County Observer and Monmouthshire Central Advertiser Abergavenny and Raglan Herald Usk and Pontypool Messenger and Chepstow Argus

Lover "And" so your mother does not believe in long engagements? I am delighted." Miss De Broker: "Yes, mamma says ever so many girls' fathers have failed during long engage- ments, and the poor things never got married at all." í The new Bishop of Manchester's first duty as a Governor of the Manchester University was to assist the other day at the foundation of a Faculty of Theology, and he told his fellow-governors of an amusing personal experience at a college where theology was not taken. He went to the college expecting to find a Church meeting in progress. "Being a stranger," Dr. Knox says, "I inquired timidly of the porter who opened the door whether the Chtirch meeting was being held there. He replied with some civility and more superciliousness: No, sir; there is no religion in this place.

FIELD AND FARM. FEEDING THE BROOD SOW. I The in-pig sow should (Mr. F. Wilson advises) I be carefully fed for some time before farrowing, as, while a sufficiency of reasonably good food that will nourish and keep her in robust health and condition should be given, it is a great mis- take to get her into the very little short of fat state—the natural result of too liberal treatment -whiel-i one often sees at farrowing time. The sow thus treated rarely gives satisfaction to her owner, who, not infrequently, does not take the course of treatment to which she has been sub- jected into account at all, but blames the animal herself. Either she brings a small litter, say five or thereabouts, of which, likely enough, at least one dies, or she is short of milk, or she is too lazy to look after the interests of her pigs and should she chance to lie on one, will crush -the life out of it rather than trouble herself to move. There is a wide difference between the reason- ably good condition in which the sow should be at farrowing time and the fat, or, to use a word often applied in such a case, over-fresh state which is usually accompanied by one or more of the drawbacks enumerated above. Many a pig-owner worries himself greatly because a, sow shows no inclination to eat for some considerable time after farrowing. There is nothing to be gained by worrying, or by trying to force the animal to eat. A sow in good flesh will frequently show no signs of hunger for twenty-four hours or more after pigging. In most cases, a drink is needed more than food, and should always be offered, but no alarm need be felt if it is refused. The slight sickly feeling which the sow experiences soon disappears where a healthy animal is concerned, and she is ready for her meals again as usual. A sow should not be given extra rich food a day or two after farrowing, with the idea of keeping up her flesh should she have a. large litter; and still less if she has been rather poorly fed during pregnancy. Such a change of diet often works great mischief. Regular feeding, it should always be remembered, is worth any amount of irregular treatment and sudden deviations from the usual course of things at more or less critical times. It is by a gradual process of regular feeding that the sow should be brought to a steady copious flow of milk and to the main- tenance of a proper condition. She should not be over-fed, nor, on the other hand, should she be stinted.. WINTERING YOUNG CATTLE. A good deal of forage and costly cake ("F." observes) is saved by good management, and the writer has proved that the latter (cake) can be dispensed with in calf-rearing. A calf that is fed on skimmed milk from the time it is a fort- night old will shortly after that age begin to pick locks of hay, which should be the best on hand, seeing that only a very small quantity is eaten. When four or five weeks old, a little hay-chaff should be given, with a handful of meal, made of wheat, barley, oats, beans, or peas (plenty of choice), or, better still, a mixture of two or three of these sorts. If the calf pen contains calves of various ages the elder ones will teach the younger to eat, but the difference should not be too great, or the least will get pushed away from the trough. Kohl rabi, pulped, makes capital feed to start calves with, and I have found that calves three months old will grow and thrive on a mixture of chaff and rabi without any meal or cake whatever, so long as they have a, little good hay at night, and, what is most important, kept in a clean, warm, and well-littered box. If the milk, or milk and water, has been knocked off. they should be given a limited quantity of chilled water twice a day. Cold water ad lib. is neither necessary nor beneficial to a young calf in winter, and especially one which has a. fair pro- portion of