WAIFS AND STRAYS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 71, 5 September 1874, Page 13

WAIFS AND STRAYS.

What we Weigh. — Upon the average, boys at birth weigh a little more than girls, and girls a little more than six pounds and a half. For the first twelve yeara the two sexes continue nearly equal in weight, but beyond that time males asquire a decided preponderance. Thus young men of twenty average about 140 pounds each, while the young women of twenty average about 120 pounds. Men reach their heaviest bulk at about thirty-five, when they averageabout 152 pounds; bufc women slowly increase in weight until about fifty, when their average is about 128 pounds. Taking men and women tagether, their weight, at full growth, averages about twenty times as heavy as they were on the first day of their existence. Men range from 108 to 220 pounds; women, from 88 to 207 pounds. The actual weight of human nature, taking the average ages and conditions — nobles, clergy, tinkers, tailors, maidens, boys, girls, and babies, all included — is very nearly 100 pounds. These figures are given in avoirdupois weight ; but the advocates of the superiority of women might make a very nice poinb by introducing the rule that women be weighed by troy weight — like other jewels — and men by avoirdupois. The figures will then stand : young men of twenty, 143 pounds each ; young women of twenty, 150 pounds each, and so on. The Rcle of the Road. — The want of a better knowledge of the " rule of the road," is often the cause of great inconvenience, as well as occasional unpleasantness, and sometimes accident. Everyone sesra3 to know that, iv riding and driving, the side of the road to the left must be keep on meeting any horse or carriage, passing right arm to right arm ; but not one in ten seems to know that, in walking, the right sidi should be kept, passing left arm to left arm. The rule for ridingand driving to the left in England and Italy is from time unknown, while that for walking was instituted nearly 600 yeara since by Pope Boniface XIII. when he directed, to avoid confusion, at a large gathering of strangers in Borne, that all who crossed the Bridge of St. Angelo should take the side of the bridge that was on their right, and this rule has been observed in civilised countries ever since. Probably a few doggrel lines, from " Notes and Queries," will do much to assist the pedestrian :—: — The rule of the toad is a paradox quite In riding or drivfoig along ; If you keep to the left, yoa.are sure to go right — If you keep to the rigut j ou'll go wrong. But, iv walking, a different custom applies, And quite the reverse is the rule, If you keep to the right, you'll be right, safe, and wise— if yeu keep to the left, you're a fool.

Newspapbbs. — There are 5,000 newspapers in the United States, or one to every 7,000 inhabitants ; 1,200 in Great Britain, and 1,640 in France, or one to every 23,000 ; 700 in Prussia, or one to every 26,000 ; 506 in Italy, or one to every 44,000 ; 365 in Austria, or one 105,000 ; 300 in Switzerland, or one to 8,000 j 275 in Belgium, or ona to every 15,000 j 225 in Holland or one to every 16,000 ; 200 in Bussia, or one to every 530.0G0 ; 200 in Spain or one to every 75,000 ; 150 in Norway and Sweden, or one to every 20,000 ; aad 100 in Turkey, or one to every 300,000. Odd Moments Smiles, in his useful work entitled " Self-help,'* tells us that Elihu Burritt, disclaiming all pretensions to anything like genius, attributed Ins first success in self improvement to his not wasting '• odd moments." While toiling at the blacksmith's forge, ho mastered no fewer than eighteen ancient and modem languages, to* gether with twenty-two ancient and modern dialects. Dr Mason Good, translated Lucretius while going his rounds amongst his London patients. Dr Darwin composed the chief portion of his works while similarly employed in the country. Dr Burney attained a knowledge of French und Italian as he rode on horseback between the houses of his musical pupils. Henry Eirke White instructed himself in Greek in tho course of his -walks to and from a lawyers office. Hall wrote his *' Contemplations "as he travelled on circuit. Daguesseau, one of the greatest chancellors France ever possessed, wrote a large-sized and able volume in the intervals of waiting for dinner. And Madame de Genlis informs us that she composed many of her books while waiting for the coming of the princess whom Bhe taught. The leoit Ceown of Lombabdy.— The Iron Crown of Lombardy is so called from a narrow band of iron within it, which is said to be beaten out of a nail used at the crucifixion. This band is about threeeighths of an inch broad, and one-tenth of an inch in thickness. According to the tradition, the nail was given to Constantino by his toother, who discovered the Cross. The outer circlet of the Crown is of solid gold, and set with precious stones. The Crown is preserved with great care at Mouza, near Milan, and both Charlemagne and Napoleon were crowned with it. After the war between Austria and Italy, the Iron Crown was delivered from the former power to Victor JjJmmanuel. Thk Black Bbtoswickbbs.— The Duke of Brunswick died in 1815, at the very outset of the Battle of Waterloo. His followers swore to avenge his death. They dressed in a black uniform, and were consequently known as " The Black Bruuswickers." The Duke's sister, was the unfortunate Caroline of Brunswick. Queen of George IV. Th« Battle o* D«tting»K.— The last battiest which an English King took part personally, was the Battle of Eettingen, fought between the Anglo-Hanoverian and French armies, under Naoilles. in which the latter were defeated, in 1743. George 11. of England was present at the battle at the head of the British infantry, but Lord Stair had the supreme command of the allied troops. ... ... Advantages op Caxisa.—A. French phyaicnn ia out with a long dissertation od the advantages of groaning and crying in general^and especially during operatious. He contends that groaning and crying are the two grand operations by which nature allays anguish ; Ihjjt those patients who give way to their natural feelings, more speedily recover from accidents and operations than those who suppose it unworthy for a man to betray such symptoms of cowardice as eitherto cry or grosn. He tells of a man who reduced his pulse from 12S to 60 in the course of two hours, by giving vent to his emotions. If i people feel at all unhappy about anything, let them go to their rooms

