Miscellaneous Items.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 77, 29 August 1885, Page 4

Miscellaneous Items.

A citizen of Melbourne connected with banking, and now m the. Lund of Cukes (says the Australasian) sftent an afternoon examining some of the early records of the Bank of Scotland, lie wri f es : — The Bank commenced businvss m a.d. 1695, and the first books are as clear and a* distinct as the day they were written, there beiu^ no shoddy m the paper nov iv the ink. The treasure •, who was the principal olh'cei, commenced with a s-.dary of LIOO a year, the accountant had 1,30, and the teller LIB. (Money went fuiiher m those days). The present treasurer has L 3,000 a year. The writ-inn* m the book is beautiful, and betokens deliberation and leisure, Iv the ' charge* ' account there is an entry of ",'s for * dighting the widows,' and 8d for* putting m a iozi'n,' Best of all — i j ach day's ea«.h books commences with a short prayer!" This ide-i muht, perhaps, l>e adopted by the associated banks when they meet t<> discuss the rate of interest they intend to charge thier customers'. In concluding his sermon on a recent Sunday, Henry Word Beecher said to his congregation : " I shall not be with you many more years. It will not be long before smother voice will be instructing you. For more than fifty years I have been influenced by the groat doctrine of evolution. Tears ago I saw that, (he spirit, of trne religion was represented by the nmstanUwed. Later I came to understand the larger view which science holds, and that this was only one application of a great doctrine To-day there is not an educated man under fifty years of age who is not substantially an evolutionist. I proposed to make the application of the I ruths of evolution to all forms of doctrine the closing work of my life. lam going to discuss the questions of the divine nature, of sin and atonement from the stand-point of evolution These discussions I will put m a book and fhcu die. Your children will read the book and w<»uder why people ever differed fromr what 1 shall say. The new bheplogy his ri^en m the horizon. It 'will i regenerate the world aud be ; more powerful than the old." .Says the European Mail: — A piece of good luck belela bookseller's assistant the other day. A roan who sells books from a barrow iv the str els was weelingit on the way to open for the day, and passed close to aforesaid assistant, who was on his way to work. As the man passed a small volume fell off into the road, which the assistant kindly picked up with the intention of replacing it on the barrow. Before doing so impelled by twhat he calls the "bookseller" instinct. he looked at the volume. One glance was enough. •' Hear, what dn you want for this?" he asked. The dealer, taking- a casual glance al the unlucky volume, said, " Oh 1 tlmippence 1 suppose will do." The thruppence was joyfully paid, .and the assistant departed with his prize. The book was no less than a rare volume by Increase Mather, printed m 1698 ai Boston, U.S. Any collector v.ill know that an American-printed book beating this date must be of gieat value. The book has been valued at from £8 to £12. A theory lias long been maintained that Jersey cattle were of little or no value for beof. But the largest owner and dealer m Jersey cattle m California maitains just the opposite theory, which he has fortified by actual experiments. For several years he baa caused a number of Jersey steers to be slaughtered for beof. • These animals will weigh from 600 to 700 pounds. Th»y run on the hills, and are iv good condition for heef m the parly spring Contrary to the more general opinions the beef is neither lean, stringy, nor tough, but is tender and of excellent flavour. The fact here demonstrated is of great value, because heretofore it has been affirmed that the prospect of growing Jersey cattle would be "renfcly diminished by the lack of good beef quvdities. Now comes the most careful and scientific breeder of Jersey cattle m the State with a satis factory demonstration that this breed of cattle will furnish the bent quality of beef, which added to the other fact that they are well adapted to rough lull lands, tnnkes it one of great importance. The Jersey, so long holding the first place for cvpuui and butter, is now advanced m the list of good beof cattle. The following" passage m Carlyle's T-ife is recommended to those young ladies who, without any notion of music, make the air around them hideous by their everlasting strumming on a piano : — "The miserable youn<» woman m the next house to me spends all her young 1 fright days not m learning to darn stockings, sew -kirts, bake pas' ry, or any art mystery, or business that will profit herself or others; not even m amusing herself or skipping on the grassplous with 4auglitnr of her mates ; but simply and solely m raging from dawn to dark, night and rnidnight,on a hapless piano, which it is. evident she will never m this world lender more musical than a pair of barn-clappo.rs ! The miserable young female ! " A daring and successful robbery was lareJv committed at the Vote Office of the House of Commons. The olb'ce was entered, a drawer whs broken open, and a cashbox, which contained about <£60, was stolon. The money had been locked up ready r oy the payment of wages, and wns m at} official cash box, upon which the letters " V.R." were, printed. The approach to Lhe office is from the inner lobby of the house of Commons, and it is a mystery how ;>ny thiof could have entered it during the sitting of Parliament without being observed either by members of the House or by thepolico and defectives, of whom there is an extra s'aff m attendance at all parts of the Palace buildings at V\ estminster. It is equally difficult to conjecture how an inner room so suarde.d could have been broken into whilst the House was not sitting, and when the buildings would be under the charge of numerous constables and nightwatchmen. No trace has been obtained either of the thieves or the stolen property.