roots in its food. Fed in the way indicated, the food is home grown and not very expensive, the chief item of expense being labour, as they must be regularly fed and kept clean by giving them a good bed of dry straw this has the effect of keeping them warm, which is half the battle in young animals. If the wean- ing is commenced between September 1 and December 1 the calves do not eat a large quan- tity of hay during the first winter, and by the second they should be strong enough to eat a proportion of straw. If there are sheltered paddocks round the homestead they may be turned out into them by June 1, and if they are so done those reared on the least expensive fodder will hold their own when those which have fared sumptuously on rick cake every day will stand still, or go back in condition. CROSS-BRED SHEEP FOR MODERATE PASTURE FARMS. May I suggest (writes "E. D. G." in the "Agricultural Gazette") that for anyone having some useful pasture land where; in a general way, there is an abundance of keep that we sel- dom or never experienced before, a useful class of sheep may be had for hardiness of constitution and paying their way in eating such food as there is, which, if tried, pay their way very well? It was once my privilege to see some large Scotch ewes that had been put with a ram of the Oxford- shire Down class. The lambs were of the nicest description, and continued to feed principally on poor pastures, assisted by a small ration of oil cake, came to the butcher as most beautiful meat, and generally disappointing the public opinion formed, inasmuch as they had the best of flesh and weighed more than they were credited with. All they required and had was a little rough seed hay in the frosty weather, but they required no swedes, which must be an advantage in a season like the present. If farmers do not study the class of animal suitable for their holdings, as well as what is to prove or more value financi- ally, they will be liable to serious losses, of which they have, we all admit, had a full share. We should produce what the public require, if pos- sible, plenty of lean meat. It is unquestionably a mistake, this distaste for fat meat, but still it exists, and I fear will continue, and entails a great loss on feeders and consumers. These ewes are good breeders, splendid sticklers, and do well on natural food, and if they are required to go as lamb or mutton, they will generally make the top price in the market, and cut up in nice, fleshy, suitable joints. There is another sub- stantial rea.son this season. If one buys ewes from the hills, we generally find no liver fluke, (vhich I much fear will be prevalent in the spring, tind if we do not have a lot affected I shall be much surprised. This is a class of sheep that will pay well on moderate cost, but when the cash is available, a better class may be had by a cross from a Clun ewe mated with a Hampshire Down ram, but the farmer would not get good fat lamb from these, or very ripe mutton, unless he is prepared with a. good rotation of lucerne, trifoliums and clovers, rape and turnips, added to a liberal supply of cake and corn. He may then get a fine quality of meat of the sort that makes the best price. It is astonishing how well this cross weighs, caused by the great .amount of flesh they carry. When looking into the butcher's shop one finds eat of the sort every purchaser likes; nice meaty joints, having legs of mutton as well developed as a ripe porket pig. But rigid attention must be paid, added to an improved food, which will generally keep them gradually improving daily. It is useless trying to feed sheep on stale pastures or pens; they resemble a human being in liking a, fresh joint; often the better it is the better the result. I never believe in doing stock badly. If success is to be the result, do not forget to do them well, and above all keep them sound on their feet.

I CHRISTMAS GIFTS.—A novel and pretty way of distributing Christmas gifts is to set your dinner- table as you would for a meal. Put on your choicest cloth, and at each one's accustomed place set a soup-dish. The centre of the table may have some pretty decorations arranged to suit the fancy a pot of tall ferns would be lovely. Festoons and evergreens and holly may hang from the chandelier or lamps, as the case may be. All the small gifts can be put into the dishes, while others may be neatly arranged in front. Such gifts as bicycles, rocking-horses, etc., should be placed where the chair usually stands. Let someone have special charge of the arrangements. When all is ready, the bell may be rung, as it is at dinner-time, and the house- hold called together. In this way the elder folks may share the surprises and pleasures with the younger.—"Our Christmas Hamper."

