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.OUR SOCIAL COLUMN.I

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OUR SOCIAL COLUMN. (EDITED BY AUXTIE FLO.) Any young person desirous of becoming- a member of the Band of Kindness, should send name and address to "Auntie Flo," at the Star Office, Cadoxton. On receipt of one penny stamp a card of member- ship will be forwarded to any address, upon which, in addition to the name of the member in the case of a child, the signature of either parent or guar- dian should be affixed. Auntie Flo will keep a large book in which will be enrolled all the names and addresses of those who become members of the Band of Kindness, and they will be entered in numerical order as they are received. We reprint the following, which is a copy of the pledge each member is expected to sign :— THE BAND OF KINDNESS. Established 1891. EDITED BY ACXTIE FLO. I voluntarily promise to let no opportunity pass of being kind to old people, little children, and all animals, and I will do my best to persuade others to join the Band of Kindness." (Signed) THE NIGHTINGALE. Those who have not yet heard this songster of the night have still something worth living for. Unfortunately it is quite possible to wait for hours without being rewarded by a single note, for the nightingale is apparently a fickle bird. and there are times when, for some Unknown reason he cannot be induced to sing at all. It has been thought by some that the preference given to this bird as a singer is owing to the lack of competition, for it is when all other warblers are asleep that the nightingale delights to make himself heard. This. however, cannot be true, for notwithstanding the name which belongs to the king of songsters, there are birds which are to be found in the neighbourhood of plains, valleys, and water whose ,song is only to be heard in the day time, and who Awe earned for them- selves a title somewhat savouring of tautology— namely, the diurnal nightingale. It is only in a few favoured spots that the nightingale's song is to be heard. Sometimes in the neighbourhood of London, in Sussex. Dorsetshire, Somersetshire, and certain parts of Devonshire and Yorkshire, but it is in the Isle of Wight he is in his finest voice. One naturalist was so anxious to intro- duce this favourite bird into Scotland, that he exchanged the eggs of robins for those of nightingales, but after the young birds had been hatched and brought up by their foster parents, they chose the month of September, which is the usual time for migration, and never returned to the place of their birth. The same thing was tried at Swansea with a simi- lar result—indeed, so far. Wales has rather been shunned than otherwise by this popular bird. But inasmuch as there are human vocalists with- out the power of a Patti or a Reeves, so there are nightingales whose voices are of comparatively inferior quality, though all excel in one particular or another. Those which have been known to combine both power and melody in their song, are generally the ones which have been hatched in a district where nightingales abound, and thus have been able to take from their neighbours all that is most attractive in their singing. The king of song is not only noted for the marvellous compass of his melody, which, beginning in an undertone, gradually reaches its highest power of strength, and then ends in a beautiful soft cadence, but he has the power also of forming lasting attachments for those who possess him, and has been found, when separated from his bene- factor. to pine away and die. Some old writers have o-one so far as to credit the nightingale with the power of speech, though, of course, his accom- plishment in that line has gone no further than to imitate, with parrot-like precision, the sentences he has heard. PRINCE ALBEBT OF ANHELT. The ties between England and Germany seem to increase. and the nation who is pleased to welcome the Imperial grandson of its Sovereign is equally interested in learning something of the relation- ships which from time to time the Queen's grand- children are forming. The young Prince who last 'Week became so closely allied to our own Royal Family belongs to one of the most ancient houses in Germany-a race which ranks among its mem- bers a long line of princes, one of whom, Bernhard by name, rejected the Imperial Crown which was offered him in 1198. PRINCESS LOUISE OF SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIX. The bride, though warmly attached to the land of her birth, is no stranger in the country which will henceforth be her home. Descended through her father from a long line of German princes, claiming as cousin both Emperor and Empress, she will occupy a position not less exalted than the one which as granddaughter of the Queen and -daughter of the popular Princess Christian has been her's in England. HUNTLEY AND PALMER'S BISCUIT MANUFACTORY. The town of Reading, pleasant and conveniently situated as it is. owes much of its prosperty to the immense establishment which affords so much employment for so large a number of hands, and Which is known not only in our own land. but in almost evory part of the civilized world. Not- withstanding the rivalry which has of late arisen in the manufacture of biscuits, the fame of Messrs. Huntley and Palmer still continues. It has been estimated that the average Weight of biscuits and cakes which is turned out daily from this world-renowned firm is one hundred tons, while the amount has been known to run to as much as three hundred tons. The" Atllantic Crackers." brought out by Jacob and Co.. need only to be known to be appreciated, but it if diffi- cult for any new firm to steal a march on so thriving a business, and one which has attained so high a place in the estimation of the public as that of Messrs. Huntley and Palmer. CYCLING. The use of bicycles and tricycles has become so general that it is almost impossible to walk for any distance without meeting them. and few modes of locomotion ere so pleasant. Cycling now occupies a very prominent position as an athletic pursuit, and largely owing to the improvements in the construction of these machines. and the greater ease with which they are manufactured. they have been brought within the range of the poorer closses. and have proved a great boon to them. Hundreds of men employed in collieries, workshops, and offices have been en- abled to take an outing on bicycle or tricycle before and after business hours, and thus have de- fied to a great extent the ailments to which long confinement in heated rooms would have exposed them. Owing to the speed with which a well- adjusted cycle will pursue its course, a fair field is open even to those whose holidays is of very short duration, for it is marvellous how quickly one may get to places comparatively remote, and all will agree that the facilities thus afforded for see- ing the country are unrivalled. We have for so long been accustomed to the sight of these ma- chines. that it is difficult to remember what our first impressions respecting them were, but it is Is said that the Irishmen, when first encountering one, with the superstition of his countrymen, be- lieved it to be the devil who was pursuing him, and took to his heels with a speed which defied all Possibility of capture. HATFIELD. Hatfield House, the seat of the Prime Minister, Which has been brought into particular note owing to the visit of the German Emperor and impress, was built by Sir Robert Cecil, afterwards of Salisbury. It is a large Tudor structure 11, brick, containing, amongst other adornments, a *ich Grecian colonnade, a lofty tower, four turrets at the angles, as well as a centre and projecting 'WIngs. Hatfield is considered a very fine specimen Of the domestic architecture of its age, but it has Undergone restorations and embellishments, at a cost of £50.000. Charmingly situated and sur- rounded with beautiful grounds, it afforded the Imperial visitors a very fair idea of an old Eliza- bethan mansion, of which there are not a few to be found in different parts in Englaud. Some- where about half a century ago, a fire broke out when the Dowager Marchioness was bunued to death, fortunately the valuable collection of pic- tures and curiosities escaped uninjured. The former home of the Cecils is of great historical in- terest, for it is the place where Edward VI. resided when he was called to the throne, and the oak tree under which Queen Elizabeth sat await- ing a military escort to London still stands in the park. Queen Victoria, too, honoured the place with a visit in 1846. Hatfield Church is also of great interest, for it is an ancient edifice, and com- prises, together with nave, aisles, and chancel, a chapel, containing monuments of the Earls and Marquises of Salisbury. One of the Cecil monu- ments, that of the first Earl of Salisbury, is a beau- tiful structure, and supported by figures of the four cardinal virtues.

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