GLEANINGS FROM THE PAPERS.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Issue 37, 15 June 1878, Page 2

GLEANINGS FROM THE PAPERS.

The Parkcs Gazette says a strange encounter was witnessed with a snako and kitten on Wednesday evening. It appears that as the Rev. B. Stephen's family in company with some friends wore leaving the parsonage to attend an evening service, a large diamond snake was see;; to dart from under tho floor of the front verandah, and seize hold of a young kit ten which was sitting on one of the steps. The kitten sprang from the steps into one of garden walks taking the snake with her, and here a fierce struggle took place, the snake succeeded in coiling himself around the kitten's body, thus rendering her quite helpless, After watching the struggle for some tune Mr. Stephens tapped tho snake on the tail which caused him to uncoil himself, but it was observed that the snake had n very tight held cf one of the kitten's paws. A blow across the'back had th■> desired effect of causing him to let go of his hold cf " poor puss " which seemed none the worse lor her encounter. The snake was about live feet long. Stratigj to relate, the old cat took the liberty of decaptitatinghissaakeshipaad swallowc 1 his head without apparently any ccrious results following.

As a writer in the Lancet remarks, few people know the value of lemon-juice. A piece of lemon bound upon u corn will euro .it in a few days; it shon'.d be renewed night and morning. A free use of lomon-juico and sugar will always relievo a cough. Most people feel poorly in the spring ; but if they would eat a lemon before breakfast every day for a weckwith or without sugar, as they like they would liud it better than any medicine. Lemon-juice used according to this recipe will sometimes cure consumption : Put a dozen lemons into cold water and slowly bring to a boil ; boii slowly until tlio lemons are soft, but not too soft; then squeeze until all the juice is extracted; add sugar to your taste, and drink. In this way use one doz-<:r lemons a day. If they eause pain or loosen the bowels too much, lessen the quantity, and use only five or six a day until you are better, and then begin again with a dozen a day. After vising five or six dozen, the patient will begin to gain flesh and enjoy food. Hold on tothe lemons, and still usetbera very freely several weeks more. The following is from the new edition of tho Encyclopedia Britanic, now in course of publication :—" That great bell at Moscow, Tzar Kolokol, which, according to the inscription, was east in 1733, was in tho earth 103 years, and was raised by the Emperor Nicholas in 1830. The present boll seems never to have been actually hung or rung, having cracked in the furnace. Photographs of it aro now common, as it stands on a raised platform in the middle of a square. It is used as a chapel. It weighs about *40,0001b5.; height, 10 feet 3 inches; circumference, (it) feet fl inches ; thickness, 2 feet; weight of broken piece, 11 tons. The second Moscow bell, tho largest in the world in actual use, weighs 128 tons. The great bell at Peking weighs 53 tons ; Nanking, 22 tons ; 01mutz, 17 tons; Vicuna (1711), 17 tons; Notre Dame (1680), 17 tons; Erfurt, one of the finest bell-metal, 13 tons; Great Peter, York Minster, which cost £2OOO in 1845, 10 tons; St. Paul's, 5 tons; Great Tom at Oxford, 7 tons ; Great Tom at Lincoln, 5 tons; Big IJon, of tho Westminster clock tower (cracked), weighs between 13 and 14 tons; it wus cast by George Mears, under the direction of Edward Beckett Denison, in l&jS, its four quarters were cast by Warren, in 1850. Tho Ivaiserglooke, of Cologne Cathedral, lately recast (1&75), weighs 25 tons."

Figaro lias the following:— That, Lady Douglas had native blood in her veins is not only no secret, but is likewise a fact of widen the family is proud, so thut there is no harm in relating thofollowing anecdote: "At unc of the-numorous balls given by Sit James to the naval otliocra of the iN'oith Pacific station, a middy asked ono of his daughters to dunce with him. 'Oil, dear, no,' was the reply ;' ma never allows me to clanco with midshipmen,' and the suporb creature (all the Governor's girls wero superb) loft our little dirked and cooked-hatted friend in the middle of a submissive bow. Soon however, was it whispered that (ho youthful sniibliedoiie was not Xlr.Midsbipmaii , but Midshipman Lord . Row, oven superb creatures have weaknesses for lords, so uo erne will be surprised whon I say that the haughty ono in qaoation ieturnod to our tifteeu-vears-old warrior, and, addressing him by bis title,reminded him of Terpsiehorcau engagement num bor so-aud-jo. Hut sweet was that Buiall edition of nautical nobility's smile Aft ho answored, 'Oh door, no ; mauoverulluwa me to daucc with eq'iaws.'"

