All Sorts

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 43, 24 October 1907, Page 38

All Sorts

Master :'* Mow; boys, how many months have twentyeight, days:? ' _-' AH of them, sir,' replied the lad at the ; foot of the" class. '■ , ; '- . •"; •" , -;"7 -\ •• . There's a lot of '^difference between forgetting what we ought to know and knowing- what we ought to forget. The "highest .railway fares in the world are those in operation on the ..Congo line', where £20 is charged for a journey of 250 miles.. This works out at nearly Is. 8d a mile. • , _ , 5 . Computed on the. basis of the estimate, the density of population of "the United States in 1906 waff twentyeight persons per' square mile,"as compared, with twenty.six in 1900". - The three "leading cities and th.eir estimated ipopu\at»on in 1906 are as f ofltow : New * ork, 4,113,043 ; Chicago, 2,549,185 ; Philadelphia, 1,441,735. Canada is. larger than the United States by a" quarter of a million square miles. „ It; ■• con tains, oneftlhind of the area of the British Empire, "and is as large j'as thirty. United Kingdoms,- .eighteen Germanys, thirtythree Italys... . It. is larger than,. Australia: and twice the size of British India. „ _ lVi " '■'" y "" K One : would imagine- coal-mining 1 to be little short of v a deadly- occupation, what with 1 coal-dust-laden- air, "." position, ;' ' and [ the ; "damp * and:- confinement- geneJra'lly 44 V ?F -threatening '. consumption- rheumatism," and other "diseases"; yet the deaTh-rate annually "is'barfely nine per 10UD.- -*„.;. . -._ „- "■="•> *'?■ ' If seven' "sheep were on-; one side of -the 'fence,' and one of them jiMpe'd 'qverf \to" the other. . side,- liow many were left ? ' - propounded"' the teacher to the primary class.,. Pauline's observations of animal life had not •been in vain, "despite her fender years. - -'- There wouldn't be none left,' she replied, knowingly. *If one jumped over, they'd', all follow.' /. • , " The highest price ever given for -a single stamp is £1875, which sum was paid by the German Postal Museum ■in 1902 for a specimen :of the 2d - blue Mauritius. In 1904 the Prince of Wales bought at auction another specimen of this rare stamp for £1450. The scarcest •stamp in the world is the .one cent British Guiana, 1856, of which only- one, specimen, is. known -to exist. This is in the possession of M. Le Renotiere'von-'Fer-rary, of Paris. Major TJ-reen said to his servant one morning : .' James, I Have left my mess boots out.. I want them soled.' ' Yes t sir,' the servant answered. The major, dressing for dinner that night, said again : ' I suppose, . James, that you did as I told you about those boots?' •James laid two shillings on the table. . ' Yes, sir,' said he, ' and this is all I could get for them ; though the corporal who' bought 'em said he'd have given half-a-crown if pay-day hadn't been so far ofi.' . Here is a story the Bishop of London told John Morley the other day. They were -holding "an J*. exam/ Jn an- East End school, _and .the -teacher was, .explaining : 'the a 'chief products of the" Indian "Empire.- Otfe child recited a list of comestibles.- ' Please, .miss,. IndiaTproduces curries and pepper and citron and chillies v and chutney and — and ' ' Yes, "yes, and what comes after •that?" 'Please, miss, I don't remember.' _ 'Yes, but think". - What is India so famous " for ? ' ' Pleas'm, Iridiagestion ' ■ „ On a trip through Iceland the traveller- sees thousands pf mountain peaks covered with eternal snow, rivalling the Alps in grandeur ; ' great geysers and innumerable hot wells ; waterfalls; one of which— the^ Gullfoss — is* 1 second only to Niagara in size ~ and beauty ; crystal .streams and lashing rivers ; lava beds of fantastic figures, covered, .with moss that glistens in the sun like hoar frost, and, as -a 5a 5 crowning glory,— the atmosphere is so ..- brilliant " that objects over.-. 50.-.miles., distant appear ■ close- at ~ hand. . - **• . ■ -^. * v . ; ,-_o. ~v?-% - „ Young Australian singers and musicians yearn to seek fame in London are reminded- by Madame Butt (says fthe 'Freeman's Journal') of .an anecdote of Franz Liszt. . A girl, pianist who had a great deal, of ambition,' and a very srndW amount of talent, and was very pretty, played a Ballade by Chopin in a slovenly way. Liszt walked up and down the. room excitedly, murmuring, ' Helliger Bimbam ! Helliger Bimbam !.- ' (the equivalent of ' Holy Mpses ! ') When the girl had -finished? he went up to her in a most friendly manner, laid Ms' Band upon her headland, as if in benediction, , said- gently, 'My dear child, marry soon. Good-fcye;'*