THIS QUEER OLD WORLD.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9642, 14 January 1899, Page 4

THIS QUEER OLD WORLD.

It is queer how things go by contraries here,

'Tis always too cold or too hot ; And the prizes we miss, you know, always appear To be better than those that we've got. Ifc is always too wet or too dry, And the land is too , rough or too

flat; There's nothing that's perfect beneath the blue sky —But—

It's a pretty good world for all that. Some people are born but to dig in the soil,

And sweat for the bread that they

eat ; While' some never learn the hard meaning o£ toil And live oa the things that are sweet. A few are too rich and a lot are too poor, And some are too lean or too

fat— Ah, the hardships are many that men' must endure — But— It's a pretty good world for all that. The man that must think envios them that must be

Ever pounding and digging for

men; And the man with the pick would > . be happy if ho

Might play with the brush or the pen ! All things go by contraries hero upon earth, Life is empty and terile and flat ; Man begins to complain on the day of his birth — But— It's a pretty good world for all that.

The largest country in one body and under one government is the Russian empire. It contains 8,539,136 equaae miles.

In rural districts many people use nomore than 200 wordsj the ordinary man can do very well with a vocabulary of 508 words.

A case or. terrible cruelty is reported as having occurred on the farm of Mr Geo. Schrador, at Leoneatha, Victoria, on December 20. It is alleged that during the absence of Mr Schroder, Thomaß Cameron, aged 21 years, singled out the youngest of his companions, John Iliggs, and, taking a quantity of red-bot chalk from the fire, commanded him to pick it up with his hands. Standing over him, Cameron beat him with a piece of fencing wire until the tad took up. the intensely heated material. Cameron then seized the boy's hands and held them together, while the chalk burned deeply into his flesh. It is also stated that he unfastened Higgs' boots and filled tbctn with the same burning material, at the same time holding his victim so that he should not shirk the torture. When Mr Schrader returned he found Higgs in a pitiful condition. His hands were greatly swollen and blistered, and his feet wero much swollen. Thesuffering lad was placed under the treatment of Dr Leslie Davies, and information, conveyed to the police. Constable Fogarty caused a warrant to be issued for the arrest of Cameron, and it was duly executed. This case was referred to briefly in our cable messages a few days ago.