LEMONS AND LONGEVITY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 15, 17 January 1880, Page 5

LEMONS AND LONGEVITY.

I Ii an inaugural discourse flel.^eroJ &<, a aatsi'.ary coagres.: if>cent!,v» htild at Croydon, Dr. B. W.RioUviWn uava it as his opiaioH thftt ,*M full term of human lira waa no.t, fed Uia Pdahniat n»d Bh\l^ ihrte aoor'o yaum aud ten, bat Qve scoro, and that, na a matter of fuel, ' th?re wcs no reasou "'why men aod women should- not livu titi they were 120, Tbe sUaJard of calculation, adopted by him was this. la, the ; lower orders of creation t,lie nortnat duration of lif d wus five timea ibat of |b 8 period neoesaary to reach maturity. A horßo reaahed maturity. at the »ge oi (ive, and did uot die ia aa ordioary . wny till twenty-fi,?^ ' A, human bjing barely reached t«u>tucity at the ago ot ojught tbut'efot-Q to live .tils,

,T< one hundred. . He then dre.yv" a deacrip-' ;•■•/.', lion .of .^an ideal" country' wfyichi be /called Salutjand, which Vw^alc}|cpDßJßt •° ; ot cities never nutnberibg more than one hundred thousand inbabitSnts, and in which the fall' maximum Qf exist- . " enfce would be universalfy attainodr ' It .tntiy be -mentioned that' theVe has jjast ; been established in En^lanJ a "Cqndittonal Immortulity SociYty ? "'a'nd that ia, German savant, Dr WjiihsJoa Schaio- . ele, prdfassea to concoct, tin elixir vitse ..which will enable people to live for •/ ever.- Thia precious liquor mainly -. •, consists of lemon-juice, butiwithojit hot' water and spirit. The lemons areV.io be -taken in lavish, not to say appalling; 1 quantities — three a day' till the ; age of : ...fifty is ! reached. Betfveen fifty . and ( sixty the doee for ladies ia set down hi ) three, for gentlemen (out; lemons a day. .' Ooe lemon asora par diata is allotted to '-' each, sea for ftvery additional, decade, .so that' ceutenitriuns mtiat consume, if '. women, thair eight lyoipas daily-r-if, men no fewer than nioe. After tha^ 'bee hundred and twentieth year has : , been reached, the votary of' longevity,' . will have to swallow four i. fifteen lemons per anouca. Thus is an^ alarming task ae£ for thoso^whq are > enamoured of length of years" buVoan^ ■.., ~ Dot bear the taste of ac&a'.'.- Even bs^ the late Lord Derby preferr.pd the gou|;j . . to South African sherry, so there aßaj those who may choose death rather"! than life and a bucketful of .lemon- j .juice daily. "

- In a leading article on the bankruptcy laws, the JSew Zetland Times remark?.: — VPithiuj the past nine months we believe, that scores : of unblushing rogues'have taken advantage .• -of the laxity of the present bankruptcy law's 1 - ; in New Zealand to evade payment of their' ;^ just debts. Payments of dividends varying-; _. from twopence halfpenny to three or four. , shillings in the pound have been more often/ - : ~ than not the outcome of estates which,* ■ . judged-by the original lists' of assets' and-' liabilities prepared by the insolvents: them?,: selves, appeared to be likely to. realise from" 15s to 24sin tlie .£l. It is admitted on all. ■ aides that our present" Bankruptcy lawsf. * which are nearly identical with those existing ? in England, are a blot upon the civilisation," /_ of the day. The New Zealand Weslcyan, commenting ' . on the CbTristchurch and Timaru riots, say9 V— i . "Kecollectiona of the feuds of other days and other lands have shown themselves to ber . » - but sleeping in the minds of, at least, one, "■;' portion of colonial society — sleeping so lightly .< as to need but the rustling of an orange' ribbon . to awaken them into cowardly and ferocious . . activity. Nurtured in a Church that, in earlier times at least, made free employment 'of force in propagating its teachings, the rioters of last week, and others of that ilk, - have shown themselves yet to require etuan.- --; cipation from a well-nigh irresistible impulse V .to break the heads of other men unfortunate enough to have a place outside their own' • pale. Doubtless, a term of imprisonment, with the application of the • lash, would .do something towards repressing such an unfortunate ardour ;" but what is most needed; is the repeated inculcation of .';•:_' the doctrines of a true liberty, to be met ' . with only in the teachings of Christ and hi 9* J ; Apostles. Unless it be evident that the ■/.' Churches— Protestant and Catholic alike — . "■' are doing their ufcmosrto bring their adher- ; r ents under its widely tolerating influences, ■-, they give but feeble evidences of their being V Christ's." A rumor is ctirrent in diplomatic circles ; .".