Varieties.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 429, 11 August 1904, Page 2

Varieties.

—-« THE HORNS OF A DILEMMA S(EKHE ways of the teacher are hard. afflgrtg Worn oat by a Ion? series of ap\3&£ palling French exercises wherein

the blunders were aa the sands of' the sea, a hapless school mistress declared her intention of writing to Florence's mother. Florence looked her teacher in the face. <Ma will be awfully angry, quoth Florence. ' I am afraid she will but it is my duty to write to her, Florence. ' I don't know,' said Florence doubtfully. 1 You see, mother always does my Freneh for me.' The teacher is wondering whether she will write. A BARBER, This is a story of a barber. He practiaaa his art in a large Yorkshire village, and has a rival. He is an earnest and respected lay preacher. He noticed in a recent week a great increase of customers, and on making inquiry learnt that the barber at the other end of the village was ill, an 3 unable to do any work. At the end of the week our barber made a calculation, and all he had taken above his average he took to his brother of the razor, with the warm expression of his Christian sympathy.

WOMEN'S DRESS IN TURKEY. An imperial irade has been published at Constantinople (aaya a private letter re-ceived-in Paris) in which married Turkish women are commanded to discard all brilliant ornaments, such as necklaces and bangles, when appeanag in public. They must be dressed with decorum, and in accordance with the Mussulman law, the ordinance says, in default of which the husbands of women so offending will be visited with punishment.

HOW NEW TOEK «FANCY DRESSES.' Two extraordinary fancy dress balls were lately given in Madison Hall, New York. The first, called the Arion Ball, fortunately only takes place once a year. Counting the spectators, 6000 persons were present. Many policemen in uniform and plain clothes attended to maintain order. The Covent Garden fancy dress assemblies are almost Sunday-schools by comparison. Some of the ladies were so scantily dressed that even the American policemen blußhed. The second event at the same placs was a ball, organised on behalf of a Hebrew Socialist daily newspaper, published there. Ten thousand Socialists, Anarchists, Nihilists and foreign revolutionists of both sexes and all ages, principally young people, attended. A force of 100 police kept order. Tableaus in booths represented Abraham Lincoln freeing ehattel slaves and trusts holding working men in bocdige, Many red costumes were worn, and red flags were carried. Enormous quantities of beer and sandwiches were consumed at the cafes. Dancing was kept up all night.

WOMEN TYPISTS REPLACED BY MEN. Lady stenographers are a feature of American commercial life, bat the Erie Railroad Company, employing thousands of clerks, has decided that henceforth men only shall be engaged, A managing cf&cial expkias that women are excellent stenographers, but there are many things in railroad business that he is unwilling to ask them to do. 'We believe that men also are good stenographers, who can do what is impossible or undesirable for women to do.'

REFOBM CLOTHING TN AUSTRIA. The Vienna Society fortheßaform of Fdmale Clothing has recommenced a fresh campaign against the corset. An exhibition was opened recently for the purpose of showing models of the reform dress, most of the toilettes being sent in by Vienna firms, which have had the advantage of plaster models copied from a design by Dr. Heller, on the lines of the Venus of Milo. Some of these dresses are extremely tasteful. The Berlin society have also sent exhibits, but these are mostly girls' frocks in empire and princess atjles, which do nothing towards solving the problem. Most of the toilettes resemble ordinary walking and evening costumes, with the exception that all pressure upon the waist is avoided. The second room, which the police have prohibited children from entering, ia termed the Chamber of Horrors. Here, in immense vessels filled with spirits of wine, float specimens distorted by corset wearing, while side by side with these others are displayed in a healthy state. Upon a skeleton, by means of the Bontgen rays, the marks of stay bones can even be seen upon the ribs. The society has made but few converts. ILL WILL BETWEEN BUSBIA AND JAPAN. In a number of passages throughout his book, Mr Jane, a well known writer on modern navies, refers to the violent illwill between Bussia and Japan. 'No Russian officer," he says, * will surrender to a Japanese; the determination is almost universal to blow up the ship. I have a shrewd idea that orders exist to this effect} if they do not exist in black and white they are tacitly understood. As for the Japanese—the ship that strikes is to be fired on by its consorts.' The Japanese is to the average Bussian what the Turk was to his grandfather in the eighteenth century. «We don't like tb.9 J*panese,' said a Bnssian naval officer to Mr J*ne ; ' I know some that I like much, but taking them as a nation—no. Their navy is good—too good; but they would sever fight Russia fairly. ' They would invite us to a dinner and poison us, or something like that. Treacherous; you can't trust them.'

CHILDREN AT AUCTION. Thirteen ohildren were ' sold by auction' at a Salvation Army Hall in the North of London recently. The'purchaser' was a Salvation Army ♦ lasßie.' The 'Bale' took place in accordance with the following announcements made by bill in the usual way during the previous week . SALE BY AUCTION. ME MaUKICE WHITLOW Will SELL by Public Auction, and without reserve, THIRTEEN (selected) CHILDREN (six boys and seven girls, aged from six to fifteen years). The parsnts are consenting parties to thia sale, and state these children include some of the best in the district. The children may be viewed the night of the sale, and will be knocked down in one lot to the highest bidder, Sale to commence at 1 80 on Saturday evening at the Salvation Army Hall, East Finohley. Naturally there was a large gathering of curious persons. When the 'auctioneer' called upon his clerk to read the conditions, it was found that the purchaser had to undertake to «do the beat for the welfare of the lot in this world, and for their welfare in the world 'to come.' Before the sale began the 'lot* showed how it could sing and recite and answer questions in Soriptura, The bidders had been specially coached They represented ' Sjlt-Intareet and C -,' Sport, Pleasure, Wealth and Fashion—the latter being a finely-dressed lady—but the 'Salvation lassie,' who supported her bid with an offer of'true religion,'secured the 'lot' after a two hours' contest