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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1919-10-02, Page 2Th Young Old Land New Guinea, second largest island balism are still practiced tj^ere. The on the globe, occupies the paradoxical | natives have the virtue of cleanliness . .. 1Aoa+ 1 to a marked degree. Bathing withposition of being at once the oldest i ,g almogt & papt q£ their religionf and youngest spot on the earth. There and they believe the spirits of the de- are found animals that roamed cen- ■ parted are as much addicted to water turies ago, when ferns grew to the as the living. This belief accounts for size of giant trees and glaciers were 1 the carefully made paths which lead making valleys, and there too is one from every grave in a tribal cemetery of th© few unexplored portions of the . to the water. The living have made world. i smooth the way of the dead to the Thirty-six years ago Great Britain, bath. Holland and Germany divided the is- ■ The area of the island is close to land on paper, and with the exception i 300,000 square miles and supports a of a few trading posts on the coast , population estimated at 1,000,000. little change has been made. The por- Virtually the only portion of the is- tion formerly held by Germany has ' land known is the coastal region and been placed under the control of Aus-1 is, of course, tropical in character, as tralia. The interior is still held by j the equator is only about twenty miles wild tribes which bear a strange re- ; off its northernmost point. semblance to the Negroes of Africa j The animal life in New Guinea is and their origin is a mystery. The strange to western eyes and repre- Papuans, as the natives are called, ! sents a fauna of bygone ages. All of are Ethiopin in almost every charac- the native animals are marsupials, teristic—woolly hair, flat noses and having pockets, like the opossum of thick lips, while the natives of the ad-North America, and many of them lay jacent islands are Malayan. ' eggs, like birds. In the number and The Papuans seem to have a weak- beauty of its birds the island is with- ness for elevated homes. In the north- out a rival. One of the most beautiful ern and eastern portions of the island members of the feathered family na- they build their houses on piles and tive to the island is the gorgeous bird in the south-eastern part they live in of paradise. Bird skins form one of rude huts in the trees.. While unc’eni- the chief items of export from the is- ably savage, head hunting and canni- land. GOT HIM PULLING AWAY FROM THE PLATE ANYHOW. Stories of Famous People Some people can never make up their minds, while others often defer their decision because they love argu­ ment for its own sake. Perhaps the reputation Mr. Balfour has in some quarters for indecision is explained by the fact that he relishes a discussion, whether it is on the subject of Bri­ tain’s foreign relations or the advisa­ bility of holding on to a mad bull’s tail. One day, during an important de­ bate, Mr. Balfour rattled off a string of logic, while M. Clemenceau listened to him with deferential resignation. At last. after about twenty minutes, the speaker sat down. “C’est fini?” querried M. Clemen­ ceau. Mr. Balfour intimated that he had finished. “Tell me,” said M. Clemenceau blandly, “are you for or against?” * ♦ * ♦ There have been many rumors of the return of Mr. Bonar Law to the Bri­ tish House of Commons, but apparent­ ly he has no present intention of emerging from his retirement. He does not seem anxious to “face the music again,” perhaps because he has an inherent dislike of music of any kind. There is an amusing story which illustrates his aversion. The Incident occurred during the Peace Conference, ; when he was taken to hear the comiQ opera “La Fille de Madame Angot,” in Paris. Afterwards he was asked how he had enjoyed it. “Well, it wouldn’t be so bad,” he re­ plied, “if it wasn’t for the singing!” * * «■ * It is pleasant to recall, in the midst of uncomfortable thought about India, that Hindus possess their sense of humor and can enjoy the lighter side of life. An Indian maharajah’s car was re­ cently held up before Buckingham Palace. He scintillated with emeralds, pearls, and diamonds, and an Ameri­ can woman stopped to admire his daz­ zling brilliance. • At last she could not contain her curiosity, and addressed him. “Do you speak English?” she asked. The maharajah rewarded her with a beautiful smile, and shook "his head as though regretting that conversation between them was impossible. “Now I wonder,” said the American lady to her companion, “I wonder how much those jewels are worth? That