HERE AND THERE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12707, 31 July 1919, Page 4

HERE AND THERE.

Many stories a r© told of Genera] Bird'*! wood. One of the best concerns an 00-i oaaion in. Gallipoli, when the Gbneiulf came across an old British sailob, serv-" 1 ins with the Australian Infantry, bend-* mg over a dixie and stirring some tea—and growling like an old - soldier. u And* what is that in the dixie P” asked the General. ‘‘Well, sir,” was the reply, • if yer put sugar in it, ‘it’s tea; but “if yer puts salt in it, it’s soup.” President Wilson said once, “There are some blessed intervals when T forget by one means or another that I am .President. One means by which I forget isHo read a rattling good detective kv-T after some imaginary offender and chase him all over the world.”

Mr Bryan is the American champion public speaker. He is a born orator. As a boy he could move audiences to tears, and was nicknamed “ the bov orator of Nebraska.” His magnetic povyera were on one occasion vividly described by an American journalist who was . present at one of his meetings, ■' I saw women in hysterics and men with tears in their eyes at his entrance and I timed the length of the excitement. It v» as twenty minutes before Bryan could sit down.” ■

. most remarkable Channel crossmg was made in 1883 by & Mi* Terry, who cycled over to France. The machine was installed in a specially-built wjfee’l* pedaLs work i n g a set of, paddle-

Ignaco Jan Paderewski, the famous pianist and composer, and the first President of Poland, was bom in the province of Podolia in 1860. Hb began to play the piano at the early age of three, and afterwards studied under masters in Warsaw, Vienna and Berlin. P j C a PPearance as a pianist; m England took place in St James's Hall, London, in 1890. M. Paderewski is the most famed of modern masters and fi.! Y? kuown and acclaimed by * wor at Targ©. Ho has earned huge sums Oi money at his profession, and he has given many thousands of pounds Giy ux the cans© of hia Answering the question whether a hospital board can be considered liable l a - a where an officer contracts an infectious disease in the course of his ordinary duties as an inspector, the Journalot Pubho Health” states that the matter i s not covered by statute law at present in New Zealand. The Workers Compensation Act deals only with cases of injury by accident and certain specified industrial disease, the journal ados. An inspector incurs the ordinary nsks of his occupation, and unless a special contract had been enter, ed into by a board it is not directly liable. However, snob a case can bo conveniently covered by an, insurance policy, and the Department would ad-1 vise that in a case where it is possible lability will occur boards should take the precaution to insure themselves against such.

Admiral Kolchak, the present dictator of Siberia, is the youngest of the Russian admirals, and is said to ha the popular leader in that section Russia oust now His friends think he will very likely be named for Russm s first president It was Admiral Kolchak who, when surrounded by the Bolsheviks m the Black Sea and a demand was made for his surrender, broke ms gold sword, presented to hilh by the Imperial Government, and threw it '^ en the Japanese at Port Arthur did not ask mo for my sword,” he said, "and I will not giv© it up now.”

. Throughout the war very little interior decorative work has been done, but manufacturers and factors of wallpapers have watched their stocks of wallpapers growing in value until they have realised heavy profits, says the Dailv Chronicle. Now purchasers of wallpaper will be delighted to learn that manufacturers have agreed, on a, reduction in the price of medium' and low grades- Patterns listed until today at 3s were sold two years ago at Siner piece, so that the price 700 per cent.

While engaged in planting marram grass on the Whirokino rnn (near Poxton.) I&sfc week* Mr Dawson discovered a large atone Maori adze, also a small one> * locality of the ffnd is near one of the lakes at the hack' of the run where probably the Maoris had a large camping ground. Nearbv' are numerous indications of a settlement. Several skeletons are also to be seen there. The adze is made of flint.

The correspondent of “ The Times V in Washington reports that fashions from Pans as interpreted in America have gone a little mad. Women can he seen using as footwear stocks, and even only satm slippers. The spirit of freedom > has caused dressmakers to launch out in modes which should not be tolerated by intelligent and educated wonmn, but a reaction will S c*m come, the fashion of no corsets, savs the writer, and high heels. Is making walking ungraceful, and dancing grotesque rather than beautiful 1

u-vL is to consider the possibilities if the sun Were some other colour. If it were blue, for instance, there would bo only two dolours in the wo , rld — blue and blaqkj or. if it were red then everything would be red or black. In the latter ease w© should have red snow, red lilies, black grass black clear sky, and red clouds. There would be a little variety, however, if the sun were green. Things that are now yellow would still remain that colour, hut there would !be no reds purples, orange, or pinks, and very tew of those cheery hues that make the