Cleanings.

Kaikoura Star, Volume XIV, Issue 740, 22 May 1894, Page 7

Cleanings.

A Billiard Ball.

The billiard ball of pare ivory represents, as it lies white and glistening' upon the cloth, an expenditure of human life-blood as well as of money. Elephants’ tusks are brought down to the African coasts by caravans, generally in charge of Arabs, which have been trading in the interior. Very often they have picked up slaves as well as ivory. But this phase of the matter may be left out of the acconnt. It is estimated that every large caravan bringing ivory to the coast has cost more than 168 human lives through fights and murders in the course of the expedition. Thirty more men are likely to have succumbed to fevers and other diseases and the fatigues of the march. The hunting of the elephants and the capture of the ivory are very likely to have caused the death of 10 men altogether. Such casualties are the rule in elephant hunting rather than the exception. An average tusk does not furnish any more than enough material for two good billiard balls. Of course the remainder of the ivory in each tusk is made use of in other ways ; a perfectly cut billiard ball requires special quality or so-called 'nerve,’ which is found only in one part of the tusk. The chances are that a billiard ball of the first quality has cost at least one human life ; and there is not one such ball which may not truly be said to be stained with men’s blood.

The Tight Rope Dancer.

An athlete must make himself deaf to all entreaties, all suggestions, and must act for himself, abiding by his own judgment. I had an opportunity of questioning a most noted tight rope expert on this subject. He explained to me that on a large rope half a foot from the ground the most timorous person might be taught to walk any reasonable distance. *We learn in that way,’ he added, * and by raising the rope step by step from the ground we acquire at last such confidence that, when in good training, distance from the earth makes no difference; we have learned to look into space, to face space, confident that we have resources on which we can entirely trust if the rope is secure and we are left to ourselves. But it is essential that we should be left to ourselves; and the great success of walking on the high rope is that we are left to ourselves—left so that we hear none of the comments or advices of the crowd below.’ ‘ That would not affect you ?' I i squired. ‘ I do not think it would, for I have got presence of mind under all states of the art I practice ; but if anything would that would, and nothing so much as the cry of fear of a child.’ ‘ Fear is catching ?’ I observed.

‘ Nothing so catching as fear, and onse it is caught—well, you may consider it all over. No man in peril ever, by his own wise efforts, rises out of fear.’

I am quite sure that is the fact in all things where presence of mind is on trial, but never more than in athletic competitions. Presence of mind means courage. That is true. But in athleticism it means more than courage; it means precision, decision, and, in the very storm of action, repose. It needs neither praise nor blame while it is under pressure, and a man who is not naturally very courageous may be the representative of it in a marked degree. No man or woman can claim athletic skill to whom it does not belong. ******

The hardest person in the world to please is one who never tries to please anyone else. ******

One difference between a wise man and a fool is that a fool’s mistakes never teach him anything.