From the archives

25 YEARS AGO BILLY Stark, a man of many valuable goals in his time with St Mirren and Aberdeen, made another important contribution to his Celtic career when he scored the only goal of this fourth-round Scottish Cup replay in 79 minutes at Easter Road. Until Stark headed in from close range, this hard-fought tie seemed destined to complete another 90 minutes without a goal. Both sides had been so well organised, the pace had been so frenetic, and the defences so secure, that the odds were on extra time being necessary. However, Celtic did raise their game after the interval and their midfield superiority was such that if nay side was going to break the deadlock, they looked the better bet. With Stark, Burns, and McStay overcoming their opposite numbers, including John Collins, who was watched by the Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish, the pressure on Hibs was severe. 50 YEARS AGO THE telephone is perhaps the finest commonplace mechanical guide to character in the modern world, and in no way do those who use it reveal themselves more completely than in their various methods of answering it. This thought is prompted by a startling announcement from New York by Mrs Lillian Grover Jones, granddaughter of Alexander Graham Bell. According to her, Mr Bell, the man who caused the whole civilised world to start saying “Hullo,” never used the expression himself, but instead invariably used to answer the phone with the exclamation “Hoy, hoy.” This expression is cheerful, friendly and simple, and at the same time it conveys in the nicest possible way the impression that the caller had better have something worth saying. 100 YEARS AGO A START has been made by the Visitors’ Club of Largs to repair the damages caused by the storm of November and December last to the Bowen Craig Walk, a path road to the shore, which was made available by the club a number of years ago. The Earl of Glasgow has most generously repaired the south end of it, from the Battle Memorial to the Fairlie Road, in a temporary manner free of cost to the club. A small part of the walk at the north end is within the burgh boundaries, and the burgh authorities have undertaken the repair of that portion. For the rest the club have had to depend on public assistance, and an enthusiastic committee of ladies has already made a house-to-house visitation and collected a sum approaching £100. 150 YEARS AGO A MOVEMENT having been set on foot last week, having for its object the presentation of a shawl of Paisley manufactured from the weavers’ wives and daughters of this town to the Princess Alexandra, about to become Princess of Wales and Baroness of Renfrew, the shawl was selected yesterday from 21 samples sent in to the committee by seven of the principal manufacturers. We had the pleasure of seeing this specimen of the Paisley long shawl today, and we have no hesitation in saying that it is a singularly beautiful article, the design being chaste and elegant, and the colours brought out with a distinctness which was never surpassed in the productions of the Cashmere loom. The present is in fine taste and highly appropriate, and the Princess is certain to look charming in her Paisley shawl.