- to^.tb'e. effect that 'Sir Henry Bulwer, ; "3K.C.M.G., now Governor of Natal, will pror/.bably v receive the first offer of the Gover- •. norship of Tasmania, when Mr Weld retires. |; ; Mr Weld will shortly be made a XC.M G. i&^. -It. is not of ten (says the Mew Zealander) asiugle peony causes the expenditure I'^Sf a pound. In the Resident Magistrate's. yesterday, judgment was obtained in a %„.;.. civil case for the sum of £20 Id, and tiie H^Qdd penny entitled the solicitor for the ;f£ plaintiff to claim an extra pound as his fee, being one o£-the turning points in the m%&c-Ale i of fees recently adopted in the Eesident llpMagistrate's Court m* : \ The Rev:. James Buller's letters from |. England appear regularly in the New Zeaf< \ land Wettteyan, and afford interest to his o • many friends in this country. Mr Buller's ■ :•■ letters are pleasant and easy in style, cvi- : ; dencing a light heart in the writer. Here is ■r ; '--a- little bit about Spurgeon, the prince of ,: r - .Baptist preachers :— " At 7. p.m. Mr Butters ,:■ and myself were found in the Tabernacle. »/ Not less than 3000 were there, yet it was but /■. an ordinary week night service. There was ;, a .large"" number Of young .persons, and a , goodly proportion of the "common people." ;' Precisely at the hour, Spurgeon appeared on •/ the rostrum. His clear, bell-like voice ran 'through the spacious building— " Let us /- -:. .pray," After an- earnest prayer, a hymn. ,:«. rjvassung — no instrument but that of the ? :; human, voice, led by a precentor. Mark xii. V 13-34 was the lesaon. As he read he gave a ' ':..:-' runniug exposition, according to his wont '.}, Then prayer after a second hymn. A third ;. .hymn wa3 sung before Ihe text wad given . out. It was Mark xii. 34. He preached for : ".-more than forty minutes. There was nothing / -. great in the sermon. It was simple, evange- :.: 'lical, and tremendously earnest. It was that i^-i sort of preaching which is likely to do good. ;-H,'The congregatibu was dismissed with the :y.'. "benediction atvß 30 p m,, but not before the ;•• preacher had invited any to. meet him after ;- .the service, if they wished to speak to him -;' about their soul's salvation." ,' - s Paris— the centre of elegance, tho empire of fashion, and the.cynosuic of wealth now -.. "."boasts among her " chiba " an assonaicuftof ,- titles,' of which may be named, as samples i_. ;" The Rascals' CJub," the- • Club of Dim' the "Blackguards' Giub," th.j X* "Green Caps" (the green cap being the \ distinguishing sign of criminals condemned . for hfe to. hard labor in the hulks, that is to -: aaj, for the very lowest class of malefactors I ;; who would have been condemned to death -- ouA.for some repugnance to capital punish- ■/.: ment on the part of the juries before which , ; :tliey havo been tried), the "Lit'le GaolI .birds," the "Hogs' Club," the "-Club of r^r ed Shoes." the "Alpl;on3e Club," £alltfßion to a scauda!ou9 player of a couple , winters ago, the hero of which is a l^zy 'Aitouis oi : the most scoundrelly type, living \: oo the disgraceful earnings of the femine >.; -outcasts by whoni he is adored as a pet and 4 a^ favorite), the "Greasy Club," the .-;-.':. Jrelopouesians" (an allusion to the employ';ment of the term " a Greek," to express the c; sharpers whoso " profession" is to cheat at ;. ; ;play),tho "Broths," the '• Skinnera ;" u> 5 wiiich nre now being adiied. the "Brethren ;-. .of the Hulks," the "Pigeons," the "Pluck 5, ; ;er3/' &c, nil of which are recruiting |;^me/nbefs and making ready their respective '^quarters. j^-yy'Tbe-Neyr York Tribune contends that the ~P American nation has bsen engaged for years HiQ^ystematia-lying, cheating, thieving aud thoniieide towards the Indians. It but echoes *lthe sentiment of all jmt and thoughful V^Amencans when it places. the responsibility iAP on lhe ignorance, prejudice, and crimintl fc*iegligeace of national law-makers.

