All Sorts

New Zealand Tablet, 20 December 1906, Page 38

All Sorts

A -Bill , providing that all meat exported- from Hoi- - land" shall bear -an official stamp as a guarantee erf quality, . has been introduced by the Dutch Government. "* Any infraction of this law will meet with severe punishment. " . . I The chief ' proprietor of -the;-) Times ' lias issued to subscribers to the Book • Club a'" letter requesting them , not to, borrow or ,buy the; publications of certain firms. Was it not the ''Times ' that used to denounce boycotting in Ireland: indignantly "? - The population; of Bohemia --is sixty-five per" cecity ■ Czech and- thiriy,-five per ceri< German. There is great rivalry between them. Business men speak 'both languages but prefer to be addressed in their own tongue. Of' ' the foreign Jariguages spoken, French is the most popular. ~ " "' > Germany is taking- the same' strict -measures to _ eradicate the evil of adulterating, fefOds as the,- United . States. Some surprising- deceptions have been brouiglrfc to liigtht by these investigations, suoh as-, cheese made of potato flour or grated potatoes, and. 'pure plum. \ / jam ' made' entirely of neets. « * - -^ - A poo-r lady whose husband had just failed was be- ' moaning the factv '-At any rate,'' she -sa-id, -.as 'she wiped " the tears from' her- ■ - eyes, ,- ' the "Brown failure was worse tlia.ii .ours.' -'How so? 1 said one who knew that her husband *s smash-up had been terrible. "Why,' - she said", 'we only failed for one"' shilling in" the - pound, whereas" Mr. Brown failed for fifteen.' - Here is-a marriage notice- from the "Coleemee Banner' of North Caiolina ' : — 'Miss Jennie Jones . and Bab Henry wer-e married "at the " Jones mansion" last night. The bride is the daughter of our constable, Jones, who made a good officer and, will undoubtedly be ' re-elected next spring. He offers a fine horse for. sale- in another column. The groom runs a grocery store' on Main street, and' is a of 'out-. ■ advertising columns, and has . a good line of bargains this week. All the summer he paid two cents more for butter than any other store in town.' Sir Henry Irving went incog, with a friend to see an actor who had gained very considerable reputation by impersonations' of himself. . He .was ajn attentive and absorbed, spectator of the performance, in which his tricks" of manner and gestures were" not so much mimicked as" honestly a"Cte'm~pted7 to b,e reproduced. 'Well,' he said to his friend; 'well, do you think be imitates me" well ?' ' Very well, indeed,' said his friemti. ' Ah,' said Sir Henry Irving in a tone of soliloquy, 1 how very kind and forbearing the public must be to .. me.' 1 ;; " 'V " - A man who had purchased, a, fine-looking harse soon discovered that the animal was blind, and after several weeks -, .he 'succeeded in disposing of her, as the defect < did not- seem to lessen her speed not detract from 'her general appearance. The next day. the new owner of._ the horse appeared.- ' You , know—tliat mare- you .sold inc.?' he began. "She's stone-blind.' : I know it,' replied her past owner, with an- easy air. ' You didn't say -anything to me aboutr it,' said the purchaser, his face rod with anger. ' Well,, you see,' replied the other,, 'that fellow who sold . hereto me didn't tell me about it,, and I just concluded that he didn't want it known.' - - , ■ .'"'*' New X.C.'s are called ' within the bar ' by curious riles in England. Clad in court costume ' and the full - glory of full-bottomed wigs and new silk gowns, they perambulate each of -the, courts in the Strand which, is occupied on • the day of their -novitiate, and are solemnly' asked by the presiding judge, 'Mr. „A, do you_ move ?'• ' Mr. B, do you move?' and scr on, to each new candidate for honors in turn. Each -in turn rises an ; d "bows deferentially, and then departs to go through the "same ceremony in the next court. v By recognising "the- counsel's right to" move the court*,, however, the .judge has th-ereby acknowledged his^presence within 1 the inner "bar. In ' older days, when the Serjeants were still a class of barristers, singularly distinigiuishefl above their fellows, the initiation was rather more , ' elaborate/ The newly-fledged ser jeant on his appearance ' counted ' — that is, read a pleading or c count ' , from some suit in active process— \yh'ereafter the senior serjeanf present moved for the" writ in the action to be .' read. To thisithe next serjeant,.. in point of seniority sai-dj 'I imparle.' This- ,stir.red up the judge, e who thereupon said to' the new ' "serjeant, ' 'Be it *so ; Brother A, d(^ you move .?' Brother A bowed and all .was diver, excepting only that the novice had to . ; give to each of his brother Serjeants a" ring, bearing eithei his family or any other motto which -he might select.