HERE AND THERE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17246, 12 January 1924, Page 8

HERE AND THERE.

AN EYE FOR EVERYTHING, TF LAUGHTER KITES. A novel mauranoe policy has jusfl been issued by Lloyd's underwriters. It insures cinema-goers against death from excessive laughter whilst in the theatre. Recently several persons have lien so affected by tbe hilarious nature of highly amusing films as to need medical attendance, and in more thau one case death has resulted. The policy, w’hich is in the sum of £SOO. cover* a period of six. months, and has been taken out by the Associated First National Pictures, Ltd., to cover similar occurrences in the case of their cev films. "W hile in no case has the proprietor of a picture been held liable for any untoward result of mirth upon the audience, the present policy is said to have been taken / out to reassure the public and as a step forward in making the theatre safe for hilarity! 9000 WORDS ON A POSTCARD. Some remarkable performances witK the pen have been accomplished by Mr R. Rispin, of Alvaston, Derby. He usea ordinary ink and mapping pens, and some of his cleverest efforts in compressed writing include:—The Lord’s Prayer eight times in one language on the space occupied by a threepennypiece; the Lord’s Prayer in eight languages on the space occupied by a penny; the Lord’s Prayer on a piece of paper 4* inches long that can be passed through the eyes of an ordinary sewing needle; the first chapter of Genesis (more than 800 words) on a piece of paper the size of a postage-stamp; and a report of the Chariesworth conspiracy case (about 9000 words) on a postcard, Mr Rispin regards the -writing of the 9000 words of the Cl. arlesworth case report as his masterpiece. It took kixa thirty-two hours. RULES ABOUT RINGS. For a woman to wear a ring on the third finger of her left hand is a sign that she is engaged. If she wears one on her little finger, it denotes that she intends to remain single. A man wearing a ring on Lis first finger means to imply that he v ants a wife. He wears a ring on the second finger if he is engaged, and on *r.e third finger if he is married. If the ring appears on the little finger, he is determined to remain a bachelor. Rings carved with the deities were used by superstitious > ncient Greeks to ward off evil. Ancient Britons used the figure of St Christopher to protect them from sickness and flood, and that of St Barbara to ward oft sudden death. In the eleventh century rings made of horn and worn on the fourth finger were said to afford protection against epilepsy; while a pure gold ring was said to cure pains in the side. MYSTERY OF *THE MOON. Although the American view is that the moon is composed of a number of small meteoric masses flying through space, British scientists still share Sir George Darwin’s theory that the moon is a piece of the earth which flew off fifty or sixty million years ago owing to the terrific speed at which the earth was then rotating. Now the earth i» slowing down. If the speed ,of rotation could be increased to what it was when the moon was supposed to have been flung off. every loose thing—-chimney-pots, for instance—would be sent flying. The moon’s action of raising the tides, both in the oceans and in the earth's crust, lias a retarding effect on the speed of the earth’s rotation. Tho moon is getting farther an i farther away from the earth. Therefore, by calculating backwards, we come to the time when the moon must have been touching the earth. It is for this reason that a great many British scientists think the moon »s composed of matter that once formed part of the earth, and was separate! from it in the region which is now the Pacific Ocean. THE 'WOBBLING POLE That the Pole wobbles is a puzzle as well as a scientific fact. One theory is that the wobbling is caused by vast, accumulations of ice and snow. Another is that it is caused by the outer shell of the earth slipping upon the core of the planet. Suppose King Tutankhamen had 6ent an expedition to find the North Pole. Let it be imagined that the goal was reached and that a post was driven into the ground to mark its exact location Amundsen, if successful in his present project, would not find the Pole in the same spot as it was 3500 years ago. but it would not be far away. From a given centre, suppose a circle to be drawn from a radius of thirty feet. Inside of that circumference the Pol* is alwajs to be found. It is quit© possible that the crust of the earth slips, because the shell which forms its envelope has considerable elasticity. The earth goes round on what is called its “ axis of rotation,*’ and it has another axis, an “ axis of energy.” At one time these two coincided, but now this is no longer the case, and their deviation produces tlie slipping which is the cause of the wobbling of the Poles and the corresponding changes in latitudes. KING GEORGE'S HATCHET We pride ourselves that we are governed by a constitutional sovereign, and that the old heresy of the divine right of kings to govern wrongly has been exploded and is not likely to b© set up again. Yet occasionally we are reminded of an incident or custom which carries us hack to the days of feuladism. For instance, the feudal quit rent for a plot of land in Shropshire, granted to the City of London in 1211 by King John, consists of *■ new hatchet, a new billhook and two faggots. These articles must b© presented to the KiDg everv year by v the City Corporation, and it is a fact that; tho two faggots are solemnly chopped in pieces by the Citv Solicitor at the Law Courts in the presence of various high officials. The “chips/’ together with hatchet and billhook, are handed to the King’s Remembrancer. This ceremony is preceded by another of x similar character, for six horseshoes and sixty-one nails are handed to the King’s representative. 'They represn* the rent for the plot- of ground nor occupied bv the Law Courts. This plot was occupied at on© time by a farrier, whose duty it was to shoe the horses of the knights- who fought in the tournaments held close at hand King George’s feudal status is even mere marked in the Channel Islrgds When the Sovereign visited Guernsey some time ago the seigneurs knelt before him. They placed their hands

between his and recited tbe oath of homage in Norman French, whilst the King, reading from a card held by the Queen, confirmed each seigneur in his privileges. Tbo holder of one fief was a woman who. for the lend she held, ''presented the King with a pair of golden spurs