Trifles.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume II, Issue 165, 22 June 1894, Page 3

Trifles.

Think naught a trifle, though it email appear , email eande the mountain , momente make the year , and trifles life. — Young.

Miss Johnson’s victory at the Cambridge tripos examination is another triumph for the advocates of higher education for women. A few years ago Miss Fawcett astonished the world, when she beat the Senior Wrangler, and now Miss Johnson scores. Newnham College is doing excellent work, and the “ blue stockings ” turned out each year is proportionately as great as the annual crop of New Zealand solicitors.

To win such a victory as that of Miss Johason’s, one would suppose the girls had no thoughts apart from the higher mathematics, and other equally intricate studies. The Newnham girls, however, are not built that way ; they believe in a little fun, and enjoy themselves on occasions with a thoroughness that is truly refreshing. One term, recently, a babies’ tea party was an immense success. The girls dressed themselves up as babies, one even appearing as a doll, and brought all manner of infantile play things. The “ babies” were obliged to “behave ” and a great deal of amusement was extracted from tliis novel form of entertainment. On leaving, Miss Phillippa Garrett Fawcett, who had beon conspicuously juvenile all the afternoon, remarked in the most improved lisp, “ Mother said I was to thank you very much for asking me.” * * * *

The Siamese have knuckled under nnd given Prayot twenty years of a second trial. Siam very nearly caused trouble between England and France last year, which fact has been the very best advertisement for that country of rice and pepper. Siam is about the largest consumer of mutches, this is beoause everybody in Siam of the age of four years and upwards smoke cigarettes. Ten boxes of matches may be bought in Bankok for three alts (Id). “ Bryant and May ” are unknown there, but the Japanese matches, which are a marvel of cheapness and quality, hold the highest place, and this trade is entirely in the hands of the “ heathen Chinese.”

The consumption of matches may have been greater than it would otherwise have been, on account of a curious mania for collecting match labels, which was prevalent for some time recently among the upper classes of Siamese, but which, like other crazes, has had its day. Match labels were even made a means of exciting the gambling spirit so innate in the Indo-Chinese character. Guests at evening parties bringing with them their collection of labels ventured large sums on the wager that the labels held by them were unique, and that nothing similar could be shown by anyone present.

An anti-gambling crusade is said to be spreading in the Old Country, no doubt tho result of the Rev. Price Hughes' attack on tho Prime Minister for the winning of the Derby. These crusades are recurring, and although semi-righteous rarely result in anything but talk. Gambling is bred in the bone of the Briton, and no amount of semi-religious or thoroughly religious tnlk will stapjp it out. A man regards a gambling debt as a debt of honor, while his indebtedness to the butcher, baker, and storekeeper who supply him with the necessaries of life is a matter of little moment, and if the worst came to the worst, there is always the official assignee who will declare a “ first " and “ final,” which the said butcher, baker, and storekeeper may take or leave. The debt of honor will be paid no matter who goes short of his just dues.

Gambling is a very old form of amusement, and after the Norman Conquest became very general in England, although laws were made against it. In the reign of Charles 11., men are said to have played for each other’s wives, and in Queen Anne's time cards began to take the place of dice. High play was at its height about the middle of the eighteenth eentury. The clubs then became the great resorts for gambling, Arthur's, Almack’s, Brook's, and White’s being the principal. * * *

At Brook’s Club, Fox lost .£2000,000 at play. Gibbon confesses to having played for twenty-two hours in succession, and lost £SOO per hour. Gibbon could bear his losses philosophically, nnd after a dreadful night’s play would be found on a sofa quietly reading a classic author. George IV., then Prince of Wales, lost an immense sum at those clubs, obtaning money ou his note of hand from tho Jews by whom they were frequented. Drummond, a banker, lost £20,000 at one sitting to Beau Brum mail. At one of tho clubs there was once a cast of the dice involving the possession of tho sum of £IBO,OOO.

Tho favourite gambling house of the present century was Crockford's, in St. James’ Street. Jt was built in 1827, and carried on till about 1850. Its proprietor accumulated two millions in less than thirty years, and died in 1844, worth half a million. A tragic incident occurred at his death. Just bofore he died, it was said that he had hacked heavily a horse in a race, and his example was largely followed. It is n. law in tho sporting world that if the maker of any hot dies before the event betted upon is determind, the wager is null and void. Mr Crookford tlied two or three hours befere the race was run. llis friends, however, received news by means of a carrier pigeon that the horse had won, and supported his dead body iu front of one of the windows of the house in St. James’ Street, so that it might be seen by people returning from tho course.

There was no “ wiring” news in then, and tho earlier pigeon was the trusty messenger. The pigeon is now a fancy bird, and flics so that its owner may become possessed of silver cups, etc. The s.s. Hauroto, on her trip from Sydney to Wellington this week, met with a pigeon about 400 miles from the latter port, and which had evidently been blown seawards by tho prevailing gale. Tho bird was secured and brought back to New Z/ealand. So far ns w« know Noah had a pigoon aboard the Ark, and was tho first to use tho bird ns a bearer of intelligence.

The first nation of whom’we lmve any record as employing the pigeon ns u messenger is the Groek, and the knowledge they gained respecting it they imparted to the Romans, who first utilised it an a messenger bearer B.C. 120. Threequarters of a century later it was employed by Julius Cirsnr as a military messenger ; and when Madena, where pigeon Hying is still carried on to a great extent, was besieged by Marc Antony iu 4 1,8. C., we read the I)«ciiuus Brutus, whilst shut up in that city, frequently communicated with Consul Hirtius by means of this bird. Percy Pknlyn