All Sorts

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 15, 11 April 1907, Page 38

All Sorts

Young lady.— Are you two youngsters twins ? * Boy (indignantly)— No ! She's a girl. At the present ' moment the countries of Europe are spending on their armies and navies as" much as £800,000 a day. The r crown worn by the Austrian Emperor, which is .regarded as one ol the finest works of European goldsmiths, contains over £100,000 worth of -gold and jewels. ■ The two buttons that are invariably on the back of a man's dress-coat are the survival of the buttons that were originally used to hold up the swordbelt of odd en days. „^_ Since 1830 Liberal Governments have been in office forty-two years and have created 232 peers. Conservative Ministries have been in 1 power- thirty-four years and have created 181 peers. The longest tram-line' in the world is in the Argentine Republic, from Buenos Ayres : to San Martin, a distance of 54 miles. It is worked by horses, which : are lesls' expensive there than steam or electricity.- » Ulman Stromer was undoubtedly; the first German paper maker." Five hundred years have passed since' then, and' the art" of paper making can look back -on as long .a period of earnest effort and profitable work. . National •-, Flower Emblems.— Fleur-de-lis, France ;-~ .violet,- Athens' jr.shamrock, . Ireland ; sugar maple, Can- - ada ; limlen, Prussia "; mignonette, Saxony ; rose, England ; sacred' lotus- of Nile, Egypt; lily, Italy, cornflower, Germany ; leek, JWales ; thistle, Scotland. - M. Santos Dumoht .has entered for the steerable balloon race from Paris 'to London in 1908.." He expresses the opinion that in view of the recent development in the science of aeronautics „ the journey from Paris to London will be accomplished in two" hours. ' ' A receitfi_ issue of the Gazette contains a list of the qualified medical men and women who havie been registered as practitioners in this "Colony. The names of 850 practitioners appear on the register, and of these 25 are '.women. A large number of these physicians, although registered in New Zealand, are not practising mi the Colony. U>n the dentists' register sdere are 48U names, and ot these ±v are womeni./ - A bird which can talk in. two languages, and whose repertory consists of "seventeen phrases, is the latest addition to the London Zoological Gardens. The bird _ belongs to- a species known as , the Larger v Hill Mynah, which flourishes in Northern India. Three of its phrases are in an Indian dialect, and the rest in English. The bird's name, as it intorms ail comers, is Tommjv, an<d iv 'sdsks ail visitors, * .who are you '! ' A motorist, who was .touring in Ireland, one 'day met a nian on the road who was driving a donk-ey and cart. Thinking, he "would have a little fun ' at his expense, the motorist began 1 :— ' " '•'.. ' What is the difference,. Pat, between your turnout and mine ? ',- •' . - - ''. •The man looked at the questioner a minute or so and then replied : * ■ ■ - 1 Not a, great deal. The donkey's in the shafts in the one and on. the seat in the other.' ' /--- A writer in 'Black wood' for -February, tells 'a story "of Wellington and Soult, which the late Baroness Burdett-Coutts used to relate with .keen pleasure. On the first -occasion the Duke took Sdult into Apslev House, the latter was surprised at the absence of pictures he had known "in M,adrid. ■ ' How. is it, Monsieur le Due,' he said, 'that you have so "'few of the Spanish masterpieces ? ' ' Marshal, you forget,' replied Duke, '-that my army was only in Madrid alter the y one commanded by yourself.' " " "'■ A small girl recently entered a . grocer's • shop in one 'of the suburbs of a large- town in Vthe north, of England*- and said .to the shopkeeper in a' shrill voice : ' Please, sir, I want 'arf a pound ■of butter . and- a - penn'orth of cheese, and mother sez she'll send a shilling in- when father comes, home.' • ' All right,' replied the man, who was used to this sort of request." . . - f.But,' continued the child, 'mother wants the change, cos she's got' to -' put a penny in the gas meter.' ' ' . ' •-" > . ■ - >