" Is this n foreign country i" asks an American journul. " Russian leather 13 made in Connecticut, Bordeaux wioa is manufactured in California, French lace is woven in New York, Italian marble is dug in Kentucky, Marseilles linen is produced in Massachusetts, English easimere is made in New Hampshire, Parian art work comes from a shop in Boston, Spanish mackerel art caught on the New Jersey coast, and Havana cigars are rolled out by the million in Chicago.

The British Medical Journal observes one of the most curious facts connected with madness is the utter absence of tears amidst tho insane. Whatever the form of madness, tears are conspicuous by their nbience, ns much in tho depression of melancholia, or the excitement of mania, ns in the utter apathy of dementia If a patient in a lunatic asylum be discovered in tears, it will be found that it is cither u patient commencing to recover! or an emotional outbreak in an epileptic who is scarcely truly insane ; while actually insane patients appear to have lost the power of weeping; it is only returning reason which can once more unloose tho fountains of their tears. liven when a lunatij is telling one in fervid language how she has been deprived of her children, or the outrages that have been perperated upon herself, her eye is never even moist. T.ie ready

gush of tears which accompanies the jilaint of the sane woman contrasts with lh«- dry eyed appeal of the lunatic. It would, indeed, seem that tears relieve feelings which, when pent up, lead to madness. It is one of the privileges of reason i.i he able to weep Amidst all the misery i>f the insane, tiny can Cud no relief in telll'S. Mr Tebb, of the anti-vaccination persuasion (observes the Pall Mall I !az( tte) writes to the Times to defend Ins faith, lie complains that "au anti- \ aecinator has to struggle under the op|i]i>briuin of ignorance, obstinacy, fanaticism, idiocy, Ac," and asserts that " as i > ignorance he believes that anti-vacoi-natois as a rule know more about vaccination, itshistory Slid characteristics, than <\fii the run of medical men ; ami because of their knowledge they are what they en—fanatics, or wiser than their generation." To be a fanatic, then, according to Mr. Tebb is of necessity to be wiser i nan one's gene -ation, which must be a eomfortable creed for many of us; but the argument, if consistently npplieJ, will prove more than. Mr. Tebb would pruijal ly like to maintain, unless he also disbclieves in. for instance the sphericity

and rotation of the earth. Mr. Tebb must surely see that all that can be with .safety asserted of a man with a crochet is that he "differs from his generation ;" and that whether he diverges from them in the direction of .superior wisdom or of greater folly must depend upon some

other circumstances than the mere fact of his divergence. As to Mr. Tebh's ] protest against the imputation to ignorance to anti-vaceinators it really amounts to a protest against the moot charitable interpretation of their craze. If wecoiild suppose that they had not studied the

statistics of smallpox before and since vaccination, and had not considered series of proofs which happen to afford the most perfect example of tho application of the three methods of agreement, difference, and concomitant variations (upon which Mr. Tebb might profitably consult Mr. Mill's well known work on logic), we should entertain a higher respect lor their intelligence than after this "defence" it is possible for us to do. Men who without having fully examined the evidence lor a particular belief set themselves to oppose it are guilty of rashness'; but their fault is not incorrigible. Men who, having considered the simply overwhelming evidence in this case are not convinced by it are thereby declared incapable of appreciating the force of evidence at all. And with men of this kind, whothor they are disbelievers in vaccination or believers in the " unfortunate nobleman," it is ' a mere waste of time to argue. When I read the following paragraph in the papers (says "Atltfs" in the World), I confess I "felt " very bad," and quite of Mr. Sam Welter's opinion that "somebody ought to bo whopped for this:"—" Ilerr Krupp, the German gunmaker, has engaged Mr. John Tonkin, principal foreman of the Royal Laboratory .Shell Foundry at Woolwich Arsenal, for ten years, as superintendent of the krupp foundries, two of which are in Iter many and one i . Italy. Mr. Tonkin i, to receive a salary of £IOOO a year, and u bonus equal to tho prospective pension which ho forfeits by leaving her Majesty's service. A draughtsman and two other foremen from the same department accompany Mr. Tonkin." This Bimply means that Mr. Tonkin and his fellowworkmen are about to tell all tho little .'.eeretsof Woolwioh Arsenal, which none know better practically than they, to ilorr Krupp, who makes guns for nearly ovcry great Power except ourselves. At tho entrance of Herr Krupp's factory at Essen is a nolico in German, French, and English, to the effect that it is hoped that no admission will be asked for by : trangors, as it is unpleasant to Herr Krupp to refuse, as ho i« invariably compelled to do. Suroly thoro must bo sonic law to prevent our secrets—our most important secrets—being bought in this way by foreign manufacturers. If Mr. Tonkin" had jumped into the Rhine and saved a German from drowning, OUT Government would have sternly furbidd n his woaring any decoration th« K.iisor might have coufentd on ...a, iiu'. when Mr. Tonkin.sells hisrknowVdgc 61 tho most vital secrets of ihtHßttirei tui of our guns and niiiiminilion to tlr ftfnni Kaiser, there would seeiu to be nowtiy.!' luvvpi ting hint

