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THE OSHAWA DAILY TIMES, MONDAY, APRIL 1, 1929 PAGE FIVE -A Page of Interesting News and Pictures of the British Isles Canadian London, -- Development of helium gas for use in airships in Canada is a possible development of 'the building of two giant dirig- ibles for transoceanic transport by the British Air Ministry, Sir Sam- uel Hoare, Air Secretary, intimat- ed in the House of Commons re- cently. He said it was hoped to approach the Canadian govern- ment later on to see whe- ther it would bep ossible to produce helium in Canada as it is produced and used exclusively in the United States. Sir Samuel stated the building of the ships now nearing completion had proven a larger experiment than was anticipated and the cost lad been higher than the govern- ment had estimated. He said there was every reason to believe they would be flying in regular services within a year. ir nome tests are successful it is proposel Helium Gas May Be Used by British Dirigibles to make a flight from England to India and Montrew:. Toronto, Mar. 18.~Large quan- tities of helium can be produced from the gas wells of the Bow Riv- er valley of Alberta to the south of Medicine Hat. The production of helium in commercial quantities was first ac- complished in Canala during the war as a result of researches made by Prof. J. C., McLennan, of the University of Toronto. He inspected all the gas wells of Canada and found a high hel- fum content in the natural gases of southern Alberta. As a result of this the price of helium dropped sharply and the use of the gas for inflating airships® was made pos- sible. Helium is non-inflammable and though less buoyant than hydrog- en, is much safer. For this rea- son it is more satisfactory for use in dirigibles. DICKENS' WRITING DESK SELLS FOR A MERE PITTANGE Sold at Public Auction for Only $25--Constantly Used by Author London, Mar. 30.--Charles Dick- ens' writing desk, on which he wrote all his greatest works from the age of 21 until his death, is worth only an infinitesimal part of the value of the manuscripts writ- ten upon it. Just $25 was paid recently for Dickens' desk at Sothe- by's auction rooms where a copy of the first edition of his novel "A Tale of Two Cities" brought $6,- 500. The desk was given him when he was a young man of 21, and he used it constantly untli his Tennyson's cloak, of black broadcloth with a bronze chain and hook brought only $30. Charged with having murdered her three-month-old child by drowning it in 3 in. of water in a bath, a wo- man at Notts Assizes was found not guilty and discharged. STANDS SCOTLAND WHERE SHE DID Sheriff Jamieson of Edin- burgh Fears She Is Fall- ing Into Decay Edinburgh, Scotland. --The decay of the Scottish national spirit was de- plored by Sheriff Jameson when, in the rooms of the Geographical Socie- ty at the Synod Hall, Edinburgh, re- cently, he spoke under the auspices of the Scottish Language Circle. Why, he asked, should the historie nation of Scotland be an exception to the principle that local and na- , tional patriotism were perfectly con- sistent with Imperial patriotism? He was convinced that Scotland had more to give to the Empire and to the world if it remained Scotland than if it became a northern province of En land--a county swallowed but imperfectly digested, and exhibiting only a pale and meagre ghost of Eng- lish life and character. ~~ Falling Into Decay Kilts and tartans and bagpipes, singing "Scots Wha Hae" and "Scot- land Yet," might be pleasant matters of amusement, but a nation could not live by haggis and whisky and philabegs alone. Within his own life- time, Scotland had lost ground prodi- giously. Everything strongly and dis- tinctively Scottish in her speech and manners, her character, life, and in- stitutions, seemed to him to have fall- en into decay. And he would go fur- ther dnd say that the general vitality of Scotland was not what it was in the last century. Scotland had not been, in the last 40 years, the nursery of men of eminence, in science, thought, letters, and commerce that she had been in the past. Edinburgh was a mere ghost of a capital; larger in point of physical size, but how much smaller in every other way from the Edinburgh of Burns, Scott, of Christopher North, or even of Robert Louis Stevenson. While punching the last ticket for the day, George Carroll, a Belfast tram conductor, fell dead at the feet of the passenger. ARTHUR HENDERSON