MISCELLANEOUS.

Waikato Times, Volume V, Issue 265, 22 January 1874, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

It is ft singular and rather unsatisfactory oircum stance that, with all the efforts we are at present male ing to secure tho purity of our food, we are allowing the deadliest known form of adulteration to flourish unchecked. "'Vhile we are busy overhauling the nnlk-can and the bread basket, the gin and whiskey casts escape scot-free, though the amount of mischief done by their contents u a hundred or a thousand fold greater than that which we are attempting to oheck. When we are daily deploring the extent and eyJsof national intemperance, it nerer occurs to us to ask how much of it and them may be prodivod, not by the amount, of alcohol whioh is consumed, but b} the vile ingredients which aro consumed with it. Tt is a matter of common knowledge that large quantities of the spiri* sold by the less reputable class of publicans are fearfully adulterated, and there ie little difficulty in believing thut some of the worst evils of drunkenness — notably that species of savage madness which WMn to be a more and more frequent attendant of it — are dU«to tho de adly effects of the adulterants. Dr Sheppard, of Colony Hatch Asylum, who hns for twelve years watched tna varieties ot alcoholic lunacy, asks whether alcohol is the real factor of " this animal heat nnd dire insanity." He a&lrms, on tho authority of thcewho have given much time and study to the question, that the liquor* most constantly drunk, whiskey and gin, " are pernicious not so much on account of the alcohol which tbov contain as by reason of the poisonous mutters a^ohfe'J with them. They are largely mixed With amyhc or fu^cl oil, ingredients which condition for the most pnrt the miserable congpquencos of habitual sottishness." Dr Sheppard ask* why wo cannot put n stop to this fatal kind of adulteration ; and the answer is easy though disheartening enough. It is because we have begun the reform of tho traffic in intoxicating liquors, more nostro. Nt the wrong ond ; and because, apparently, we think it a littJo matter that men should be allowed to supply what is littJe better than "poisoned poison " wholesale to the p ople so long as we litxc- re»tr<ctel " the hours" within which this mu>t be done. — Pall Mall Gazette We Know perfectly well somb persons lace themselves too tight, although it ii not at present fashionable to do so. We know, too, that many women have, seriously injured their he.ilth, whiln mmc havn woriiiced lifo itself on the shrine of a ilondor waist. But the wearing of tho ooriet does not necwmcily, and, in faot, doe* not commonly, ond in tight lacing: while lacing, anr* that, too, of a hurtful sorb, may be, and frequently i«, accomplished without the corset at all I We have seen raen'» dot lies worn m tightly as any corset ever was. Tho condemnation of tight lacing is perfectly just, of course, as everybody having the cmalleut knowledge of anatomy knows. But main women who never laco wear r>ts«t§ and derive preat benefit from their u«e. It is coiUiufy very absurd to iiominrt that these people shall foreuo a comfort-giving article of apparel merely because they could turn it into an instrument of torture if they were foo's. They fini f Imf to put the entire weight of their clothing upon their shoulders in to give themselves pain, and in order to divide it they let part ot their apparel depend upon thcr hips forsupttort. To do this without a corset it would be neee*M»rv to wear their garments altogether tighter about the waist than they should be worn, and to bind them around a sinele narrow aone, uhich would be both unoomfoi table and unwise. The corset, however, di tributes both tho weight and the pressure over the stroug muscles of the hips, and it m lesv yielding than tlm fli-sh, i^ obviates the necessity of tight waistbundi altogether. The corset, properly used, in other word?, furnishes t'\e very bfst remHy for tight Ikoing, (.aiticulaily, now thut toper wautg have gono out of iarihion — Hearth and Home. Mr Surendranatb. Ranurju:, of tho Beugal Civil Service, is to be tried for wilful falsification of judicial record* aad Eubse<juent false etateuient to cover his effqace