OUR; SHORT STORY. I A CHRISTMAS EVE. "You'll find it a wild walk, mistress, this- bitter evening, 'cross moor"—such had been the greeting of the last wayfarer whom I met upon the lonely path into which I had struck on quitting the hard firm road. The wind had risen as the sun went down behind the rocky Tors to the westward, and. the piercing gale that now blew brought with it such snow as only, I think, dees fall on Dartmoor in midwinter. Chilled, in spite of the warm shawl I Wore, by the biting blasts, and dazzled by the thick flakes that whirled and glittered as they swept by I pressed on, quick- ening my pace homewards. I had lingered too long in the village street, whither I liad gone to make some tew final purchases needed for our merry Christmas dinner, and now the moorland storm had set in with all its fury, and the homeward walk to the farm would be difficult, and might even be dangerous. One hesitating look I threw back at the lights of the village far behind, and then, remember- ing that I should be anxiously expected at home, pushed resolutely on across the snowy moor, the darkness appearing to thicken at every in- stant. Faster and faster fell the snow, clinging to my wet hair, dancing before my bewildered eyes, and almost obliterating the cart-ruts which alone indicated the rough road that I had to traverse. Often had I listened by the fire-side to stories of belated travellers lost upon the moor. Should I once stray from the track, I might wander over the boundless waste until my strength failed me, as theirs had done, and as they had done,, lie down exhausted to die. As it was, by the time I had walked two miles through the storm, I began to grow feeble, my steps were slow, and the light basket I carried on my arm seemed to have grown strangely heavy. Buffeted by the raging wind, I tottered wearily on through the snow heap. The farm, to the best of my belief, was but about half a mile off; but I began to doubt, be- numbed as I was by the intensity of the cold, and spent with the toil of struggling with the tempest, whether I should ever reach it. I felt a heavy drowsiness oppress me, and longed to lie down and rest for but a few minutes, before -resuming the battle with the wild weather. But rest in such a case means sleep; and sleep, death. Something of the instinct which makes a hunted animal Z, strain every nerve to die at home urged me on, and I continued to press for- ward. As I did so, a cry reached my ears—the cry of a child in distress It was repeated, and I turned towards the quarter from whence came the sound, and then hesitated. Well I knew that if I expended the last dregs of my strength in plodding through the drifts, the chance of my reacning the farm was small indeed. And then it might not be a child that uttered that cry, but merely the bleating of a stray sheep. Prudence warned -iie to hurry on homewards. No, no, no I ttared not harken to the whis- pers of selfishness, dared not salve my con- science with the plausible idea that the cry which I had heard was not a human one. I could not shut my ears to the plaintive appeal that had reached me, and, praying to God that I might find mercy for the sake of the dear ones at home, I turned towards the tiny suppliant. Yes, sure enough, there were the prints of little feet, already half-blotted out in the snow and, following on the track, I came at last to a high bank, and a deep fleecy drift, where in the white hollow crouched some score of sheep huddled together, and amongst them, apparently asleep or dead, a little child, her pale face pillowed on one of her woolly companions. And then I knew her—my own, my only one, my little three-year-old darling, our Rosie, that I thought so safe and warm at home and I stag- gered forward, and knelt and took her to my bosom, and chafed her cold hands, and wrapped my shawl around her, and then—and then, all grew dark. How long the lethargy brought on by extreme cold may have, in my case, endured, I never knew. But I remember that I heard a rough, kind voice call out, "Reep Carstone back! Don't let him look—they're both dead, poor things!" And then the swoon came on again, and the blank, black darkness swallowed up all. But when I came back to life it seemed like a foretaste of heaven, so gay and cheerful was the look of the warm cosy homeplace, with its glowing fire of crimson peat and blazing wood; and wherever my wondering eyes turned, was some kind neighbourly face with which I was well acquainted. I lay on a bed that had been drawn close to the blaze, wrapped in cloaks and blankets, while near me knelt a strong man, Frank Carstone—dear, good Frank—my own brave, kind young husband, to whom I had been married but four short years, since first he brought me to the moorland farm. And there was Rosie—darling, blue-eyed Rosie, no longer as when last I saw her, lying like a dead white lamb among the sheep and drifted snow, but well and strong, and with her dear, blue eyes fixed lovingly on "poor mamma's" pale face. Then I must have fainted again, but it was from surprise, not pain and soon I could j speak, and stir, and be as one of the waking world again. We had a merry Christmas dinner next day, after all, the merriest I ever knew, with Rosie's tiny chair drawn close to mine-I could not bear to be away from her-and Frank beside me, blithe and loving, and thankful too for the wife and child that had been spared to him. Rosie had wandered out, it seemed, following the strayed sheep of one of those very neigh- bours who had joined with Frank in seeking for the truant; but had I not come up when I did, the child could hardly have survived till rescue came. That happened years ago. Happy Christmases have come and gone since then, but never can I think without a shudder of that Christmas FVP Dnrtmnor.

