A Touching Story.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3409, 14 January 1890, Page 2

A Touching Story.

A most touching story.ioi. a.Jont lift at Vienna has' boon disclosed by a correspondent, The thirst for knowledge among the German stock is proof againstprivations,, and while climing up the ladder of liocbr's at a University many; a student..cqnld give lessons in economy ,to:a Scotch candidate for abursary. ■As long as he can, : without detracting from the success of his own studies, the student performs teaching work, ahd t 'wh6n at the University ,ibr the 'final..'achieve-. ments in his educational career, tho family mako tho sacrifices .in order ,to carry' tho student through his examination. Tho only son.of a widow in Vienna was in preparation for lii 9: examination as a doctor, ..The ..w\(low toiled on at needlowork to, support him, and so urgent was the -need Jof work,' and support in this way .that, she jalterly did not even see her son.' She pricked ft finger with the needle* and the whole hapd become swollen, Amputation of the finger did notavert ■] bloodpoisoning'. 'The hand became gangrenous, and hid to he amputated, also. But slio would not permit that operation to be performed until she had tßVen leave of< her son beforehis University examination, She concealed everything foi' him, The" son passediwith honors; and ''returned home;- radiant, at, the, .thought,.that henceforth -lie; could lightly supbpft thehbusehdidi; left the'dootors performed the. operaj. Hon, and only when death had taken

placedid he learn what had; boon the ■ j vj sacrifice, performed to enable Mm to .;•,;; put the finuhing touch to his.cduca-•: '■•.;'. tinn, , .■■:.!..:'•.■'.';■• '.:.:';;■> •TheHeroinesotTonkin; ,: A little outside of the o"iy of Hanoi, V*in Tonkin, iB a romarkably handsome ■: , pagoda in which live 20 TOmen, ; ; They ''seldom "leave" llieir'chosen ;;;•;■; home, and thoy subsist upon the r contributions-of visitors, pd'tipon ;_;.■-■■■ some small revenues wiiiyh the temple ". jjT V,; receives from the Gbvorijiment.B6mo.'■': ■(? ;■;'■ jof them arer jpung'ra'iid prettyi y in intelligence'and attainments, they • / >-, i are all above the ; common people. They are recluses, and their mission' •■' . is to perform the work of the temple, and to keep a light constantly burn- V / ; ■ ing before the life-size statues of two • young woraau whose patriotic 'heroism. ' is thus honoured, and tho momory of • their achievements and matyrdonvfor y f y their codntt-y. keptyalive, in :tbb) jH. . hearts of the .peopleV tlipvigli * thoy-- ' v lived nearly nineteen centuries agoi Their career greatly resembled that of Joan of Arc. "-.Jr^" In tho year 80 of tho present era, Tonkin' was . suffering. under the \ v.', oppressive rule of China, who : bad. ■.■' driven hor legitimate kings from the throne. Tonkiu a'Chinese pro''l': ■ vince, ruled by Chinese functionaries, and the people groaned-under a .-■'• heavy yoke. Two young Bißtera, noble family,*named .Chin ;Ke and {:■// Clim Hill;, took (advantage ■oMh'ev.U, , widespread;discontent to. 6tir up aWi .'/' revolt.. Remarkable for their I andbravery, and greatly admired for their beauty aiid aplGiidid horficinan- ■:. ; : Bhip; they placed thoinselves at'tbfl J bead of a volunteer array, and; drove;. \;;: the foreigners pell-mell out of Tonkin. For -a. time Tonkin;was C}% . . again her own master, the. sisters ■ •'■ • were idolised, and the people received.s them with acclamation and gratitude. o The news travelled to Pekin of the • .: disgrace two somen had inflicted upon . the Chinese arms, and the.Emperor ii Kaong Ti sent a great army under . one'of his most famous soldiers'

teach Tonkin and her female generals a terrible lesson. When the.army . reached Tonkin the sisters and their warriors met the Chinese boat on the frontier, and corttested the ground, step by step, performing prodigies of . valour. The decisive battle finally took place on the outskirts ,of capital. Tho Tonkinese at first had the best of the'-fight, but in the crisis of the battle somo of their generis passed over. to the oneniy. This treason gave' tho victory to tlur«' Chinese, The two sistors fell from ? V. their horses piorcod with spears as they were leadiug a last charge in the vain effort'to check the Chinese