is,” she added, “if they are real?” As the maharajah’s motor moved on the noble occupant bent forward and murmured in her ear: “Paste.” ....... .................. When to Decide. Don’t decide anything when you are feeling down; at such a time your one thought is to get the thing settled; you are ready to yield everything. What you want to do when you are feeling like that is to wait a bit; stave the thing off for a while until you are feeling better, as you surely will. There never was a storm yet but it cleared off, bring­ ing bright skies and cheery weather. It will be just the same with your little period of depression; it will pass, too, and restore to you a sense of confi­ dence and courage. This is the frame of mind in which you want to attack the problem: don’t decide anything when you are feeling down. c - —--------- 'J ----------*---------- The Power of Position. We began our trip with a day at Niagara Falls. As we stood watching the rush of mighty water the tremen­ dous power of it fascinated us and made u» forget ourselves. There is enough power in the falls to turn all the wheels of that part of the country. Where does Niagara Falls get its power? And how is it that such vast power is stored up in the water of Niagara, whereas water of many times that volume, such as the Dead Sea, is powerless? Of course the power ls not inherent in the water itself; if the Dead Sea could be raised to the top of A cliff and poured over the edge, it ateo would have vast power: but there it lies thirteen hundred feet below the level of the sea, lacking the power even to lift a tiny stream out of its Own depths to serve the world. No, the power is not inherent in the water itself; it is the power of position! And as I looked at the rushing water, I thought of another power, not of water, but of souls—the power of an endless life. What was it that made Paul able to say, “I can do all things through Christ which strength- eneth me”? It was not the power in­ herent in Paul, himself, for not many years before his spiritual power was low «ike the water of the Dead Sea. He had sunk into the depths of selfish­ ness and sin. The power of Paul and the power of eveiy soul mighty in Christ is the power of position. a is the power of the life lived above the sordid world. Christ said, “And I, if I be lifted up, «... will draw all men unto me.” He was “lifted up,” and He has shone down with his infinite light and warmth into the sea of sin and raised Bouls to himself. There in that posi­ tion of power beside Christ we are no longer helpless like the dead Sea, but have infinite power so that we an say, “I can do all things.” Coal In Japan. Japanese experts have estimated the coal deposits of their country to con­ tain nearly 9,000,000,000 tone, of which almost 3,000,000,000 tons are available by modern mining methods. Why the Sea is Blue. The blue of the sea is not, as is generally supposed, due to reflection from the sky, but to the saltness of the water. Nowhere is the sea more blue than in the Mediterranean, where the water is particularly salty, for the reason that it is not only exposed to almost tropical heat, but because compara­ tively few rivers pour fresh water in­ to it. The North Sea is green, partly as a result of its clearness and partly be­ cause of the sandy nature of the bot­ tom. The Atlantic is almost uniform­ ly green, for the same reason as the North Sea. But blue and green are by no means the only hues observable at sea. The Red Sea gets its name from a tiny weed-like growth, dull red in color, which covers its surface. The Yellow Sea of China is popularly supposed to be so called because of its muddiness, but scientists have proved that it de­ rives its color from a multitude of minute living organisms. In the Bay of Loango the •water is blood red, due to reflection of the red bottom soil. A few years ago the sea off the coast of California turned black, the whole of Santa Cruz Bay assuming an inky blue. The phenomenon was caused by countless animalculae, known as whale’s food. A steamer plying between Kong- Kong and Yokohama ran into a snow- white sea, which was so dazzling that it bewildered everyone on board. An­ other ship sailing off the coast of Guinea found itself in what looked like a sea of milk, caused by vast numbers of small white animals, which for some unaccountable reason had risen to the surface from the great depth in which they usually lived. ----------*------- -- Laugh While You May. Learn to laugh; a good laugh is bet­ ter than medicine. Learn how to tell a story; a good story, well told, is as welcome as a sunbeam in a sick-room. Learn to keep your own troubles to