Thursday, August, 18, 2005

100 years ago

For some time the problem of a pure milk supply had engaged not only the Board of Agriculture, but also that of the various health authorities up and down the country. It had long been held by medical men that the presence of deleterious adulterants, and the handling and treatment of the milk after it had been received from the cow had had much to do with the spread of certain diseases and had had a very serious effect on the physical condition of the people. A society had been formed under the title of "The Wensleydale Pure Milk Society," the object being to guarantee, under certain stringent conditions, an absolutely pure supply of milk daily to the North of England under the most favourable conditions. The North Eastern Railway had come to the aid of the society by erecting a building at Northallerton, which was to be the central depot of this new organisation.

50 years ago

It had been noticed that ever since jeans and close-bobbed hair had reached their peak of popularity, there had been a slow but certain return of femininity. Swishing skirts, rustling materials and longer softer hairstyles were now the order of the day. Evening skirts were now available with the new Lurex thread, mostly in black with brightly coloured Lurex. This was untarnishable and did not alter the expected 'life' of the material in the least. Hats, according to the Paris designers, would be really outrageous this season. One creation was described as having a complete fox's head sticking way out in front, but the nearest to that we had in the provinces, was a little cap in beaver fur, strongly resembling that worn by Ann Blyth in the film "Rose Marie," except that the tail was replaced by a bobble.

25 years ago

Teachers from all over the world were gathering in York to promote the culture of their classical forefathers. Over the week the air around the College of Ripon and York St. John would become heavy with learning. And as the words of Latin and Greek philosophers, poets and playwrights, wafted around the campus, Socrates himself would perhaps be smiling down in approval. The Association for the Reform of Latin Teaching had chosen York for this year's summer school and the course had attracted 70 classicists -- some coming from as far away as Canada and Switzerland. The week included lectures, discussions, and practical classes on classical architecture, and nearly the whole course would be conducted in Greek or Latin.

Updated: 09:21 Thursday, August 18, 2005