advance. , The momory of their patriotism and,feats of arms ..has, been, per: . petuiited in this costly temple. High walk surround it, and only, those can- . enter who have a permit. Within are many carvings and paintings, done in the best style of Tonkinese art, depicting scenes in the. brief but glorious career of the two'sisters. A.'' great couch is shown,.which is.sup-.,.-posed to be similar to that 'upon <! which the siaters sat when they gave audiences...■ Speoinms',of ancient'.; weapons of warfare .hang on the walls. There are life-size paintings' to represent the horses upon which

the sisters rode, and one wall is entirely devoted to a painting of the two elephants which always marched ' at the head. >of, the army of. .tho w , heroines. The statues of the stand upon bases of stone, andtlieJßßL are richly robed; in:.silks;;, them burns a lamp, and the recluse's;'-'';' of the temple are very careful to keep the flame constantly blazing. .

Miscellaneous'

Mvs Leavitt, the organiser of tho 1 womens Christian Temperance Union ~ has already travelled 70,000 miles la a " the cause of temperance.' Lord fintore hopes that when '.,'■;_. South Australia celebrates her cen- ' ; " tenary Australia will be.united and .'.' :' allied to the dear old mother country,' ' : According to the Melbourne Age' " ' the demand tor the Government

diamond drills in Victoria is so great that it is contemplated to increase tliß.ounilier. -,.■..• Chancellors of the Exchequer have long ago shown how the British people' drinks itself into t solvency. • Sir . ; Edward Guinness' splendid gift of £250,000 for the erection of workmen's dwellings will make the British people drink itself into sanitary, \ houses.., -Sir,, ; Edward's - fortune ..is'.-jf ■.* j derived, a3 everyone knows, from the A fondness of Jho Englishman . for, bottled stout, Throe'years ago the business was turned into company, • ■ v and a sum of five million sterling was tf''' paid to tho partners for,purchase''*■ tiieney, This must have'given'Sir Edward Guinness command of a vast amount of ready roony, which ho is. now beginning'to' distribute on so generous a scale by converting £250,000 worth of bottled stout into sanitaryjabodes.,- ~ An ; American—John Muir'-who-' l

has been exploring Alaska, considers the laying down of a railway round the globe to .be a perfectly. feqaiUlc ];ro- ■ jeot by bridging BehiingStrait.wh'ich UH only 60 mites wido at its narrowest place, escaping 'trio; attacks of ice- ; ' ■ • bergs by making the segments of the bridge to swing easily on their approach, thus keeping tho line clear so that; the round-the-world trains 0f.:;.'.». carriages could run without stopping!'..'-.. Such an arrangement,might,aid, thsjL various people of the globe to visi/fIT oneanotlior before their ancient social .■'.- landmarks are completely obliterated- ~ a process evidently going ionj with. ~ constantly increasing "rapidity",- and which 1 , in .tho .course of .ages, may.... ...J slacken the desire to travel, and one's' ''' journeyings would mostly'show one only, a repetition of the Bamo things, .-■: The prospectus has just bean issued of ft new — the.. Glasgow Merino■ Spinning Company (Limited)—the capituliof-which ia : ' -'\ £75,000 in £lO shares. Fully 10 per ;"-.'.• cent.'has been taken up by the direct- c '" ore and their, friends,and the remainder isnow offered to tlie piib'lic. It»': . intended to acquire the Baltic Works , '■': which are suitable for the purpose, and there start a merino worsted mill on the French system.. It-is pointed . out in the prospectus that, the French . , s manufactures of this yarn are m :; -- : -"' great demand in Britain. AVhile. we have imported during the last seven monthß of this last year only £215,000. ';'-. dfiwdollen fabrics for men's wear, A; the sarao, -returns,.show w that fo* \ women's wear the valte'bf'imported !<vi goods was neatly £4,000,000, seven- ..;_ eights of whiofr<v^asf,f i*rench -.."■: Fronch System ! 'of comoihg perfecKf • by -Lister- $ HpWen.has.been.omvpN,.,.-,"; adopted-on theContinent;Th6JSrad-"' fordiysteni necessitates the employ- ..;.- ment! of long joti'^^gaiiHnV"' ; y ;FreuCu-Bys|emjis sijjte'd to % ■ WeVshort' and cheaper .ma|e equally »-"the-- . command of a ■ . ;meririo wools that: has enabled the ■<iv,' Frenob to driveua qut of the tnarkett ] '\i