HERE AND THERE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18091, 26 February 1927, Page 8

HERE AND THERE.

AN EYE FOR EVERYTHING. The Campaign of Life. ?lutarch says of one of the most famous Roman generals that he mad# little account of beating an enemy compared with the bringing of an army to strict discipline, for he thought the one a certain consequence of the other. So it is with each one of us in marshalling and disciplining the force# of his mind and body (says a London writer). A successful life —which doe# not mean merely or solely a life successful in moneymaking—is the fruit of organised effort and sustained purpose. The metaphor of drill may be carried further. For drill consists in doing small things with constant care, so as to get them exactly right. Thus trained, the soldier proves equal to great tasks. And similarly in life, it is by practising excellence in the discharge of our daily routine that we become able to use excellently the greater opportunities which may befall u#.

Gladstone Hated Gambling. “I was talking to Mr Gladstone before my first visit to the Riviera, ** writes T. P. O’Connor. “I remember how his face fell when I told him I was going to Monte Carlo. He hated gambling so much, he told me, that though he had skirted the town both on the upper and the lower road, he had never entered within its portals. I did not inform him, partly through shyness, that I was quite safe in Mont# Carlo, or in any other casino in th# world, as I have never put a franc on the tables.” « « Vitality of Butterflies. That butterflies not only continue to live with their heads cut off. but actually survive those not subjected to decapitation was the announcement which recently caused a stir of excitement among members of the French Academy of Science. This experiment was carried on by Abbe Cam bout, a Madagascar missionary and biologist, A new method of bloodless decapitation, which the missionary-biologist has developed, contributed largely to th# success of the experiment. x « First Pensioner. Britain’s first old-age pensioner. Miss Mary Jones, of Portmadoc, Wales, who was a native of Criccieth, Mr Lloyd George’s birthplace, died at the age of 97. In 1909. when Mr Llovd George, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, instituted Old Age Pensions, Miss Jones headed a deputation of pensioners to thank the “Welsh Wizard” personally. Miss Jones was one of the last links with, the Wales of 80 years ago, and up to her death wore the old Welsh costume, including tall hat and clogs. :: x Ships and Tonnage. Tonnage of a ship refers not to its weight, as is often supposed, but to its carrying capacity. The term originated in the time of King Henry VII. of England, who introduced one of the first navigation acts of its kind in which the importation of Bordeaux wine in any vessels except those owned by his lieges was forbidden. The liquor was carried in huge barrels called tuns, and, since then, the cargo capacity of a ship has been measured by tunnage or tonnage, the modern term. In connection with war vessels, however, th# word refers to the weight of the water they displace, or their displacement tonnage, the common way of describing the weight of other ships. Defiant Stilton. The Exchange Club, Mark Lane, E C, London, was entirely destroyed by fir# early one morning recently. Fourteen fire engines endeavoured to cope with the blaze, but owing to the congested nature of the area much difficulty was experienced in fighting the flames. Hall a stilton cheese was one of th# very few articles in the club that the fire did not destroy. The club has a membership of about 470, chiefly men interested in the rubber and tea markets and principals of business houses in Mark Lanc.^ Woman as Public Health Doctor. The first woman to occupy the post. Miss Fanny Cattle, of Tottenham, has been appointed district medical officer by the Edmonton Board of Guardians, London. Miss Cattle, who is 35, will be in charge of the West Green district ol Tottenham. All the unsuccessful candidates interviewed were male doctors. When the guardians were discussing the choice, Mr Metivier said ha had been an advocate of woman’s suffrage for years, but in some cases it was not desirable to have a woman as a doctor. Outside a hospital women doctors were not a success. Several women guardians objected to Mr Metivier’s speech, arguing that if a female doctor should not examine a male patient, then a male doctor ought not to be engaged to examine female patients. Mrs E. D. Hood, J.P., pointed out that if Mr Metivier were ill he would b# nursed by a woman. Miss Cattle was appointed by 22 votes to 12.