Chairman of the British Parlia- mentary Labor party, will play a prominent part in the coming general election, LADY NANCY ASTOR British M.P,, is being attacked for inconsistency because she allow- ed liquor to be served at a func tion in her home. ANCIENT FESTIVAL [5 CELEBRATED People of Shetland Islands Recall Days of Norse Revelry ! Lerwick, Shetland Is--The ancient Norse festival of "Up Helly Aa" was celebrated in Lerwick recently with all the pomp, circumstance, and pic- turesque detail which have come to be associated with its observance. Up Helly Aa, which means the end of the month of feasting and revelry in which the Norseman of old indulged during the month of January, has been celebrated in Shetland for many years, although it has fallen into de- suetude in the land of its birth, Nor- way. On this occasion twenty - nine squads, representing about three hun- dred young men, bearing torches, took part in the procession, When the public pier was reached, the Norse gallery, which figured in the pageant, was drawn up; the song "The Hardy Norseman" was sung by lusty throats, and hundreds of torches were thrown into the vessel, and a magnificent bonfire, which lasted a considerable time, ended the first part of the proceedings. : Dancing and merrymaking followed, the town being crowded with country visitors to witness and take part in the festival. Says Early Marriage Secret of Success -~ London--The secret of success in love and in life was to marry early, said Sir Charles Pinkham, whose happy partnership of 52 years has just. been . dissolved by the death of fady Pinkham. Sir Charles, who is chairman of the Middlesex county council and the Willesden bench, is the son of an ag- ricultural laborer. He attended Plympton (Devon) National school, where his wife was also a pupil. They met nine years after leaving school and were married and celebrated their golden wedding two years ago. LORD OXFORD'S GRAVE London.--The removal of Lord Oxford's grave from one part of Sut- ton Courtney Churchyard to another has been postponed for the time be- ing. Although there was nothing to indicate to Lady Oxford that there had. been recent burials at the spot, two villagers, father and som, had been buried there. Mrs. Dewe, who lives near the church, established the fact that her father, Mr. George Her- | mon was buried there in 1912, and her brother, who died in 1907, was buried in an adjacent grave. The vicar has suspended the ar- rangement for the exhumation, and Lady Oxford is to be consulted. What M.P's Do in Leisure Hours. London.--About one hundred at most of the members of the House of Commons sit listening to the de- bates on the Local Government Bill these days. When there is a divi- sion, however, there are always two or three hundred - who enter the Chamber as if from nowhere. Most of them (says my Parliamentary gos- sip) come from the libraries and reading-rooms, svhere they study the thousands of law books and official documents, 'which include not a sin- gle novel among them. The tea and smoking rooms are usually fall an hour after questions in the afternoon. A few members play chess, but their chief occupation during the sitting in the House is attending meetings in the Committee rooms. Special Eggs For he King's Table Bromborough, Eng.--Eleven Rhode Island Reds, hens raised by two sis- ters in the back yard of their bunga- low in this little Cheshire village, are providing the eggs upon which King George is being nourished during his illness. \ | : Eggs have been the principal diet ordered for the King, who has been supplied with about' a dozen a day. Lord Dawson, of Penn, chief royal physician, made it his personal busi- ness to see that His Majesty had the best and freshest procurable. He ask- ed a director of a dairy company to supply them and the director passed on the order to his two sisters, the Misses Parker, of this village. Within an hour of laying, the eggs are packed and sent to Buckingham Palace. SUGGESTS SENDING MINERS TO GANADA Brtish Labor Member Ad- vances Ways to Relieve Distress London, Canada and Aus- tralia might be willing to accept a considerable number of the unem- ployed miners and their families as immigrants, T. I, Mardy-Jones, La- bor member for Pontypridd, one of the most distressed of the mining areas of South Wales, suggested in the House of Commons recently, The House was discussing a sup- plementary estimate of $3,000,000 for the Lord Mayor's fund for the relief