TRUE.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 February 1933, Page 7 (Supplement)

TRUE.

Two London youths were walking in the Cumberland, hills stopped to talk to an old villager. “A wonderful view you have from here.” said one of the visitors. “Yes.” broke in the second, thinking he would playfully tease the old man; “I expect you can see . across to America sometimes.” ’ *■ “Much farther than that,” was the reply. “Why, when there’s no mist we can see to the Moon.” COME TO TAHITI. Oh, how I wish I could take you to the glorious island of Tahiti, to show you the wonderful flowers, the beautiful birds and the marvellous plants ’and to bathe with you in the blue waters of the bays. Tahiti is the largest and most important of the French Society Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and has a length of some 33 miles, a coast line of 120 miles, and an area of 402 square miles. In shape it closely resembles the figure 8, and is divided into two portions by a short isthmus about a mile in width and nowhere more than 50 feet above sealevel. . . , " The island is extremely mountainous, and it is said that there are more beautiful climbs and walks per square mile in Tahiti than anywhere else in the world. The European town with the picturesque name of Papeete has a beautiful harbour, but there is little of the bustle found in most ports of the world. The native of Tahiti is a pleasure-loving soul! So long as he can play his stringed instrument, eat plenty of the luscious wild fruit, dance, and sleep in the shade, he has no desire to grow rich. Tahiti was visited by Lieutenant Bligh of the “Bounty” when the crew mutinied, and the old chief of the' island was helped by the mutineers to defeat an ancient enemy.

BURNING BULBS.

Is it not incongruous that the gay little tulips which have made Dutch gardenfamous should have to suffer because of the economic crisis of the world. They bloomed so happily and multiplied so industriously, silently doing their bit to make the world lovelier and so happier, and now they are being destroyed in great quantities in a vain endeavour to keep up the price of the remainder. The madness which has made the Brazilian coffee-planters bum their coffee to keep its price up has seized upon the Dutch tulip-growers, and they have destroyed hundreds of thousands of tulip bulbs lest they should have to sell them at a lower price than they regard as right and proper. Yet the trouble is not over-production—how could it be, with so many sick-beds and cheerless homes crying out for the solace that flowers can bring? . The trouble is the lack of the wherewithal to buy. What prospect is there that hard-up people will buy more bulbs just because they are rarer and therefore dearer? Future generations will look back with wonder at an age when precious things were destroyed to serve. private ends, things which thousands of people hungered and pined for and had, sadly or despairingly, to do without. '

HELPING ONE ANOTHER.

This story concerns. Emile, who was a simple Poilu in the war, and a General who had held a high post in the Russian Army. Emile lost his right arm, but the General lost his country. Side by side they worked together in a Paris office, Emile, sorting the post and the General doing up parcels. But a few weeks ago the staff was cut down and the General was sent away.. Emile has four children, and. his life is not easy, but ■ nothing could harden a heart like his. He was distraught when he heard of the ill-luck that had befallen the General, one of the kindliest men in the world, well over 60.

“If only they had held a staff meeting,” he said. “I am sure everyone in the place would agree to take a few francs less if the old General could have been kept on. I .myself would gladly give fifty francs a month to. help toward, his pay.” As we have often remarked, the world would be all right if only the Emiles of all countries could have more say in it.

VILLAGE THAT MAY BE BURIED.

Linthal is a delightful, village in Switzerland with about 800 inhabitants. It is in a sunny and winding valley with the River .Linth digging out a deep course for itself as the centuries pass by. Above the village, at a turn in the valley, is the towering mass of mountain called the Kilchenstock, which seems composed of unusually friable material. For 70 years the Kilchenstock has been threatening to slide down in a mighty landslip and bury the village out of sight. ' , For the last four years engineers have been watching the opening cracks in the mountainside, and the villagers have been prepared to take to instant flight as soon as they hear tiie sirens screaming their warnings, wnether by day or night. What a life to live! But it is hard to leave one’s home, and One ■ gets used to anything; so that Linthalers stop on and hope for thfe best. ' - The sirens screamed one day last month, and 40,000 tons of rock came thundering down, but. the forest on the mountainside just prevented it reaching the village. Now the forest is gone and the people have lost one more defence. Still they linger on; and we are told that cracks are widening.