THE EVENING POST. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1865.

Evening Post, Issue 10, 18 February 1865, Page 2

THE EVENING POST. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1865.

Averse as we are to enter into religious discussion, distasteful as it is to our readers, and fully aware how futile, would be any controversy between a couple of miserable sinners on a subject bo infinitely ' above the comprehension of either, yet we cantfbi refrain from at once and emphatically i denying in toto any intention whatsoever to take on ourselves to condemn the tenets of any individuSrtnember of the community. An article, with reference to the , Census, which appeared in one of our! earlier issues, has, we perceive, brought on < us a sharp bitter attack from the pen of a ready- writer. lOne attack in question ia a | merciless one ; it may be seen, embodied | in the form of a letter, under the head of " Iteligioiw Intolerance," in the Independent of to-day. We regret that want of both, space and time pr^cjjpe^us from replying to it in detail ; but, a&Jar as we are able, we will do so as a whole, and we hope without scurrility, acrimony, or at unnecessary length. Passirig- over the writer's expressed opinion as to our intellectual and Editorial capabilities, and without questioning bis .knowledge of infidelity * or the dead languages, we would disabuse every one of the idea that we dare to take upon ourselves the championship of a religion, based on a Book that has been thoroughly researched, and stood the brunt of scepticism for eighteen centuries ; neither local paragraphs in penny periodicals, nor periphrastic critiques thereon can ever-'ghake its "validity, nor impug-o, its Divine attributes. There is no human being but would' allow that its code surpasses any that man's' intellect could form ; that a strict follower thereof would be an eminent man, *hero, and an unexceptional mWberofany R c6mmnnity; that it makes the#iost of any one individual on whom its power is legitimately exerted that can be made of him ; that it educates, while it exalts all bis powers, enlarges and fills all i his capacities for truth, and goodness, and happiness ; and that if strengthens, feeds, developes, disciplines, and purifies all his powers of thoughtand* action. Its thorough follower is of necessity a thorough man. Let any ordinary man be transformed by its power and influenced by its teachings, he will at onco undergo a wonderful cb. ange ; he will become at once a marked man and a mighty man, ' retaining all that properly pertains to bis own individuality ; he will yet be obviously a different man, and a man in every point and particular, in mind, and heart, and life, incomparably elevated. "We neither desire, nor have we the power, to write a homily ; our object is to disclaim the unjust charge of bigotry and intolleran6e» We would not judge another; in all probability the "Cosmotbeist's goal and our own are the same 5" and though our roads are different, and he ignores the guide given to^ll, yet, knowing there are no sects in heaven, we hope that as, the name, of each is called the answer, "Adsum," will' be given, and that bottiway enter into the joy of their Lord. In conclusiou, we would observe that this article is not diecnssive,and. that no attack on it, good or bad, will be retaliated.

Mr. 0. B. Borlase, the opponent of his Honor Dr. J"eathersi>n« has tills day promulgated his address to his constituents, soliciting their suffrages. He has many firm supporters, who anticipate a close contest, and it is evident there will not be a walk over. The Militia and Volunteers will, after today, be relieved from garrison duty, by order of the Ministry» who have thus conferred a great boon not only oil ther corps themselves, but also on the community at large, many of whom were put to considerable inconvenience