of distressed mining communities. © Mr. Mardy-Jones thought the Gov- ernment should bring home to the dominions "the hard fact" that there was a surplus of some 200,000 unem- ployed mine workers, He suggested the money raised for the Lord May- or's fund might be usefully employed in assisting miners to settle in the dominions, "Has the Government taken any steps," he asked, "to ascertain if the dominions would be willing to accept the unemployed miners?" He went on to say he doubted if the dominions would be willing to take any considerable number, but he would welcome an assurance from the government to the contrary, The dominions, he said, wanted ag- ricultural workers and - there were few of that type available, The speaker said he felt the Government should take some steps to remove the stigma of being out of work from the miners. Then the dominions might reconsider their attitude to- wards migration. Percy Replies ; In replying, Lord Eustace Percy, president of the Board of Education, declined to discuss emigration in con- nection with the vote for the miners' fund, He thought the subject could be discussed to better advantage on other occasions. Summing up the Government's achievements in the administration of the funds, he declared that in all the distressed areas there was now no reason why any children should be inadequately shod or clothed or should be suffering from want of suf- ficient nourishment, The same could be said about nourishment and cloth- ing for expectant and nursing moth- ers and children under five years of age. The scheme, he said, had placed at the disposal of local committees, fully conversant with the needs of the peo- ple, ample funds which could be used for the assistance of families in spe- cial distress. The fund had made a beginning, the Minister continued, in an effort to relieve the mental de- pression of the people and to give the inhabitants of the distressed areas a new incentive to activity and a renewed interest in life, In most of the distressed areas, he said, trade had improved remarkably. Shipbuilding and engineering on the Tyneside had shown a revival and in parts of Durham and South Wales the mines were working better than for some time past. While not opposing the vote, which was adopted, the Laborites contended the sum was inadequate and the method adopted of inviting private subscriptions was wrong, Amazed at Optimism Mrs. Hugh Dalton, the recently elected Labor member for Bishop Aucland, said she was amazed at Lord Eustache Percy's optimistic tone. In her constituency, she de- clared, the pits were not only closed but dismantled. Everywhere there was distress and despair, Mr., Mardy-Jones urged that provi- sion should be made under the fund for single men. He thought they should not be allowed to drift. "Un- less we do something for them," he said, "we will have a new Wmy of tramps who will become as big an enemy of the state as were the sturdy beggars of the Tudor period." Lady Astor, (Conservative, Sutton) appealed to the Labor members to ive up propaganda and face the acts. "Stop your preaching," she said amid laughter and cheers, "and then we can get on with the work of relief." The grant of $3,000,000 which the House voted is the state's contribu- tion to supplement the $3,760,000 which has already been subscribed to the Lord Mayor's fund by the public. Deputy Judge Walsh, to a publi- can's wife at Kingston: You cannot dress on £50 a year. The wife: Yes, I can; I make all my own dresses. Owing to reduced supplies, conse- quent upon the severe weather, ba- con prices on the London Provision Exchange 'advanced about 2d per Ib. Many appeals for marriageable partners have been received from both sexes by the Mayor of Durham who intends to do what he can in response, - hi i GEN. HERTLOG Premier of South Africa Above are the two main political Leaders who will be opposing each other in the coming general election in South Africa. GENERAL SMUTS Leader of the Opposition Restoration of St. Pauls 'Cathedral Nearing Workmen Are Busy Chiselling and Re-Shaping Blocks of Stone to Strengthen Historic Edifice--Extensive Al. terations Are Found Necessary--Celebration of the Restoration to be Held Next Year London.