NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 593, 23 August 1909, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

'Everyone will be' glad .to know; that] Lieutenant- ' ; SHACEnBTON's:; : ..financial;! troubles arc over, and -that) owing to tho grant of £20,000 by the British Government towards :the cost,,of the '■'. i recentAntarctic, expedition, "everything, is right now." No word is.likely to be raised in Parliament or country against this grant;': indeed, thoro' is a general feeling, in England that the Government is not doing enough for the encouragement of science and, exploration. It seems to bo taken for granted that- another British expedition is to sot out at an early date for the Soiith Pole, and it is.quite evident that Scorr, Shackleton, and other adventurous. souls will never be happy till one of them gets thcrcl Of .course- every, .Britisher hopes that .the first man to roach the coveted, spot will be ono of our own people, though if a foreigner arrives first wo,will not be tho I last to shottt "Bravo .1" It is true that no commercial advantages' are likely to result from tho discovery, but it; is_ a healthy and hopeful sign when men aro ; prepared; to endure hardships and even risk their lives for the sole purpose of 'increasing- , human knowledge .without thought of financial gain. It is only a strong, virile nation that can breed such men, and when the supply of these dauntless spirits who are ready to do and ... dare •caaaea the' end of. oational

greatness is in sight. The production of Dreadnoughts innumerable will not save a pooplo which cannot produce the right stamp of men to handle them. It was the adventurous navigators of bothan days who defeated the Spanish Armada. ■

The unbolievors who do not appear to have boon converted by the "apport phenomena" so far produced • by Mn. Charles Bailey, the Molbournc medium now visiting Wellington, are not likely to bo convinced that is a spirit agency at work by the performance of the "mango trick" promised for the next seanco. Indeed, though may provo interesting and impressive, the vory, fact that it can bo performed by living persons, and is performed as a trick, robs it of its valuo as a spirit demonstration, and raises at once the suggestion that; othor demonstrations by, tho medium come within the same category. History tolls us.of isome wonderful magicians, who did far more -unaccouritable things 'than-'Mb.' Bailey,: and yet they did, not convert the .world to spiritism. Take the case iof Maxim us, the. friend and adviser of the BJiraROB Julian-in the' fourth century. His '.'phenomena" - included items far more startling' than telepathy and thought-reading (though he < was an adept at these things), and he could even' give' more marvellous . demonstrations than,; "appoi-ts" and mango-growing.; Eusedius informed Julian that Maxijius had commerce) with: those .'spirit powers which drove men to madness. ' By■' burning W few grains of frankincense-and ■repeating a.'Hymn, he had' madd the statue of Hecate-first smile and then laugh outright." -"When wo were alarmed: at the sight,' , /continued Eusebius,', "he 'cried, 'Do not be frightened] in a moment tlie, torches in the hands, of the goddess will light up. ,. And- quicker'than the word; thero. ; they' were all- aflame." i'This; account, so whetted the appetite of Julias for. tho occult that he went off to Ephesus at once ■to consult Maximus,' This great medium, or magician, 'subsequently fell into disgrace, and towards the end of the, reign oi'.Valens he .crossed the line that, separated magic, from treason. • At a ztance a : question was asked as to; who should be tho next Emperor.'.'A' metal bowlbearing* within.its; rim the letters of the alphabet was placed.on the table, one of the company holding between his fingers a ring suspended from a' thread. The ring vibrated within tho .bowl and touched one letter af|er;. another. ,'■; '.If spelled. out "THEOD" and then stopped The thing .leaked out.. It was a l 'case of "inquiring against the life of the,, Enir peror" and all: concerned ;woro: piit- to death;-■Maximus was not actuallymcsent,'but ho had heard-about it and nad not reported the secret, so ho -perished with the;others; The next Emperor.was. ThEodosius. , Was ;Maximds a fraud or .a .rogue 1:' When/■ AedesiusJ another -celebrated magician, displayed;- ah oracle printed on his 'hand, was.hot "this sOme kind .*' of trickery 1 '■', These questions still await a decisive and :final.answer. ■';'.-A glimpse such; as': this 'into, the -by-ways of-history .often give's as true an insight \irito the daily life and thought of a i people as the story of political , ; intrigues, great, battles; and'social reforms. ;,'; C '

