MULTUM IN PARVO

Otago Witness, Issue 3275, 20 December 1916, Page 53

MULTUM IN PARVO

"With only one exception, every bank in Manchester is now employing girl clerks. Father Christmas is a traditional English figure. Santa C'laus is a GermanAmerican usurper. The French call Christmas "Noel"; the Dutch name is " Keremis"; the German "Weihnachtfest." "Yule" is the Scandinavian name for Christmas, from the old heathen festival once held at that time of the year. Thirty-six gallons is the average daily consumption of water of each Londoner. Twenty-two in each 100 wounded were our losses by death in the Crimean war. Twenty-throe knots an hour is tho speed of a German Dreadnought of tho Kaiser class.

All parks, recreation grounds, and other open spaces in Venice are being converted into vegetable gardens. Forty-eight tons is the weight of tho German 12in gun against that, of 66 tons of the British.

Christmas feasting arose from a literal observance of the fact that Christmas Day, ecclesiastically, is a great "feast" day. —ln the days when Christianity could enforce its will on people and princes, fighting was forbidden during Christmastide.

The custom of Christmas presents originated from the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh brought by the Wise Men to Christ.

—lt is estimated in official quarters that the public since the outbreak of the war has subscribed roughly £27,000,000 for various charitable purposes. That there arc 800 Joneses on one pay list was a fact disclosed in an army prosecution case recently at Merthyr. Ten million pounds was the yearly revenue derived in Russia from the sale of alcohol before its prohibition. Forty-nine thousand four hundred and seventy-six deaths in England and Wales were assigned to tuberculosis in 1913. As late as 1790, Ripon Cathedral choristers brought, at Christmas, baskets of apples, each stuck with a rosemary sprig, to be presented to the congregation. The Scriptural record that Christ was "laid in a manger" is corroborated by the fact that mangers to this day are used as cradles in the East.

The "Wise Men" from the East who visited Christ, guided by a star, arc stated to have been kings, and their names Melchior, Balthasar, and Caspar.

The first printed Christmas card in England was sent by the Rev. E. Bradley, author of "Verdant Green." Twenty years later the custom was universal.

The Chinese have preserved in their astronomical tables the appearance of a new star which, chronologically, fits in with the appearance of the star to the Wise Men. The record for bullet-holes in a flying machine, a much prized record, is held by a pilot who returned from one flight recently with over 300 holes, the previous record being 240 odd. One of the oldest names for Christmas Day in Western Christendom was "The Feast of Lights," hundreds of tapers and candles being lighted in the churches. A picturesque mediaeval custom was to hang a wooden hoop with candles m tho chancels of churches at Christmas, in memory of the Star of Bethlehem. Christmas crackers are a development of the old French cosaque—a package, screwed up, and containing sweets. The "crack," the frilled edges, the motto, and the varied contents, followed. Christmas trees were not universal in England till the fifteenth century. Originally they were set up on the pavement and decked with greenery. Then they were finally taken indoors, and the simple decoration became more elaborate. also commemorates "Blessed Mary of tho Angels," the religious name of a Carmelite nun, who obtained a great reputation for holiness, and was beatified in 1865. Eagles have been noticed flying at a, height of 6000 ft, and storks and buzzards at 2000 ft. A lark will rise to the same height, and so will crows. As a rule, however, birds do not fly at a greater height than 1000 ft. ■ The Military Cross, our latest decoration for heroic soldiers, is made of silver, with the Imperial Crown on each arm, and the letters A G.1t.1." in the centre. The cross hangs from a while ribbon with a purple stripe. —Mr Ford's motor company, as the result of making a standardised popular car, alio made for itself, in the year ended July 31 1916, a, profit of 60.000,000d01, or nearly £12,000,000. efforts to increase its 1915-16 rice crop. The final figures show 32,877,000 tons, an increase of 21 per cent, over the year before, and the largest crop that India ever raised. The Swedes are probably the tallest people in Europe, and have, on the whole, erect, handsome figures. To some extent this advantage is due to physical exercise, which is compulsory in the elementary schools. One of the greatest English banks—tho London City and Midland—has appointed a lad* to a branch managership. .The branch is in a remote country district, but the bank is credited with the intention of going furl her in the matter, and apparently 30 or 40 women are now-being trained in readiness to take up positions. George Hix, who was engaged at the House of Lords for a fortnight as a temporary hand in 1857, _ has been working there ever since. ITe is 80 years old, and sometimes arrives at his place of work—near the engine house—at 5 a.m. Among the Russian prisoners who have recently escaped and made their way back to the Russian linos is a man who was employed by the Ausfrians in Lcmberg to slaughter worn-out horse* for food for tho troops. He says that the price of cows in Lon.fxnr is now about £64 Bid of piga about £53. Members of nil branches ot tho prison service in Great Britain are to benefit by the war bonuses which have boon given to the whole of the civil service. Warders and other prison officials earning up to £?. per \vo"k will receive a bonus of 4s a week, while those whose wages are between £2 and £3 a week are being given a bonus of 3s .a week.

A novel defence was raised by a milk dealer at a London suburban police court, when he was summoned for selling milk containing added water. A solicitor on his behalf said that the milk came from rows in & locality which had been attacked by Zeppelins, and in the milk had been considerably affected. _ The Middlesex County Council analyst said it was quite passible that abnormal milk would como from cows suffering from fricrht. The Bench dismissed the summons in view of iho exceptional circumstances.

