A STORY OF AN M.L.C.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1601, 5 July 1887, Page 3

A STORY OF AN M.L.C.

. WONDER WHO IT WAS, "Clvlb" contributes the following to the ." Otago WitDesa " :— Sydney Smith's definition of "charity ' is well known: " A vehement desire m A that B should ! give something to O." Most of our jubilee charity sshemas come well within this definition. Save In the case of Mr and Mrs Davis, whoße jubilee gift is £10,000, conspiciuous examples of generosity m this part of the Kmpire there are nooe. We ace j ill too much absorbed m exhorting other people to be generous, An example of parsimony m high places which has a distinctly jubilee flavor about it is communicated to me by a correspondent. He writes as follows — " A rather rich yarn is told about an M. L.0., no ed m Parliamentary cire'es for his parsimony. In order to enable tbe Otngo members to reach their homes on Saturday night, it will be remembered that a special train was told off to bring them from Christchurch to Dunedin. As a consequence a number of railway employes were. deprived of their usual Sunday's rest, the engine etc, having of course to be returned to Ohrifitchnrch on that day. With a view to recompense them m some slight degree, a proposal was made that each free traveller — m other words, all the passengers— ahould contribute a quartor of a sovereign towards a presentation to them. All Bpoken to willingly contributed hie " quart! r." The M.L.O. m question, who wai strolling on the platform of a country station when the proposal wat moo ed, had been missed m taking toll. A popular M.B.R. was deputed to wait on this worthy m order to obtain hi* contribution, but previous to leavlnp hU Minds wager j were freely offered (but not taken, it is scarcely necessary to say) on the non-Buccess of his mission. Ap proaching the M L.C. with sjme misgivings the member of the less exalted chamber mildly explained the object of his mission. " Five shillings ! ' exclaimed the noble " lord," " what extravaganoe ! — here is a shilling for you, and they may think themselves well paid ! " The M. H,R. who quite lost his presence of mind at this outburst of liberality on thtpart of one who had hitherto possessed tho reputation of being impregnable on every occasion on which an appeal had been made to his pocket, mildly accepted the shilling, and returned triumphant to his comrades. A consultation was held as to what should be done witn the un-looked-for donation. One cf the members suggested that it should be framed and hangup within th? precincts of the House to show that the hon member's pocket acually could be reached, but It was ultimately decided that the better plan to adopt would be to " recommit the question " m order to give the donor as opportunity to reconsider the oonrse of action he hud adopted. Accordingly back went M. H. R to M.L.O. shilling m hand, and informed him that they had decided to return his donation, as they had no wish to deprive him of so Urge a sum. M.L.O. proved m noway averse to this courae being adopted, for ere M.H.R. had time to apologetically state his case, the despised shilling wa<= eagerly snatched out o. his hand and sa'ely deposited m iti original resting place, the hungry look m the possessor* face rapidly giving place to one of self satisfactlou as be resumed his walk on the platform. For the credit of Otae ■ I am glad to say that the parsimonious M L.O. does not belong to this put of the colony, merely having taken advm tage of the opportunity of playing tbe " dead head " to pay a visit to Dunedin."

A "Central N ewa". telegram '. from New York says: — "Dr M'Laughlin, head physician of the Philadelphia Hospital, reports the marvellous and unprecedented cure of thirty patients m the last stage of consumption solely by means of injections of carbonic aoid gas. The gas is prepared according to the system described m a recent paper by a professor m the Lyons University. The medical authorities at the hospital express the belief that an absolute cure for consumption has been found." The Sultan of Morocco recently punished ona of his 3ubject3, who persisted m smoking m violation of the recent decree probiting the use of tobacco, by having his lips out off. The " New York Sun " gives an account of the removal of a thousand-legged worm nearly two inches long from the ear of Annie Schieldberger, a little girl, it having been m her head for the last two years. For a few days it wa3 thought she would bo entirely restored to health after the worm came out, but she suddenly became totally deaf and blind. Taamanian statistics show that the crop of potatoes to as trebled itself m ten years m that colony. Arrangements for starting the parcel post m the colony |are proceeding satisfactorily, and the system will shortly be inaugurated. A sword of honor which was 'being sent to General Boulanger from his Russian admircrß has been stopped at a Russo-German frontier station, and sent back to the donors. The North Otago "Times " says that Mr R. Lear, gardener at Totara Park, has succeeded remarkably well with a rather prolific kind of potato he has been growing. During the first week m August last the seed was planted, and on the 10th November the potato had ripeoed. On the 28th October another lot was planted, and these were dug at the New Year. Still another lot was planted, this time m thfi middle of March, and they were dug on the 30th ult. The potato was raised by Mr Lear, and can apparently aocomodate itself to any season of the year. It is a good early and a capital late potato. With qualifications like these it should find groat favor. The potato is a nicely shaped tuber, and from outward appearances of good quality.