GENERAL NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 November 1918, Page 3

GENERAL NEWS.

In an interview with_ a reporter, one of the leading Wellington medical men states that ho has had hardly any sleep for the past four days, attending over 100 cases daily. Ho regrets to say that many people, although" in perfect health, imagine that the disease ha 3 got hold of them and, thus give the doctors unnecessary work which might he spent upon serious cases.

A private message has leen received from Christchureh announcing the death of Mr L. McLachlan, formerly a champion athlete. In his prime "Lockie" was one 4>f the most brilliant runners the Dominion has cvor produced, being equally at home over middle distances or in sprint races, and he established a wonderful list of performances. It appears that he recently contracted influenza, and pneumonia intervened, death occurring on Saturday morning. The deceased leaves a widow and four children.

A striking instance of tho foieefumess of American ''slanguage" is afforded by one of America's leading preachers. The speaker, a Doctor of Divinity, was ad<lressing a Canadian audience on Uncle Sam's war efforts, and in a 99-mimrte talk tliere occurred, among others, these gems:—"We aTe on this job to a finish. We are prepared to ffght till hell itself freezes over, and if Germany isn't out then, we'll b&y states and get after her on the ice. This Kaiser is the biggest duplex, double-action, high-powered liar of history. He told his people the Americans wo-dhT never get to France. Wal, he and his people have got another guess coming."

"I have never Sren very Keen about Prohibition;" said Mr Willliam Foster, captain of the Wellington East Health District, and headmaster of the Clyde Quay school, on Friday, .""but if I had my way I would close up every hotel in the Dominion forthwith. Ifs all very well for people to hum and ha over the pros and cons of that business, but if they could see what our voluntary workers have seen in the last day or two they ijrould have no doubts about the urgency of the cafe. It is something terrible to see men coming home in liquor, with desperate cases of influenza in the house. As everyone knows, many of the houses in the city are cruelly avcr-crowded, and a proportion of tho people aTe either drinking through fright or for drimking's sake, and so are rendering it difficult for one to cope with the disease."'

In a sketch of President Wilson, Pro•feasor Bliss Ecrry, of Harvard University, says: Any good portrait of the Prudent b a quiet denial of the myths about him. Horo. is a steady, alert face, Scottish-Triili fir every line of it, homely, powerful, trained s, bit fine, perhaps, and sharpened to a fighting edge. Like many men -who have -worked hard, lived clean, a>sd slept soundly at night, the President is stronger physically at Gl than lie was at 40. His eyes have not lost their-.gaiety, and his lips are iu=t as capable as ever of the old eager, brilliant smile. Yet the face is on guard in these later ycs.Tr', like that of a practical fencer.

One of the victims of the influenza scourge is Mr Lance Br&rk, of Wanganui, who passed away on Monday night, double pneumonia having supervened on an attack of the epidemic Most sincers sympathy will be felt for Mrs Braik on the death of her son, at the early ags of 24 yeara. Prior to enlisting, he was a divinity student, and attained his B.Adegree just prior to responding to the Empire's call. He left New Zealand with the rank of sergeant in the Ma-ehine-gun Section. For a time he was detained at Grantham (England) as an instructor but he threw in his stripes and went to (France. 'On October 4th, at Gravenstafel, lie went "over the top 1 for the last time, for during that attack he was blown up ty a shell. Alwsr» of a highlv-strung nature, he then rwrited very severe shell shock, and -had Z when he fell a prey .to inftMua. Mr I* nee ? raik wa ? \ n Iverv waY a gentKman-<aever, nmucri, cultured. He had a future ft chose to adopt, and tfTte health permitted he would I Jrobatty luTWise^a^awrutaJlaw.-