A gentleman went into tin theatre of . ■ tiiMttution v.bctc a lecturv was tMtng given on oaaal organi Ashe entered the lecturer was laying]' There are Ihrea mitioMi! neaej among civilise.) people, and only three- the Jewish the Grecian, and the Roman. Each is 2 a description totally different to th other two, am! all three have a diftinc character of their own. the Jewish u the only national nose now remaining ; the Greek and the Roman are occasionally reproduced among modern nations, hut ns national characteristics, exist no longer. The OreVk rioSO has come down t'. us in the Gruok sculptures, iuid certainly accords better with our northern ideas of personal beauty than any other. .Seen in prJlilc, the outline is almost n coiitinu.ti:io, without curve or deviation. of tile outlines of the forehead, and would seem, phiciiulogically considered,<|uite in harmony with the unparallod progress of the On eks in art, science, and philosophy. Among the moderns the perfect Greek nose is extremely rare, save on the canvas of our painters. The Roman nose is the very incarnation of. th'.'idea of combativeness, and suggests the notion Unit it was borrowed iroui a bird of prey.' The visitor could hear no more ; but, gettin:,' up, he walked tu tho dour, whero he turned round, and exclaimed pettishly, amidst a roar of laugnfer from the audience, " Blow your noses!'.' The Xew York Times, speaking of the risk of being smashed attending luggage, sent by railway, relates,: —". An Illinois man, noticing that tlic. only article wlfft hj the baggage-smasjioj' doe* not smash is ■ loaded eotiui, provided Jijrusclf with a coflin inade bf light ceaarwoon, furiiMfed with nickel-plated handles, uud a lid made to fasten with a lock. In this comino lious receptacle ho packed his miinino, his whisky, his otter paper collar,! and all the various tiwvel'iu,' pirap i srnalia of an Illinois.™, and Rent it uvler cover of night to a distant railway" station In the morning he dieted Himself in black, placed a wide 'weed ' around liU hat. and, presenting himself at tho stair u requested, the baggoge-u'iaster, with an expression of extreme woe. tu clerk his beloved wife for Grfte.igo. The Iwggagemaster, though burdened by the year* of trunk-sum-Mmr. still retaine.l some traces of ..humanitv in his compoition,

and refrained from uurslllgthe mourning husband, although he ffnnty espiai •! ■ tui the- :&■. iwiv:.; bul'in ■ ha rj - - off on him as personal baggage,' and that the husband would cither have ' to express his good lady, or to send her as a spc :ial lir-t-.ias- freight' But tho ingenious liliuoisan persisted-in his denmnd. lie told tile baggage-master that he must either cheek tluse remains or be responsible for their safe keeping until the decision of the lawsuit whi hj he should certainly bring against the company. Alarmed by this threat, the baggagemaster yielded and checked the coffin for Chicago,' while its owner went behind the height-house and executed a wild dance of private triumph'. Twice during the journey the baggage was shifted from one car to another, and while dozens of trunks were reduced to splinters the coffin was carried by six men with the most tender cure. Its owner watched it from the window of the smoking-car and chuckled in ft delighted way that would alone have proclaimed him a happy widower. In time he reached Chicago, when doubts as to the success of his invention first begin to asssaii him. Tho coffin was brought to his hotel by a local expressman who had been unwarily entrapped into.taking the check, but who charged the owner four dollars, ami compiled him to pay by threatening to carry his wife to the nearest medical college and to sell her to the students. No sooner had the oxprossinan departed than the ingenious Illinoisan became involved in a dispute with the landlord, who refused to allow the coffin to ho earned up stairs. " We can store your lady," remarked the landlord, "in the baggageroom, whore ."die will'be perfectly comfortable, hut it is against our rules to allow guests to have any remains carried to their rooms." Now, tho Illinoisan was anxious trj get his paper' color and his quinino, but did uot dare to open his coffin in public, so he tried his utmost to coax and to bully tho landlord into a departure from tho rules of the house. The discussion soon attracted attention, and a coroner, who was waiting in tile hotel in order to he on hand in case a few guests should be burned to death, promptly seized the coffin, and impanelling a jury, proceeded to hold an inquest with that rapidity and energy charactristio of tho Western people when brought faco to face with an .opportunity to obtain official fees. Great was the astonishmentof thecoroner and his jury wheuthey viewed the supposod body, The ostonidiment on the part of the coroucr lnui .. soon gave way to alitor when rude ■■•\ that he could iiot claim fees for holding an inquest on wearing appeal, llu iclieved his mind by causing the arrest cm the unhappy Illinoisan on the charge nf having murdered a wife or wives unknown to tho jury, and confiscated the collin in part payment of the fees which he had expected to earn and of which he considered himself defrauded. A New Zealand paper says:—" When a dog dies or is killed in the street in Wanganui the Borough Council votes 2s. Cd. for burial expenses. As dogs are nowhere else treated with so much postmortem ivapoct. it in no wonder that' all Uil ilqk and dying dogs for ntlei around are crowding into Wong inul \ i m ,:.-] rootmtty iml prated from Califonffli i" An. i n : ■■. i i hack tha,i i 1 l >■ | ■■ ..' hj rtne, m i, n ir« |i] i rid i

