The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-02-11

1t appears then, says the Boston Journal, from
this statement that in these nineteen cities, in an
aggregate vote of over 61,000, the majority in
favor of licenses was only 2,122. Undoubtedly
there has been n growth in temperance senti-
ment which is reflected in these returns, but be-
yond that, this large vote against licenses in the
cities indicates IA reaction against the abuses Of
the existing system, which leads many men to
vote q" No, - by way OF protest against violations
and evasions Of "A law, which, if properly en-
forced, they would approye.-New Bedford
Mercury.
A GOOD story reaches US from Belgium, tue
truth Of which is guaranteed. A banking house
at Verviers recently received a letter from a bank
at Buda- Pesth. The recipients knew that II re-
lated to a matter OF great Importance but they
could not master the contents, as IL was written In
Hungarian. Accordingly one ofthe partners took
a journey TO Brussels, but nobody at the banks
could read Hungarian. There was still the Aus
tro-Hungarian Embassy, whittier the banker be-
took himself, to learn that there was an attach6
who spoke Hungarian but he had gone to Bar
ritz for sca-bathing. Almost i'm despair, the hero
Of the story called upon the burgomaster, with
whom lac was acquainted, and related his trouble.
After some thought, his Worship asked for the
letter, and the next day returned the original 10
the gentleman from Verviers, with a translation
in French, in a neat feminine hand. "To what
Hungarian fairy do ] owe this good fortune ~
asked the delighted banker. This is an affair
involving some millions, and | shall be happy
TO pay n handsome douceur TO the translator who
has enabled ne 10 get at the meaning or the let
ter in time to conclude the affair." 81 take you
at your word, > replied the burgomasier. " Give
Inc 10. 0O0fr. for the poor of Brussels. for the
translator is none other than the Queen. She has
experienced a lively satisfaction in employing her
knowledge Of the Hungarian language for the BEN
eft Of her subjects" The Queen OF the Belgians
is a daughter of the Archduke Joseph. whose ben.
efcial rule of Hungary 10 still remembered by the
people and she WIS born in the capital city our
ing her fathers palatinate.
The SPEED OF THoUGHT.-It is one Of the mis-
sions Of science to destroy a great many pet su per-
stitiOns. and it appears that the picturesque one
which represents drowning people as passing In
review IN n moment or two Of time all the events
of their past life must 90 the way OF many others.
this belief involves the assumption that thought
Is intantansous, or very nearly SO. But this 10
proved to be not at all the case. Thought has a
maximum Of speed, and If ideas could be present.
ed Mt a greater rate than this the mind would be
simply unable 10 receive them. We may Illus
trate what we mean by supposing a person stand
ing on a railway platform watching a train slow
Iy passing. If the movement Of the train is suE-
fciently slow he will be able to see distinctly the
faces of its passengers, bat if the speed be acceler-
ated beyond 4 given point the faces become quite
indistinct, and look mere blurs. Now iti is found
that what we may call the wave Of thought moves
at an appreciable rate o fspeed. Helmholtz found
that it required about a minute to traverse a mile
Of nerve that is to say, that its speed is equal to
that of a very fast railway train. The mere act
Of recognition of a sound or touch requires time,
which is stated at forty thousanths of a second.
Experiments have been made with great care and
accuracy, and their combined result went TO show
that the time required for a simple thought Is
never less than the 10th Of a second. This would
give 2,400 simple mental acts in a minute as the
utmost speed at which the mind is capable Of
working. And it follows that, if drowning per-
sons find all the events, and thoughts, and acts of
their whole life pass through their minds in q
second or two, they must have lived remarkably
uneventful and barren existences.