Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-09-28
This Wide World.

There is quite Il stir among MISSIONARIES
and travel. rs il, the Parlil3 STANDS, p
cause the Australian communicating 10Y
eminent and the Pdpuan local ADMINS
tration have refused TO insist that me ma
tiycs be clothed in European g;trb. Inc
government will take no step 10 compel
any departure from native customs winch
is not absolutely necessary. OficialS " ::
that the natives are far more modest
when in their primitive simplicity than
when they have become sufficiently so
phisticated to desire the trousers or the
white nian. Tn, attempt 10 cl0the til"
natives rs soon as they come into contact
with whites IS, it il stated, largely re-
sponsblj. fer the enormous percentage OF
deaths. ''Th, people in such Il climate as
theirs are better without clothes, says
Dr. Smith, the medical officer Al Adelaide.
In one of the main villages Dr. Smith
visited the native population had d"lh-
died down from 500 TO 90 because, ne
says The missionaries had rccomm" Hued
converts to wear clothes. Clothes, &C
cording to Or. Smith. meant for the Pa
clfic islanders pneumonia, consumption
and death.
Felix Bard writes that from the China
mans ovnrgroWn etiquette "en:anatr the
,'SaSperatins practices OF fraud. dissimu-
lation and triGkery." 4 speak on ms
association of several years with natives
of ell ranks authorizes me to assert tina:
the bent OF their minds is such that they
absolutely refuse to admit that two and
once, having barg5tined for a sale at the
rate of sixteen ounces to the pound, he
has found that the goods were TO be
weighed by {; tWclve-Ouncn pound, and
had To- begin the bargaining once more.
He adds that a merchant never hesitates
70 deliver fraudulent or inferior goods if
h" thinks he can escape detection. He
himself has found small! shot in cocoons,
the holes through which they were in
serted being carefully sewcd l;E and COW
cred with silk. He has found needles in
f fnsa tk..v
their weight: bricks and pieces of iron ar.
TO he found in bales OF merchandise, fine
~ cut chicken feathers mixed with cider
down.
Says an English observer: The ma
lority of the laborIng classes who have "A
lIalf-hOlidly on Saturday and do no work
on Sunday so back To work on Monday
most unwillngly, and, instead OF being re-
newed for toll they seem to be SO untitled
for work and so unwilling to return TO il
that many employers hardly expect the
men to turn up on the first working day
of the week. for Monday has been so con-
Stantly dedicated to drink and laZineSs as
generally to be called Saint Monday. The
same misuse of what are known as bank
popular festivals, it is most difficult to get
the workers to start again or Tuesday,
which on these occasions is generally re-
arri1 ds dgG dn on IN trades
How strange are literary condolences
occasionally Is illustrated in thc case Of
L nlckefaN ana Dumas. IlacRcray says:
Il came near writing n book on the same
subject. Les TroiS MouSquetarrS. and
taking NJ. d'Artagnan for my hero
- Nrtagn"n Wa Ii r":. character Of the
age of Louis NV. and wrote his own mo
mcirs. | remember picking Up dingy
copy of them on an old boollstAN in Lon
don. price sixpenc". and intended 10 make
something of it. Eut Dur'Ls got ahead OF
Niche snaps UP everything" 4 CouCi-
dence quite as remarkable occurred with
Sir Conan Doyle for central figure He
learned while spending a holiday in 9
mountain i'm. in Switzerland, tina. durinl,
the winter months. for some reason. two
men remained IT. occupation. For four or
five months they were isolated from the
rest of the world. Suppose one uf them
went mad. or committed suicide. Or
Tb" possibilities We're endless. He forth
with determined 20 "r,oOdy the idea in a
story. On his W. home lie happened to
There in it, under the title "L'Aubevge"
he found himself foreStallcd i'll every rar-
tlcular.
In the Pekin Times this story is told of
lfongkonG In the womcn's Cabir yer,.
four wash basins. ono Of which was much
larger than the others. Their. wcr.. three
women IT. 'he tahin. whose husbands |
was \ great discussion as to which was
emitted to the big basin. 1t was at last
referred TO the captain. who gave i de- |
IS only fair that tie oldest lady shouli |
have the biggest basin" That basin waS
not again used during tn whole voyagn
home.
In connection with the first appf
81 I3mhgno. the singer who died recently |
IN Eerdis ''Otelio." in February, 1SS7. Tho
following story is told: At III. rehearsal
fallen by his own hand prostratc arrnss
The body OF DesdemOna, he. not noticing y
step leading up TO the bedside, slipped
ana rolled to the ground. He was about
to apologize. when Verdi. who was al
rectlng the performance, called out in cv
fitcd admiration that it was as It should
be done and lie must never do il ntbar |