THROUGH Our EXCHANGES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 19, 21 January 1913, Page 8

THROUGH Our EXCHANGES.

“Pelorus Jack,” the strange white “fish” which has become famous by 1 is solitary piloting of the steamers through Pelorus Sound, now seems to have permanently left his old domain. He has not been seen for many months. Captain Vickerman, cf the Alexander, stated to a ‘New Zealand dimes’ representative that he believes taat “Jack” has been killed, possibly by strange whalers.

“The jumping frog of Calaveras,’ made immortal by the pen of Mark Twain, has been shoved rudely from its pedestal in the hall of fame by another’ member of the species which workmen engaged in clearing and blasting rock on the L. D. Loomis property, in Santa Monica canyon, f mod imbedded m limestone 3ft beneath the surface. The frog must have been immured for several hundred y ears. Apparently petrified and encased in the crumbling though lumpy rock, the frog was taken by the astonished workmen and laid upon «"

rock, where, in a few seconds, it showed signs of life. After several minutes it blinked confusedly, drew a long breath, and rolled to the ground, where, in long leaps, it eluded the best efforts of the workmen to recapture it..

One of the evils of city churches it the minister having to preach to the empty pews from the end of Decernhei until March (says the ‘Auckland Btar.’) This is the natural result of sc many families being at the seaside during the time the public schools are dosed. The week-end excursions also keep many from church. Anyonestanding at the corner of (,'ucen Street ca a fine Sunday morning, and watching the numerous family parties going c ff with hampers for the day, can readily understand that climatic condition ia Auckland, coupled with the many beautiful seaside resorts, form a

strong competitor with tho churches. People who are spending the summei at Milford Beach have now, however, had tho church brought to them this summer, as the Baptists last Sunday omened a new building for Divine wor ship in Milford Road.

How careful the King is that his sons should go through exactly the ordinary education of a British gentleman is shown (says ‘The Clubman,’ in the ‘Sketch’), in the schooling of the younger Princes who are row at Broadstairs. The name of the school to which they were to be sent was not known until the young Princes! arrived there; and though, of course, the headmaster knew that the Princes were to he put under his care, ils did not allow that fact to transpire. The school, being a very popular one, had its lists full long ago for the period during which the Princes will he there, and ambitious fathers of little boys, who would like their sous to become the friends of Royal personages find that there are no vacancies for scholars in that particular school. The Princes are treated exactly like the other boys, and their pocket money, 6d a week, is itist> the same amount as is doled out to their sch&olfellows.

The Messageries Maritimcs steamer Salazie left Diego Suarez, Madagascar, on Thursday morning, bound for Marseilles. She had a number of passengers on hoard, and when she weighed anchor the weather was bright and the sea beautifully calm. But the barometer suddenly fell, and with very little warning a. terrific cyclone swept down on the vessel. For fourteen hours she was engulfed by great seas, six of her eight boats be-

ing swept from the decks and davits. The English passengers gathered in the saloon, and sang “Nearer My God to Thee.” Next morning the ship was in such a had way that her complement decided to leave her. They man aged to get ashore on a lonely island in the Indian Ocean, and were for two days without foot!. Then flares lit hv the passengers were seen by a passing tramp steamer, and a rescue effected.

A case presenting some peculiar fea-i tures was hoard before Mr. I'., C. Cutten, S.M., at the Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday last. A young lady some months ago took certain materials to a well known costumier to he made up into ballroom dresses. J ho dresses

were made to the young lady’s order, but she failed to put in an appearance to claim them. After keeping the dresses on hand for some months, the costumier decided to sell them, believ-j ing that tho owner had ro intentionj of claiming them. The drosses were accordingly sold, but a short time after j their lawful owner appeared, and statI eel that she had been unable to call before, owing to a severe illness, which had prostrated her, and kept her in the hospital. When she found that her dresses were lost to her, she promptly instituted an action for the recovery of the value of the material, £2 1 is. The defendant firm paid the amount of claim into Court, but brought a counter-claim against the plaintiff for £5 12s, for alleged loss on the sale of the dresses, owing to alleged neglect on the part of plaintiff in not taking delivery of them. The Magistrate heard legal argument on the matter at some length, and staled that ho was inclined to believe that a wrongful act had been committed by the dressmaking firm in disposing of the goods. The legal position was somewhat complicated, however, and the Magistrate adjourned the case sine die, to enable him to look into the legal aspect of the matter.

What a chance Is there For mere man when a woman who has declined marriage 106 times accepts it on the 107th opportunity. Lots of men have gone through life enjoying their liberty, happily melancholy because the girl of their choice refused to marry them. Some have even proposed occasionally just to keep alive the pleasant melancholy and just to he able to congratulate themselves on thengood fortune again. That is what b • A. Mackie, of Los Angelos, did, but he tried it once too often and at last he was snared. Now the coy object o; his affections who so long withstood his appeals is suing for a divorce. Before Judge Mu'.roe in the divorce pro ceedings Mrs. Mackie declared that in thirty-six days Mr. Mackie asked her 106 times to marry him. When lu began the thirty-seventh day with tin same question she says she gave up rather than listen longer to Mr. Mac kie’s monotonous questioning. 01 course, all men will realise that Mr. Mackie only repeated the question so frequently because he could not believe his good fortune in being still at liberty. Mrs. Mackie is asking fo: divorce, because, she says, her husband is not able to support her in the manner in which she was formerly able to live when she was earning many dollars eradicating .freckles.

