CURRENT TOPICS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 52, 29 January 1938, Page 8

CURRENT TOPICS

(By “Wayfarer.”) Nowadays an ocean seems to be a large body of water entirely surrounded by trouble. Germany under the Four-Year Plan is closely emulating the p>°licy of the Chicago stockyards, which boast that they use everything of the pig except its squeal. A lady who lias just returned from the Fatherland says that she w-ent recently to a shop to buy some almonds. She found that the only .ones oil sale were both shelled and skinned. On asking for unskinned almonds she received the reply: “Madame, we are not allowed to sell them. The skins are removed and utilised for other purposes.” , » »

Dulwich Art Gallery, where a new wing has just been completed at a cost of £4OOO, owed its origin to political upheavals in Europe a century and a half ago; A French aft dealer, Noel D-esenfens, was commissioned to form a collection of paintings for a new National Gallery in Warsaw, hut before the task was completed Poland bad ceased to be an independent nation, and he was left with, the pictures on his hands. After vainly trying to dispose of them, he left the majority to his friend, Sir Francis Bourgeois, who, on his death in 1811, bequeathed the collection, with additions, to Dulwich College, together with £IO.OOO to build a gallery. The result was what Ruskin regarded as one of the best galleries in the kingdom. By a clause in Bourgeois’s will the gallery includes a mausoleum where he and Desenfens are ± # *

The Cato Street conspiracy of 1820 —a plot to murder the Ministers of George IV—will be recalled next month with the 118th anniversary of the occurrence. Arthur Tlustlewood, the leader of the Conspiracy, was horn at Tupholme, Lincolnshire, in 1' <O. He became a soldier, and joined the Spencean society, a revolutionary body, in London. Seizing the opportunity presented by a meeting of the whole Cabinet in Grosvenor Square on February 23, 1820, lie assembled his associates in a room in Cato Street (now Horace Street) off the Edgware Road, with the object of murdering all the Ministers. The scheme was betrayed, and though Thistlewood escaped, he was taken the next day. On May 1, with four others, he was hanged for high treason.

Although it is generally known that a penny with the name of King Edward VIII. engraved thereon was issued in New Guinea, it is not common knowledge that E’iji aJso issued a coin for that short-reigned Monarch. The only denomination issued was the one penny, a coin made of a nickel alloy and stamped with a hole in the centre to facilitate .carrying by natives. On one side the coin is engraved “Fiji Penny, 1936,” and the other side with “Edward VIII, King Emperor.” Since the new coins were rather slow in coming into circulation, a rumour was soon abroad in Suva that they were going to be scarce, and high prices were paid for them, up to 5a and even to £1 each. An unrestricted issue of them by the local banks, however, soon put an end to this speculation. In recent months the Edward VIII. pennies have become rare once more in Suva, for they have , been taken away by tourists as souvenirs,' particularly by Americans, and local people seldom see one.

Among the greater treasures in the Dickens House in London, which has just been reopened to the public, is a single page of the manuscript of “Pickwick.” It is the more valuable because only forty-four of the remaining pages are known to be in existence. The loss of the others must he a matter of regret to all students of Dickens; for an original manuscript is fascinating as a relic that lias been in intimate contact with the author, and has always some sidelights to throw upon his character methods, and train of thought, says the Christian Science Monitor. His handwriting has something to tell the experts, we may deduce pauses for thought and rushes of inspiration, and his corrections are particularly illuminating. He may even reveal unsuspected artistic talene in the margin 1 To-day, the typewriter has, with many authors, taken the place of the pen ; and one wonders whether this will not considerably decrease the interest of their original scripts, even in the matter of corrections. Retracing one’s steps to make alterations on the typewriter is a laborious business; It may be effectively done, subsequently, it is true, with a pen—but, in spite of this, is not the result to make writers think Ptwice before they tap the keys? If so, those first careless raptures, once so easily disciplined by a stroke of the pen, will no longer be even faintly visible—or at least, far less often. In the case of those with whom first thoughts are good enough, w T e shall not, liowever, lose much. Here, in fact, there may even bye a gain. For typewriting lias not the friendliness, the softening effect, of familiar - handivriting, and occasionally, confronted by its bold and impersonal presentment, an impulsive author may be startled into desirable second thoughts.

A considerable fortune which had lain concealed for about 600 years was unearthed by a workman at an Aberdeen housing scheme recently. The find consists of 194 coins, mainly silver pennies of King Henry 111 period, and estimated to be worth about £IOOO. The discovery was made In' Robert Livingstone, who was engaged in excavation work at a housing scheme at Bridge of Balgownie Crescent, Bridge of Don. While he was digging, his pick came into' contact with an earthenware vessel. It was broken, but Livingstone found inside a collection of coins. They appeared to lie very old and of unusual interest and were taken immediately to Dr W. Douglas Simpson, librarian of Aberdeen University. He recognised them as silver pennies of King Henry Third’s reign. Ho considers them to be a most valuable discovery. They probably belonged to some thrifty Aberdonian of six centuries ago, who buried his money for safety in the garden, and it had never been discovered until now. Search is being made at the scene of the discovery for other valuables. Dr Simpson has expressed the view that the money and plate, which has- also been found, probably belonged to some wealthy burgess who buried it in his estate some six centuries ago for safe keeping. A more romantic theory has been put forward. This is that the treasure trove has come from some galleon wrecked off the treacherous Aberdeenshire coast. The scene of the discovery is on the uplands beside the coast looking out on the North Sea. Dr Simpson and other noted local archaeologists are at present studying the history of the area about the period indicated by the find. In addition to the coins of the Henry 111 period thero wero several dating back to Edward I. A workman on the scene told the Glasgow Sunday Mail that he and some of his colleagues had struck several metal objects but had taken no notice of them. They wero found in the subsoil 8 to 10 feet dowu.