Pride & Prejudice. In Moji, Japan, after they advised three newly elected beauty queens to be "chaste and virtuous and never easily seduced by men," city officials got hundreds of letters from male citizens, who complained that such advice was "a violation of basic human rights."

Next to Godliness ... In Columbus, Ohio, Carpet-Layer William Wolfe complained to police that the burglar who ransacked his house also took a bath, left a ring around the tub.

Spectator Sport. In Clinton, Ohio, Willie Williams told sheriff's deputies that he had set 27 fires, eleven of them in one day, because he disliked the town marshal and "wanted to see him work."

Thimbleful. In Palm Beach, Fla., charged with drunken driving, Caddy Donald Jackson was fined $100 despite his offhand denials: "All I had to drink was five shots of whisky and eight bottles of beer."

For Humble Pie. In Chicago, the Robert Moores decided to give their marriage another try after the judge learned that Moore's income was $65 a week, told him: "You're too poor to enjoy the luxury of a divorce. I suggest that you become reconciled . . . Start off by taking your wife to lunch."

Prescription. In St. Paul, state officials warned local citizens against the "tree surgeon" who charged fat fees for treating "sick"' trees with a mixture of aspirin and petroleum jelly.

Reappraisal. In Charlotte, N.C., after polling only 8,000 votes in a Democratic primary election for the U.S. Senate, Alvin Wingfield Jr. told reporters: "I think it is clear that the vast majority of our people do not agree with my ideas at this time."

For Your Information. In Durham, N.C., charged with obtaining more than $1,500 in fake death claims from the Charlotte Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., Insurance Salesman Leon U. King explained that he had falsified the claims merely "to disclose to the home office that it could be done."

Verbum Sap. In Martinsburg, W. Va., Farm Machinery Dealer Ray Albright put an ad in the Journal: ALL THIEVES please quit breaking into our store. We never leave any money around the place after closing hours.

Forced Landing. In Malton, Ont., when police saw Lyquint Kekoler sprinting down a runway of the local airport flapping his arms, they quickly nabbed him, despite his protest: "I'm trying to take off for Ottawa to discuss the world situation with the Prime Minister."

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