RANDOM NOTES

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 105, 28 January 1935, Page 8

RANDOM NOTES

Sidelights on Current Events (By Kickshaws.) In the old days politicians thought nothing of a duel, says a writer. Well , to-day they still devote much energy to fencing. If we understand critics of modern bathing customs —and costumes—correctly, the problem seems to be to tell where a nudist colony ends and a bathing beach begins. A visitor says that there is no need for a third political party in America. Well they certainly seem able enough to make an eternal triangle out of two. ¥ ❖ ♦ The acquisition by the British Museum of fragments of the oldest papyri relating to the Gospel, believed to be older than any New Testament manuscript in existence, will cause no little flutter among the libraries of the world. The Codex Sinaiticus was hitherto considered to be the oldest manuscript of the. Bible in existence. Except for Caedmon’s paraphrase of the Bible in the 7th century, and parts of the Bible translated by Bede, earlier manuscripts of the Bible are few ana far between. One of the oldest’copies of both the' New and Old Testaments written in Greek is in the possession of the Vatican. It dates to tlie fourth or fifth century. The oldest European version of the Bible is probably owned by the Bodleian Library. The manuscript paraphrase was probably written in 1296. Facsimiles of many of these old Bibles are to be found in manv parts of the world. Indeed a facsimile of the Codex Sinaiticus may be inspected at the General Assembly Library, as also may facsimiles of many other old manuscripts of the Bible. $ One may well leave to experts the decision as to whether so-called early manuscripts of the Bible are fake or genuine. There has never been a Biblical forgery yet that has deceived all the experts. At one time a Gree.J named JJimonides made quite a nice little fortune by faking ancient seriw tural manuscripts. Tischendorf, the famous Biblical scholar, eventually unmasked him. It Is perhaps significant that the genuineness of the Codex Sinaiticus has only been challenged by one Individual. His name is Simonides. He claimed that he luwl forged the Codex Sinaiticus. Spite works in strange ways. * In 18S3 quite a sensation was caused when an Oriental named Shapira "’offered to sell to the British Museum for a high sum what purported to be the earliest Hebrew text of the first five books of the Old Testament. At first it was believed that the find was genuine. It was observed that therq were islight differences between the text of this “find” and previously accepted copies. The museum, however, bought the find, as examples of a good forgery, and at the price ot forgeries. Regarding delayed 'etters mentioned in these notes on Saturday, it is interesting to add that at one time the postal officials in England used to adopt a rather harsh attitude with letters that had become delayed in the post. ,In many cases the letters were posted when, penny postage was in vogue. They were delivered when the fee was IJd. The official mind was not above a surcharge on the letter for double the amount of postage missing. It was a gesture not calculated to place the postal department in a happy light with the recipient, and to-day a letter of apology instead of a surcharge accompanies letters that have been delayed. At times, though, there is a little irony in the arrival of the long-delayed missive. For example, one individual who received a letter in 1933 that had been posted in 1906 was not a little amused to see endorsed across the stamp the legend, “It is quicker to telephone.” There are occasions when the letters inherit an unexpected value from their wanderings. A letter sent in 1922 from Rowno in Poland to Brazil, was recently returned to its writer. During the intervening twelve years the letter went round the world three times. The sender was dead but his son,-to whom the letter was returned, was offered £2OO for the envelope. « * « “With reference to the following, can you please inform me why the Union Jack has a place in the Flag of. Hawaii?” asks “J.F.C.” “‘Hawaii—-The Union Jack in the corner is a relic of the first flag of the United States, and is the only flag now flying over U.S. soil which retains the British emblem.’ Can you also please inform me how much duty New Zealand levies on British ears and American cars? Recently a photograph appeared in ‘The Dominion.’ showing one of England’s latest fighting ’planes; the statement below informs all and sundry that it is the first British fighter to be fitted with a retractable undercarriage. In 191 S. W. Beardmore. of the Scottish firm of that name, brought out six ’planes—W.B. I to W.B. VI.. chiefly for use on board ship, and one of these had a retractable undercarriage.” I The matter of the flags was referred to the American Consul-General, who states that he has no knowledge that Hawaii has a separate flag from that of the United States of America. —A.s regards the levies on imported cars the charge in the case of English cars is 15%, and in the case of American ears about 75%. To this must no added exchange, shipping charges, and various other charge® in connection with 'insurance, transport, wharfage and the like.— Possibly the Beardiuore planes with retractable undercarriages were not a success and never went beyond experimental production.] * ♦ * “Two dates I would like to have, and if your daily eotos can supply them 1 shall foe! obliged.” says •‘J.W.M.” "When was the maritime strike (when J. A Millar -amo into prominence) ami flow long did it las'? And when was the old Occidental Hotel (Moeller's) pulled lown? To one who knew Wellington first in ISSI events such as these :.re landmarks in a lifetime, and I scan your column eagerly for reference- to events which have ha]>i'ened since then" ifi'lie strike lasted from Xiigust to November- 190.8. The hotel was pulled down in 1909.1 If half my ships came home from sea, And brought their p-coions freight to me. All! well. I should have wealth aa . great As any king that sits In state. So rich tlie treasure there would bo In half my ships now out at sea. —Ella .Wheeler Wilcox