BOOTS WHICH CATCH BLESSINGS.—One of the strangest of all Christmas customs is one that prevails in Scandinavia, where the Yuletide sea- son is invariably marked with extreme cold, and where winter sport on ice and snow are in high favour. To ensure "Yule peace," as they call it, for the coming year, it is customary for all the members of a household to place their boots in a row outside the door on Christmas Eve. This they do that the spirit of the "Yule peace" season may reign in the household throughout the coming year. The idea thus brought before n Scandinavian family of the desirability of all its members walking in peace with one another and with the world in general, is a very beautiful and suggestive one, and we could wish that every Yuletide families at home and abroad would I make and annually renew a compact of love and peace to hold good while life shall last.—"Sun- day Companion" Christmas Number. THE HARLEQUIN.—The harlequin of to-day was the creation of an actor named Byrne, who was playing at Drury Lane in 1800, and appeared in a tight-fitting costume of white silk, covered with red and black patches. This costume was entered up in the theatre's expenses as having cost £ 21. Now, the pantomime of those days was a different thing altogether to what it is now. For any actor to speak even a single word led to his being dismissed without notice. The play was generally founded on some public topic of conversation for instance, one year it satirised the increasing obesity of the French people. Some years the pantomime would be of a political nature, the chief politicians of the day being caricatured in a way that was often vulgar, and endless lawsuits and sometimes the wholesale imprisonment of actors would follow. Pic- torial Magazine" Christmas Number. How TO SPEND CHRISTMAS.—The ideal mode of spending Christmas to me is to get together as many children as you can collect-to be their slave, servitor, dancing bear, general servant; to be "de ridin' hoss of de rabbit family"; to make as great a donkey of yourself as possible for their sake; to buy them "candies and goodies" till their teeth ache; and generally to efface yourself and your dignity in order to gain and wear (like the Cross of the Legion of Honour) the proud title of "The best uncle that ever was." —S. R. Crockett, in "Pearson's" Christmas Number.

GARDEN GOSSIP. I IRISES. —- There is no doubt (says "The Gardener ") that Irises are becoming more popular every year. To be assured of this, one has only to compare present day catalogues and advertise- ments with those of a few seasons ago. Easy to grow, cheap, increasing in numbers each year, it is not to be wondered at that people are taking to them. In the German we have sorts possessing beautiful shades of colour, in the English some that are tall and exquisite for the borders, whilst in the Spanish, more of which are sold than any other, we have a charming array of blossoms if bulbs are planted in November. POTTING SPIREAS.—Spireas when well grown are most uset'ul'f or bringing indoors for adornment of windows and tables, and just at this time, when preparation should be made for potting them, I would like to detail my experience. In selecting clumps for forcing, choose those that are the plumpest, but not necessarily the largest; use a compost of loam and leaf soiL, with a small quan- tity of sand added. Pots just large enough to hold them should be used, as when a little cramped for room they often yield the most: flowers, provided they are well supplied with water after the buds have shown. For the next few weeks, at any rate,, the best place for them is a cold frame, with the pots buried in ashes; after the roots have got well round the pot they should be placed in heat and have moisture in liberal quantities. Spireas, when growth has fairly commenced, will take a large amount of water. Do Spireas need stimulants ?" I was once asked. My reply was, "Try the effect on a few plants and note the difference when they bloom." A FINE EVERGREEN SHRUB.—That serviceable evergreen shrub, Gaultheria Shallon, might be used more extensively as an undergrowth in plan- tations, or as a cover plant. In addition to being, of use for this work it is also (writes D. L. More) well worth a place in the garden, for it makes a handsome bush, and looks well either when planted in a bed, in groups in the shrubbery, or under trees. It comes from western north America, and is known under the common names of Shallon and Salal. It grows from 3 to 4ft. high and makes a wide, spreading bush, the diameter being con- tinually added to by suckers. The leaves are dark green and leathery, ovate or almost cordate in shape, and vary greatly in size, some being 4in. or more long and 2in. wide. The flowering season is late spring, although blossoms may be found at almost any time during summer. The colour of the iiowers is white tinged with red, and they are urn-shaped and borne in racemes. The flowers are followed by fruits which, when ripe in earls autumn, are purple in colour. These fruits are round, fleshy, and sweet. Some difficulty is some- times experienced in propagating this shrub, as when divided and planted outdoors it takes some considerable time to become established agnin; this difficulty can, however, be got over by potting up rooted pieces and plunging them in a hotbed until root action recommences. LILIUMS FOR DECORATIVE PURPOSES.