MELBOURNE TOWN TALK.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1858, 4 June 1888, Page 2

MELBOURNE TOWN TALK.

[by otjb own oobkkspondkxt.

I hare no political news thia W6ek, for things politic are completely at a Btand> still, The Chinese question (of whloh we are all heartily sick) continues to absorb 'he mind of every polltlcan to the otter exclusion of eveiythlng else. I hive a friend in the House, the jovial and ornate member for East M , to whom I sometimes apply for the latest on dits, and to this Sic Oracle lmfc week I tendered a mild reqnest for the where-wltbal to give my readers « few political paragraphs. 11 My dear fellow," he answered effusively, "Impossible. I can't give yon anything for political para." "Bat why t" I questioned innocently, forgetful of my friend's fondness for a joke. "WhyV "Political para are out of the question, because just now it's all— -a political pintie." Crime, as is well known, Ib episodic, and one of the strangest and most curious utudier is that of the statistics of crime; Look at our record daring the last twelve months or so. First it was outrages on women, then burglary, and now it is infanticide that is attracting the pnblio attention. Recently, shame to say, quite a cycle of this cowardly crime, infanticide, Be.ms to have Bet In. I have counted no less than nine cases in the papers within the last fortnight. Three newly -bom dead infants have been found in Prahran, oneat the Kensington State-sohooJ, one. at Preston, another at Oaulfield, and several rrore at other places. After one o'f the. inquests the Coroner remarked that whereas he used to hold not more than one or two in a month he had now three or four, and he did not know what was coming over the female population of Victoria But, like all ill winds, this bad state of affairs will lead to good in a meas are, for public attention having been: directed to the matter, It is generally underd'ood that we are to have a Found* ling Hospital in the city— an institution we have wanted ever since Melbourne was Melbourne' With all our wealth, our prosperity, and our progress, it has been a shame and a disgrace that we have had no home, no institution for the poor . innocent, deserted, motherless babes, whose birthright ia that of sin and shame. Press business happened to take me to Parliament House this «reek, and whllit waiting for the member I wished to see, I had time for a thorough examination of ' the new Vestibule. Upon the floor ran , the legend, "Where no Oounoil I* the ( people fall, but In the multitude of Councillors there Is wisdom,—* very elegant proverb, but not quite so true as Its more vulgar reflex, " Too many cooks 1 Bpoll the broth." Apropos, however, of " multitude of Councillors," I learn on ( the best anthorlty that they are to have asubstaatial addition ahortly In the penoa of our learned and able Q.0., Mr Purves, All this speeohifying of his, and presiding at the Australian Natives' Association, are but preliminary steps to running for Parliament. He will be a great and valuable addition to tha House when he does take his aeat. I mentioned a week or two ago tomething about an aitoundlng occurrence that took place in town, when two lads, aged respectively ten and thirteen, " stuok op " q and robbed another boy of twelve, rifling t his pockets In true highwayman style. . Ba l l was dreadfully shooked to read in the " Argus " that this example of youth* ful depravity has bean surpassed in * Sydney, where' a lad of ten actually stabbed another boy to death. It U terrible to read of such things, too terrible to think of them. When our adolescents commit Buoh orim9s, what are we to ex* pec. from men 1 There is every reason to suppose that a a somewhat unique case will see the light a shortly in the law Courts. The cause of t the action, it is said, is the exposure by k . well known private enquiry office, of the - portrait of a~ highly respectable young lady resident in Melbourne, among the photographs of persons " wanted." The principal of the bureau has been, warned for keeping the portrait and leaving it open to the public gaza, and has been requested to remove it. As he has not done bo, the matter has been put into the lawyers' hands, and the outcome of it it will no doubt be heard In Court, [I There Is a great deal of talk going on y In social olroles just now about the oonduot of oertaln of the Government Bouse , people when at the theatre. Our Governor and his charming lady have a pretty strong following, and the vice-regal box, . in the absence of Sir Henry and Lady '• Loch, Is very often given over to their * party. Then firom start to finish of the play, oeaselesß chatter and constant laughter prevail, and everything that !• done by those around to silence the annoyance ia reoeived with disdain, Of r course this never takes place when the e Lochs are there — they would not permit It for one teoond, both being, above nil, oourteous and regardful of others. One a thing ie pretty certain, however, and that Is this If the nuisance continues Governy ment House will suffer the humiliation of i, having one of its set forolbly ejeoted by , the management. I know such will be j the case, for one of our theatre managers, with whom I am friendly, assures me he s will do It the very next time without compunction. We all know the proverb " Faire d 1 wne 0 mouche un OMphant" to make an elephant r of a fly, or Anglicb, a mountain of mole* r, hill ; bnt I don't think it was ever better y exemplified than ia the case of the Chinamen who came to Melbourne in the Albany from Adelaide. In faof, he can 2 be prond of his own Importance, for not- " withstanding that he was the only Chinese 1 passenger and a resident of Adelaide and 1 had naturalization papers, the whole maohinery of Government was put in , motion en his account. No sooner did ' the steamer arrive at the Heads,, thin 5 there wad telegraphing In every direction, a muster of police, a oounoil of war, and general exoltement, followed by the detection of the vessel for a whole day, And the beat of It all was that the Ohlnamin was quite Indifferent to it all, and was'nt s particular whether halanded or went baok ; to Adelaide. Of course we sympathlza . with the Government In its prompt , measures, but it is somewhat ridiculous that a harmless resident of Adelaide ' coming by sea to visit his friends should t have been treated the same aa if he had come from China with a forged certificate of naturalization. What depthß of misery must exist In this great city underneath the veneer, of . prosperity and health a meroiful Provl-r ' denoe alone can tell ; but judging fro.ni ; what orops up every now and again, there. must be a terrible amount of wretohedneßß and penury. Take for example this * advertisement, which J clipped from one : of the dailies. '* A lady of good family, " entirely without means, with a thorough knowledge of feminine education and all the higher accomplishments, would be deeply grateful to anyone who would give her occupation, not particular ai to what. No remuneration expected beyond a home." If this isn't a piteous appeal I know not what is, and what is wone, it is hardly singular— many such an one appears now and again, telling of some forlorn woman, destitute and helpless ia 'this hard struggle for existence I truly hope this poor and unfortunate advertiser will find some kind and responsive soul to anawer her appeal,

St. Nicholas is one of the most; populati aajnta jn thp calendar. In England alqn^ nearly 400 ohurbb.es have been raised m ma honour. Yet he was not even a European. Ho was born at Patara, m Asia Minor, and died Arohbiahop of Myra, under the persecution of Diocletian. "Bough ox Itch." — "Bough on Itoh," cure akin humors, eruptions, ring worm, tetter, salt rheum, frosted feet, obilblftUUi itoh, iv; p, oieoo, b^ bore' itcb f . 1 1