by having themselves and their assistants to mount guard twice a week. The preliminary meeting of gentlemen interested in the erection"" of a Theatre, which was advertised to assemble laßt nigh!;, at Osgood's, was very fairly attended. It was ( arranged that subscribers should be asked for, that they should be called together at a future date, and then be formed into a joint stock company, for the purpose of erecting a building on the most.available site to beu6ed as a Theatre. The detachment of the 2nd Battaiion 14th Regiment, which left here a week or two ago, have been ordered to Kai Iwi. They left Wanganui last Tuesday. We notice to-day that the first grapes of the season are in the market, and the fruiterers Bhops display very good specimens of the various fruits of the country. Suspicion rests on some person or persons supposed to be implicated in the late child murder, and it is thought the mystery will shortly be unraveled. The Superintendent of .Auckland has accepted tenders for the construction of the ' first and second sections of the railway. I The Southern Cross says that intelligence Was received of the wreck of the Fioneer steamer, sunk off Rangairiri. An Auckland paper states that the cutter Alabama picked up a boat which was floating ! bottom upward*, with all sail set, and one rullock shipped. The cutter brought the boat to the wharf, where it was claimed by a Maori, and according to his statement there were two Maoris in it when it was upset, but whether they escaped or were drowned be Gould not sr.y. i A rather interesting ease, in which the public seemed to take considerable interest, { judging from the roann«r the court was crowded, waff tried this day, in the absence of the Resident Magistrate, by Messrs. E. , Miller and W. Lyou, J.P. Heywood Arthur ' Owen, a chemist of this town, accused Alexander Ard, a police constable, with assaulting and violently taking him up without ' cause ; thero was also a counter-charge of 1 assault made by the policeman. Air. Owen, it appears, from his statement, was enjoying a solitary stroll the night before last, when the policeman rushed at him, and, without ' any provocation, walked him off— first to '¦ the lock-up, then to the police-station, where he was recognised by Sergeant Crowder, and liberated. Constable Ard, on the other i hand, swears that while on his beat, in . Te Ato, he met Mr. Owen walking with a female ; he had a natural curiosity to see who the woman was, and while walking up I to her, some gravel was thrown in his face by Mr. Owen ; he at once seized him, and was walking him off when he gave his name as Mr. Williams, a militia officer, and told him he had better leave him alone. Mr. Owen reiterated, and, on oath, denied being with anyone whatsoever. A lengthy discussion ensued between, Mr. Izard, on behalf of the constable, and Mr. Borlase, for Mr. Owen, and after a very short consideration the charge against Mr. Owen was dismissed, While the countercharge against the constable was to be submitted to C. D. R. Ward, Es<i,,"for consideration. There is evidently some misconception on the one ' side or the other, the statements made by both being perfectly clear and unembarrassed ; the policeman particularly, caused much amusement during his cross-examination, from the manner which he evaded giving any answers that could be by any ingenuity misconstrued. He bears an excellent character in the force, and has never been accused of drunkenness or unseemly conduct unbecoming his position. Wo have been informed (says the Southern Cross) of a recent pitiable case of kleptomania—the unfortunate subject of it iv this instance being a married lady, moving in the middle walks of life, and the mother of a large family of children. On Thursday last the lady called with two of her sons at one of the leading clothing establishments in Queenstreet, and requested to be shown some articles of wearing apparel. After discarding several parcels of goods exhibited, she left her eons examining a pair of tromers at the other side of the shop, interested herself in the inspection of a number of chenille hairnet* and ladies' belts. The shopman casually glanciug at Jier, noticed the performance of a very dexterous piece of sleight-of-hand, whereby a chenille net was whisked out of the box on to the lady's shawl, and the left arm being then doubled up, another movement of the right hand sufficed to roll the net into a small | b*H, ami it w» then inruit into the pocket. -

One of the sons had by this time completed the purchase of the pair of trousers, and the three left the shop. The. lady, however, had only prdejeeded about a couple of yards from the door, ifrhe m she was called back, and informed of the charge* against her. She returned at once to the shop, and a scene' then took plajog— the lady, with many expressions about "butifagea innocence," entreating to be permitted to depart, and tendering all the money ehe had to be set at liberty. She at last, however, took from beneath her Garibaldi jacket a fancy belt, which she acknowledged to have taken. A policeman was called in-, and she was escorted to the guardroom, but was ultimately released, at the earnest solicitations of her husband and children, who promised that she should be at once removed out of the town and out of the way of temptation ? As names have not been mentioned. -there can be no harm, done in further saying that the same lady succeeded, about a month' ago, in abstracting a piece of bacon from a shop counter in Queen-street unobserved by the shopweman, the detection in this case being by a gentleman outside.