—Really pleasing and lasting decorations may (observes E. Collins) be obtained by the free use of Liliums. Their adaptability for town work is well known, and there are few plants that give better results for a minimum amount of attention. Liliums lend themselves very readily for artistic decoration, and charming effects may be obtained in the arrangement for an 6pergne by twisting and bend- ing the stems so as to get the full beauty of these lovely flowers. In making up a bunch of fiowers for a vase, Liliums may be easily trained to hang gracefully over and around the whole. Of course, considerable care is required in manipulating the stems so as not to break them. Here is an example of how not to do it. In my present home there is a grass path running down the centre of the kitchen garden. On either side, some four or five feet from the path, are espalier fruit trees. The border between the grass path and the trees is used for flowers, and when I took possession it was edged throughout its whole length with Crocuses and Snowdrops. When they were in flower no fairer sight could be seen. But alas! for that border when the bloom was over. Its squalid untidiness was deplorable. A rank growth of yellowing decaying leaves made it an eyesore for many weeks. Snowdrops and Scillas are special sinners in this matter, and Crocuses are little better. The leaves cannot be removed, or harm to the bulbs results. The bulbs might indeed be lifted andplanted elsewhere to ripen, but (to say nothing of the trouble where they are in quantity) they are not amongst the things that like being hauled out of the ground annually, and so again they suffer. However, we have changed all that. The bulbs have retired from their prominent position in the front of the border to the back of the same, and now nestle about the stems of the'fruit trees and under the shelter of their lower tier of branches. The lines and masses of colour are still there in due season. The bulbs are safe from molestation, and the leaves are no longer unsightly. And why ? In front of them are planted numbers of herbaceous plants, whose fresh spring growth soon hides them from sight, and leaves them to die off in comfortable obscurity. For edging flowers we want something that is pretty in its season of bloom and neat and tidy at other times. There are many plants that are suitable. There are the Saxifrages of sorts. I would never desire a better edging plant than London Pride. Arabis and Aubrietias are good. White and other Pinks are always amenable to tidiness. Thrift is very bonny, and where soil and situation suit it Gentiana acaulis is a gem. I grow many clumps of spring bulbs in all my borders, but I always try to arrange for them that they shall be in at least partial retire- ment when their time of undress arrives. There is such a thing as being too ferociously tidy in a herbaceous border, but I do not see why anyone should go out of his way to court untidiness, which he surely does if he plants spring flowering bulbs in the position I have indicated. Whatever any- body may say, these are not good edging plants. MORE ABOUT BULBs.-All hardy bulbs (observes W. H. P. J. W.") are available for window box planting, but there are some whoso value is very much greater than that of others. Three kinds rise conspicuously above all others in general utility, and these, it is almost needless to state, are Hyacinths, Narcissi, and Tulips, with Crocuses, Scillas, and Snowdrops to furnish the front. Unless there is some reason for doing so, it is not desirable to plant in the per- fectly straight lines that one usually ob- serves, though the cultivator has an excuse for this in that he is following the lines of the structure. At the same time slight irregularity is almost certain to produce a finer effect. Tall Tulips of imposing appearance, Keizer's Kroon for example, might have the position closest to the window, with White Hyacinths in front, and, if the box has no greater holding capacity than three rows, golden yellow Crocuses inter- mingled with Scilla Sibirica as an edging. This is one of the simplest arrangements that can be found, but at the same time it, is one of the most effective. If it is feasible, as it will be where there are two boxes for each window, the recep- tacle, after planting, should be placed in some dark position precisely as would be done in the case of bulbs in pots or in glasses, and for exactly the same purpose. Do not apply any water at all before it becomes imperative to do so, and then give just sufficient to thoroughly moisten the com- post right through to the drainage. The surface may be covered with coeoanut fibre refuse, as well to improve the general appearance as to reduce the necessity for watering by conserving the moisture in the soil. When the movement in and above the mould is active, the top growth should be gradually inured to the full light in the same manner and with the same care as that of bulbs which are growing in pots. Never try to force the plants to come into flower, as though one can easily hasten them a little, it is bad policy, because they will feel the cold so much when put out that the probabilities are they will succumb.

Rural Manager: "My season has been a failure, my folks are starving, and I should like to engage you to play Othello for a week." Barn-stormer: "With pleasure, if your terms suit." Rural Manager: "Well, I will give you fifty per cent. of all the vegetables that are thrown at you."