A Wellington paper says :— An appHca-. tiou to the City Council on the Bth instant,' for a grant of £200 to the funds of the Benevolent Institution, led to some startling revelations. Mr Johnson,' the secretary to the Institute, in reply to a; question, said that he was not aware of any instance where relief was being given to persons unworthy of.it. If. any circumstances which told against the. character of aiity applicant came to the knowledge of the committee, the relief was at once stopped. The amount of charitable aid afforded by the Institute was jnqreasing to a very, large extent. When he . took, over, the. secretaryship, the average * expenditure was about £35 per month. In three months, after the crash in business came, it reached something like .£9O per month, and now, it was between £120 and £140 per month. Applicants turned up everywhere — their natne was legion. There was' cases, too, that could not be looked over —of people who had sold every sfcick of ifurniture.they possessed, and who had large families,, and. in many instauces a sick wife. Among these were a number of really good mechanics, who, .in many bases, had nothing to lie down upon; and to| whom they had actually to supply clothing. No one had any . idea of the dUtresswhicu existed, especially at the Te Aro end of the town, but those who had been amongst it. Many of the men ; who came to him with tears in their eyes evidently: did not like the idea of applying for;.relief, but: .were.. most anxious'to gefe ; .work, but could not obtain any. At his 1 request one or two contractors had actually - toade work !f or theni, but if a job were advertised for 3no, men he thought they would . have no difficulty in finding them. , A strange t episode has fa ays an English contemporary,), occurred at Penrhyn. The Conservative' candidates were announced to address a public meeting, but when the , doors were 'opened the two Liberal members, Mr Cole» Q.p.^.and Mr Jenkins, with a number of their supporters rushed in and took possession of the platform. When the candidates, Sir Julius Yogel and Mr Ellis, arrived, the members insisted on apeakiug, -although; ruled out o£ order by the chairmau. , A scene of protracted and tremendous uproar ensued. After, an hour spent in vain ' attempts to be heard, the members withdrew, protesting to: the reporters that they had - come there only, to make an explanation of what the candidates had said the previous night, and. denouncing the conduct of the , meeting*idr not hearing them. The candidates then 1 delivered addresses in'comparative quietness. The affair has caused great .excitement, and the Western Morning News, . which has hitherto supported Messrs Cole and Jetikins, characterises their conduct as an undignified and unwise encouragement to , political rowdyism. • . It has always been a wonder, says the writer of." Pissing^ Notes," in the Otago Witness, how, if music professionals are like atnateurd, atf opera company is never kept together." One of the latest disturbances in the amateur singing world of Dunedin has resulted in the ; , resignation of a conductor, whose diabolical offence was conducting without his coat!' The ladies couldn't stand that kind of thiog, and so their husbands hinted to the offending; individual. Next meeting night the' weather was warmer, and off came the coat again; but, horror upon horror, things didn't stop there, for,the nonrepentant one actually rolled up his* sleeves. Tbis was accepted, as perhaps it was meant as a declaration of war-r r. The battle was fought ; the coa-.less conductor resigned his baton; and now the Dunedin musical world is on pins and needles over threatened ruptures and rivalriss to follow. Quite a heavy business is done in California ia shipping to China the shells of the shrimp, which are caught in such numbers on the coast, and there is almost as much profit from the sale of the shells as fioni the shrimps themselves. They are used to kill a worm which attacks the tea plant. As showing that the Home Rule movement in Ireland is participated in by Catholics and' Protestants alike, the New Zealand Tablet instances Mr Parnell, who " belongs to an old Protestant family, and adheres firmly to their creed.". That a '• great war " is brewing seems to be the general conviction