The Ellesmere Guardian. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1891. Notes by the Way.

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume X, Issue 941, 5 September 1891, Page 2

The Ellesmere Guardian. SATU RDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1891. Notes by the Way.

A startling change was m ide m the Electoral Bill as drafted, on Wednesday. The House vrap considering the Bill m Committee. The clause under consideration was that dealing with tje qualification of ejectors. The Bill provides tor two classes of qualification, freehold and residential. Mr Rees> member for Auokland, moved to sttike out the freehold qualification, but his amendment was negatived by a large majority. He then moved another amendment, to inseit a leasehold qualification as well as a freehold. This was carried by 33 to 29, and the Premier, seeing how the land lay, immediately moved the excision of the whole clause, thus leaving only the residential qualification. This too was carried by 42 to 20, and the Bill now provides for manhood suffrage a'one.

Froh one cxtieme lo the other ! For years there was no more consistent and aggressive a freethinker than was Mrs Annie Bbsant. A ' freethinker,* that is, m its usually accepted restricted meaning, not only an agnostic, but an avowed atheist. We do not suppose it matters much to anybody but Mrs Besant and her personal friends what her beliefs ma> be, but the cableraan the other day deemed it worth while to tell i

Us that slio h<id nnounced atheisttli Now lip tells us that she profanes to receive letters fiotu the spirit world | similar lo tltns*' niv.otcrion.s missives with which Madamk I'lavatsky was] f.vnured wlun 'm the fl»»slt- If she has rt'i'fived any important infoinmtion, the conespnndeni of th« IVA99 Association in'"ht huve eahlc'l out n s'vninary of it. \Ve slioulil like to lum.v w!i>it the ' sp : r>t woild ' thinks ol' Mns Desant au I her recantations. • , .