--Celebrations for the re- storation ef Wren"s masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, will take place in June next year. High up in the dome the work is now approaching the completion stage. Down below where the crypt and all the grouting of the pillars arc finished, St. Paul's still represents a stonemason's yard. Men are still busy there chiselling and shaping the blocks of stone that are trans- ferred to the upper region for the staff of men working 400 feet above London's din. When the dome is finished there will still be much to do, After the' structural arrangements are com- plete there is yet the work of re- building the vast organ, part of the full scheme. The western choir stalls will have to be removed, and thon- sands of pieces of ornamental furn- iture and hundreds of pipes will need careful handling. They will all be carefully labelled and stored while this rebuilding of the instrument is in pro ess. eople who gaze up at the sculp- tured figures of the various saints could easily be pardoned for being under the impression that they were in a complete condition--as good as new. But this was found to be far from the case, as might have been de- tected by a strong pair. of glasses. is Rapidly Completion Some of the features had been ruin- ed by the erosion of wind and rain --fingers were missing or nearly gone and the faces were furrowed. Skilled men have been at work on them, and for the most part the saints and prophets are now "quite well, thank you," restored and ready to brave the elements for centuries to come, . Critics have discussed the futility of some of the work done--the grouting of the massive supports, for example--but in the official mind the job as it is being proceeded with will be a lasting one. Few people who pass St. Paul's Cathedral know that its outer pro- portions are to some extent an archi- tectural deception. Take the south exterior, for example. If you ascend to the dome you will see that the outer wall is a piece of show work, set up outside the actual building it- self to give a greater sense of bulk to the edifice. From the exterior of the dome this can be detected, and any one who takes the trouble to measure the body of the cathedral can verify it. For centuries, too, nobody knew that the dome was helped in main- taining its position by a great steel belt wrapped round it--in ordinary language, to prevent it slipping. It has done so, and the new belt is guaranteed to fulfil the same pur- pose. ARTISTIC TALENT AMONG WORKMEN New Collection Is Bought for Tate National Art Gallery London--Pictures painted by East End workmen and women during their few leisure hours at night have been purchased by Sir Joseph Duveen for the Tate National Gallery of Arts. The artists whose work he has se- lected include a pipe inspector, a day laborer, a basket maker, a clerk, two shop-girls, a piano case maker and a window cleaner. Charles Aitken, di- rector of the Tate Gallery, also bought pictures by a commissionaire and a clerk for exhibition in the lead- ing gallery of modern painting in Britain, LONDON"S HUGE STATUES London--The Gladstone Memorial, at the junction of the eastern end of Aldwych with the Strand, in London, is 38 ft. high and measures 37 ft. round the base. The collosal bronze statue by Thornycroft shows the fam- ous statesman standing erect, wearing the robes of Chancellor of the Ex- chequer. At the foot of the statute are four bronze groups representing Brotherhood, Education, Aspiration and Courage. On bronze panels be- tween the groups are decorated escut- cheons bearing the arms of counties and boroughs Gladstone represented in Parliament, « Another enormous bronze statute of Gladstone is in Boro'-road. It represents "The Grand Old Man" speaking with out- stretched hand. Designed by Alfred Bruce-Joy, it'was presented in 1882 by Mr, Theodore Bryant to the Pop- lar Borough Council, by whom it is maintained. : HUNTING IN YORKSHInE London. -- Yorkshire has been more fortunate lately in the matter of sport than some of the other hunting districts. I hear from a corespondent says an avening Standard writer) that most of the packs have been providing good sport and some excellent runs. Princess Mary and Lord Las- celles, who missed a good deal of their hunting at the beginning of the season, are making up for lost time, and are out wth the Bram- ham Hoor as often as possible. The Princess, one is glad to hear, feels no ill-effects from the fall she had in the hunting field a few weeks ago. She is a very good rider to hounds as well uy o careful horsewoman and regarded her toss as pure ill-luck. LORD MONTAGU DIES IN LONDON Was One of Britain's Ex- perts in Engineering and Naval Affairs (By Canadian Press Leased Wire) London, April ..