Facts and Fancies

Horowhenua Chronicle, 19 November 1915, Page 2

Facts and Fancies

Tree Top Out of Old Cliimnoy. Amid Ihe ruins ol an old sugar mui i<l , the Inland of 'Irinitliacl o£f the coasi/ i 1 \ eiiezuela, is to be seen a nioet un-u.-uai curioisity, that of a sturdy pical tree spreading its ibrauoiveK Jinmgii the top of an abandoned chimney The cnimbjVd walls of the liuild.ig am covered with an overgrowth 01.0 1 . vegetation, wiiile the smoke-sta.-k ; iojcis out of tliis mass of green—from .• distance the only vestige visible oi i lie old structure. The brick walk oi i ie chimney completely hide all evidence of the tree trunk which hns ...rown up through the opening within. - ue German Soldier's Helmet. Despite the heavy appearance of the it'onnan .soldiers' helmets, they are ex--v-diiigly light. They are made ol .:Uel, Jjut they are nearly as light ;rn ,: straw hat, and far more comfortable i he large military-looking spike 18 not placed to the top of the helmet tyr i.rnament alone. There are several uiigc holes in it, which ventilate tho wearer's head. The eteel from whioh ihe helmet in made is exceedingly thin almost as thin as paper, and all round ihe inside, where tho beimet touches the head, there are a number ot •-prings. The.se springs, which are covered with leather, serve to keep the eiiiiet lirmly on tho head, without any .•.reafc pres,sure. * he. (Jiii'istinao Carol. The origin of the word carol ini.ii led in a certain amount of mye.ry. A Icaj-ned writer of tho last ceniiiry maintained it was deri.'ed /rein the Latin Carolu« (Charles), ',beraiise," he said, ''such were in uae :n Uharlas l.'s ivign." 13ut wo find the aord, exists, not only in English' from .1: least the fourteenth century, but in Kreiu-h. German, Italian, and Welsh,

and in the Celtic districts of Brittany and t-ij<3 .Scottish Highlands. Carols do .nut seem to Lave been sung only at • ''ii-istnias, I'oi , there are Welsh Hummer ■ .iioLs a n<l Easter ones. Christmas ;.r<ilo, however, are the only ones which have survived with any vigorous ! f<; up to th i>. present time. • Jlari-Kari." IJ.iJii-Kari was, until abandoned m i'S.io, the official form or suicide among J]..- .Japanese. At.ouo time the aver;;g. Jiumber of poisona wlio committed hfiki \,iri was 500 a year. It is still occasionally practiced, and the famoub Ja.paiie.si> General i\ogi was a ""victim of if u year or two .ago. Jtiari-kari, uniu abolished by law, Avas regarded as the only recogiiii>i'd honouj-able "way out" • )i- military men and Government official.', nho had committed offences ' jkViv. 1 piini«hahle by death. &ich peifjili had to commit hari-kari in tho presence of iviUiss.es. :ind they Avore pormitt3,l to nwi.rji'to a fi-icnd the painful task o. iJi.'ttiiig them finally out of their nuwvy 'iy moans of a sword. '. acie in Brief. e The Scottish, Jrifth, Welsh, and Bro ton tongues are. all varieties of the Umtic language. ~" About 300 spociori ol turtle and cur-toi-e are known. Some ol thuse attain a vi-ry lai'ge wize. In Austria a man and, wonmn rv> siij)pobL'J to be capable o. conducting r. homo of their own from the age 'jl fourteen. False teeth of ivory, on plates ot the same -material, and neld in .place ■by gold wires, were in use in the year 100 8.0. The soil in China is so rich tfiat a square .mile is said to 'be capable ot supporting a population of nearly 40Uu people. The cold of Siberia is bo great in '. * ivintcr that many kinds of provisions, ,\hich arc with us eitTier eealodi up or salted, are thore .kept by simple freeing.