The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-29 00:00:00

Importance of Newspapers to Women.

The Manchester Guardian reports an able sermon
on newspapers delivered on Sunday evening last by
the Rev. Brooke Herford. We take the following
extract :

" Let me especially urge the reading of the news-
paper as a distinct means of self-culture upon women.
It may sound strange at first, but I think it is almost
more important to women than to men ; and for
this reason, men are pretty sure to be kept up to the
level of what is passing in the world whether they
read the paper or not, but it is not so with women.
Men go out into the world from day'to day, They
can hardly help hearing what is going on. If they
do not read the paper itself, they get a glance at the
contents bill as they pass the news shops, or they
catch it up from the passing conversation of the day.
But women, in their quiet household life, may go on
for weeks hardly hearing a word of what is passing
in the great world outside, and the little that they
do hear conveying no living meaning to them. I
think this is a great evil. It not only narrows the
range of woman's life, but she loses a great deal of
happiness which would come of intellectual com-
panionship and community of interest with men,
with a brother, a father, or a husband. Is it no
too often the case that the wife and the husband
live in, to some extent,'different worlds of thought
and interest ? Why is it so ? Why have we that
so frequent complaint, that men sit at home
absorbed in thought, hardly saying a word of
what they are thinking about, or perhaps
poring over the newspaper, without a syllable
about what is in it ? It is often set doWn to a
man's mere incommunicativeness. And so it is
partly ; but don't put yourselves off with that.
Part of the cause lies deeper. It is because women
are so seldom educated to take an interest in what
is going ou in the world around them, and so would
be unable, without tedious explanations, to enter
into the news which each week brings from every
quarter of the globe. I know men ought to struggle
more than they do against this tendency to isolate
themselves, and to be more communicative on such
matters ; and I know, too, that, with a littlepatient
sympathy, women would soon learn to take the
same interest in them that men do. But remember
that men meeting in the world are accustomed to
exchange their thoughts about public events in brief
pithy comments one with another, and often hardly
could give long explanations, even if they would.
Therefore I would put it to women not to depend
on this, but to read the newspaper, as a distinct,
and to them especially important, part of self-cul-
ture ; and read it aright. You know at present,
when women do get hold of a newspaper, it is often
the case that the last thing they look at is that
which has most interest for men. Politics they
mostly vote a nuisance, and don't try even to under-
stand it ; and the foreign intelligence /night almost
as well be printed in Greek. I want to see that
altered. I would have every woman read the news-
paper for herself, not merely for half an hour's
amusement, but with the definite object of escaping
the natural danger of her quiet home life, and keep-
ing an open eye and an understanding mind, for the
passing history of nations, and the great interests
which are stirring the heart of the world."

COMPARISON OF THE COST OF WAR.—An ex-
haustive comparison of the cost of war now and for-
merly would be a most instructive and somewhat appalling
document. If we compare the cost of the arms and artillery
now in use, and their suitable ammunition, with the ruder
and cheaper weapons which contented us in the last war,
some of the figures are very startling. Tho old calculation
for a roan-of-war used to be roughly £l,OOO par gun ; a
three-decker, therefore, cost £lOO,OOO or £120,000. A first-
rate iron-plated vessel cannot, we believe, be completed
under half a million, and some of our experimental ships
are understood to have cost nearly twice that sum. A Minie
or an Enfield rifle, with its cartridge, is nearly five times
as expensive as the old Brown Bess. Even before conver-
sion into a breech loader an Enfield complete costs upwards
of £5. We doubt if the old musket, when manufactured
wholesale, cost much above 41. The rifle 12-pounder now
iu favour for field batteries costs £9O, and each shell it
fires 4s. The brass 9-pounder, which it superseded, cost £BO,
and its shell 3s. But as this would be worth as old metal
£5O, while the iron gun would scarcely sell for anything,
the true comparative figures would be £9O against £3O.
Lastly, the 68-pounder, formerly in use for fortifications
for shore batteries, cost £lOO, and its shot 4s. The Arm-
strong .9-inch 12-ton gun, with which we now arm our
forts, cost £1,200, and its iron ccrriago and slide £OOO
more; while the steel shells it fires cost £9 each. The
Palliser shell, which will probably supersede these, can be
made for 455. If the more costly missile be used, every
shot we fire in the next war from our great embrasures will
bo worth a £lO note.

