MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1188, 4 October 1882, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

A paragraph at present going the rounds of the Press about the abolition of fourpenny pieces recalls to mind an anecdote. When the British mint ceased to issue these coins, the question was asked in the House of Commons why this particular coin had been abandoned. The Under-Secre-tary for the Treasury replied. A Scotch member, notorious for his extreme penuriousness, was then moved to ask why they had ever been coined. The Under-Secretary looked nonplussed and would probably have asked that notice should be given of the question, when the late Lord Beaconslield (then plain " 1/izzy ") was observed to whisper to him, after which the Under-Secretary rose, and amidst roars of laughter gravely stated "it was in oider to encourage Scotchmen to be generous — but it had been a failure." The " Bruce Herald " is responsible for the following: — " At Green Island they either get peculiar school teachers, or are themselves a peculiar people — probably the latter. At the last meeting of the local School Committee, one of the members said that it appeared to him there was an educa-tional-curse on the district. The first master was so persecuted that he ended his career in a lunatic asylum. The second was hounded and goaded by the mearly and milky aristocracy, because he did not bear the othodox ecclesiastical badge ; and now they had the third charged with incapacity, peculiarity of tcmber, and lack of prudence. Where was this to end V