Miscellaneous.

Waipukurau Press, Issue 300, 25 August 1908, Page 3

Miscellaneous.

A lion broke loose- at the Electrical Exhibition at Marseilles and made his way on to the stage of the theatre, where a ballet was being rehearsed. Three of the ladies, possessed of more courage than the rest, snatching off their shoes, beat the great, astonished beast into submission. When the lion-tamer arrived the lion welcomed him with evident joy, and allowed himself to be led back to his cage in the most docile fashion.

The Yorkshire coast towns and villages are noted for the longevity of their inhabitants. A remarkable instance of this was afforded at Scarborough on a recent Sunday afternoon, when one of the seats in the Castle Dykes was occupied by four persons who had quite accidentally chosen the spot as a pleasant rest. Whilst so enjoying themselves it was mentioned that one of the party remembered Waterloo, and the fact was elicited that he was 95 years of age, and the combined ages of the party made up a total of 339 years. Their individual ages were 95, 88, 80, and 76.

Mr Murray has in the press an interesting biography of a working man. Mr Turnbull, the writer of these “ Reminiscences of a Stonemason,” began life with no extraneous advantages. But he had pluck and intelligence, and though he went to work at a very early age, and the hours of his labour were excessive, managed to educate himself and make progress. He has had experience of ups and downs in America as well as in England ; and is able to give some useful information about labour and life on both sides of the Atlantic.

The experiment of establishing a day nursery on the sands, where the babies of excursionists could be cared for or enjoy a refreshingsleep, was tried at Southport recently. The Mayoress presided over a committee of ladies who have assisted her in the project, which has proved so successful that it was resolved to continue it to the middle of September, though, the original intention was' only to establish a nursery at times of great holiday pressure. The Mayoress stated that she had received encouraging letters from all parts of the country. Mothers had told her that the nursery enabled them to take their first holiday for years.

An old lady passed away at Carlsbad, where she had gone for her health. Her nearest relation., a nephew, ordered her body to be sent home for burial—as was her last wish—in the quiet little country chuichyard. His surprise can be imagined when on the arrival of the coffin, he opened it for a last look at the remains and found, instead of the placid features of his aunt Mary, the majestic port of an English general, in full regimentals, whom he remembered had chanced to die at the same time and place as his aunt. At once he cabled to the general’s heirs, explaining the situation and requesting instructions. They came back as follows :—“ Give the general quiet funeral. Aunt Mary interred to-day with full military honours, six brass bands, saluting gains.”

People who turn over books or papers with a licked finger practise a dirty and dangerous habil. I The medical society of St. Louis I has just sent to the PostmasterGeneral a request that effective measures should be taken to protect the public against danger from the practice by those who handle mail matter. The society desires that stamp sellers, postmen, clerks, cashiers, salespeople,, waiters, and conductors, addicted to this habit, and who are necessarily in contact with the public, and who persist in it after warning, should be deprived of their positions, as they constitute a menace to the general health. Sanitary and medical condemnation of-the practice of finger licking rests on the proved fact that the bacteria of many of the most virulent diseases are often abundantly present in the secretions of the human throat and mouth.