EPITOME OF NEWS. 00 Tho Australian Commonwealth f4aturalisatioii Act will come into force on January 1 next. Princess Charles of Denmark has arrived itt town from Sandringham. Army officers in Germany pay no dog tax. A caterpillar can eat 600 times its own weight of food in a month. No love letter should be read twice. It waa written only once, remember. A Rontgen ray apparatus has been presented to the Southport Infirmary-by Mr. W. J. Booth- royd, of Southport. The wettest place in the world is Greytown, Nicaragua, where the, mean annual rainfall is 260in. About 40 tons of letters pass daily through the General Post Office,. London. It has been observed that a man's hair turns* grey five years sooner than a woman's. Mr. and the Misses Ritchie left London by the boat express for Egypt. M. Comtesse,. Radical, is the new President of the Swiss Federation for 1904. Major MacKenzie-Pendrill (North Stafford- shire Regiment) has been appointed Chief Ord- nance Officer at Alexandria. The Earl of Selborne has returned to his official residence at the Admiralty from Devon- port. Mr. Edward Cowey, president of the York- shire Miners' Association,, died on W ednesday at the age of sixty-four. There is 87 per cent. of water and 13 per cent. of solids in milk. The sugar in the solids is in, greater proportion than in any other solid. A painting of the young King of Rome, from the Drush of Sir Thomas Lawrence, has at- tracted much attention, while all visitors are loud in their praise of pretty dances in which quite tiny tots may be seen tripping dainty measures. Copper money in Francp is to be gradually re- placea by aluminium bronze pennies of a pale yellow colour. Norway, ServiaR" Greece, and Bulgaria are the only European nations which have but one House of Parliament. The North Pole is continually moving. It is perpetually roving within the limits of a circle bOft. in diameter. The change in British legal documents from "God Save the Queen" to "God Save tue King" cost a total of £ 400,000. The hottest place in the world is the interior of the Great Sahara Desert, Africa, where the thermometer rises to 112 deg. The French cruiser Linois has arrived at Tan- gier, having on board Sid Mahomed (Jrabuas, o tiie new Moroccan Minister of War. Africa has very nearly 700 languages, and this fact presents great difficulties to missionary effort. Oueen Victoria never removed from her hand tht tiiree rings connected with her courtship una marriage. The Earl of Aberdeen is a hardened travel- ler, for he has been all over the world on various public and private expeditions, and therefore he does not mind roughing it when circumstances present themselves which are not quite ideal from the point of view of personal comfort. He was reminded the other morning oi some o £ his experiences abroad. He arrived at Edinburgh at half-past seven in the morning, and having a quantity of luggage with him at the station, he naturally wanted a cab. But not one was to, be 93en, for it was the Sabbath, and the Scot- tish Jehu is not inclined towards breaking its solemnity thus early, even when there are peers to be driven. He left his valet in charge of the boxes and bags on the station platform while he made an expedition on foot down Princes-street; but the search for a vehicle proved fruitless until the earl espied a milkcart. Its driver was hailed, the necessities of the situation explain-gd, a bargain struck, and a moment later his lord- ship was returning to the station in the milk cart, whence with his impedimenta he proceeded in it to his club. All who know him will tell you what this incident illustrates, that there is no "side" about the earl. He is one of those rarities among politicians, a Liberal who was once a Conservative; and though he is only fifty-six he has had a big career, which has included the Lord-Lieutenancy of Ireland. It is stated that the craze among fashionable women in J al for European dress is rapidly dying out. The reason given is that at various festivities held recently numbers of Japanese ladies have fainted, being unused to the tightly- fitting European clothes which they had assumed in honour of the occasion. However, at a ball in honour of the recent birthday of the Emperor the Japanese princesses appeared in European ball dresses, which are said to have become them exceedingly. Lord Avebury, the founder of the Bank Holi- day, in his new book, "Essays and Addresses," explains why public holidays are called "Bank" Holidays. The reason is somewhat technical. It is generally known that the payer of a bill in England gets three days' grace, so that a bill coming due nominally on the first of the month is not really payable till three days later. If, however, the third day happened to be a Sunday, Christmas Day, or Good Friday, it is stipulated that payment be made the day before. After some consideration, however, it was determined to allow payment on the day following, in place of the day before, the Sunday, Christmas Day, or Good Friday, and "Bank Holiday" was the name given to the new day of grace. The latest development in motor locomotion comes from Germany, where, it is announced, a petrol motor waggon carrying two field guns is to be constructed. The idea may develop into something practical, but it is difficult to realise how adequate protection against hostile artillery can be afforded without making