HERE AND THERE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18640, 18 December 1928, Page 8

HERE AND THERE.

AN EYE FOR EVERYTHING. “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.” The songs, “We ll Not Go Home Till Morning” and “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” were associated with John Churchill, the great first Duke of Marlborough (ancestor of our present Chan cellor of the Exchequer), the military hero of Queen Anne's reign, when ot curred what are now termed “little* wars” with France. The French ex pected to carry everything, and rid: culed and sneered at anything English, who were short in numbers and had not all trained men. This is remem bered of the old enemy's mimic: "Marlborough, prince of commanders, Has gone to the war in Flanders, His fame is like Alexander’s. But will he nae get back again ? “He’ll not come home till morning, He’ll not come home till morning, Till daylight doth appear!” The last three lines mercilessly predicted England's overthrow. Marlborough did reach home again! Once, with a subtle strategy, he scored a marvellous victory for those days, and after other successes, on his return to London, finishing the wars, the citizens went mad with joy. Bells were rung, decorations were profuse, and those who flocked to the city consumed an enormous quantity of liquor. It was when the vietbr was entertained at banquets in his honour that “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” became popular.

Prisoner’s Dodge in Salt Mine. Although we cannot compete with Chicago in the matter of politics and highway robbery, says the Bucharest correspondent of the “London Daily Express,” the Rumanian brigand. George Balan, would be a shining star in any circle, political or criminal. Ba-lan's-iife in the Targul salt mines, where he was condemned to hard labour for his robberies some years ago, has come to be known since his escape and recapture after weeks of liberty. He was imprisoned with 600 others in the mines, which are surrounded by high, well guarded walls, within which a certain amount of freedom is permitted, especially because 200 of the prisoners arfe there for political offences. All the prisoners, it is now revealed, are taken down to the mines every morning, and are obliged to produce their quota of salt by evening, or suffer severe penalties. Balan. who is a Hercules, but mentally more ingenious than that hero, alwa3'S managed to persuade the other prisoners to get out fhe salt for him, besides producing their own dail> r quota. He organised them so that the3* in turn contributed each so much to make up his 10001 b. lie had complete ascendancy over them all. and not one dared rebel against his Some of the prisoners were well-educated men, including army officers. Government inspectors, and mayors, who have protested in vain at being confined with common criminals. Balan did no hard work, but he enjoyed woodcarving. He carved clever little chess figures, which were eagerly bought by visitors, and has collected enough money to bribe a sentinel to explode a bomb at the entrance gate to the enclosure so that he could escape in the resultant confusion. XXX

Men and Word*. A large number of words—far more than many may have imagined—enshrine the names which have been borne by men. Included are mosaic, jeremiad. Job’s comforter, nimrod, jehu, Johannine, Pauline, Bart's, gregorian, St Bernard, martin, Santa Claus, valentine, croesus, socratic, platonic, June, July, August, cicerone, fabian. maecenas, Tudor, King Charles, nap, Louis heels, spencer, sandwich, Derb3 T . brougham, cardigan, stanhope, petersham, chesterfield. gladstone, peeler, wellingtons, Cromwellian, garibaldi, machiavellian, Mohammedan, Lutheran, Calvinistic, Wesle\’an, Malthusian, boswell, rabelaisian. johnsonian, Darwinian, gilbertian, shavian, braille, hansard, mansard, mesmerism, morse, pasteurise, coue, pullman, strad, macadam, wedgwood blue, listerine, davy lamp, rontgen ray, fahrenheit, marconigram, ohm. ampere, volt, bessemer, bun sen, chubb, timothy grass, wistaria, gloxinia, clarkia, begonia, buhl, chippendale, sheraton, mauser, snider, gatling, maxim, morris tube. Browning, webley, Sam Browne, Zeppelin, darbies, bowie knife, boycott, doih', gibus, jarvey, kit-cat, martinet, negus, aberneth\ r , nambv-pamby. pinchbeck, scrimshaw, St Leger, tontine, >-ar borough, mackintosh, burberr>'. stepne3', Lord’s, grangerise, bowdlerise, loganberry, jaeger, elliman, eno, bass, horlick’s, bradshaw, bradbur>\ fisher, burke, guy, hooligan, sadism.