llichiM.l Daft the famous Notts player, hj i- ! M uie the riiipi'-iit of u legacy liptokening tlio high thf.rnct' r he has won .i.r himself in the cricket Held. By bis vi! I,the lato Ur. John Johsxro, hou. s.v- ---' ituiv of tljt Notts Country Cricket unuiittciv baa lift him a turn of £OOO, gather with the whole of his pictures, .ortb at least £2OOO. Mr. Johuson a*B also left Dait's eldest boo CSOQO. < '•miiiii.Jor.) V underbill's will is iu court, after all. It uppeai-s (the Spectator says) that he left quite" £20,000,000 tvorth of property behind him, and accumulated £IU,Ou6,oOOof it on his eldest ion, of whom in his life he spoke with grimly humorous cuntewpt—a habit he nad about most jieople. The will i>eeins reasonable enough, as the Commodore provided for all his children; but.his second son and the daughters are disgusted, mid, lelyjng on the reluctance of American juries to sanction majorats, they resist giant of probate of the will. They will, however, compromise for £2.000,000. They allege undue influence, and produce as their argument that the Commodore greatly despised his son—a proof of influence which will probably be too strong even foi a New York jury. Tin- lawyers are, however, greatly delighted, and the reporters are sketching and interviewing everybody concerned, not always in a a appreciatory spirit. Mr. Vniiderldtt s ids and Ii Igets, and in a man ot nineteen milli ms :. • lepo lei ,; i i ■ like that at ..11. J tell y at what it is-',' said a mis- - out >;■., ' ti;'c l'urks about her are just t.iie iiisiilestj, the eutsidest, the h.ttoiii..d •upJvai'JO-r.thutop ide-down'wardc'st, Lhe I ■ !. Ide I .'.. ndest, and the forward •}faidyacfcY.'if'dc*t people I have ovir seeii. Why, they i.i <i - :j ■ which, points lo the I) ■" s eatii, pi*. :■ i ' ... ■ '■ i i'.i ■■ • ■ '■ au-1 uey kii-j.ii j.i.u,'j a;.i- vac .« ■ I 1 i i )«■,:• ~,.,:•. I . ji- ■. . : . I duetioiis i . - .y ■•■■■■ ye '■■ >■■■ . to a. .nm- -oh| -> ■■.. pii-ei 'ii in be i ■>: interest.' Addlvst, kt- Ii w ml •> ittiuzettojto learn the result of this kindly Kii"tf>-<itii>u There arc, no doubt, many money-lenders who v..add be glad to "a ■■- tjuire a good social position," inasmuch as it would aid them materially to exten I their business; but it is probable that they will object to accept the o.i'ercd " introduction to society " in lieu of interest, without some guarantee on the part of -s iciety ' that it will receive them with open arms on the introduction of the advertiser. Any gentleman, young or middle-aged, constantly followed by another gentleman with strongly marked features, perhaps, would soon with his companion become an object of suspicion, and the appearance oftheoouplc would before the season was half over cast a chill over the most brilliant reunion. From a well-informed authority (says the Saturday Review) conies this story: —The Marshal's surrender was nominally made to ill..- Left; but ii was really made to the German Ambassador. It Prince Bismark would have allowed him to go on, be would havo dared illegal dissolutions, illegal collections of taxes, a plebiscite, civil war itself. But he saw a baud that no one else could see, and he at once laid down his arms. It suited the omnipotent Chancellor that there! should be a Parlianmctary Ministry in France, and .Marshal MaeM ilioa at once understood that a Parliamentary .Minis try there must be. Mere u,'ain, we are thrown back upon our authority. If this is to b • accepted as true, it must be bo Cause it comes from people win are likely to know the truth, ,; it in the :■_■-: I because the news itself looks like trut.i Ad the ( robabiiities if the roue -el point the other way. if the Maish.il was reckless n nigh Ui risk a civil war, it is hard to see why he should have shrunk back in terroi from thu prospe t pf a foreign war 'l'm- French anuy ii at all event- sutli iuntly or a.,..: . to make a German invasion a very ddferout affair f:- Mil V Il 'i I; was m I ■-."-.) :11-i if anything could have inn lo lhe Republic odious to t'.ie country, it wo ild have liduh the fact that Germany had chosen t" imp ise it. However well tlie secret in v have been k lit. i .as., na e. . to some members i.f Hie 111 gut n temptation to use it for t loir ov.l ,uuposes, would have been irrosis i i.e . i stead of lon-ling the .Mai-slr.il wiiu contumely and abuse, they would have spoken of. him with respectful pity, as the victim of a terrible external necessity. He had been bidden, they would havo said, to take M. Dufeure as their Minister under piin of exposing France to the outrage of another invasion. Though this humiliation had been administered by Germany, it had lieon prepared by the Republican party; and they who had benefited by the intervention of a foreign Power must, as an ordinary matter of I inference, bo supposed to have been privy to it. France would not know I how to value Republican patrotisin, and what measure of respect to pay to ft Ministry which really rests on a possible h-hiv /it' otbvpation. It it i* objected that to ui- this argtunenl might have b-eii injurious to tin- inti n it i oj l'i u pi tl. -lo loti an «i r i - ib it French Kc liyfhlhjfsfi

