All Sorts

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 10, 7 March 1907, Page 38

All Sorts

Japan has the monopoly of camphor productions, for it is, only in that country and Formosa that the camphor tree flourishes commercially. The oldest -working clock in England is that of Peterborough Cathedral. It was made by a monk in 1320. Flowers of any species never show- more than twb- ■ of the three colors, red, yellow, and ' blue. Roses, for instance, are found red and yellow, but never blue' - verbenas -are red and blue, but not yellow ; pansies are yellow and blue, but never red. Experiments show -that wheat has the same nutrition, no matter where it is raised] Even though the' plant , itself gets very poor, it turns out a grain of uniformly high nutrition. The amount of wheat alone varies. Mr. Augustus Squire, for sixty-six years a member of. the London Cutlers' Company, whose death in his nanety-t'hird year is announced, always burned candles in his house, for he would never have gas or electricity lard on. He never sent a telegram .in tiis life, never used the telephone, and hardly ever rode in a- train, travelling L,y ; bus, carriage, cab, or boat. Little five-year-old Annie, who was~suSeririg from a bad cold, , went to pay a visit to her auntie. During the day she related various successes at school, ' and .ended by declaring that s_he could' read a great deal better than Sabida, who' was eight years old. 'Well,' siaid auntie^ ' wouldn't- it sound better" if some one else said it ? ' ~ -=- ' Yes,' answered Annie, with a- serious countenance, ' I think it would. I have such a bad cold I can't say it very well.' Uncle James went to spend a few, days with his married sister lately. His sister had five daughters, and Uncle James remarked to the eldest young lady : ' Ah, my dear,, what a comfort it must be to your mother to have five daughters- to help her. You see, in my family there were five sons and - only one daugh ter, and how hard my mother' had to work. I see you are busy with your painting.' ' Yes,' replied the girl, 'I am "so fond- of it.' 'And that is your sister Jane at the piano, isn't it ? ' ' Yes.' ' And Ethel and Marjory playing tennis?' 'iY.es.' 'And where is Dorothy?' , 'Oh, she's - out paying visits.' 'And where is your mother ?' ' Oh, she's in the kitchen ; there's such a lot to do, you see.' 'I understand,' said Uncle James. The statement — which seems to have been generally accepted— that the United States is at present " more prosperous than England, has been challenged by Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the Prime Minister of Canada. He points out that Great Britain's trade to-day works out at £20 a head of the population, Canada's at £18, Germany's at £10, while that of the Great Republic is only £8. Commenting on these figures, the ' Westminster Gazette ' remarks that 'it is absurd to compare the trade of a country of forty w millions' with that of a country of one hundred millions '—the population of the United States, by the way, is not much over eighty millions—' and be despondent if the total for the smaller country is not greater than that of the larger.' It is equally absurd, surely, to compare the trade of a densely populated country whose population is not increasing as rapidly as its business with that of a sparsely ~ populated one whose population, is inI creasing more rapidly than its business.

An exchange is responsible for the - statement that

every day there are .delivered at the Vatican palace _ from 22,000 'to 25,000 letters and • papers, " which require the constant work of thirty-five employees in order that the contents be properly brought to the notice of the Pope and the Vatican officials. Compar- ' .ing the Pope's voluminous correspondence with that of .sovereigns and chiefs of States, i«t is said that the President of the 'United States receives ' about 1500"

letters every day, and perhaps 4000, papers anid books. King Edward of England - is the regular recipient of 4000 parcels a day, of which at least 1000 are 1 let-The-same amount of missives liurden the daily routine of the German Emperor, ' who- opens tine registered letters himself. The Czar's postal burden amounts to . 600 - letters - a day, while- 300 are .the daily average of . missives received .by the King" of Italy. Queen of Holland averages only 100 letters ' every day.