Varieties.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 428, 28 July 1904, Page 3

Varieties.

HOPE FOE THE BLIND. mM@ RUSSIAN doctor named Loudon, taJKfflfg °* Sfc \ Peterabargs, Las published some interesting obstrsrafcions relative to the action of the Bacquerel rays on the nervous system and on the eye. He found that when a box containing bromide of radium was placed in a cage in-Which mice were kept the animals became paralysed and coma, tose, and died in five days. He also found that persons who are either totally bliad, or have only the feeblest possible perception of lights are peculiarly sensitive to the Bacquerel rayß, and ara able to form visual conceptions of the contour of objects the shadows of which are shown on a screen by mtans of the rays.

'. IN A LUNATIC ASYLUM. An amufikg sto?y is told by the Bev. J M. Bacon, the well-known aeronaut, who delivered an address before the Bojal Society a day or two ago, He was with a party, and raade an unexpected descent in the ground of Claybnry Lunatic Asylum, The gate porter knew nothing of their novel arrival, and refused to allow them to drive away," He didn't exactly, tell them they were lunatics, but tactf ally implied as much. He pointed out that aa he had not passed them in as visitors they were not entitled to gooHt as visitors. 1 But,' said Mr Baoon, 'we came by balloon.' 'Ah,' said the porter, eyeing them with amused compassion,' I thought so.' And it was some time before he could be persuaded that a story he had heard so often before was for once quite true.

WHILST JUMPING OIF A TBAMCAE. 'Looker-on* describes a very curious accident which happened' in Birmingham the other day, oa the cable car route. A certain male passenger emulating womanKind in general,evidently forgofe,the laws of mpticn off a travelling vehicle, and in alighting trom a car leapt in the opposite way to which it was moving. The result was that he was thrown heavily all his length on the rails. As every one knows, between the. steel rails on the cable route iuos a narrow slot through which the oar is attached to the revolving cable. By a curious mischance the gentleman alluded to fell in such a fashion that his somewhat aquiline nose pierced exactly into the slot, and for a moment became actually wedged so as to prevent his moving. And when he did so he was the possessor of' two lovely black eyes.'

DOES BRAIN-WORK SHORTEN LIFE?

Arguments have appeared from time to time against the notion that hard brainwork is unfavourable to long life. That it does not necessarily shorten life is undoubtedly true, but it is equally true that in many cases it certainly does so shorten it. The writer of a book called 'The Secret of Long Life,' quotes Professor Sylvester's list of aged mathematicians, taking a similar vie y, and compares their ages with an equal, number of poets and painters, Tho mathematicians Jived as follows :—Leibnitz 70 years, Euler 76, Lagrange 77, Laplaoe 78, Gausj 78, Plato 82, Newton 85, Archimedes 75 Pythagoras 90 Of poets and painters. Pindar lived 80 years Sophocles 90, Euripides 75, Simonides 89, Chancer 71, Michael Ansrelo 90, Titian 99 Wordsworth 80 L»ndorß9

The average age of the mathematicians was thus 72 years, and that of the poets and painters 85.. Inasmuch, as it would be absurd to pretend that the brain-work required in the production of poems and pictures is as hard and fatiguing study, these figures so far accord with the conclusions to be. anticipated. But really they prove, very little, because they are selected statistics, which may be made to prove anything. If some great mathematicians live to old age, the fact remains that a large number of young men destroy their constitutions by hard reading at the university. If Michael Angelo lived to be 90, Bafifaelle died at.37.. If Wordsworth lived to.be 80, Shakespeare barely attained middle age, and Byron did not attain it. The f.ct seems to be that intellectual successes are very frequently the result of great physical vigour, which naturally conduces to long life, and that where unusual abilities do net issue in great achievements, it is generally because they are accompanied with a feeble constitution. So it is with the largeness of build and tendency to stoutness, which soma people imagine to be the effect of their profession, as. successful public singers. The iruth is, that it is the. possession, of muscular vigour and good digestion which gives them strength of voice and enables them to stand the waar aud tear of their work.

A BOY WHO TKIED TO 808 AN ORCHAKD.

When Farmer Beyaolds espied yousg Bart Thompson industriously collecting the apples from the topmost branches Of hh best tree, he stole baok to the farmhouse and took down the stuffed image of Posgo, his greatly mourned sheep dog, from the parlour sideboard. Arid in a few minutes the stuffed dog had been plaoed at the foot of the tree. The farmer then proceeded with' the business of the farm, and the men wondered why every now and then he ohnckled to himself. An hour went by. and Farmer Reynolds was once more at the foot of the tree. ' Hullo, Bert, lad 1' he oried, • What ye doing up my tree, ehf' ;.,*•"•' Bert was pale and quivering with fright s but he had not altogether lost his presence of mind. ... * JP—please, sir,' he shivered, 'that great, big dog down there,' pointing to the well-preserved Pongo, "he chased me, he did) all over your medder, an' I 'ad to climb this tree to get oat of hfe way V