the industry in Ontario, which is its chief seat. “is somewhat problematical.” The production has been declining, and the outlook “depends upon the chances of finding new fields with the proper conditions. ’ 1 his is, indeed, very true, and it is more or lees true of all oilfields, for oil is not inexhaustible, and. immense as are the quantities in which it exists in the earth, sooner or later tho period of exhaustion will set in. A romantic story is told of the origin of the search for oil in Canada. The pioneer was John Shaw, who worked incessantly at his well until his last penny was spent, and one morning he went barefooted with an empty pocket and an empty stomach to find himself a millionaire the same evening. The well had gushed, and the winning of oil had begun. Licenses fur Bachelors. — Tlie Citv Council of Memphis, Tennessee, lias (says the Chicago correspondent of tho Daily Chronicle) passed a by-law taxing bachelors to provide money for tbc maintenance of a summer hospital for sick babies and their mothers, and to provide milk, and otherwise assist the babies during the hot summer months. 'the law provides that no unmarried male over vears of age shall be allowed to bo in the streets of Memphis after 9 o’clock at night, or to accompany an unmarried woman to auv place of amusement unless he has paid the lax. He must present a bachelor’s license on demand, ami if he is unable to do so, he may be fined from £1 to £lO. At first resistance was made to this regulation, but in less than two davs several of the most prominent bachelors in the city had been arrested and fined double the" amount of the tax. Soon everybody was paying cheerfully. The tax is £l. and every bachelor must take out what is called a “ bachelor’s privilege license.” It applies only to the summer months. On the money so provided a

summer hisat&tl. containing 100 babies, is maintained. —Surgical Feat.— Dr Bouchou, the Paris surgeon (says the correspondent of the Daily Express), reported to the Academy of Science and the French Surgical Society his success in an extraordinary operation on the heart of a dead woman. Dr Bouchou says that he succeeded, by an operation 10 minutes after death, in restoring life for 35 minutes, causing; the heart to beat normally. The wor tin had been run over by a motor car, which passed over her chest. The surgeon opened the thorax, and found that the left part of the heart had burst,the wound being nearly siu long. He sewed it up again, injected a serum, and massaged the heart. A minute afterwards the heart began to beat again, and the woman’s pulse was clearly perceptible. After 35 minutes the woman died again. Death had been caused by the crushing of the right kidney and other vital parts. Dr Bouchou declares that the result of this wonderful operation is proof that in the case of sudden death from a knife wound, or any clean form of traumatism of the heart, it would be possible to bring a dead person to life again and keep him alive, provided the operation be performed immediately. —Naval Armaments. — During the past 25 years the expenditure on naval armac.muts of England and Germany has amounted to close, on £1,000.000,000. The 25 years' naval expenditure (1889-1913) amounts to the stupendous total of £997.225,700. Tu the first year, 1899-90, the two nations were content with a total of £18.509,055. equivalent to £355.943 every week. In 191314, however, their naval expenditure is very nearly four times as great, for the total is no less than £69,197.170, representing for the two nations an average outlay of £1.330.715 a Week. If we take the six Powers which constitute the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance, it will be found that in 1913-14 they are devoting £128,556,578, to their fleets, or very nearly £2,500,000 a week. —A Marvellous Tree.—

The most marvellous tree in the world is the Carnahnba palm, which grows in Brazil. Its roots produce the same medicinal effect as sarsaparilla. From parts of the tree wine and vinegar are made. Its fruit is used for feeding cattle. Of the straw, hats, baskets, brooms, and mats are made. It is also used for thatching houses. The pulp has an agreeable taste, and the nut is sometimes used as a substitute for coffee. Its stems afford strong, light fibres, and serve also for joists, rafters, and other building materials. ft yields a saccharine substance, as well as a starch resembling sago. Of the wood of the stem musical instruments, water lubes and pumps are made. From the stem a white liquid similar to the milk of the cocoanut may he extracted. Moreover, salt is extracted from the tree, .and likewise an alkali used in the manufacture of common soap. —Owners of London. — London’s 116 square miles is owned by 38,200 individuals. Only 700 people own five acres or more, and 14,000 own only the houses in which they live. Lord Northbrook and Dulwich College are the largest owners, with over two square miles each. Tile Duke of Westminster owns three-quarters of a mile. ‘‘.l here ought to he some restriction on a mail's right to do what he likes-with is own property,” says the British Weekly. “Modern European systems based on Roman law secured a certain legal minimum to wife, heirs, and descendants. When there are neither descendants nor ascendants Latin law leaves full liberty of disposition. In France a man with one child may will awav only one-half of his estate; if two, only one-third. If he has only ascendants he may dispose of half or three-quarters, according as they are in one line only or 'in both. Li Germany the wife, the ascendants, and the descendants have a legal minimum to which they are entitled whether it is bequeathed to them or not. By the common English law wife and children used to have a title (o a reasonable share, and the deprivation of this right is comparatively recent.