MISCELLANEOUS.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2897, 8 July 1882, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

A painter at Munich, who was formerly a blacksmith, has recently • produced a picture which has stirred the whole town. He exhibited it in the back room of a miserable hovel, but it has been visited by throngs of people, many of them distinguished. He has fixed his price for the work at 10(3,000 marks, and by a Paris dealer has already , been offered 80,000 marks. The artist’s name is Loibl. His picture represents the interior cif a village church.

An enthusiastic prelate characterises the work ot; the Land League-as “ an ntelligent peaceful agitation.” 0 tempera ! 0 mores ! A young lady in Berlin recently called on an undertaker in that town and ordered a coffin, and gave him the necessary orders for a funeral. The undertaker called at her house with hearse, coffin, and carriages. Ho was even armed with a burial permit, which he presented to the astonished family. The name of the person proved to be that of the daughter of the family. They went to her room and found her dying. The undertaker immediately recognised her as the person who had ordered the outfit and made the arrangements for the burial. A society is founded to “ remove from England the disgrace of having till now left buried in manuscript the most important works of her great early ■Reformer, John Wyclif.” The year 1884 will be the 500th anniversary of his death, and an attempt by the society will be made to give all his genuine writings to the world through the press. If only 250 members can be obtained at a guinea a year, ten years will probably see the whole work done. Those whoso recollections of Wyclif and his works are dim may pleasantly refresh them by reading “ Wyclif’s Place in History” (Isbister), a book in which Mr Montague Burrows has recently published three lectures delivered by him as Chichele Professor of Modern History at Oxford. The law is closing around the usuers. A London money lending house recently sued a clerk on a judgment summons, asking his commit 1 al in default of paying a loan of £5. The following decision was given:—“Mr Commissioner Kerr —In what shape was the money lent ? Defendant —On a bill of exchange, and the loan was only for three weeks. His Honor—What was the charge ? Defendant —Fifteen shillings. His Honor—This is a scandalous interest. I find it works out to no less than 461 per cent per annum. I have determined that ; usurers shall have no mercy in this court. I, therefore make an order for 2s per month, so that the plaintiffs will get their money some time towards the close of the century (laughter). In another case the defendant said he had been charged 300 per cent and his Honor made the same order.”