-"-•Perhaps the most startling incident in connection with work taken up by women since the war, is the overhauling upon the Thames of the dredger Richard Marsh. This dredger, after having been sunk in the Thames off Rainham for about two years, has been raised, and the work of scraping, cleaning, boiler scaling—in fact, all labour in connection with a. general overhauling, is now being satisfactorily carried out by a staff of women and girl's. Tho depth of the whirlpool rapids in the Niagara River, just below tho falls, has been estimated as anywhere between 250 ft and 1000 ft; ; but as no boat can live in the rapids, it has been impossible to verify this estimate. Engineers now propose to take a series of soundings from a passenger aero-car lino constructed 200 ft above the water. A weight of 5001 b will be used, or heavier, if necessary. A similar uncertainty prevails as to the depth of water immediately under the falls., the strength of the current interfering with the sounding lines.

Cemetery thieves have been at work at Lourdes, of all places in the world. The vault of tho Radziwill family, in the grounds of the Blue Nuns Convent, has been broken into, and on attempt made to get at the body of Princess Radziwill, who was reported to have been buried with valuable rings upon her lingers and a costly necklace round her throat. The marble entrance to the vault was removed without much difficulty apparently, despite its weight, and the beautifully sculptured oak coffin was easily broken open. The leaden shell resisted all attempts to wrench it open, and, daylight coming on, probably, the vampires decamped, leaving behind them their pickaxes, a coil of rope, and a dark lantern.

Tho Swiss Post Office saves its old stamps, and recently offered 100,000 used copies of tho current high value Swiss stamps, 3f, sf, and lOf, for sale. Last year a similar offer to the philatelic trade was made, and a substantial sum was realised. The three denominations are offered at 10(1 per stamp in what is styled "first quality," and 7d per stamp in the second quality, or 2s 6d and Is 8d tho sot of three. The firstquality stamps were only used on dockets, etc., which never left tho Post Office; while the second kind were used in the mails. The stamps are only supplied to the Swiss dealers, but British dealers can obtain them from tho Swise trade at a small commission over these prices. Since the United States began acquiring overseas possessions after the SpamshAmencan war of 18 years ago, the Republic has so considerably 'added to its responsibilities outside the American Continent that it now owns more than 8000 islands, with a population of some 10 millions, and an import and export trade, mainly with America, of over 300,000,C00d0l annually. Of these BCOO and odd islands rather more than 3000 are in the Philippine group, seven-eighths of which are less than a square mile in area. —lt is computed that since the beginning of the war the boots branch of tho Roval Armv Clothing Department has given orders' for about 26,000,000 pairs of boots, including British, Serbian, French. Russian, Italian, and Belgian boots, and that of tho total demand Northampton alone has supplied one-fourth, or over 100.000 pairs a' week. The following figures are eiven:—Serbian boots. 600.0C0 pairs; Italian, 450.000; French. 2,000,000; Russian (ankle boots), 3,000.000; Russian "Cossack" boots (now being made), 3,000,000. —lt was Adam Smith who wrote that soap should be taxed only on occasions, of special urgency, and it was in deference to this doctrine that Lord North refused, until tho seventh year of the American War of Independence, to raise the already existing tax to 2id per lb for hard soup, and lfd per lb for soft soap. For this the nation nicknamed him "Old Soapsuds." A few years later, in 1816. Vansittart. who was then Chancellor, again raised the tax on. hard soap to 3d per lb. Tho price of hard soap being then 6d per lb, tho impost amounted to 100 per cent. Gladstone abolished the tax in 1853, thereby sacrificin ; a revenue of £1.126,000. The marriage rate in 1915 was tho highest on record. Tho number of persons married in England and Wales was 720.052, giving a rate of 19.3 persons married per 1000 of tho population. _ Compared with the average in the 10 previous years, the mar riage rate last year showed an increase of 3.9 per thousand. On the other hand the birth-rate was the lowest on record —21.8 per thousand of the population, —a decrease of 3.6 compared with the average in 1905-14. Tho death-rate—ls.l per thousand —was 1.2 higher than in 1914. During tho last three months of the year there were 7649 illegitimate births, this number being 1067 fewer than in the same quarter of the previous year. The cultivation of medicinal herbs is being tested at Langford. British Columbia. About 50 varieties of those have boon planted. The growers will keep an exact record of the progress of each, and hope to have valuable information tabulated at the end of the season. It is hoped and believed that the enterprise will succeed, and there does not seem to bo any reason why it should not. Ten yeare ago it was considered impossible that a profitable trade in bulbs would have rewarded tho industry of growers in Vancouver Island, yet a bulb farm and many smaller concerns are now in full operation. Tho tobacco habit, as the story of Kilt has once more shown, has added terribly to the privations of a siosre in its last day*. however much consolation it may bring at earlier stages (says the Chronicle). "The leaves of the trees wore all smoked awny fo.- want of tobacco," Lady Canning wrote home concerning the siege of Lucknow. and even bark was smoked '.hero. In Ladysmith tho men smoked dried sunflower loaves for many weeks, before tho relief. Throe weeks before tho end a £lb cake of black tobacco cost 455. a, box of inferior citrnrs £6 10s. and a packet of 10 Virginia cigarettes 25:i. The Kut prices appear to have boon rather wors". There are 2.(500.000 telephone calls every business da" m Now York City—tho busiest "Central" in all the world, and tho largest, too. It ie said in America to b" larger even than the combined systems of London, Paris, Berlin. Petrograd. am! Rom", which number 14.765.000 souls, as against New York's 5.500,000. Now York City has 620.000 telephones, and adds 5000 a month. The hundred largest hotels, in Now York own up to 21 000 telephones themselves--more than all tho instruments in the kingdom of Spain, and. as many as are on the entire continent, of Africa. In ~ ~0 r ,,. +]-ir.cr, hotel telephones transmit alone ossngos. Tf Now York can bo to rn to bod at all it is only asleep between " 30 and 4.30 a.m. of each day. For 'hat s the sole hour at which tho i'l. Mi.'u rails fall iff enough to bo really appreciably quiet.