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Evening Star, Issue 3149, 24 March 1873, Page 2

Yesterday morning, while Mr Edward Devine’s bay horse Captain Scott was doing its morning canter round the racecourse, it accidentally dropped into a deep rut, and severely sprained both fore fetlock joints, disabling it from running this season, if not for ever. On the previous morning other horses almost came to grief in a similar manner.

A miner left with Mr C. Beeby, jeweller, of Queenstown, one day last week, a sample of white metal, which he, after several tests, states to be silver in nearly a pure state. The man who left the sample remarked that he had thrown away a large number of pieces, under the impression that they were worthless. The locality was not divulged, bnt the Wnkatip Mail says it is probably in the Moonlight or Upper Shotover districts. The popularity of the Magnet Troupe is decidedly on the increase. Notwithstanding that there was only a slight alteration of programme on Saturday evening the theatre was crowded to excess in the lower parts, while the attendance up-stairs was excellent. The performances of the brothers on the flying rings called forth repeated applause, but those of Lottie on the treble trapeze roused the large audience into a state of enthusiasm, her more difficult feats being received with vehement clapping of hands. Messrs Holly and Buckley were as amusing as ever in their negro sketches j Mr Herman’s violin solo came in for the inevitable encore; and Mr Small’s songs met with the same fate.

The country press does not look with favor on the proposal of the city merchants for a Trust Board for the conservation of harbor rights. The Wakatip Mail sees in it “an attempt to again repeat the deepening of certain * tracks’—using a Colonial word—in that gulf or harbor in which so much of our goldfields revenue has already been swamped. ’’ It says nearly LOGO,OOO has been swallowed up already in Dunedin Harbor improvement and Taieri farm development schemes, and protests against the city getting any more funds from the Provincial chest, while Invercargill and the country districts require attention, and the Bluff is still an open port. And on two other points, which are termed “selfish grounds,” the Mail also protests Wo desire to be a self-producing district; to manufacture commodities within our own reach. We can never do so if encouragement is not lent to our Lake trade, not by protection, but by helping on our mining interests, &c., by grants in-aid ; 2nd, we want works and railways as much as Dunedin does.”

The Mount Ida Chronicle is not very complimentary to the representative of the district. In an article showing the necessity of more interest being taken in politics, in view of a probable dissolution of the Assembly, it refers to the last election for the district, when the electors’ choice was confined to a squatter, a rising lawyer, an up-country Mayor, and Mr Wervyn. Heretofore, says our contemporary, “constituencies have been driven to select as representatives either capitalists, adventurers, or aspiring lawyers; and, broadly, we may say that the Assembly is entirely compoied of these three classes. If we turn for a moment to the Goldfields members, vie find that they nearly all belong to the middle classes—the adventurers - and yet the people wonder how it is that goldfield law is so deficient and unsatisfactory. , . . If, as we expect, a dissolution shortly takes place, the district will have to make up its mind who to return to the House. We believe several men of good standing and position are willing to stand, and once more we shall have the chance of selecting as a member someone who wll not be a useless ornament, or, on the other hand, a byword and a reproach, drawing the odium, which is due only to himself, on the district for which, unfortunately, he is the representative.”

There has been in working for some time past in the largo towns of England, and with excellent results, a movement which might be modified to our circumstances, when it would be found to be of most valuable support to such institutions as the Benevolent Society, which are wholly dependent on public subscriptions for their support. It is called the Hospital Sunday movement, and the papers by th’s mail contain full details of its working in London, where it has been only recently taken up. “ London,” remarks the Manchester Examiner , of 20th January, “following the example of most of the large towns in the kingdom, is going to have Hospital Sunday. Everybody will admit that this means of raising funds is preferable to a hospital dinner or to a bazaar. At any rate, Hospital Sunday is an institution that will bear discussing ijpon its merits. It is widely spreading, and it cannot fail to attract public notice.” The Birmingham Morning Mews of 18th January, writes “ London will henceforth have an Hospital Sunday as well as Birmingham and other large towns in the kingdom. There were, of course, difficulties in the way of its adoption so far as the metropolis was concerned, but these difficulties allowed, it is astonishing that our principal city has been contented to remain so long in introducing this simple and effective method of raising money for charitable objects. From this source alone our hospitals have obtained upwards of L 56,000, and in Liverpool nearly L 7,000 was collected in one year.” The Sunday collection never injures the subscription list; it is all new money ; it does not affect tne collections for the parish—it just teaches congregations to be liberal.

