MULTUM IN PARVO

Otago Witness, Issue 3327, 19 December 1917, Page 53

MULTUM IN PARVO

—lt is estimated that over 4,000,000 pens are destroyed daily. The .Bank of England hae 32 different mothods of detecting forged banknotes. —ln Continental onurches notices may be seen requesting women to keep their hats Qn.

Bastions were invented by the Italian engineers of the sixteenth century to prevent the enemy from collecting in the ditch round a fortified town.

Kings, in tho earliest days, were merely the "fathers of families," and the word is derived from the same source ae " kin." ' .• . Anciently tho wedding ring was first placed on tho thumb, then on the first finger, then on the second, and lastly on the third, where it remained; The atrium of Roman houses was the hall, the most important part of the house. It was lighted by an opening in the roof; the chambers were off it on both sides, i —At a depth of 2000 fathoms under the eea the pressure of water is two tons to the square inch, and the temperature is only just above freezing point. —At one time paper money, when returned to .the United States Treasury, was destroyed, and replaced by new issues, but this was an expensive operation, and a cute director invented a machine by means of which the dirty notes Vwere washed, ironed, and "made as good as new," at the rate of eome 20,000 a day. Only notes up to sdol are washed. —ln the Censor's Office, London, there are, it is considered, the most remarkable women linguists in the world. One woman is conversant with almost every known language. Some cf the women are clever enough to discover secret codes with neutral countries, and one has been commended at the War Office for doing .this on three occasions. —Dr Robertson, of Venice, in an article in the Scotsman, narrates that an Austrian aviator dropoed a bomb right on to the centre of the huge roof of the Palazzo .de Mula, and. although, unfortunately, to do its work it had to pass through three floors of the palacej wrecking everything on its way, yet i't did the deed, and did it well. To the delight of the Venetians, after smashing a marble slab on which were recorded William's visit to the palace, it singled out his pretentious portrait and tore it to shreds. Having fulfilled its mission, 'the bomb emptied itself of a noxious gas and fluid. • . Everyone is familiar with the work done by the dogs with the French armyhow they are employed as sentinels and as messengers, both of which posts they fall admirably. A dog will hear a movement in the direction of the enemy trenches tar more quickly than ■ any man, and as a despatch carrier he has few equals. Ine dogs go fearlessly through bullets and barbed -wire to bring back their messages safely. They are equipped with masks to enable them to face even the danger of gas

The United States medal of honour is a five-pointed star of bronze. In- the centre is a female figure armed with a shield repreeenting America driving away discord. At the battle of Gettysburg m 1865 a whole regiment was awarded the medal of honour. This was the Twenty-, seventh regiment of Maine, who volunteered to remain for 'the battle though time-expired. In all 864 medals were awarded. The readers of a scientific paper were asked as to what inventions were considered to be the "Seven wonders of the modern world." From a list of numerous inventions eeven had to be selected, and those which received the highest number of votes were: "Wireless telegraphy, the telephone, the aeroplane, radium, antiseptics and anti-toxins, spectrum analysis, and X-rays. . . ' —>lt is officially announced that the United States has 458 ships of over 1500 tone, of an aggregate tonnage of also 117 ships of German and Austrian origin, of 700,285 tons which have been commandeered; 400'steel ships of 2,500,000 building, and 636 ships of 3,124 700 tons contracted for. By the end of 1913. the United States will have 1600 ships of 9,200,000 tons, against 1,614,222 'tons on 30th : June, 1914; ■ . The heads of a new Government department, in England, in which numerous temporary women clerks are employed, have summoned up sufficient courage to issue a ukase; against cigarette smoking during official hours. In two. of the offices this daring action resulted in a 50 per cent, increase in work for the first day. In another it had the opposite effect—probablv due to the resentment of a few of the "leading smokers. Now the antidote of weeding out 'those who have been raiemg smoke is being tried. —lt is not a little singular, says a writer in the Daily Chronicle that the oldest flag belongs, comparatively speaking, to "the newest nation. The United States adopted their present colours 140 years ago (Juno 14, 1777), and the only change m it since has been the addition of new stars for every new State added to the Union. The stars and stripes were, of course, taken from the arms of General George "Washington, the shield of whoso family is depicted on monuments in Brinton Church. The Union Jack, in its present form, dates only from 1801, while tho French tricolour was adopted in 1794. The Christmas candles (says a London paper), which, in some remote parts of tho country, are still burnt from the early dawn to the close of Christmas Day, leet some evil should befall the house during'the ensuing years, arc a survival of the monster Yule candle which, in former times, shod its light upon the _ festive board at this season. It was a sign of the Light that came into the world as- prophesied by John the Baptist. The lighting of tho tiny coloured > candles on tho Christmas tree has the "same meaning. It was the

presentation of these candles at Christ- ~ mas time by the tallow-chandlers that made other tradesmen follow suit with a Christmas-box. Barbed wire entanglements, first need on a large scale in 'the South African war, have been developed to enormous proportions in the present struggle as the mainstay of the Gorman defensive with the aid of machine guns. Hundreds of thousands of miles of the stuff must have boen sunplied from Westphalian workshops (says the Windsor Magazine). It came originally from America, and it said to have been in--vented bv a young Illinois farmer who became the noted millionaire John W. Gates, and its use spread all over the world as a barrier upon pastoral farms. So* insistent is the demand by all the bel- ' ligerents that the barbed wiro has nearly trebled in price. In September, 1914, it

stood at £8 17s 6d a ton; but it was recently requisitioned at £l4, and the merchant appealed for a certificate -at £24, the market price having risen to that figure.