■'.''NBW.-ZBALAMD'.-has-'again.'/'iseoiired.-'v'thß athletic premiership or Australasiai'.and the members of the team' which , wound Up its i.'/splendid.;'performance l''-:at 'Bris' bane on Saturday thoroughly deserve the congratulations which will be showered lipon them-. -,The -'team, although .it showed itself to-be;composed of:first-rate athletes; was not,the very best.that could, have been sent away.,': Had the strongest possible combination gonoto , Australia, two more championships seemed to be within its grasp.'--; ai ßut<%toi ''asfit isVthe result is as handsome- as can be The; New : Zcalanders .contested■•.•>;;ten events/ and they>secured .eight firsts (one in' a,; dead-heat) /and "onb- second.i It , .'.is oxtremejy dbubtfulfVhethervahjy: .athletic; team. ip.thp history .of these contests, can show an achievement that can beat'this, especially when the- all-round character of the victory is; taken into ;accpunt,:: Of late years athletics' have .taken , a secondary place in tho affections of theisportii)g public,■ ;alth6ugh there has, been ;a mild .-revival' , in • the last ■ year.'? or , two; There was;a;time—the , days ; of ; Hempton, , Batoeis,";: Burton.' ; the Woods, Low, ■ aii & tho running-track, was as ■popular as the- football ground. < ; -The growth of cash cycling did much to. turn public interest 1 away from/amateur athletics,; and ; the partial ■' eclipse "was/ carried da, when cash cycling fell' off in'; popularity, by the zeal6u_s devotion of the athletes' and the:public.; to..' Rugby football/'- Tho triumph :■ of:. the, Now:. Zea--land representatives at;Brißbane will not receive the recognition-., duo to ..it if it does not lead to a vigorous attempt by the'governing bodies of the sport to,gain for * athletics iits-deserved . place'in ;the world of siiort. ■■:v. , ."' ! r- : ; : -v'.'-: /,:»■ ; -: : '■-.'■'■', V

■'. All'of our .wo* suppose,: "arc acquainted .with' Sin Joseph ourito, controversial; weap.on,;. which, is, ,of; course," that crushing statement, 'Under which ' criticism ,crumples .Up, that there 'is a; gang 'of traitors who spend their-time in obtaining: the publication of damaging references to, Now. Zealand in tho,British press.: Nothing irritates the, 'Prime 'MiNiSTEu'so: much: as the. publication in En'gland of figures relating v.to the public debt, of this country. AVords almost fail bird when ho sets out to,express his : opinion upon tho subject... We, do not suppose, however, that , ho will object to the statomcut; by, Mil. LloydGfcORGE, which was cabled:to us this week, that l the land taxes,are working so smoothly, here that .'.'New .Zealand:, lias offered a .Dreadnought out of her own taxes.".' At, anyratq,-we have: not heard that Siit Joseph has written to -The Times'to correct!.the Chancellor ■ of (the. Exchequer. At the same, time, it is to bo hoped,,that tho people to'.whom. lie .applies for the,loan ; required do pay for tho •vessel have not read Mr. ELOYn-GEORdE's statement. Of a]:kind with this pleasant bit 1 of information,is a statement by ,ft prominent British; journal as to "How New Zealand is weathering the storm." This excellent''newspaper, commenting upon tho cabled , summary of Mr; Millak's ■■ reply to the deputation that waited' upon him with respect to tho unemployed difficulty, observod :. :"Earoly.' has retrenchment been carried'out so courageously or. so skilfully as during the last few months in New Zealand. ...''.

ln_ the Civil Service alone.economics are' being made which will result in a saving l of a quartor of a million annually, an extraordinary-amount when it is remembered '.that: the whole -population: of. the ;<olony scarcely exceeds a million." It is certainly an extraordinary •' amount. , It iis equivalent to a saving of■■■6s'. , a hedd. It is as if the British Government were to' cut down the cost of administration by, £11,000,000 a year;' .We suppose that it is not out of place to point out that the Ward Government has-increased* the cost of administration by £1,323,250 per. annum in threcyears. It was £4,232,233 in 1905-6 and £5,575,483 in 190G-7. : This increase amounts to over 235. per .head, ;and it is as if the British Government increased the cost of administration 1)y ; £50,000,000 a year. It seems to us that there is something extraordinary; about this too. ■■■•■ •;';■•■' :- ■ :; '" ; ;! • ■>> '■■■■