Daily camera., 1899-04-03
STRANGE SOCIETIES.
The Exnasrdinaty Objects of Some
NV Institutions
OAaneriSal SSAsass Of b~.eyo,e.tly.
nAAeA Fersons fer E>saS-
Ash1ng 0Ad EAte1-
pFi0es.

Many societies with the most out
landjsh objects have from time to time
been founded. Here are few cases Of
recent growth in London and else
where.
A lady Of means living in a large
provincial town quite recently founded
. select society for providing the work
ing clasSes with cheap. moral itera-
ture." That the specimens of work
turned out by this society are moral
there can be no question; that they are
cheap must be conceded, for they are
given away; but that they are itera-
ture may be open to grave doubt.
The really extraordinary feature Of
this society appears in the fact that
not only is The literature given away,
but the articles of the society provide
that all profits accruing from the sale
OF the societys pamphlets are to be de-
voted to the founding and mainten-
ance of a, society for the protection of
domestic servants"
Thus one thing leads to another, OF
would lead if the moral literature
sold. As it il, it is merely distributed
to small tradesmen, who wrap '.ha'-
porths of tea" and sugar in the pages
for the moral elevation of their Gus
toners. Every week a fresh budget OF
the "hterature" from the pen of the so
ciety's founder is distributed free
among the tradespeople round about.
Another society has been formed by
three or four ladies for the purpose OF
providing boys over the age Of 13 with
boxing gloves. The object sounds
l'ellicose, but really it was most pacific,
the society being impressed with the
belief that If street boys were given
more facilities for fighting With their
iists the use Of knives and granite
stones would eventually be numbered
among the dead arts
Therefore. to encourage fighting with
fists and at the same time to minimize
the facial damage which results from
bare fsticuffs, the society suggested
the distribution Of the softest and mos,
innocent Of boxing gloves Numerous
meetings Of the society were held, bu,
it never got beyond suggestions, and SC
grand boxing cont nsts at street cor
ners arc still things of the untamed fu-
ture.
The courage Of some people is really
stupendous! Fancy a sweet little so
eiety Of eight mortal beings having for
it's object compulsory arbitration in
international disputes" Yet. such a
society was actually founded. and with
no intention of being funny, either
The society had fund. too, amounting
TO something like & $50.
What this fund WAS for cannot be dA-
cided, but it was probably intended for
buying of claims made by one nation
against another.
II was unfortunate that the society
became extinct be4ore the outbreak OF
war between America and Spain. II
would have been interesting to watch
whether the society would have
bought Cuba from Spain and have pre-
sented it to America, thus presenting
the war.
If Nou take an acorn and pass through
it . thread by which it can be balanced
in water. the acorn will shoot in time
and little oak tree will grow out OF
the acorn--in more time. Well. q char.
itAbly inclined lady, the widow OF a
clergyman recently set on foot a
movement TO supply medicine bottles
and acorns TO dwellers in the Sums OF
london. that they might have in their
abodes the refreshing and eleveting in
huence of oak trees growing OUT Of the
neclxs of bottles.
There were many favorable, points
about the scheme. The members of the
society would besinterested in collect
ing acorns and suitable bottles; .he
poor receivers ofsthese miniature for
es,s would be edited by the progress OF
their acorns, and, until the acorns be
gan to shoot, they would have q long
and excellen, lesson in patience.
\ hundred bottled acorns were dis
tributed in the East End by the so
ciety'x workers, but for lack OF reason.
able support and cooperation the
scheme died down when. like one of iii
own acorns, it was just beginning &c
show some results.-London Nail.