NEWS OF THE DAY

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 306, 28 December 1939, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

Religion in Many Tongues. “In spile of tlio Avar our Church makes steady progress in many countries,’ ’ said Pastor William A. Spicer, of Washington, world field secretary of tho Seventh Day Adventist General Conference, who is visiting Auckland. He added that the Church had carried its teachings to various peoples in SBO languages. Professional Jealousy? A wide variety of questions arc answered by the information girls at the Centennial Exhibition, but one that has caused much speculation came from an unusually stout Maori woman, who asked where she could see the fat' woman of the exhibition. The Maori gave no indication of her particular interest in the fat woman, but it is suspected that professional jealousy was concerned. Attitude to War. “In face of the martyrdom of Catholic Poland and the undisguised threat to root out the Christian religion, no Catholic who is worthy of his faith will hesitate to do his part in defence of our priceless Christian heritage,” states an editorial in the Sacred Heart College magazine. “No attempt to destroy Christianity has ever been organised with such diabolical ingenuity,” the article adds. Ship Dressed With Flags. Dressed from stem to stern with coloured flags the Greek steamer Mount Helmos was the only vessel in Auckland which gave any outward sign of Christmas celebrations. Arriving from Galveston, Texas, on Saturday morning with a large cargo of sulphur, the Mount Helmos, a vessel of 0181 tons, which was built at Clydebank m 1923, berthed at Icing’s Wharf, but moved later to Queen’s Wharf, where her bright flags were seen by passengers on the ferry steamers. Greek songs wore sung by the crew at various times on Christmas Day. Coracles to Liners. From prehistoric dugouts and coracles to the R.M.H. Queen Mary, the shipping section of the guide issued in the United Kingdom pavilion at the Centonnial Exhibition covers an immense range of material of interest to lovers of the sea. An illustration of Vasco da Gama’s ship, which sailed round the coast of Africa to Mozambique, much of its success being attributed to the innovation of three masts, is included. The Britannia, first vessel of the Cunard Steamship Co., Ltd., which crossed from Liverpool to Halifax in eleven days and four hours, is also shown. Strange Nesting Place. A sharp surprise was in store for a Hastings butcher when he wont to secure some tools from the box under the seat of his delivery van. Although the van had been in constant use for a iong period and had, in fact, been used extensively the same day, the butcher, to his astonishment, found beneath the seat a rat with an accompanying horde qf eight little rats scarcely more than a day old. The nest had been made from the stuffing of the upholstered seat, and a very comfortable nest it was—until the butcher found it. The mother rat succeeded in escaping, leaving her eight squealing babies to the tender mercy of the outraged van owner. Greek to Them? Did the Maoris name Kaiapoi, or was it the Greeks? At least one Englishman considers that the name has a Grecian ring. In a letter to an English newspaper, headed “Greek at Leatherhead,” he said:—“On the outskirts of Leatherliead, at the ‘ round-about 7 by the gasworks, I often drive past a row of small houses called ‘ Kaiapoi Cottages. ’ The word has a distinctly Greek appearance, as if it should bo pronounced ‘Caiaroi. ’ Can any of your readers tell me the origin of this odd name?” The inquirer was Mr. K. T. Dowding, Whitewalls, Kingsbury Green, N.W.9. No doubt nearly every inhabitant of Kaiapoi could tell him that the name meant “food depot.”

Gift From Glasgow. A painting or a piece of sculpture from an exhibition of the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts is to be sent to New Zealand to mark the century of association between Glasgow and the Dominion and also the visit of the Hon. Peter Fraser to tho city. This was announced by Lord Provost P. J. Dollan at a luncheon in the ar. galleries when officials of the institute entertained members of the Corporation Art Galleries’ Committee, states a London correspondent. Among tho guests were Mr. Fraser and Mr. Jordan (who viewed the exhibition after the luncheon to select a suitable work of art), tho Right Rev. Professor Archibald Main, D.D., Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; Sir George Pirie, president of the Royal Scottish Academy, and Sir John Iv. Richmond.

Found in Sandbag Well. Men attending to sandbags in Exeter Street, off the Strand, a month ago, saw a man curled up in tho bottom of a sandbag “well.” To get inside he must have climbed one of threo Oft. Avails of sandbags which protect a grating over a boiler. There is only just room to squeeze over the top to get Into the warmth of tho well. A poor man this, aged 50 or so, bearded, illdressed, underfed, and hatless. Yet a little smilo was on his face, and his head was resting on his gas mask. The workmen tried to Avake him, but they had to demolish a wall of sandbags before they got him out. The man with a smile had probably been doad for at least a day. No ono knows who he was. He may have found himself too wefik tb get out of his well, but it is more likely that, finding a warm spot on a Wintfy night, he wbnt to Sleep happy and did hot awake.