--Lord Mon- tagu of Beaulieu, former vice- chairman of the joint naval and military board and for many years prominent in athletics, engineer- ing and science, died in London on Saturday, aged 62. Lord Montagu was adviser on mechanical transport services to the government of India from 1915 until 1919. He was an ex- tensive traveller, visiting the United States, Japan and the far east and was greatly interested in aviation, railway and all transport matters. He was the author of numerous magmzine articles, He was an extensive land owner in Hampshire. During the war he was a strong beiiever in the devel- opment of an overwhelming air force. REPRESENTED CANADA HON. P. C. LARKIN Canadian High Commissioner to London, . England, represented Canada at the funeral of Mar- London Gold Fish * 2 » * Enjoy Their Nip London.--Sir Arthur Keith's recent assertion that fish do not think was contradicted in this letter to a Lon- don newspaper signed F. A. Wil. liams: "Some years ago we kept several large gold and silver fish in a glass tank, which became frozen over. One day the frost formed delicate fern- like leaves of ice, which shot down to the bottom of the tank and inclosed the fish in frozen cells, "They became so still and lifeless that we were alarmed. My father broke the ice, and, lifting the fish out, poured a few drops of brandy down their throats, replacing them in the tank in a more lively condition, Next morning, which was milder, we were astonished to find them all in a row motionless, pretending to be frozen in, RELYING ON RECORD AS DRAWING CARD Huge Posters Recount Achievements Under Lea dership of Baldwin London, -- The Conservatives are going to appeal to the coun- try to give them a vote of confidence on what they have accomplished in the past, and, as a contrast to Lloyd George, not on what they can prom- ise, for the future, This is clear, not only from the literature which 'is now being distributed, but also from the huge posters which, in simple language, recount the achievements of the Tories under Premier Bald- win's leadership, From speeches, too, it is clear that the Prime Minister and his chief henchmen intend telling the country to ignore Lloyd George's unemploy- ment scheme because even if it is sound, there is no chance of its au- thor ever getting the power to put it to the test, and not to trust La- bor because it is still unfit to govern and would be in the hands of left wing extremists who would damage national credit and would force Ram- say MacDonald to embark on wild- cat schemes, Voters Apathetic Meanwhile, political organizers are all astonished at the apathy among the voters. In spite of the inclusion of young women in the lists, it is difficult to arouse much enthusiasm. This indicates that Labor, with its intensive methods and voluntary ef- fort and the Liberals, with the slog- an, "We can conquer unemployment" will likely gain; but the Tories ar- gue that this apathy shows the coun- try trusts them and will vote ac- cordingly. Liberal stock, however, is rising, In deals on the stock exchange in po- litical stock, the Liberals are 18 points higher than on February 23, and it is thought now that the Tor- ies will only get 271 to 275 seats, Labor 260 to 264 and the Liberals 81 to 85 seats. Moreover, there is no doubt that Lloyd George's unemployment scheme has brought an element of uncer- tainty into the election because no- body will dare forecast what the ex- act reaction to it will be. At present it appears certain that the election will take place on May 30, Mrs. Douglas King. wife of the Minister of Mines, having accident- ally given this gway at a women's meeting. PRINCESS' FAMILY Little Princess Elizabeth Fond of Her Ducks : London.--Princess Elizabeth, like all babies, has her favourite toys; and I hear that the most beloved of all are an old and honourable doll and her "Duck" family (says a Lon- don writer). The Duck family is really very ap- pealing. Father Duck is a Chef-- and a very fine chef, with his cap at the "Beatty" angle; while Mrs. Duck sits at table ready to carve the joint. She wears blue muslin, and is most up-to-date. a The "children"--all baby ducklirigs --are sitting up waiting to be fed, with little checked bibs round their necks. And on the table are tiny salt-cellars, just half an inch long! I think there must be a strain of Peter Pan in most of us--for there are few grown-up people who would not, like their Royal owner, be touched by this charming and lovable family. IRISH BAKER CLAIMS SLEEP IS LAZY HABIT Kinsale, Ireland.