Yarieties.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 411, 24 March 1904, Page 7

Yarieties.

QUEER TRAVELLING. ffJSRHK recent successful attempt to wrnok w &Ut from London to Brighton on iiSfca a globe recalls the feat of William Kemp, the Dia Leno of the last .years of Elizabeth, who belonged to the Sarnie company as Shakespeare, and created Dogberry. He danced from London to Norwich, which is twice aa far as from London to Brighton, accompanied by a servant, an umpire, and a man with a tabor and pipe. Crowds hindered his start oh February 11,1800, and many met him at every plaoe. Several tried to dance with bim, but none could rival his pace. The most successful were women. Although delayed by a snowstorm, he did , it in nine days, and on the way accepted a challenge or two, each time coming off best, except when a Chelmsford maiden of fourteen danced till he was'ready to lie down.' On his return he wrote an account of it, which ends with a warniag to those with whom he had made wagers that if they did not pay up he would publish the names, BEE a. Judging from the evidence given before the Committee on Beer Material?, the War ia much more careful about Mr Thomas Atkins* beer than about his boots, By the War Office contracts, the beer must be brewed from malt and hops alone, and it has to pass an examination by experts at Somerset House. As was to be expected j light has fallen on the dark sacrots of some breweries. A Berlin doctor told one witness (a lady brewer, by the way) that it was'quite possible to brew beer from glycerine and soapsuds. One would like to know if this practice prevails at all. The uses of glycerine, and soap, too, for that matter; ;f or external applieition are undeniable; most .of' us would prefer to let them Btop at that. In the meantime this testimony to the unimpeachable character of Mr Atkins' beer should prove of service in overcoming the great recruiting difficulty; he can feel acßrtainty which is beyond the reach of the humble civilian. FLOWER POISONING. I have been reading with interest an article by a French scientist showing the dangerous effaces of keeping flowers in the bedroom. He cites two recent instances as showing that in exceptional cases the perfume of flowers ia absolutely deadly. An efficer in the French army in Algesia was found dead in his bed, suffocated by the odour of roses, and a young girl was found dying in a bedroom which was decorated with bouquets that she had received on her birthday, He cites other instances of the effect that certain flowers have on the voice and respiratory organs, and declares that atjy actor or singer will bear him out in this assertion. It strikes me that he is not talking claptrap. Last summer I passed a number ef week-ends at a country house, where woodbine and musk bloomed everywhere. On each occasion I was a victim to a nausea and complete loss of appetite, VARIEGATED GUNS. Experiments at Aldershot.havereveaUd the interesting fact that the invisibility of artillery can be secured down to com paratively close ranges by the device of painting the guns and carriage a with streaks of red, bine, and yellow, the three primary colours. . These colours harmonize with the . natural surroundings and background in such an effective manner that at 3,000 yards field- glasses have the greatest difficulty in detecting the guns so treated, without other means of concealtceat being attempted. One battery with its rainbowhued guns approached to within 1.000 yards without being seen. The .new discovery promises some very interesting developments, aad no doubt it will bring about a revolution in the mode of conducting the warfare o? the future.

I The idea of decorating the big guns with fanciful patterns and wall-paper figures in the three colours is looked upon with high favour, as contributing a joyful note to the solemnity.of battles and providing a delightful accessory to the glory of pageants ard military reviews. It has already bsen vhispered that a War Office agent has been visiting the studios of Borne well-known English artists, with a view to securing their talent for the decoration of the guns of the Boyal Horse Artillery. The powers of the War Ofnea have determined that in applying the primary colours to the guns it Bhould be done in as artistic a manner as possible, in order that the guns may as well be ornamental in time of peace as useful in actual warfare.

A MILLIONAIBE'S TROUBLES.

Miss Hellen Gould, daughter of the lat e Jay Gould, like other millionaires, receives a continual stream of begging letters. In one week not long ago she'had 1117, and their rt qaesta ranged from the founding pf a colony in Cuba to the releasing of a watch from pawn. The specific sums asked for amounted to over £300,000 At this rate even a millionaire could not hold out very long. One young lady wanted £IOO for her trousseau, and a young man felt he could marry and live happily ever after if only Miss Gould would give him a house. Eleven persons wanted pianos, thirty-four old clothes, five sewing machines, one a monument to a parent, one a set of false teetb, three watches, two Bibles, two bicycles, and one a passage to England. Mies Gould was also asked to buy a number of inventions, and to furnish the money to bring out an opera, an oratorio and two books.