LOOAL AND GENERAL.

Thames Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 10129, 11 December 1911, Page 2

LOOAL AND GENERAL.

A\ swimming race in the Serpentine (London)' has been won by Mr John I Clawsey, who is in his &sth year. He ! was rubbed down after the race by . . his grandson, aged 35. There has died at Farnham, Surrey, a lady named Crimp, who has lived with, her five maiden sisters in , one- of the principal houses of the town for over eighty years. The eldest of the four surviving sisters is eighty-eight years- of age. The famous physician, Dr. Letsom, of the last century, used to sign his i prescriptions, "I Lettsom," which [ gave rise to the following epigram; j When any patients call in haste, '■ I physics,'bleeds, and sweats 'em; ' If after that they choose to die,. j Why, then, of course—'"l. Lets'e/n' What is a "Wowserif" Here is ono deluution—L\, "wowjser" is one who : is uuco" quid; one whose actions in-1 dieate a certain habit of mind and' mode of life concerned ohieny with ' gloom of outlook and chaste severity' of view!; one who so dreads the here-j after that ho cannot fin,d time to participate in the joys of life or even ' the joy of living. 1 A correspondent of the Foxton Herald protests against .the irritating | habit of eating peanuts in the dress circle during picture entertainments. He sayjs; "At last Saturday night's entertainment a man did nothing but crunch peanuts while gazing at the pictures. This oaused annoyance to those in the neighbourhood, and heleft a pile of shells on the floor big enough to put monkeys off peanuts for the rest of their live«." ""' | Mil- Hubert Congreve, chief engin-, eer of the 'Mjaiichaster Ship C3an.il, | committed 1 suicide itust month in a determined manner. He mounted a! 'bridge crossing the canal at a height of 90ft, shot himself in the left breidt j with a MiaUser-revolver, and thai dropped into the canal, which is 28ft deep. He had complained; of having lost his nerve through excessive worry over ship canal affairs and recent strikes. At the inquest a verdict was returned of- "Suicide dunug temporary insanity." The many friends of Mr H. MloChir, of Mlartha St., ■ will regret to learn of his death, which occurred at .his residence last night, .. The deceased, who was an old resident of Thames served in the Maori wjar, beiug ■awarded the medal for that cam- : paigu. He took a great interest in the Defence movement and was a> re- : gttlar attender at all special parades to which the veterans were invited. He had been unwell for some days and aii Sunday night expired a,t the advanced' age of 7<9. Hie leaves a family all grown up and a large number of friends to mourn their losa. j j Apparently a few of the voters, e< .pecially ladies who attended on election day with the object of recording their votes, were decidedly apaht-tic on the matter and the wonder is that they took the trouble to attend at all. o|ne lady was heard to deciare that she didn't care who she voted for and would just as soon rote. for. one' a'isi for the other. "It's all the same to me," she explained afterwlards : "I didn't care a rap who got in and I:! just as soon have one as the oth/sr.'' On the licensing! question - she was equally disinterested. "I don't can. much which way it igoes," she said, ' "but I think I'll give the pubs an-1 j other chance. If you close 'em up it. mightn't do -any good and besides, although I don't care much myself there are others who do. B(ut I'm blest if I think there's much good in the women going to the poll. 1 think we could leave it to the men. It's more in their line; and let the women look alter the home." It was explained to her that the old qjrder changeth. With a suggestive shake of her head she said; "Tes, what with these new fangled ideas and what with the women suffragettes and. hobble skirts and these things what the Turkta wear—dear, dear, what is the world a-comingl too, I djn't know!"