POSTSCRIPTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 26, 31 July 1939, Page 8

POSTSCRIPTS

BY PERCY FLAGE

Chronicle and Comment

This morning's weather was hail! . . . but not so hearty! ■ V. */ ■ * '~ .* No, Melisande. It was not Noah whflj said: After us the deluge. * • * Omadhaun,—Well, you can't say that the weather isn't sneasonable. * * „ It is just possible, of course, that Chamberlain (brolly and all) was privy to that bolt from the American blue. ' # '•# - '- .* Born again: If some "gentlemen; can't carry their minds outside tho cowyards," as the Hon. H. T. Armstrong says, there are at least some others who wish now that they had not been so easily tempted to clean other people's backyards, without first counting the cost. * * * BACK AT SCHOOL. Tommy: Gran, Gran, Where's gran*. Gran.: Quiet, boy, quiet—he's swotting for his Public Service efficiency. BIND Y. * * -*■■■- TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN. The name of the spirit which, according to the Maori legend, Hatupatus parents sent in search of him was Tamumu-ki-te-rangi, which signifies He-that-buzzes-in-the-skies.' The appropriateness of this name for- aa aeroplane is obvious; NEMO. * - :•■■*■■■ ■'. »■ "ENGLAND AND HER COLONIES. In reply to Imperialist (Plimmerton)S These are the lines you asked for. She stands, a thousand-wintered tree^ By countless moons im'pearled; Her broad roots coil beneath the sea, Her branches sweep the world; Her seeds, by careless winds conveyed, Clothe the remotest strand With forests from her scatterings madew New nations fostered in her shade, And linking land with land. O ye by wandering tempest' sown 'Neath every alien star, ' Forget not whence the wind was blow* That "wafted you afar! For ye are still her ancient seedChildren of Britain's island-bred To whom the mother in her need- - Perchance may .one day call. William Watson. TRAVELLERS' NAMES. • This clipping comes to us from the irrepressible 'Orace, who got out of Invercargill "before that blizzzzzzard caught up 6n me."—Nice work. Now; for the par—a letter addressed to an/ English house journal. Sir, —If it is permissible to introduce a little light relief into your - 'jCorrespondence" columns, in which so many, weighty matters are now being dei bated, I-should like to inform you of ai rather amusing coincidence. We have just had. calls, in succession, from the following commercial travellers: Mr, Goose, Mr. Gosling, Mr. Ramm, Mr« Drake, and Mr. Pigg; and we are advised that Mr. Steer will call shortly. As this is an. agricultural district, the gentlemen concerned are singularly; well named!. - • •-•*••- We'll say they are. ■ ' \ * * + SUPERSTITIOUS, . We have received more supersti* tions—this time from Avalon ; (Mira- ~ mar). Here they are: Bismarck, the Iron Chancellor, was particularly superstitious about numbers and shared the popular belief about "unlucky 13." His lucky number, he used to say, was three, because he was Chancellor under three Emperors, received three titles of nobility, was responsible for three wars, and had three, children. Caricaturists of^ his day went so far as to draw him with three hairs on his otherwise bald head! , Ranji, of cricket fame, firmly be* lieved that it was due to a black cat, which always made its timely appearance, that he won several of his county matches. The "thirteen" superstition seems to be even older than Christianity, fon there is an old Norse-legend that the twelve, great divinities were dining in; Valhalla, when Loki, the god of discord, suddenly appeared and quarrelled with Baldur, the god of peace, who was killed. There is a similar story; in ancient: Hindu folk-lore. * •» « LET'S FEED A NATION. New Zealand always seemed to hay« The greatest admiration For all potatoes, sweet or not, But why. this adoration? The homely "spud," the useful "spud* Has now acquired a station That makes it loved by one and aU And wanted by a nation. Oh, can'fr you see the reason for Its social elevation? Its numbers have decreased by halt Because -of exportation. Its price has risen all at once, , And caused great consternation, And many angry citizens . Have stooped to fulminatioii* But why should all this trouble be? Just- stop the emigration ' " Of our potatoes overseas, And "Let Us Feed a Nation!" "JAYBEE* Northland. * * T- « I, BRAIN-TEASERS. j Another busy though interesting [time on Saturday evening. We were [prepared for anything,after some intensive gardening up till dusk—bricks, i bouquets or bombers. The. fun -started at exactly 5 p.m., ten minutes before our paper arrived. "J-.W.8. crashed in with No. .1. and L. & S. a minute'-,or two later. ; After a brief lull Swanston broke the silence with a No.- 3. solution, but it was left to. Thistle to get the first double. Then followed Newcomer, Silva and Gasmask with No. 1, M.T. (Heads) with- Nos. 1 and 2, R.J.W. with No. 1 and half of No. 2, Hataitai, Isral, F.C.C. (Ngaio), each with, No. 1 and seven-eighths of No. 2, Amos Minus Andy, Geoff., M., K.D., Marlene (all No. 1), Orana (No. 1 and ' No. 2), Margaret of Kelburn (.875 of No. 2), Little Trevor (No. 1 and No. 2), Phil o' Math (No. 1 and No. 2. barring one name), Hataitai Don, N.A.P., Overtoun (each full marks), R.H.S. (Lower Hutt), No. 1 and No. 2 minus the seventh name, A.-J., Peter, and O'L. ditto, and X-ray, Carlos, and 'K.S. with No. 1. only. Sunday evening; wheri k we were temporarily in absentia, brought other solvers, including the jovial BXN.K. syndicate, who also landed the double, and Gasmask, with all but one of/the jumbled names. No.:seven bfvNo. 2 tied up quite' a number, yet that gentleman was as popular in his Hollywood days as Robert Taylor is today. Carlos reminded* us of a "corker* poser we published two or three years agone, and suggested that we try it out on the "super-intellectuals of the B.T. brigade who are inclined to be fussy about some of the arithmetical ones." Well, we might do worse than that. Wasn't it just priceless, hot water, •bag weather over the weekend!