HERE AND THERE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17352, 17 May 1924, Page 8

HERE AND THERE.

AN EYE FOR EVERYTHING. I HOW THE VOICE IS PRODUCED. It has been discovered that the human voice is produced by forty-four different muscles. Fourteen serve for tho emission of 16.380 sounds, and the others said the production of some 176,000 000 sounds. Between them, therefore, the forty-four muscles produce millions of different toues. FRUIT v. ’FEU. Fresh fruit as a preventive and euro for influenza is advocated by T>; i Josiah' Oldiield, the eminent dietetic j physician, who suggests that tho i spread of fruitarian habits in England | might be a *• menace ” to the existence j of the medical profession. “ T find ! that scourge of the modern fashionable * diseases, like influenza, attack very mud. less, and with greatly decreased virulence, if they do attack at all, those people who live upon a fruit diet,” says I>r Oldfield. JAPANESE GIVE PRESENTS. The giving of presents, a feature of weddings in most countries, plays an especially important part in those of Japan. The Japanese bridegroom’.* gifts to the bride number threescore, and must include certain prescribed articles. such as lacquered trays, silk bags of rice and sweetmeats and gold embroidery for the wedding girdle. The bride’s gifts to her husband are fewer, but must include a ceremonial dress and a bucket ot clams! In addition to making presents to the happy couple, relatives on both sides expect to receive gifts in return. EGYPTIAN W OMEN. Iho Egyptian V omen’s Society has scored its first big success in the approval by the Council of Ministers of a law fixing the minimum marriage ages at eighteen years for boys and sixteen years for girls. For yeans the evil of child marriage has been recognised. Girls of twelve years old. sometimes j younger, were wedded, without their consent, to husbands whom they have never seen and who are, in many in stances, middle-aged or elderly men who have tired of former wives and are seeking a. young bride, to whose parents they are prepared to pay a handsome compensation for their daughter’s hand. The women of Egypt are only just beginning to take an interest in public life, and their influence is still small, but that influence is growing. DRINKING SAKE. Sake (with the accent on the 11 e ”), the drinking of which forms part of the marriage ceremony in Japan, is a spirit distilled from rice, and, though the Japanese have taken very kindly to other alcoholic drinks, it may still be regarded as the national beverage on festive occasions. Sake is generally drunk warmed, the bottle which contains it being immersed in boiling water. Though to tho palate accustomed to strong liquors sake may appear rather innocuous and its alcoholic strength is not great, it has a pleasantly exhilarating effect, and tho Japanese of the coolie class, who drinks the spirit just after it has been distilled. certainly manages to get “forrader ” on it. Beer of the lager sort has been made in Japan for at least thirty years, and is now a favourite beverage with those who can afford it. STRIKE FOR HOT DINNERS. Several strikes of English jschoool children are reported by the “ Daily Chronicle.” Forty children, who have to walk several miles to school at Gul worthy, Devon, went on strike until provision was made for heating tlieir mid-day meals, their action being supported by the parents. A short time ago parents prevented their children fro mat ten dmg school at Roadaley Cross, alleging that the building, wliich later was found ablaze in mysterious circumstances, was insanitary. In a village near Fowey, Cornwall, children reiused to attend school because the appointment of the new’ head master was objected to. The elder children at the school in MaidsMoreton. near Buckingham, refused to attend lessons because they said a mistress on supply from Buckingham used the cane too freely. When she left tho school, the youngsters followed her hooting’and booing. When she appeared on the following morning. they were near the school. They said they would remain on “ strike '' unless she went back to Buckingham. But the rector appeared on the scene and persuaded the children to enter the school, by taking over the management. SPIRITUALIST RISKS. Those who dabble in spiritualism and are interested in the occult (the \\ eekH Scotsman ” observes) should ponder over the remarks made by Professor Robertson at the annual meeting in Edinburgh of the Royal Hospital. He warned those ** who may possibly inherit a latent tendency to nervous disorders to have nothing to do with practical inquiries of a spiritualistic nature, lest they should awaken a dorman proclivity to liallucinntioAs within their brains.” During the last year or two lie had seen at least three coses of insanity wliich were. clearly due t-o spiritualistic practices. He had also seen many other cases which were idueed to take a practical interest in spiritualism liecause, he believed, it- afforded thorn a satisfactory explanation of the strange mental experiences through wliich they were passing. The members of this last group were, of course, not made insane by engaging in spiirtuah ism. but more rather drawn to spiritualism to account lor their symptoms.

WHY LORD LEES PRESENTED CHEQUERS. “A pretty prognostic is beitog fulfilled in the person it the Prime .Minister at Chequers.” says the “Daily Express. ‘The last time Lord Leo's stayed there, before giving up his home to tho Prime Ministers, .he was filled, like one of the old seers, with the spirit of prophecy. He was leanjn6 over a gate. looking at his purebred Herefords. when the inspiration came upon him. ‘ I look forward to tne day -ho said to his companion—- • when a Labour Prime Minister shall be in power, and shall come down here like King Arthur, to ‘ cure him of his grievous wound-’. He explained what that mental and moral * wound ’ was. * The great danger of Labour m control,’ he argued, ‘is that the experience of Ministers will have been wholly in towns, and their minds and interests will have become absorbingly urband and oppidan. My hope is that, they will come down here to Chequers and unconsciously absorb the spirit of the deep, deep country.’ He painted to that green and spacious valley, cut off from the world, a thousand miles in spirit from London, a piece of English England of irresistible influence. He spoke of the power of Chequers thus directly preserving the health of the English people through their Ministers ‘lts work,’ ho said in effect, *is to deurbanise the minds of British rulers, especially if they hav© been bred in towns.’ ” '