--Sleeping is only a bad habit in the opinion of Michael McCarthy, Jale and alert septuagen- arian bakef®of this village. "The average man sleeps as much in a week as I do in a year," he de- clares. "At most, I sleep only five or six hours monthly. Yet I never yawn and I forget when I was last tired. Lave never been seriously ill in my 11e. "Life is too short for sleep. It is only a habit. I once slept as much as any man, but found out that sleep was a waste of time. At first it was difficult but I gradually brought my- self to go without sleep. I take a short nap now and then, of course, When I cannot find anything else to 0. S CHURCH PLANS MORALITY PLAYS FOR BANK CLERKS London. -- Workers in the City, London's financial district, are to wit- ness plays on a movable stage in the Church of St. Andrew-by-the-Ward- robe, Queen Victoria Street, as soon as the Bishop of London has sanc- tioned the project. The rector, the Rev. J. R. Sankey, believes that a series of short mor- ality plays, enacted during the lunch hour, will present to business men and women more graphically and ats tractively than any sermon the essen- tial truths of Christianity. A movable stage presented by Lady Cooper is now ready for erection, and Miss Creagh Henry will supervise shal Foch. ' the selection of plays, ' London--Lady Houston, who gave £30,000 to the Miners' Distress Fund, "and accompanied the gift with a mes- sage to the miners to give up trade iunion leaders, has returned to the attack with a parable, In an interview which she gave to a Press representative at her Jersey home, Beaufield, she said: "I have re- ceived hundreds of letters from min- ers and their wives congratulating me, and telling me that what I said about their leaders was absolutely true. "They have taught me much about trade unionism," she continued, "and this is what I have jearnt in the form of a little story :-- "Not long ago, mining was the most prosperous of all industries. Miners received big wages, they were contented and happy. But, alas! the Serpent of Discontent called Trade Lady Houston Interprets New Parable For Trade Unionists Unionism crept into the presence, and did not like the picture. "'What!" « quoth * he, contentment and high wages? This will 'never do. I must alter all this, I am Trade Un- | ionism. My name is ruin, So he ruin- ed the masters, he ruined the mines, and he ruined the miners, "His followers clapped their hands, and cried 'Great is Trade Unionism, whose name is Ruin!" And they came and ate out of his hand, and he preened his tail and winked his eye, and said, 'That's the stuff to give 'em, and they applauded loudly. " 'But, said they, 'you have ruined the masters, you have ruined the mines, you have ruined the miners. But that is not enough, We Must be much more miserable before we are truly happy. "'So you shall,' said he. 'Vote for Socialists at the coming General "9 Election", QUEEN MARY Who last week attended the fun- eral of her sister-in-law, the Dowager Marchioness of Cam- bridge. | LOSES FORTUNE IN REVOLUTION Pathetic Case of Victims of Russian . Upheaval Blackpool, Eng. -- That a woman had lost nearly $250,000 as a result of the Russian revolution and sub- sequent events in that country, and that her husband, formerly a public schoolboy, had been forced to take a job as a season conductor on the Blackpool trams, 'were statements made by Mr. J. A. Bowers at Black- ool, when Ellen Lewis, Ormond Ave. lackpool, pleaded guilty to two cases of pretending to tell fortunes. She was bound over for two years in the sum of $50. Mr. Bowers described the case as one of the saddest that had ever been heard by the Blackpool magistrates. Lewis was a woman of birth and education, but owing to misfortune she and her husband had had to eke out a living as best they could. Two children were earning altogether $8.50 a week, which was the total income, apart from her palmistry, of the household, though the rent of the furnished house in which they lived was $8.75 weekly. 