and comfort themselves with a loud boo-hoo, and they will feel a hundred per cent better afterwards. In accordance with the above,' the crying of children should not be too greatly discouraged. If it be systematically suppressed, the result will be St. Vitus' Dance, epileptic fits, or other diseases of the nervous system. The Cojiherce oe bhe Wobld. — In 1855 the foreign commerce of Great Britain, France, United States, Belgium, Germany, Austria, "Russia in Europe, Italy, Spain, Netherlands and Sweden, was estimated at £848,340,000. In seventeen years it more than doubled itself, being in 1872, valued at £1,855,200,000. Great Britain stands at the top of the list with £268,400,000 in 1855, and £609,600,000 in 1872 ; France comes next with £150.300,000 and £285,800,000 ; the United States third, with £107,340,000 and £232,800,000, or a little over double, whereas during the period mentioned its population increased ■from 27,000,000 to 41,000.000, while that of France only increased from 35,000.000 to 36,000,000, and that of England from 27,000,000 to 32,000,000. The total increase in commerce during the seventeen years was 118.5 per cent. ' •

The Gbeat Cathedbaxs of Etteope. — The following are the principal European churches, and the number they can contain, allowing four persons to every squareyard :—": — " St. Peter's, at Rome, 54,000 ; Milan SCathedral, 37,000; St. Paul's, at Rome, 32,000; St. Paul's, London, 25,600 ; St. Petronia, at Bologna, 24,400 ; Florence Cathedral, 24,300 ; Antwerp Cathedral, 24,000; St. Sophia's, Constantinople, 23,000 ; St. John Lateran, 22.900 ; Notre Damp, at Paris, 21,000 ; in addition to which there is the Cathedral at Pisa, St. Dominic's, at Bologna, St. Stephen's, at Vienna, St. Peter's, at Bologna, Cathedral at Vienna, and St. Mark's, afc Venice, ranging from the first at 13,000 to the latter at 7,000. Bologna, with a population of 69,000, possesses three churches capable of Beating three-fourths of the entire Inhabitants.

Laege Cities. — The only three cities on the globe positively known to contain over one million of inhabitants are London, Paris, and New York (including Brooklyn), the reported population of Yeddo, Pekin, and other heathen centres having proved to be widely exaggerated. Berlin, St. Petersburg, Naples, and Vienna do not differ very widely in population, though the Prussian capital is growing more rapidly than any of the other cities, and is probably the largest by at least 40,000 or 50,000.

Pitfebent Alphabets. — The Sandwich Island alphabet has 12 'letters; the Burmese, 19; the Italian, 20; the Benffalese, 21; the Hebrew, Syriac, Chaldee, Samaritan, and Latin, 21 each ; the French, 23 ; the Greek, 24 ; the German, Dutch, and English, 26 ; the Irish, 17 ; the Spanish and Sclovonic, 27 each ; the Arabic, 28 ; the Persian and Coptic, 32 ; the Georgian, 35 ; the Armenian, 38 ; the Russian, 41 ; the Muscovite, 43 ; the Sanscrit and Japanese, 50 : and the Tartarian, 202.

