In The Smoke Room

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XX, Issue VIII, 19 February 1898, Page 213

In The Smoke Room

When choosing a pipe, remember a soft clay is invariably cool smoking, because the acrid oils obtained on the destructive distillation of the tobacco are absorbed instead of collecting in a little pool, which must eventually either by the volatilisation or by mechanical conveyance reach the mouth. An old wooden pipe or briar, so dear to inveterate smokers.becomes ‘smooth smoking' because the pores of the wood widen, and so absorb, as is the case with elay and meerschaum, a large proportion of the tobacco oils. A hook-shaped pipe must be better than a pipe the bowl of which is on the same level as the mouth, for the simple reason that in the former a considerable quantity of the oil is kept back in the U-shaped part of the pipe, while in the latter the oil travels easily down the stem. Ebonite stems are in general objectionable, because they commonly spoil the true flavour of tobacco smoke. We know instances where ebonite stems have produced distinctly objectionable symptoms in the throat. Bone or real amber makes a much more satisfactory stem, or the pipes should be of wood throughout. Amber substitutes, and especially celluloid, should be discarded entirely as dangerous. Pipes of special construction eannot be regarded with much favour, such as those which are said to be hygienic, and usually contain a socalled nicotine absorber. Those smokers who require such auxiliary attachments had better not smoke at all. We have heard of more than one rolling or revolving boat, and now a Philadelphia inventor proposes to present the public with a ‘revolving railway train.’ Ordinary railway trains progress on revolving wheels, but in this case, so far as the description published can be understood, the whole train revolves—the construction is both train and wheels. As in the case of one of the roller boats, however, there is a central part, of the train which does not revolve, and in the saloon carriages, which make up this central part, the passengers will sit. more comfortably than in ordinary trains. These saloons will be fitted up sumptuously; there will be a smoking room, a reading room, and other luxuries of modern life. It wall be, in fact, a rolling hotel. The inventor

promises that this train will roll smoothly along at the nice rate of 150 miles an hour. The Queen's chief butler gets £5OO salary. This functionary must have a palate of exquisite delicacy, as in him is vested the purchase of the wines drunk by Royalty. He is also expected to superintend the decanting of the wines, which he accompanies to the Royal table with an air of affectionate solicitude, and sees that they are partaken of at the proper moment. The present holder of the office is said to be the finest judge of Rhine wines in the world. Her Majesty’s chief butler is also responsible for the laying of the table, the actual work being performed by two principal table-deckers, with £2OO a year each. Spanish and French women of the higher class are usually expert swordswomen. They are taught to fence as carefully and accurately as their brothers. and there are numerous schools in the two countries where young women are taught not only to fence but to handle the broadsword. It is considered one of the best possible forms of athletic exercise. The other day at a Sydney railway station a polite man approached a solitary woman struggling under the weight, of a large tin box, and obligingly offered to carry it into the train for her. She consented. The kind gentleman disappeared into the crowd and hasn't since been seen. Now the lady is wildly advertising in the lostcolumn for the gentleman to return her property ‘to save further trouble.’ When will women cease to believe in the polite (mostly meaning the aggressive) man? I know of one ease in which a person on the prowl to succor beauty in distress was badly beaten. Beauty, unable to see a cab. was carrying what the ’Murkans call a gripsack, much heavier than it looked, to the wharf. The prowler drew near with an elaborate wave of his hat and asked if he might- assist her. ‘Yes, certainly.’ she promptly said, and put into his astonished hand her luggage. His object was to ‘do a bear-up.' but she. a few paces in the rear, turned a deaf ear to all his polite remarks, and the discomfited male had to trudge along the street perspiring under his porter’s work with the deceptive gripsack.until he dumped it sulkily down on the ferry, and the business-like young woman added insult to injury by taking out a neat purse and cold-blooded-ly offering him sixpence. Letter-boxes on street cars is the latest plan of the postal authorities of Unele Sam's dominions for the more rapid conveyance and delivery of correspondence. At the end of each car will be fixed a red box. into which letters can be dropped. At certain stations on the route collectors will board the cars, empty the boxes, and take the contents to the station: thence

they will be quickly forwarded to he nearest sub-office, where they will be sorted and dealt with in the usual manner. By this plan a considerable saving of time will be effected in many cases, while the convenience to the public will be quite as great. The busy man. on his way to the office, need not waste time in going out of his road to find a pillar-box; the forgetful husband will be reminded of the letters he promised to post, and can carry out the commission at once. It rests largely with the public whether they reap the immense advantage thus offered to them. For instance, by posting a letter for a certain district in a car going in that direction, they will know that the missive will be in the house of the addressee within a very short space of time. In this way they will receive, at the ordinary cost, the benefits which at present are only obtainable by paying for express delivery. The rush of new inventions and the rapid succession of events constituting modern history are responsible for the introduction into our language of hundreds of words which were absolutely unknown and undreamt of by even the learned men of one. two. or three centuries ago. Take Shakespeare, for instance. He had a vocabulary of something like 15.000 words, yet if he, or Milton. or Bacon, or their contemporaries came to life again to-day, they would have the greatest difficulty in making head or tail of even the most ordinary paragraphs in our evening papers. It may seem a strange thing to say. but what could these men know of such words as these —steamer, telegraph, telephone, railway, bicycle, motor, chloroform, revolver, gas. rifle, and of thousands of other words familiar to every school child of this age? In addition to these words of everyday use. their geographical vocabulary was so limited that they would not know what one meant if he spoke of Australia, and Japan. Hong Kong. Rhodesia. Khartoum. New York. San Francisco, and a hundred other places. The learned men of the sixteenth century would sadly need to go to nightschool if they were to live now. Cooking by means of the sun’s rays has often been talked about, but. until recently, has not been a practical achievement. An inventor in India, however, has realised this desire by means of what is called a cooking box. It is made of wood lined with reflecting mirrors, and at the bottom of the box is a small copper boiler covered with glass to retain the heat of the rays concentrated by mirrors upon the boiler. Food ean be quickly cooked in the apparatus, which is adapted either for boiling, stewing, or baking, according as the steam is retained or allowed to escape. In the smoking-room of a certain London athletic club, a few weeks ago. two gentlemen of a literary turn of mind were discussing Tennyson. In the same room a football enthusiast was eagerly scanning the football edition of an evening newspaper. Tn mv opinion.’ said one of the literary gentlemen, ‘there is nothing finer than “The Passing of Arthur." The football enthusiast, who overheard the remark, thinking they meant Arthur Gould, the famous footballer, said: ‘Garn away! what about Gwyn Nicholls? He's a real champion, he is!’ A very well-known member of the —well, shall we say—Christchurch bar was at a dinner—probably Government House—the other night, and was placed next a young bore just •from Hingland. ‘I suppose.' observed the new ehum. ‘you fellows have some strange cases to deal with at times?* ‘Yes.’ answered the lawyer. ‘Some very puzzling cases.' said the young man. trying again; ‘cases that almost confuse you and—er—— ’ ‘Just so,’ said the legal’gentleman, a look of determination overspreading his countenance. ‘I knew a man once who had a case to deal with of the kind you mention. He gave his full and undivided attention to that case during the whole of one night, and when he had finished he really did not know which side of the case he was on. he was so confused.' ‘Really!’ exclaimed Symple. delighted at having drawn the lawyer at last. ‘Most interesting! What kind of a case was it?' ‘lt was a case of champagne.’ replied the other. He was left in peace after that.