the waggon so heavy as to destroy the mobility, which is its chief advantage. There is a standing quarrel of years between Manchester and Liverpool as to which is the more important. If Liverpool quotes its dock area, Manchester retorts with "Ship Canal." If Manchester says, "Chief cotton town in the world," Liverpool replies, "Largest shipping business under the sun." The taunt and answer go merrily on year after year, and never get settled. For when Liverpool appeals to cold figures and says, "Population 633,645, against your palty 539,079," the cotton town bridles up and replies, "754,781, if you please!" Besides Liverpool and Manchester there are several other ,towns in England which nurture a feeling of ani- mosity against their neighbours, and perhaps in no instance is this keener than between Whit- stable and Herne Bay. The bitter feeling in this case dates from a dispute at the time of the estab- lishment of the oyster industry. Mr. Arthur Severn, whose appointment to the Commission of the Peace for Lancashire is an- nounced, is well-known to the world as the near kinsman and devoted friend of Ruskin, and the inheritor of his beautiful home. Most people, however, have forgotten that when he began life Mr. Severn was a painter of the greatest distinc- tion and promise. It was in the Academy of 1864 that his great picture of "A Wake" was exhi- bited and sold for a large sum. He studied art at Paris and Rome. His father, Mr. Joseph Severn, also an artist of note, and an intimate friend of Keats, was our Consol at Rome for the latter part of his life. Sir Alfred Bateman, who has retired from the post of Comptroller General of Commerce. Labour, and Statistics to the Board of Trade, has been 38 years in the service of the depart- ment which he now quits. Sir Alfred played an important part behind the scenes in regard to our international trading relations, and has borne his share in the duties of several important Royal Commissions. The son of a Nottinghamshire clergyman, Sir Alfred inherited a love of the sport for which his native county is renowned- cricket—and has been conspicuous with several London clubs. His brother, better still, played lor Cambridge in 1854 and 1855.

TO WW" TOPICS. 1 (From Our London Correspondent.) "A Happy Christmas to all!" That is a wish whicti, in these very words, has been expressed by many millions of English-speaking folk the whole world through, and it is cordially given to every reader of these lines. Fortunately, there is no sign in any direction of a termination of the warmth with which Christmas is celebrated. The cheap kind or cynic may sneer, but no one with any true love for his kind can doubt that what has come to be denominated "the festive season" is one which secures the doing of much practical good. Many a little difficulty between friends is smoothed, many a petty quarrel in families composed, by the influence of Christmas-time and even that very modern institution, the Christmas-card, has done much to spread the good feeling. In a very great number of cases, there are acquaintances who desire to keep in touch with each other though their degree cf kinship does not suffice to cause letters to pas.- between them. Yet at Christmas the sending and receipt of a card of greeting brings then; into renewed relation with each other, and serves to renew many a happy memory. There arc material advantages in Christmas to the poor, and there are more benefits to all and as long as this is certain, the cynics may scoff, but most of us will still echo and emphasise the good old wish, "A Happy Christmas to all! >:> It may seem early at Christmas-tide to be talking of the arrangements for the next London season, but these have to be made for many long weeks in advance, and notably is that. the case in regard to all functions con- nected with the Court. Therefore, it is already being observed that the regulations for the evening Courts, to be held by the King ,and Queen Alexandra at Buckingham Palace during next season, continue the precedents established this year. Particularly is it noticed that the same stringent rule is main- tained that ladies introducing others to "the presence must be personally acquainted with, and will be held responsible for, those they introduce. Although, it may be added, no present limit is placed upon the number of Courts to be held next season, or of summonses to be issued for each, it is understood that the presentations at each Court will not exceed two hundred. There are thought to be likely to be two Courts before Easter and three during the summer; and full opportunity, therefore, will be given to those who really have any claim to attend. No doubt can be felt that the privilege was abused in certain cases in some recent years but the precautions now taken should prevent any repetition of that, Christmas is customarily considered to be a period during which studies are temporarily suspended, but that idea is being brushed aside at the present season by the constitution in London within the past few days of a Classical Association of England and Wales. The qbject of this newest of organised bodies is to avert, if possible, the danger of the exclusion of classical studies from the educa- tional system of the country; and it is explained in advance that its supporters are animated by no narrow intolerance of other studies, but that they