CORRESPONDENCE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 340, 16 March 1910, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE

- MAX'S INHUMANITY TO MAX. To the Editor. Sir, — In reference to that pathetic case in your issue of Saturday regarding the young man who was driven insane owing to financial difficulties, surely the authorities were not justified in going to such extremes under the sad circumstances. In this .so-called enlightened age it seems incredible that such a state of things could occur. Just now there is talk of forming an association for the prevention of cruelty to animals, and if the particulars of the case yoa refer to are as you represent, we also require an association for the prevention of cruelty to man! This poor young fellow's case seems to be beyond help now, but should not some investigation be inade regarding it, and so prevent any similar cases arising? As an illustration of man's inhumanity to man, the ease in point is surely a glaring example, and for pathos it is almost unequalled. Hoping more may be heard of the matter, — I am, etc., HUMANE. New Plymouth, 14th March, 1910. THE '"MORNING STAR."

To the Editor. Sir, —Thai the brilliant "star of the early morning" as seen by members of the Daily News staff can be other than the planet Venus, I can scarcely think. The time of year being the vicinity of the March or autumnal equinox here, Venus might be unusually bright. I think I myself have noticed: her visible in the skies as a star the whole day long in Australia.» The effect of a collision of a comet of the biggest known size with the sun would probably be .infinitely less than that of a mosquito on a candle, and the only remote possibility of any risk to the earth by being partially involved in a comet's tail might be that the rushing at a high velocity through the terrestrial air "of a portion of the comet's gaseous envelope might bring about serious ignition or conflagrations, or possibly showers or clouds of ashes or meteoric dust, or else to some extent i'oul the air by the presence of a foreign gas, but the composition of a comet may be even too volatile for any such contingencies. —I am, etc., C.W.W. Fitzroy, 15tih March, 1910.