Tárogató, 1947-1948 (10. évfolyam, 3-10. szám)
1947-10-01 / 4. szám
14 TÁROGATÓ less odorless poison — alpha-napthylthiourea, shortened to antu—has been invented. It is a greyish powder, spread where the rats run; when they lick thenfeet to clean them, they get enough antu to kill them. THE MILK OF HUMAN KINDNESS (UNNRA distributed many cows sent to China by various organizations, and this letter, sent by a missionary to his mother in England, reflects something of the pleasure of the recipients.) Our children wish the cow to be called Celeste, after the Queen of Elephants... Celeste had suffered a good deal en route, but is now gradually picking up. The milk increases day by day. Our cook used to keep a dairy and he is helping with her, but we are trying to get a cowman. We have heaps and heaps of fresh milk and are giving away and selling some. Fixed to the ear of the cow was a little metal disc with a cap to it. We unscrewed the cap and in the disc was a curled-up message on paper. The message ran: Greetings of brotherhood from The Church of the Saviour, Hanford, California, U.S.A. May the milk of human kindness gladden your heart as the milk from this heifer nourishes your body. SEARCHING FOR OIL The search after oil is proceeding in the Far North, and some thirty-five thousand square miles in Alaska are being combed for traces of the coveted fluid, every known device for discovering rock formations which favour the finding of oil being utilized, and this search is going on despite cold and most forbidding conditions. The chief camp is at Point Barrow, but the most dramatic feature is the camp two hundred miles south of Barrow, in a region lacking roads, supplies and inhabitants. There are some hundreds of men at work in this inhospitable region, and it is confidently expected that soon the Arctic’s hidden treasures in oil will be brought to the light of day. ROYAL MAIL A small boy who kept on seeing red vans inscribed Royal Mail once remarked to his mother: “What a large post the Royal Family must have.” Well, as most of us know, Royal Mail vans carry everybody’s letters, but the Royal Family does indeed have a large post, and a special office called the Court Post Office deals with it. This office has been working overtime lately because of the large increase in letters, parcels, telegrams, and telephone messages following the engagement of Princess Elizabeth to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten. Court mails have been ten times greater than usual. CASTAWAY CAT Cats often get into strange places, but we should hardly expect to find one on a raft at sea, for puss heartily dislikes water. Nevertheless, a tortoiseshell cat was found the other day alone on a raft in the middle of the English Channel. It was rescued by a passing fishing boat, given some fish and a saucer of milk, and was soon purring again. It is believed that the cat belonged to the Greek steamer Heron which had been sunk in a Channel collision a day or two earlier. UNPALATABLE TRUTH The truth is not always pleasant, and there is often a disposition on the part of public men to soften it down so that it will not strike too hard upon the prejudices and habits of their hearers. The custom of a leader surrounding himself with “Yes-men” is a very old and common one, and a very pernicious one; for humanity seems often to prefer a pleasant lie rather than a disagreeable truth. Yet always the people pay for the rejection of the truth. The pleasantest lie may be exceedingly dangerous, as kings and emperors have found to their sorrow. Lying prophets were common enough in ancient Israel, and are by no means yet extinct. A disagreeable truth is always to be preferred to the