in ITrance ; all the pupils at the various colleges in Paiis are; by a recent order of tbe Minister of War, to be provided with muskets, on the reopening of these institutions, in all cases where these weapons have not yet been supplied with them. All the boys in the French Public schools are now thoroughly drilled, as " the deliverers of Alsace and Lorraine," which no Frenchman or Frenchwoman seems to doubt will ere loDg be reunited to France. An aristocratic New York Fifth Avenue papa, on being, requested by a rich and vulgar young fellow for permission to marry "one of his girls," gave therather crushing reply : " Certainly ; which would you prefer, the waitress or the cook ? " It being claimed by- one of the sterner sex that man was made first and lord of creation, the question was asked by an indignant beauty how long he remained lord of creation. « Till he got a wife,' was the reply. A Michigan tramp who has been shot at five times by farmers' wivys, says he. has only to watch tbe end of the gun to avoid the contents, as a woman alwtiy shuts both eves when she pulls the trigger. The New Orleans Picayune says :— ' Ifc requires a man of good sense ,to fall in love with a plain woman.' Hard Hitting.— Colonel Old Style':. This ia indeed a pleasure. I never see your ladyship but I feel that I am ten years younger. La<iy New Style (who hasn't been to the Lyceum for nothing) : Indeed, Colonel ! Then you should avoid me. A meeting or two more, and you'll be in your second childboo 1 ! Blondin is followed everywhere by a man by the name of Thompson, who has a bet of 50,000clo]s (hat the acrobat will fall fromjhe rop^ and ba killed before he is 60 years 'of age. He is now 55. Blondin, the hero of Niagara, has returned to London. HU success in Vienna has been great, ani we hear that he has been reengaged to visit the city next May. Moms. Bloodin Kiive the laat two performances for the benefit of the hospitals and poor children, tbeso ,entertaintneuts being patronised by the Ministers of State a-::d the aristocracy of Vienna, and . attracting over 80,000 persons. Mons. Blopdin was presented by the Committee of the two fetes with a souvenir, in the shape of a handsome gold and silver goblet. Ou one occasion when (,he late Lord Biahop of Litchfield had spoken of the importance of diligent painstaking preparation for tbe pulpit, a verbose young clergyman said : — " Why, my lord, I often go to the vestry even without knowing what lexfc I shall preach upou ; yet Igo up and prench au extempore sermon, and thiuk nothing of it." The biahop replyed, " Ah, well, that agrees with what I hear from your people, for they I hear the sermon, and they also think jiothing of it." The Mexieau volcano of Orizaba, 5295 metres above the sea level, lias been ascended hv M. Athalza, a resident in Puebla -thirteen persons accompanied bim, one of whom died at the top from rarefaction of the air, and another a few days afterwards from erysipelas, caused by the reflection of the sun on the snow Savon thousaud steps had to be cut in the buow to K ain the sumiuir, and the expedition occupied four days one ot winch was v blank, owing to rain an.l snow. Ea-ouMoller, in 1859, was the first to, make the ascent, aud he has had a very few successors.- J i

. The Wanganui Chronicle says : — The vagaries of a sheep, closely ' followed up by two dogs, caused some little excitement in the Avenue yesterday, and eventually resulted in damage which will probably prove rather expensive to the owner of the unfortunate animal. In itsi bewilderment it sought a place of refuge in Victoria House, the well-known establishment of Mr P. Bell, and catchinfr sight of its | own reflection in the large mirror which has heretofore adorned the millinery department, bravely dashed through the glass, splitting it into scores of fragments. The Judische Presse contains the following curious paragraph: — "Some French travellers in Africa have discovered an island bearing the ''name of Satiking. All its inhabitants are Jews; the name of the chief is Kabbi Nathan jYitsctjak. They* lead a secluded life, and are independent of the other' native tribes surrounding them." The Athenaeum learns pat : Miss Colenso, a daughter of the Bishop of Natal, is engaged, in writing a history of the Zulu war.