'If my client has to give up this occupation," added Mr. Bowers, "she has remarked to me that 'God knows what I shall do. It is a pathetic case." TRAWLERS STRANDED Exciting Scenes at Aberdeen Harbor Aberdeen, Scotland. -- There were exciting scenes in the Aberdeen navi- gation channel in the darkness of a recent morning, when two trawlers ran aground and another broke her moorings. A thrilling chase was made by the pilot cutter and a tug after the trawler Roslin, then without her crew, which was torn from the quay- side by the heavy spate runiing in the River Dee. The pilots succeeded in boarding her, and efforts were made by the tug to establish com- munication, but without avail. At the Bar, where tumultuous , seas were raging, the pilots had to desert the runaway vessel and left her fate in the lap of the gods. The Roslin drift- ed out to sea, but fortunately a south- westerly wind drove her on the sands opposite the North Pier, where she lies stranded. Another trawler, the Elswich, when making the port, was driven ashore on the south side of the channel, and all efforts to refloat her were without success. SCHOOLMASTER AGED NINE Boy's After-Hours "Academy" A Great Success : ; Sheffield -- A gathering unique in educational circles in Sheffield took place at the Town Hall when the Lord Mayor entertained 30 children, pupils in what is known as "Austin's School," an open-air "academy" con- ducted during the summer months by a nine-year-old boy, Austin Ekley. The young schoolmaster gives edu- cational instruction to the children out of ordinary school hours, the cur- riculum including arithmetic, geogra- phy, singing, and elocution. Teachers at the Council School, where Austin is in Standard MI, declare that the children have benefited by his teach- ing. Fe Lord Mayor entertained the party of boys and girls to tea, and the Lady Mayoress, together with the headmistress and staff of the school which Austin attends, were present with the Secretary. for Education and the Chief Inspector of Schools. After words of welcome and en- couragement from the Lord Mayor and others, Austin in a short speech them, and presented prizes to his scholars, KING GEORGE NOT FIRST MONARCH T0 VISIT BOGNOR Former Emperor of France Made Seaport Town Place of Refuge London--King .George will not be the first monarch to visit Bognor. As a small child, writes a correspondent, I recgllect being taken there in the 'seventies with the rest of the family (says a Morning Post writer.) There was a circus playing in the town, and in order to entertain a lady and gen- tleman who were staying at the prin- cipal hotel, the circus was paraded through the streets and under the windows of the hotel. I recollect a tired-looking figure of a man, wear- ing an imperial moustache, leaning with his hands on the balcony rail, and next him, seated, a striking-look=~ ing lady. The two of them impressed me even as a chaid, probably because I was told they were the ex-Emperor Napoleon III, and his consort, the Empress Eugenie, the former just ree leased by the Germans. HOUSES GUTTED BY FIRE AT STIRLING Father Saved Children in the Early Hours of the Morning Damage to the amount of several thousand pounds was caused by a' fire which gutted two houses in Queen's Road, Stirling, recently. The house in which the fire occurred was being decorated for a new owner, while the house to which it was at« tached was occupied by Lieutenant Brewster, of the R.AO.C. Depot, Stirling, and his family, About 5.30 in the morning a ser- vant heard a crackling noise on the roof of the house. Thinking that it was burglars, she awoke Lieutenant Brewster, who rushed upstairs and founds the house was on fire. Immediately afterwards two miners came to the door and informed them that the house next door was in flames. Lieutenant Brewster was abla partly to clothe his two children and take them to a neighboring house. WESTMINSTER ABBEY IS FINANCIALLY POOR London. -- Westinster Abbey has Henry VIII. to "thank" for the fact that it is miserably poor today. In spite of the raising of a fund of $800,000 a few years ago, the income of which was mainly ear-marked for repairs to the fabric, the stipends of the minor canons and vergers, to- gether with the cost of the choir and many other expenses, have to be pro« vided out of less than $40,000 a year, The Abbey is rich in gifts in kind (a heavily-jewelled processional cross for instance, from an American don= or was a recent and valuable acquisi« tion), but the authorities are sadly hampered by lack of funds for carry= ing on the services in adequate fashe ion, The Abbey choir has, of neces sity, been financially starved for gen< erations. thanked their host for entertaining | T. P. O'CONNOR Now over 80 years old, "is the Dean of the British House of Comunons, 3 : 2}