THi. Jd-uiii. T'.-. btcrwh, u::!-TT ; .: ~... Jln-t humbly i raw I m.ou hjl kuoeii. And kii>* the hand* Uiat b- at bun ; Or. if he Jan- attatanl to wall, -Must too tla mark that others chalk. I And cringe to ali that meet hitu. I Saya oa». your subjects are too grave Too much laorelity you have— Too much abuut religion; Give me soai» witch or wizard ta!--9, AVith slrp-slwd ghosts, with fins and scales, Or feather-, like a pigeon. I lovo to read, another cries. Those monstrous ia&hionttblu lies— In other words, those novels, Composed of kings and sueens and lords, Of border wars and (iothie hordes. That used to live in hovels. No—no, cries one, we've had enough Of such confounded love-sick staff To cruz» the fair ereaaon ; Give us soui•■ recent foreign n"ws, Of Russians, Turks—thu (ireeks and Jews, Or auy other nation. The man of drilled sholostio loro Would like t.. see a little moru In scraps of Greek and Latin ; Th ■ nieretißiits rather have the price Of -'-, tthe'rn i i ligo and rice, 01 Indian »dk or satia. Ai !. rcri ■ 1 win« iri-a-" fun, \ r.ilms era rid i S inie lon-: f . misgioui ry news, In ! boiuft- - I .'-<!■, dlv. i-ariutl views— U'ould rmUeu hear'a lidll.-. I li-- critic, to ■ r i ■:.,-;■■ skill, M a.- 4 , dip in goiil hi.- gun ler qi'till. An! scrn .:■:•:■■. • : Of all !lv ■■■■ i! • - Ihn. i« -i in a:i .In . II- I-" ' ■■• ~ri.it (' . \ ....... rl- ' • • ' : JI n.: .-n ~, ;\,-. ~, . i. ■. • .1. , . ,Vt i.thcr : Of wool, of skin, and leather. Some signify a secret wish l-'or now and thou a savory dish Of politics to suit tll.-ia '; But her" we rest at perfect case, For should they swear the moon was cheese, We never should dispute thorn. Or grave or humorous, wild or tame. Lofty or loir, 'tis nil the mine. Too haughty or too humble ; And every editorial wight Has nought to do but what is right, And let the grumbler grumble.