GENERAL NEWS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 18 August 1913, Page 7

GENERAL NEWS.

A COOL OPERATOR. In the "Cable Derby Sweepstake," which is participated in by thirty thousand cable operators all over the world, Mr Herb. W. Robinson, from Manchester, drew (the favourite Craganour, the, first being £3400. Mr Robinson is now in the employ, of the Commercial Cable Company, in New York. He was receiving operator m the cable when the result wa6 received-tow** *lMlh ■ I*o, made him the winnef 6f iSM. A little later he received another despatch disqualifying the horse. 'Onlookers declare that he never turned a hair.

MB BRYAN'S RADISHES. Mr W, J. Bryan, the U.S. Secretary of State, expresses regret at the undue publicity given,to his doings and sayings. ; Since the publication 6f the reports of his famous "grapejuice banquet" to the diplomats, he has been' innundated with presents of non-alcoholic beverages' from all parts of the country. He contradicts the story circulated in - Washington (th© "Telegraph" gays) that he markets daily for, his family requirements, but he admits that he has; on special occasions gone shopping for Mrs Bryan. *;'! confess," he says, "to a partiality for white radishes, as stated; but that's because the. white are bigger than the red variety, and take less time in eating." The Secretary makes this explanation because some people evidently think he lives on white radishes and are sending him daily consignments.

VAN BIENE'S 'CELLO. The violincella which Van Biene used throughout in the "Broken Melody" was put up at auction the other day by his executors and sold for £BS. It is. by Giovanni Grancinb, and was once the property of Piatti.

MEDIEVAL KING'S LYNN. There is "no more delightfully sleepy medieval town \in England than Kingy Lynn, on the shores of the Wash. Hitherto, for the museum, the Queen has sent twelve Maori mats and pois, part of her collection of New Zealand, curios. By the way, the King's Lynn Corporation recently sent back to the.South, Kensington Museum, a whole interesting collection of exhibit*, simply because they could not bring themselves to keep the museum open in the evening. .

CENTENARY OF THE PANSY. Just one hundred years ago, says the Pall Mall Gazette, Lady Mary Bennett, a daughter of the Earl of Tankerville, was so struck with the simple beauty of a tiny wildling, viola tricolour, that she collected some •of the'best plants, and gave them careful cultivation. . The first batch of seedlings raised by her gave .such promise that systematic selection was at once instituted, and thereafter the improvement of the genus was taken up by the leading growers. Thus to an enthusiastic amateur we are indebted for one of the most popular and beautiful of our garden flowers, a flower which has marvellously developed in size, and with wonderful and bizarre markings' and colourings. Many fanciful names have been given to the pansv by country folk, the best known of which is heartsease, from the notion that it was efficacious in diseases of the heart. This favourite blossom , can indeed boast a longer list of pet names than most of her companions, a sure sign of popularity. Amongst these are butterfly flower, kiss me quick, herb trinity, three little faces under a hood, and love in idleness. German children call this flower "stiefmutterchen," and, pointing to the petals, show how the little stepmother sits alone in state while her stepchildren must stand around her.