NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1859, 1 August 1918, Page 1

NEWS AND NOTES.

“Darling!” said his mother, “isn’t it extravagance to eat both baiter and marmalade on your bread at breakfast ?” “No, mumsey,” . was the answer, “it’s economy. The same piece of bread does for both.” Austrian Note to Serbia, 1914; Let us drop our pitiable efforts to excuse Germany’s action. Not against our will were we thrown into this gigantic adventure. It was not imposed on us by surprise. We willed it : we were bound to will it. Our force will create a new law in Europe. It is Germany that strikes. When it shall have conquered new fields for its genius, then the priests of all the gods will exalt the war as blessed. —Max. Harden.; “Die Zukunft,” 1914. A Queensland timber cutter left this notice painted on his hut: “You all take this notice. I have gone to fight the Germans, and I don’t know when lam coming back. Somebody chip round my humpy against grass tires. All my bullocks are sold except Sambo —him with the cockhorn. Anyone finding him can sell him to the butcher, and he will mind the money till I come back.” Be it recorded to their credit that the residents of the district have complied with all the terms of the notice. A cat has (he credit of the discovery of a rare b'rd—a wren( now extinct) —on Stephen’s Island. Long years ago a lighthouse-keeper’s cat brought in a specimen of this bird, which" was a subject of much interest to scientists. As (lie wren was partly nocturnal in its habits, it Fell an easy prey to (be cats that had multiplied on the island, but these destroyers have the I'istinclion that they were I lie lirsi to bring the bird under man’s notice. It was characteristic ot the cat tribe, however, I hat this was not done (ill the wren was almost (xlinct. This incident* helped to bring a ban upon the cal for (he islands. . The lighthousekeepers on Stephen’s Island have shot or trapped many cats, but it is believed that the sanctuary is not yet free from this nest.

Faults of style, arrangement, and expression are copiously described in (he reports issued by the.

examiners of candidates for both matriculation and the I'niversity entrance scholarship examinations held at the end of last year. These blemishes are especially emphasised by (he examiners in English. The examiner has derived some amusement from replies |o a question designed to lest the candidate’s appreciation of literary style. Commenting upon it. he says: “Some candidates were evidently on (he watch for a piece of prose in had style —a trap which unfortunately for them, the paper did not contain. On (his principle one of Burke’s greatest passages was described as a ‘poor attempt at line language.’ while an extract from ‘Elia’ was stigmatised as ‘rambling and doggerel—very had style.’ Another candidate with more sagacity remarked on a passage from the ‘Merchant of Venice’—‘this seems to he a very capable writer.’ ”