believe that there is no better basis for education than the study of the classics. Happily, there is no reason to believe that this movement will rearouse that old contest between the partisans of the ancients and moderns in literature, which was fought out with such fierceness in the early days of the eighteenth century, with Bent ley as the great protagonist on the side of the ancients, and the permanent good result of which was to give to English literature Swift's immortal "Battle of the Books. In these times we take our literary and linguistic dis- putes less tragically but there can be no doubt that many among us regard with much serious- ness the constant attempts to reduce to a minimum the amount of classical training in our educational system, and to these, there- fore, the new movement will specially com- mend itself. Only a very few weeks ago a fire which for the moment seemed likely to threaten the lives of some hundreds of children broke out in an elementary school on the immediate borders of London; and as it has been followed by a similar outbreak at Glasgow, some alarm has been caused regarding the possibilities thus revealed, though it is happy to note that the training and discipline in each case were so excellent that no real confusion, and still Jess any danger, arose. But there is an aspect of the matter which, it would appear, appeals to the ratepayer as well as to the humanitarian, and that is that buildings of this kind, when belonging to a local authority, are apt to be uninsured. It seems that when a public body has control of non-hazardous property of great value, spread over a large area, the risk of fire is run, in order to save a considerable yearly sum in insurance premiums. Each local authority thus becomes in a sense its own insurance office but there is a manifest danger in this, if luck happens to run against it, and it may be that the policy will now be recon- sidered. Though we are still in December, there are evidently many foresighted people among us who are already thinking of next June. Among such are assuredly to be numbered those who are urging upon the authorities at our various popular sea-side resorts to establish bathing pools for the use and enjoy- ment of their visitors. There are conveniences of this kind already at some of our watering- places, and the Town Council of Scarborough is understood to be contemplating the making of one there. The suggestion is accordingly being put forward that at all sea-side resorts at which ib can be done, small areas at suitable places by the sea should be enclosed by piles, six inches apart, to about two or three feet above the water at high tide. Obstruction to navigation is, of course, strictly to be guarded against; but if these bathing pools could be formed—as they might be in many places—in enclosures between jutting-out rocks, it would add safety and convenience to various pleasure- giving spots. Just at this moment special interest attaches to a provision which is being inserted in a. Bill that has been deposited in the Private Bill Office of the House of Commons, seeking the sanction of Parliament. to the construction of a railway under the Thames between North and South Woolwich. That provision is expressly that there shall be no increase of fares on Bank Holidays, and to its insertion there hangs a tale. About a dozen years ago, a. well-known London journalist had his atten- tion keenly drawn to the hardship inflicted upon the very poor by the doubling of Bank Holiday fares on tram-cars. He at once put himself in communication with an active member of the House of Commons, who, per- ceiving that it was useless, in the then state of public business, to hope for the prompt pass- ing of any statute on the subject, made up his mind to propose the insertion of such a pro- Tision as has just been stated in every new train and tramway scheme that was laid bef ore Parliament. This he did, and after a first fight or two, the various companies found that opinion at Westminster was so decidedly against a continuance of the redoubling practice at holiday seasons, that they quietly gave way, and all trouble in that regard is now anticipated by the insertion of the neces- sary proviso in the bill previous to its coming before Parliament at all. e, The historic grape-vine at Hampton Court Palace has long been known, and much been talked of but there is something perei-iliarlv séasonable just now in hearing of a striking spectacle that is at this moment to be seen in the fine old gardens. That is the sight of large quantities of mistletoe growing upon the lime trees fringing the Lime Walk in front of the Palace, for of the scores of trees forming this avenue there is scarcely one which does not bear several fine bunches of, the plant. From some points of view it is pleasant to know that all these bunches are practically out of reach, some growing on the boughs as high as fifty feet from the ground; but it adds a touch of Christmas to the whole landscape to see that they are there. Antiquaries have long disputed as to the origin and precise meaning, of the ceremony traditionally associated with the mistletoe; but the young folk who for centuries have rejoiced for a special reason at its inclusion among the Yule- tide decorations, will be interested to hear of this latest association between Christmas and the mistletoe. R. j