yourself; the world is too busy to care for your ills and sorrows. Learn to stop croaking; if you can­ not see any good in the world, keep the bad to yourself. Learn to hide your aches and pains under pleasant smiles; no one cares to hear whether you have headaches1, earaches, or rheumatism. Learn to meet your friends with a smile: a good-humored man or woman is always welcome, but the dyspeptic is not wanted anywhere. Above all, give pleasure; lose no chance of giving pleasure. You will pass through this world but once. Any good thing, therefore, that you can do, or any kindness that you can show to any human being, you had better do it now; do not defer or ne­ glect it. For you will not pass this way again. Large deposits of phosphorus have been discovered on an uninhabited island south of and owned by Japan. life’s Common Hungs A common thing, you say ? Why, dear heart, life is made of common things; The violet that blooms beside the way, The wee nests bom of love and summer-time, The shadow and the sunshine of each day. I love God’s common things, Sunrise and sunset, moon and evening stars— Oh, common stars, lighted so long ago— The sunshine flashing back from soft, brown wings, The full, strong sweep of tides that ebb and flow. A common thing, dear heart? The grandest song is made of common chords, The fair white statue formed of common clay The noblest life is rounded out at last By common deeds that make the common day. —Florence Jones Hadley. Oxford Secures Radium. British scientific medical research will be enormously helped by the ac­ quisition of two grammes of radium, the largest quantity ever accumulated, which Prof. Frederick Soddy, of the University of Oxford, has just brought to England from the Czecho-Slovakian state mines at Joachimstal, says a London despatch. The precious mineral is valued at £70,000, and was specially packed in lead three inches thick. The radiui/ has been rented for 15 years by a London company which will sub-rent 1L L The output of the mines at Jbach- imstalis only four grammes1 annually. The present hiring cost of the Small­ est quantity is six guineas daily. MOTOR MADNESS Mv shining car no more you see around my stately residence; the windshield’s hanging frcm a tree, the axles are astride a fence, dnd wearily my weird I dree, and wonder why I have no sense. “Don’t go so fast,” I have been told by many wise and prudent guys, “or soon a wooden box will hold a delegate about your size:” their counsel was as good as gold, but prudent coun­ sel I despise. And so I stepped upon the gas and made my gilded wagon fly, and I would let no auto pass, however fiercely it might try; and sage advice like sounding brass appeared to me, as I whizzed by. “I’ve warned you once, I’ve warned you twice,” the friendly speed cop to me said, “and if I have to warn you thrice, a prison cot will be your bed; or maybe you’ll be laid on ice, with tapers at your feet and head.” My pastor urged me to re­ form, and use my small supply of brains; “all day,” he said, “the sapheads storm along the pike in noisy wains, and soon the coroners will swarm, and sit on your and their remains.” And so I went my dippy way, and laughed at maxims and at saws, at frantic speed I pushed my dray, and busted all the trafllc laws; and now you see me here to-day, the worst old wreck that ever was. Learned surgeons try to make me straight, but they are worried and perplext; apothecaries near me wait, and pastors, with their timely text: and staid morticians, at the gate, are saying that their turn is next. Workingmen’s Classes. Announcement is made of a mass meeting of members and prospective members of the Workers’ Educational Association in the Social Service Building of the University of Toronto on Tuesday evening, October 4th. The object is to arrange for classes dur­ ing the winter season, to continue those formerly conducted, and to in­ itiate new ones. Public speaking, trade union law, and Marxian econ­ omics are proposed in addition to economics, international finance, psy­ chology and logic, political phil­ osophy, British history, English liter­ ature and composition. Through these classes, for which the provincial university suplies most of the tutors and nearly all the funds, workers in any occupation have an opportunity to secure the advantages of higher education. Similar classes are conducted by the University of Toronto in Hamilton and in Ottawa. The Workers’ Educational Association had last year its most successful sea­ son in Canada and hopes are enter­ tained that the coming season will be even better. The arrangement is based on the one which has been so beneficial in Great