The Japanese Pbess. — Newspaper writing among other foreign fashions, has taken root in. Japan, and promises to flourish so amazingly that the government has thought it necessary to publish rules for its due regulation. Editors are informed that such subjects as " extraordinary natural occurrences, fires, war, prices, produce, trades, births, deaths and marriages, official notifications, literature, manufactures, amusements, clothing, land and houses, translation of foreign writings, miscellaneous foreign news, and other important public matter," will bo admissible in their columns. But they are *' forbidden to disturb or demoralize the minds of the people by attacking the constitution of the government, or by discussing the laws, or by casting obstacles in the way of the working of the national institutions by the persistent advocacy of foreign ideas." Further, having in view probably some of the enactments which have recently been passed, they are warned against " appending uncalled-for remarks to the laws, etc., which are published in the papers,"- and even " moral teachings" must not be introduced in such a way as to injure or obstruct the government. Unpopular ministers are protected by rule 15, which provides that "editors must not take upon themselves to publish remarks upon officials during their term of office, or upon their official conduct, or upon anything, however trifling, which is connected •with our foreign intercourse ; " and many suspected persons will doubtless feel grateful to the Home Secretary for the clause forbidding writers " to denounce a man for crimes on the face of groundless rumors." The remaining rules have reference to the publication and

registration of the papers, and the responsibilities of editors, who aretold that they will be called upon "to give explanations in regard to any matter spon which it may be found necessary to question them."* Obighit op the wobd Wedding. — When the Anglo-Saxons set* tied in Britain, the patriarchial system was in full force. The father was absolute master of his own family ; he sold his daughter in marriage, his son in slavery. When St. Augustine landed in the island, the maiden was a Bimple article of property, her price fixed at so many head of cattle. The primitive mode of procuring a wife wasthis : When a youth had fixed his choice upon a maiden, he went with a band of friends and carried her off, probably with her own secret connivance. The relations follow in hoc pursuit, a fued between the families ensued, and was only appeased by the loveragreeing to pay the value fixed upon by the father for retaining possession of the maid, he giving a " wed," or security, for hiaperformance of the contract — hence the word wedding. The custom of stpaling the bride is as ancient as the Spartans, and is still kept upin Brittany, where it forms one of the ceremonies of wedding festivities. The bargain made, the amount of the •'morning gift"' settled upon, the contracting parties took each other by the hand and pronounced themselves man and wife ; the ring was placed on the first finger of the left hand, and the father, having received the purchase money, delivered hia daughter over to her husband. The transfer of authority was made by a symbolio gift. The father delivered the bride's shoe to the bridegroom and the latter touched her over the head with it — a ceremony which took its origin in thecustom of placing the foot on the neck of a slave, and was typical of a wife's subjection to her husband — a ceremony still preserved in the custom of " throwing the shoe." The day after the wedding the bridegroom gave the •' morning gift"— supposed to be voluntary, butaccording to the value stipulated. It was general among the Teuton race, and often estates were thus bestowed. W hen Athelstan's sister, Eadgirth, married the Emperer Otho, his morning gift was the city of Magdeburg. Judge Sbwabd. — Judge S. gave his son 1000 dollars, and told i him to go to college and graduate. The son returned at the end of the Freshman year without a dollar, and with several bad habits. About the close of the vacation the Judge said to his son:— "Well William, are you going to college this year ?" *' Have no money, father." " But I gave you 1000 dollars to graduate on." "That's all gone, father." " Very well my son, I gave you all I could afford to give you ; you can't stay here ; you must now pave your way in the world." A new light broke out on the young man. He accomodated himself to the situation ; he left home, made his -way through the college, and graduated at the head of his class — studied law, became Governor of the State of New York, entered the Cabinet of the President of the United States, and made a record for himself that will not die soon, being none other than William H. Seward.

A Patriotic Politician. — The following story may not be the " newest," but it is good : A Revolutionary soldier was running for Congress, and his opponent was a young man who had " never been to the wars," and it was the custom of the old Revolutionary to tell of the hardships he had endured. Said he :— u Fellow-citizens — I have fought and bled for my country. I helped to whip the British and the Indians. I have slept on the field of battle with no othercovering than the canopy of heaven. I have walked on the frozen ground till every footstep was marked with blood — " Just about this time one of the sovereigns, who had become greatly interested in his tale of sufferings, walked up in front of the speaker, wipsd his teara from his eyes with the extremity of his coat-tail, and interrupted him with — " Did you gay you had fouS the British and Injuns ?" "Ye 3, sir." " Did you say you slept on the ground while serving your country, without any "kiver?" "I did." "Did you say your feet; kivered the ground you walked over with blood?" "Yes," replied the speaker exultingly. " Well, then," said the tearful sovereign, as he gave a sigh of emotion, " guess I'll vote for t'other fellow, for I'll be blamed if you ain't done enough for your country." The Liberal party, sobered by their late defeat, are adopting measures for organising and consolidating their strength. Besid es theCity Club, which has already enrolled 800 members, a new We st End Liberal Club is projected, under the most powerful auspices, to pro* mote more intimate intercourse.