It js pleasant to, pay * ™ lfc to the llv u< * of a man wVI0 ' heps two or three dotrs. The do*s always fly »t you m the most ferocious manner as toon as you enter the yard, nnd fast a» you b*ve made up your mind that you are going to fc* torn (ron limb to limb {h* oicner *p|>e«M, and. as you wipe the perspiration from,.your brow, he laughs, and says thfwe dags are " perfectly harjnle«?, eicept when any ouo rtf Wti them. Then you sit dow« in tie porch, and air throe O* fie dogo eniff at your legs until yon are afrai.i to move. If you can lumtnon up courage enough to pat one on the head, the other two instantly put their forelegs on your lap, nnd cover, your troupers with, dirt, while each jlruuglea to crowd the other off. After a bit the third dog trie* t<> jump on your i>nee, and they threaten to have a fight about it, while you, are afraid to encourage one for fear of, making the other two mad When they have pawed about your pantaloons and covered them with mud, the owner interferes and tends them all away. After tea your i ost excuses himself fir half-an-hour, and you go out to «it in the porch alone. Presently the three dogs come bounding up, and they all begin to smell you as earnestly as if they had never performed the operation before, 'ihen they lie down ; but, at •oon at you move your cha-ir or your feet, they spring suddenly up and appear to bo deeply interested in considering you. You think you- will take a walk in the garden, and the whole three follow close at your heels, while you aie expecting every moment to have the calf of your leg bitten out. It is surprising how gingerly a man walks wath three strange dogs close behind him. Directly the dogs engage in a fight over a bone, you embrace the opportunity to hurry back to the house. Just as yon break into a trot, you are i surprised to find that the brutes bate made up their quarrel \ nml are leaping up at you. and bamn£, half ip fun and half in earnest. You slowup, and get back to the porch. When you put your hand on tha front-door knob, a'l three dogs stand around and utter ominous growls. Then they suddenly seemed to be impressed with the idea that something is wrong, and they all begin to bark savagely, and to make dashes at you. The door is locked, and in alarm you climb up on the porch seat. This convinces the dogs that something absolutely must be wrong, and they begin in downright earnest to try and grab you by the leg. Just as the big yellow dog succeeds in getting hold of your boot, your host comes up, calls off the dog, and is very much amused to find you so frighrened about " two or three unoffending animals that wouldn't hurt a child." Then you want to go home, and when you once eet outside the gate you regiiter a solemn vow never again to visit any man who has so poor an idea of the demands of hospitality ns to keep a lot of bpastlv curs hbout the house to annoy and persecute his friend*. — Mpx Adder* Considering that the lives of those who sit behind horses often depend on the soundness of a bit or strap, it is remarkable how little attention is paid to the condition of harness by those who trust bhemselve-, not only in strange carnage!*, but also in then own vehicle Gentlemen leave the onerinc and maufaeture of the harness required in their stables to the coachman and harm ss-inukers but know little or nothing of the quality of the article supplied. Some useful hint* on the sueject are given by the Harnest, and Carriage Journal which, after observing that scarcely a day pie»es without the occurrence of an accident arising from a bit breaking while in the horse's mouth, points out that there are three ways of making the.-c bits :— One is to forge them thouehout, of the toughest iron or of soft steel ; the other is to use cast cheeks, and fnrge the mouthpieces ; »hile the third is to cast them throughout. The first is the only mpthod that shoul/1 be followed, but buyers will not pa\ tiio price* asked, and m nufucturers cannot afford to sell them for les*?. The wrought mouth is the next best, and if the cheek has been properly annealed it makes a most serviceable bit. Cast cheeks, however, ore not always trustworthy, and the manufacturer is as likely to be chceivedm tin* as the buyer. The cast bit is one that ought ne%er to be used. Harness- makers should inform their customers of the quality of the article, and leave the responsibility with the buyer* If for the sake of the difference in price bt tween the two kinds a man chooses to rsk h s life b\ using tie poorer bit, neither the harness-maker nor the bit manufacturer should be blamed The bit and win* should :il»a s be of the strongest kind, no matter what the merits of the re*t of tl'C hames*. 'Wlere ignorance is bliss 'us fo Ij te b' 1 wise ;' ond on tl ia principle it 1- perhaps as will l.nt tho«e who hire hansom cabs do not lrnlii-ethe (net thut thtir livpq frequently hang on a rotten stiHp. As Mr Sheridan wan travelling to t<>wn in one of the pumV c»aeUe«, for the purpose of eanva**r.iti Westminster, at the 1 -me when Mr Pnu.ll nn» his opponent, he found himself in company with two Westminster electors In the course of conversation, one of them ni>ked Ins friend to whom he nipant to give his vote? The othf-r replied, 'To Pnull, rrrtvnly ; for il ough I think him but a shabby sort of fellow, I would \ote for any one lather thai* ti at lascal Sheridan ! ' 'Do you lno» Sheridan ?' inquired the sti linger. 'Not I, sir, 1 wns the answer,' nor t-l.onld I wish to ki.r.Ts lim ' The conversation dropped here ; but wl.en the paity alighted tobveakfml, Sheridan called aside the other gentleman and said, 'Pray who u> that veiy agreeable friend of yours? He is one of the pleasantest fellows I ever m t with: and I «hould be glad to know his name?' 'His name i« Mr T. ; he is an en ment lawyer, and resides in Lincoln's Inn Fields.' Breafast over, the party resumed their seats in the coach, soon after which Shendan turned tho discourse to the law. 'It is,' said he, ' a fine profession. Men may rise from it to the highest eminence in the State ; and it givea vast scope to the display of talent ; many of the mo«t virluous and noble characters recorded in our history have been lawyers. lam sorry, however, to add, that some of the greatest rascals have also been lawyers; but of all the rascals of lawyers I ever heard of the greatest is one T. who lives in Lincoln Inn Fields.' The gentleman firing at the charge, said very angrily, 'I am MrT, sir. 'And lam Mr Sheridan,' was the replyi The jest was instantly seen ; they shook hands, and instead of voting agajnstthe facetious orator, the lawyer exerted himself warmly in promoting his election, An elderly gentleman called at a lodging-house and asked of the servant who opened the door, ' Have jou a room to let ?' ' Yes,' she replied j ' but—' ' But what ?' asked the gentleman. • You are over 60, aren't you V asked the girl. 1 Yes,' he answered, lam 65.' ' 1 thought so,' said tho girl ; 'you can't have the room, as my missis, don't want any funeral* from her house. 1 Lord Chancellor Cranworth offered tie late Dean Alford, in 1865, *. lucrative living in Cornwall, which he declined, ■wishing to remain in or near London. After having mad'up his mind not to accept the living, he went to call on Lord Cranworth, to thank him. The mult must be told in the Dean's own words " When I asked to see,£iß lordship, the servant said his master was engaged. "V then said, ' I am not come to »»k for anything, but to rjjifuse something offered.' ' Oh, sir, then lam sure he wiirare you, wai the reply." " Well, Wilson my boy, how is it you are late ?" " Sure Misther Slow man darlint, I went to say the foire last night, and overslipt myself this morning " " But the tire didn't commence till one o'clock this morning ; hadn't you plenty of time to sleep befoio that" *' be jabeis, yer honner, I live at Eemueia, and I had to shtart at nome o'clock to be in time. " A gardener's wife made a pincushion out of a Spanish onion, but she found it brought the tears into her needles' eyes. ______________«——