A WRITING TELEGRAPII.—A young employj of
the Central Telegraph Office in Paris has invented a new
instrument said to be capable of transcribing every species
of writing and drawing; but instead of, as in the systems of
Bonelli and Caselli, using chemically-prepared paper, he
simply employs a wide strip or ribbon of the most ordinary
paper, on which the despatch is printed in printing ink of
any colour— blue, red, or any other. The great drawback
to this invention is that it only pretends to transmit fac-
similes, 5 centimetres (1.96 inch) broad, the width of the
tape; but in compensation for this fault it is stated that the
length of the band is unlimited," and that apparatus can
transmit 40 messages per hour. The transmitting instru-
ment consists of a cylinder 4.78 in. long, and 1.6 in. in
circumference, round which is wrapped the despatch to be
sent, written in ordinary characters upon tinned paper.
The message, in turning round the cylinder, presses against
a point, which traverses it in the direction of its length.
The receiving apparatus is composed of an endless screw,
lft. Sin. long, the thread of which, making rather less than
one revolution, rubs against n n idkJd roller, and turns round
above a band of white paper, which unrolls with the same
velocity as the point travels at the despatching apparatus.
Ruth instruments work by means of weights, the move-
ment being, as in other apparatus of this nature, controlled
by electricity, isochonism being indispensable between the
movement of the point and the turning of the endless
screw. When the current passes, an electro-magnet holds
the paper at a distance from the screw ; but when the cur-
rent is intercepted, in consequence of the point having
touched the non-conducting ink of the despatch, the band
is pressed by a spring against the spiral screw, and a dot
is made corresponding to the part of writing traced by the
point at the other eud of the line. The director-general
of the administration of the telegraph lines of France
kindly placed at the disposal of M. Meyer 360 to 380 kilo-
metres of a very circuitous route for the essay of his appa-
ratus, and the success has been greater than was antici-
pated.—Builder.
A GREAT ENTERPRISE.—The work of construct-
ing the new railroad between Camden and Mount Holly,
which will soon be commenced, is an enterprise of very
great importance. This road was originally designed for
a horsecar track, but the company made such slow progress
in building it that at last the Camden and Amboy Company
obtained possession of it., and have already nearly com-
pleted the preliminary arrangements for commencing the
work. Instead of a horse car road steam is to be employed,
and its construction will open speedy communication with
Philadelphia for a large scope of rich and well cultivated
agricultural country. Besides, it will form a more direct
route to Mount Holly than the present via Burlington.
VOLUNTEERING SIXTY YEARS AGO.—Early in
this century a company of dragoons were quartered in
Dundee for a considerable time. A sham fight had been
arranged to take place on the ground east of Broughty
Castle, at which the dragoons and Athole Highlanders had
parts appointed to them. The Fife and Forfarshire Militia
were also on the ground. In course of the manoeuvres the
dragoons were ordered to charge the Athole Highlanders,
and the latter were ordered to fall back. This order pro-
duced muttering, " She'll nae gae back," and when their
officers urged them further the muttering became louder at
the insult, as they deemed it. "She'll nao gae back," as
with fierce looks they drew themselves into position to
" receive cavalry." As this was a sham and not a real
fight the dragoons had no mind to ride upon the bayonets
of the enraged Highlandmen. But this disobedience of or-
ders could not be overlooked. General Mackenzie then lived
in Dundee, and he was commander-in-chief in this affair. He
came up at the gallop with his staff, and seeinghow matters
stood, and the black looks of the Highlanders, he ordered
them fortwith off the ground. About the tea hour the in-
habitants of the Seagate of Dundee were startled by very
loud military music. It was the Athole Highlanders
marching proudly, with drums beating, colours flying,
trumpets sounding, and bagpipes screaming—in fact, all
making as much noise as possible, letting off the steam
of their anger to the tune of " Whaur hae ye been a' the
day, bonny laddie, Highland laddie ?"—Dumfries Standard.
Why is the rinderpest like a mouse ? Because th
cat'll catch it.