Britain and fur­ nishes another example of the varied type of work done for the community at large by the provincial university. --------------O--------------- Secret of “Adam’s Apple.” When our forefathers read the Bible they were fond of pursuing the stories and incidents contained therein ever farther than the Scriptural explana­ tions. Where the Bcok of Genesis, for ex­ ample, merely relates the episode of Eve and the apple in the briefest and most concise language, legends go much farther — connecting various kinds of animals and birds with the Fall of Man and introducing scores of trimmings which do not appear in the J original version. One of these legends is responsible for the name “Adam’s apple,” as ap­ plied to the thyroid cartilage of the larynx, a projection which1 usually is much more apparent in men than in women. This legend states that Adam, when he attempted to swallow his bite of the ’apple from the Tree of Life, choked, and the fruit stuck in bis throat. All males since Adam have had this protuberance as silent evi­ dence of the indiscretion of their an­ cestor.--- ----$-------- The Empire Supply of Timber. Even if we do not accept the idea of a world timber famine, we must admit that never was there a time before in which the Empire depended more on its own efforts for its supply of tim­ ber, nor has there ever been a time more favorable than the present for urging the examination of our Empire resources and, if thought advisable, the definition of an Empire forest policy.—Lord Lovat, at Empire For­ estry Conference. _______ Trial by jury is said to have existed in 2000 B.C. Study Men. ! Some men have within them that I which always spurs them on, while some need artificial initiative, cutside efieouragement. Some men exert themselves under stern discipline; some respond only to a gentle rein. Some men need driving; some coax­ ing. Some need the spur; some the sugar lump. Seme 'men do their best with- work piled shoulder high; some men must have it given them a piece at a time. Some men thrive on discourage­ ment; some cannot work without cheerfulness. Study men—the men over you, un­ der you, around you. Study them and learn h'ow to get from.each the best that is in him. LITTLE SPARKS. Little sparks from bonfires, Caused by careless hands, Make our giant forests Devastated lands. A little care and forethought, Given now and then, Will save our mighty forests For the good of men. FORESTS AND HOMES Canada's forests every year furnish lumber enough to build homes1 for a million people. Don’t let forests burn up. Be careful with lire in the woods. Shackleton Goes Back. The call of the East, or the call of the wild from any quarter, does not seem to be. more potent than the polar lure, even after both of the ultimate points of Ultima Thule have been at­ tained. Shackleton is now starting off in a wee bit of a steamship, not simply because he wants to find a petrified forest, or see strange islands out of hail of all the trade routes, or meas­ ure the depth of the ocean and the rate of flow of currents. He goes be­ cause ha'cann*bi stay away. Even the terrible voyage of 800 miles in an open boat to obtain aid for his com­ rades on the last trip has not sur­ feited him with danger and derring- do. But the expedition will bring back something more than travel-tales and material for popular lectures. It is sure to result in substantial contribu­ tions to our knowledge of the physio­ graphy, the mineralogy, the plaint and animal life of regions whose place on the charts is marked chiefly in the interrogatory terms of dotted lines There is still a deal to do to satisfy man’s lawful curiosity as to the world he lives in; and whereas in the Arctic regions there are Eskimos cheerfully ready to help venturesome voyagers from the South, in bleak Antarctica mankind may expert no native com­ pany but the penguin, and must de­ pend entirely on resources of his own importation. .--------------«-------------- RothchlH’s Dodge. Upon a money-lender complaining to Baron Rothchild that he had lent ten thousand francs to a person who had gone off to Constantinople without leaving any acknowledgment of the debt, the baron said: “Well, write to him and ask him to send you the fifty thousand francs he owes you.” “But he only owes me ten,” said the money­ lender. "Precisely,” rejoined the baron, “and he will write and tell you so, and thus you will get the acknow­ ledgment of It.” -------------O--------------- Although the area of Holland is less than that of either Denmark or Switzerland its population of 7,006,000 exceeds the combined population of those two countries. REGLAR FELLERS—By Gene Byrnes