In The Smoke Room

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XX, Issue XIV, 2 April 1898, Page 403

In The Smoke Room

In pursuing a close examination into the methods of work carried on at the War Office, the Secretary for War has discovered, to his great astonishment, that it includes the writing by men sitting in adjoining rooms of long and solemn letters to one another on the most trifling subjects. The questions raised are such as might easily be settled by half a minute’s conversation betweein the officials concerned. Arrangements are afoot for putting an end to this waste of time and energy. There are various ways in which ministers may become popular - with various classes. The Rev. Myron Reed of Denver, says:—‘l am popular with the drivers of this city because I am rapid at a funeral. 1 do not want to freeze them to death.’ Although the brain is perpetually active, the whole of it is never active at one time. The two hemispheres or halves do not operate simultaneously, but alternate in notion—now it is the one half, then the other. The sudden changes of climate encountered by soldiers when troops are moved from one quarter of the world to another are estimated as increasing the annual mortality of Europe by 50,000 men. Tokio, the capital of Japan, has doubled its population in twenty years. It had 700,000 in 1868 and today it has 1,500,000. The late Mr Villiers told his nephew, the vicar of St. Paul's, Knightsbridge, that he was much struck with a remark of Cobden's in reply to a question as to what the English people believed. ‘They believe in God and the devil, but in which they believe most depends on whether trade is good or bad.’ The presents sent to the Pope on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of his first mass are valued at close upon a milion sterling. The largest offering in money came.from England the Duke of Norfolk having sent, on behalf of himself and other members of the Catholic aristocracy, a cheque for £ 8,000. The clergy of Austria sent His Holiness 100,000 florins, and a similar amount was awarded to the. Vatican from Hungary. Spain and Germany made substantial money gifts, and the present of the Roman Catholics of the United States was a diamond cross, estimated to be worth £ 10,000. Already 100,000 gifts of small value have reached the Vatican from all parts of the world. Esquimalt is the only place in the British Empire, according to a recent, climatological report, that London in cloudiness. Esquimalt is also the dampest place in the empire, while Adelaide, in Australia, is the dryest. Ceylon is the hottest, and North-west Canada the coldest possession that the flag of England floats’ over. A biography of the Prince of Wales has just been published. Here is an anecdote:—‘On one occasion,' shortly after the end of the war, His Royal Highness, accompanied by General Teesdale, visited the battlefield of Sedan. He was naturally anxious that his identity should not become known. . . . When the time came to pay the hotel bill General Teesdale found with great dismay that he had no ready cash; the Prince was in an equally penniless condition; while any telegram sent would have disclosed the identity of the Royal visitor. At length, after much discussion, the equerry made his way to the local Mont de Piete, and placed both his own and the Prince's repeater in pawn.’ How or when the repeaters were redeemed deponent sayeth not. Although suppressed as much as possible, there can be no doubt (says the. ‘Chronicle's’ correspondent) that a panic exists among the rich corporation of French Jews. The Rothschilds. who have been benefactors to Paris, and who, outside the routine of their colossal banking interests, have never touched public, and above all, political, affairs, live in a state of hourly intimidation. The bank in the Rue Laflite is guarded by a specially detached group of ‘sergents de ville' and detectives. Their private residences in the Rue Saint Florentin and

elsewhere are the objects of similar harassing protection. A special service of policemen has been organised round the house of M. Mathieu Dreyfus. Major-General Bengough of the British Army, who died recently, became famous in India for a divisional order commanding the medical staff to pare the corns and cut the toe nails of the men in order to improve the marching efficiency of the division. The United Kingdom consumes 600,060 pounds, or about 4,000,000 gallons, of tea every day, which is as much as is used by the rest of Europe, North and South America, Africa and Australia combined. Some of the adulterations found in beer are coeculus indicus, capsicum, ginger, quassia, wormwood, calamus root, carraway and coriander seeds, copperas, sulphuric acid, cream of tartar, alum, carbonate of potash, ground oyster shells, nux vomica, piertoum and strychnine. Burial in Westminster Abbey is not a question of money, but the interment fees aggregate £ 100. In 1006 cases of the morphine habit, collected from all parts of the world, the medical profession constituted 40 per cent, of the number. In the sixteenth century plums and apples were forbidden to be sold in the. streets for the reason that servants and apprentices were tempted to steal their employers’ money in order to enjoy the costly delicacies. Boxing is a favourite sport of the Danish royal family, Prince Valdemar being the best boxer among them. When he challenged the late Emperor Alexander 111. of Russia, however, he met more than his match. King George of Greece is also skilful with the gloves The present Emperor of Russia, on his travels round the world, used to have a bout with Prince George of Greece every morning on the bridge of the steamer. In Germany a man who has lost both hands in an accident ean claim the whole of his life insurance money, if he be insured, on the ground that he has lost the means of maintaining himself. Not very long since a well-known London merchant left a colossal fortune to certain religious societies. The only exception made in the disposition of his properties was that, he gave to his three sons £lO,OOO each. They had to buy at a valuation the business which had enabled their father to accumulate his great estate, and they found the sum left them insufficient for the purpose. They have thus resolved to contest the will. The case will cause excitement in the religious world, inasmuch as the testator bequeathed the largest sum ever left to denominational purposes.