The ‘Catholic Press,’ in an article on “St. Patrick’s Day,” states: —‘ St. Patrick has never abandoned his children ,and the angelic promise ma le to him on his death-bed on Marco 17. -193, has been fully fulfilled. It is recorded that when St. Patrick and Sr. Brigid were unitfed in their last prayer a special vision was shown to him. He saw the whole of Ireland lit up with the brightest rays of Divine Faith. This continued for centuries.j and then clouds gathered round tin j devoted island, and little by jittle religious glory appeared to fade away; St. Patrick prayed that that light would never be extinguished, and the angel came to him and said: ‘Fear not; your apostolates shall never cease.’ And as he thus prayed, the glimmering light grew in brightness; and ceased not until once more all the hills and villages of Ireland were lit up in their pristine splendour; and then the angel announced to St. Patrick: ‘Such shall bo the abiding splendours of Divine Truth in Ireland.’ Such, indeed, it is and has been, and not only in Ireland, bur among Ireland’s sons and daughters in every land.”

One of the most violent and terrific thunderstorms which have passed over the State for many years occurred one day last week between 3 and 3.25 p.m., on the George’s River (says the ‘Sydney Daily Telegraph’). Mr. Miller, one of the officers of the Meteorological Bureau, who happened to be on duty in the vicinity at the time, states that the storm came down the river from the west. It was preceded by a mass of cumulus cloud.;, which rolled and surged over the wnole sky. The weather up to then had been somewhat sultry, and the storm hr ike a little after 3 o’clock, with a delug * of hailstones . The remarkable feature of the storm was not only the size of the hailstones, which averaged over an inch in diameter, but the extraordinary jaggedness of the stones, which resembled lumps of ice, and made themselves extremely disagreeable, if not absolutely dangerous. Sc violent were they in their fall that they actually took the hair off hides of animals exposed to contact, and shattered the windows of most c f the buildings in the vicinity. 4t the hotel not a sound pane of glass -emamei in the casements. The after-appoaranco was like a field of snow. Die stenn was apparently confined to a t arrow belt of country alongside the iker as the districts immediately monaowere scarcely affected.

The Quartermaster-General’s Department in the Australian Army has standardised its cadets, says the Sydney Sun. At first, the military maim-1 facturers list'd to make G 7 different j sizes of shirt to fit every possible shape of cadet, hut that number has now been reduced to 13. Breeches wore once made in 63 different patterns and sizes. They are now only 26. Apparently the Australian youth, in the process of evolution, shows greater variety and more tendency to he a “sport” in his legs than in his shoulders and arms. The clothing is now systematised thoroughly, and everybody will be satisfied—except the unhappy boy who chances to be Number 14 in shoulders or Number 27 in legs. You will know him when ' you see him in his uniform by a little

bagginess here, a little restriction there, and generally an aspect of lit-

ting where it touches. He will come to be a proverb, for “Fourteen” or j “Twenty-seven” will certainly be his | nickname, and costumiers will not dare will tell the joke to their sisters, and to other fellows’ sisters, until by-and-bye they also begin to talk familiarly about a Fourteen blouse and a

Twenty-seven skirt. Tailors, dressmakers, and costumiers will m-t dare to establish their chops iu any premises bearing the number 14 or the number 27. The writer of this paragraph, by the way, has just received a 14-27 suit from his own tailor—confound him I

Many times it has happened that a great and costly war has been brought about by an incident trivial and even ridiculous. Thus the War of the Spanish Succession is said to have been caused through a glass of water. A lady, Mrs Masham, was carrying a glass of water, when she was obstructed by the Marquess de Torey. A slight scuffle ensued, and the water was spilt. The marquess thereat took offence, and bad feeling ensued between the English and French Courts, with the ultimate result that a war was declared. The campaign cost France many severe battles —viz., Blenheim, 1704 ; Ramillies, 1707,; Oudenarde, 1708; and Malplaquet, 1709. Quite as absurd in its origin was the war that took place during the Commonwealth of Modena. A soldier stole a bucket from a public well belonging to the State* of Bologna. Although tho value of the article did not exceed a shilling, its annexation was the signal for a fieict and prolonged war. Henry, the King of Sardinia, assisted the Modenese to retain tho bucket, and in one of the subsequent battles he was made a prisoner. The bucket is still exhibited in the tower of the Cathedral of Modena. A third instance of a war resulting from a trilling cause was that between Louis VII. of France and Henry 11. of England. The Archbishop of Rouen decreed that no one should wear long hair upon their heads or chins. Louis submitted to the decree, whereupon his wife Eleanor railed him upon his appearance. A quarrel ensued, which resulted in the dissolution of the marriage and Eleanor’s marriage with Henry. By this marriage the broad domains in Normandy, formerly belonging to Louis, passed into the possession of Henry. Louis, hotly incensed ,made an attack on Normandy, and henceforth for nearly 300 years arose^ those devastating wars which cost 1 ( ranee upwards of three millions of lives.