Yesterday evening Messrs Peebles and Dunn lectured for the last time to a Dunedin audience, at the Queen’s Theatre. The attendance was larger than on any previous occasion. Dr Dunn alluded to his experiences in New Zealand during the past two months, remarking that his had been anything but a bed of flowers. He had, however, the conviction that he was in the right, and that, therefore, he had been wrongfully abused by intolerant persons. Still he was not daunted, bnt was prepared again to do battle in the cause of truth. He referred to a letter written by the Rev. Dr Copland, which appeared in Saturday’s issue of the Star, The assertions made in it regarding his title of M.D, were not only mis-state-ments, but falsehoods. He had reasons for not using his title in these .Colonies. He understood that there was a law prohibiting persons from assuming medical titles, unless they were registered j and not having brought his diploma with him he was not in a position to register it, and, therefore, did not use his title. He had, however, his diploma from the Cincinnati Elcctic College, giving him authority not only to use the title of M.D,, but surgeon. Dr Copland spoke of diplomas, conferring the title, being issued only by the colleges of Scotland and England ; but in this his ignorance was only excelled by his impudence, otherwise he would not have made such a statement. Dr Dunn then commented on an article in the Times ef Saturday, and explained a paragraph which had reference to himself. He said that at the age of nine years, one night between the hours of nine and ten, while returning from a night school to his widowed mother, he was kidnapped by a band of robbers. Nine months afterwards he escaped from them, and made known the whole matter to the authorities. This led to some of the robbers being hung and others condemned to the penitentiary. He had often been shot at by members of the band for informing on them. These were the facts of the case, and he thought it hard that they should be distorted, and that he should be held up as a robber, a forger, and a murderer. He the« addressed himself to the question of

the need of a “ new religion,” urging that the old faith, which represented God as a God of wrath, had not fullilled the end intended, but that if people would enquire within themselves they would find that love was the ruling law of all creation, consequently an emanation of the Deity. The faith of the Spiritualist was based on this principle, and those who followed it would bo ministered to by angels in this life, and guided by them to that which is to come. Mr Peebles then said that, after twenty years’ patient and prayerful investigati n, he was convinced that Spiritualism was the true faith. He invited all present to investigate it for themselves, assuring them that their happiness would be secured thereby. He expressed his regret that the ministers of Dunedin had not opened their pulpits to him, remarking that he had been differently treated elsewhere. But he forgaae the ministers for their want of charity, and hoped they would yet be brought to see and know the truth. He concluded by describing the voyage be was now about to undertake, and expressed his appreciation of the many kindnesses he had received at the bands of the numerous friends he had made in Dunedin.

We offer the following as a valuable hint to our City and District School Committees : —A Mr Geddie Pearse, the head master of one of the Government or “ common” schools at Buninyong, in Victoria, has spoken out his thoughts on the subject of the value of newspapers as a moans of education, and in a circular that he has addressed to the parents and guardians of the boys attending his school, we find the following paragraph :—“ We have to do with many children whose whole stock of information is acquired in the school, their home training being of no assistance whatever. The only books read are those of the school, which contain, as a glance through the Fourth and Fifth Reading Books will show, difficult lessons on Political Economy, Wonders of Science, Subjugation of the powers of Nature, and copious extracts from the English classics—Shakespeare, Milton, Pope, Addison, &c. Parents need not wonder, therefore, that pupils in the upper classes occasionally fail in reading, for what is read must be thoroughly understood. More extensive reading is required, We find that those of our elder pupils who are accustomed to read a newspaper, are in point of general intelligence vastly superior to their less fortunate class-mates. Linked as we are by electric telegraph to the whole civilised world, one is inclined to wonder that any family should be without a paper, especially now that the cost is so little.” We quite endorse Mr Pearse’a argument that the school education of any (child must progress very slowly when there is no home training to assist it, for there is no doubt that by far the greater part of the knowledge on general subjects acquired by children, is obtained from answers given to questions put by the children themselves, to the adults with whom they are constantly brought in contact in the family circle. Any boy of common smartness in reading a newspaper must meet with a good deal that will interest him and stimulate his curiosity, and with a good deal that will puzzle him, and if there are those around him who arc able to answer, or even attempt to answer the questions that the perusal of a newspaper will prompt a lad to ask, there is no doubt that he will quiokiy improve in general intelligence.

Mr Fish will address the electors, in the Masouie Hall, on Tuesday evening, at eight o’clock. Mr Prosser will address the electors in the Masonic Hall on Wednesday evening next, at eight o’clock.

The annual soinie of the North Dunedin Presbyterian Church will be held this evening. Chair taken at half-past six. Wo have been requested to call attention to the Harbor Company’s advertisement elsewhere, where it will be seen that the Golden Age will take excursionists for Portobello and Port Chalmers to-morrow. In the evening the inhabitants of the Port will have an opportunity of witnessing the amusements in town, as the Golden Age will take visitors back after the close of the theatres.

A meeting of the friends and supporters of Mr C. S. Reeves was held on Saturdayevening, at the Provincial Hotel. The gentlemen present formed themselves into a committee, for the purpose of securing Mr Reeves’s return. It was arranged that the shop in front of the Queen’s Theatre should be secured as a central committee room. Arrangements for forming sub-committees and the election of chairman of central committee were postponed till Monday evening, until which time the meeting adjourned.