Following Brian Kingslake's article on 'The Oyster Technique' in our last issue, Mrs Margaret Holloway has kindly sent us this nice picture of girl divers bringing up oysters from the sea bed off Japan - not the original 'Pearl Fishers' - they came from Ceylon.
Swedenborg has something to say about Biblical references to 'merchants'. They apparently represent those who 'deal' in spiritual virtues of one sort and another. Their 'goods' are of different kinds - gold, silver, precious stones, fine linen, oil, grain, wine - all manner of things, including, of course, pearls. 'A fine pearl', we're told, stands for 'charity or the good of faith' - an obscure definition which I take to mean kindness - at least, that's a sound reason for using pearls as gates to the Holy City. Ed.