The Evening Star FRIDAY, MAY 16, 1873.

Evening Star, Issue 3194, 16 May 1873, Page 2

The Evening Star FRIDAY, MAY 16, 1873.

If Mr Eeid had tried, he could not more effectually have brought upon himself a more emphatic censure upon his course of action, than that of being driven to present the names submitted to his Honor yesterday, as those of members willing to form an Executive. The honorable member, in relating the particulars of his interview with his Honor, said “he had not spared himself time nor trouble” and acted “ with a great deal of self-abnegation in making the overtures he did.” In other words, Mr Reid submitted to ask men to join him in forming an Executive that were distasteful to himself, of whom he was ashamed, and with whom in his heart he had no sympathy. We quite believe it. It is the Nemesis that visits every man who has taken a wrong course and has not the moral courage to acknowledge it. He has become associated with a class among whom few are capable of conducting the affairs of the country, and those few will not join him in persistently attempting to force an Executive upon his Honor, who have publicly expressed their personal hostility to him. It is time Mr Reid lett the Thomsons,- and Hendersons, and Browns, and Hutchesons, and Greens, to the obscurity to which they must naturally and rapidly sink. He has fought their battle, and chivalrously allowed himself to be placed in front, though he must have known his foolish supporters wore not able to sustain him in his position. Forsaken by all that was respectable in talent, by men whom the country had learnt to believe in, he gathered together a motley few of the known and not trusted, the raw and inexperienced, the obedient nobodies waiting but his nod to untie his shoestrings ; and heading this forlorn hope, he made his "rush” upon the Ministerial benches, and met a deserved repulse. If he had designed to bring his supporters into deserved contempt, he could not have succeeded better. He has reduced their tactics to tbe absurd, and nothing but his acknowledged talent can save him from being dragged down with them. We should be sorry to see this. It is time, for his own sake, that he left them; for it is waste of labor to attempt to prop a falling house. He is unfair to himself to waste his talent and the time of the country in vain attempts to maintain a false position. Having failed to meet that support which he was led to expect, his wisest Course is to submit, to his fate. He will then be absolved from the dead weight of ignorance, political bigotry, and personal malevolence of his followers, which now hamper his roovemettbs; and he will have some chance of giving his talents fair play in aiding to carry out measures for the benefit of the Province. Our contemporary, with singular bad taste, condemns the action of the Superintendent in requesting Mr Reid to try to gather a better lot: as it was scarcely possible to have harnessed a more unlikely team, public opinion will decide they have found the support of an organ worthy of their talent; The firmness of the Superintendent may be the means of able men stepping forward to carry on the business of the country.

Tbe potatoes shown at the meeting, which constituted the Polycultural Society, are, says the Tnapeka times, in themselves, a refutation of the doctriue held by Government officials that cultivation is impossible COO feet above the level of tbe sea. These potatoes—one of the old Derwent variety, weighing 2lb 6oz, and the other, a white kidney, weighing lib 12oz—are sound and healthy, and were grown high up on the Waipori ranges, in what is considered the bleakest and coldest climate in Otago.

The competition for the prizes offered by the brewers of Dunedin, for malting barley, came off to-day in Messrs Driver and Stewart’s new stores. The competition was held under the auspices of the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral A ssociation. The exhibits, eleven in number, although of a very fair character, were not equal to expectations. Messrs Greenslade (malster to Mr Joel), Morressiy (brewer to Messrs Marshall and Copeland), and Anderson (of the N. Z. Distillery) were elected judges, and after a careful consideration of the qualities of the various exhibits, awarded the first prize— L3O and a gold medal—to Mr Walter Bobson, Balclutha ; the second ppi#e--L2O and a silver medal—to Mr Donald Boft-ip, of Oamaru, 500 bushels to be supplied by each pmeholder.

The last but one of the series of concerts at the Masonic Hall took place last evening j and though, doubtless owing to the weather, the attendance was not so good as the merits of the performers deserved, still the deficiency in point of numbers was counterbalanced by the enthusiasm evinced by the audience. Miss Emanuel’s singing and the playing of Mr Anderson were equal to any ©f their former efforts, and it is unnecessary to state that their endeavors to please were appreciated by those present. We would direct the attention of the lovers of really good music to the fact that to-night will be the last opportunity they will have of bearing these gifted musicians. A splendid programme is announced for the occasion, and we sincerely hope there will be a bumper house.

“Macbeth” was played at the Queen’s Theatre, last evening, to a rather limited audience. The piece was well received, and Miss Aitken’s representation of Lady Macbeth was frequently applauded. Mr Burford, as Macbeth, played much better than on the first occasion the piece was produced, The remaining parts were also creditably performed. Mr Aitken’s powers as an elocutionist were brought out in the recital of Tennyson’s “Charge of the Six Hundred” and “The Wonnerfn’ Wean,” both of which were well received. This even ing Miss Aitken takes a benefit, under the patronage of his Honor the Superintendent. The programme, which is a very excellent one, includes “King Rene’s Daughter ” and “Guy Mannering.” Miss Aitken, betweei the pieces, will recite Edgar A. Poe’s poem “The Bells.”

Although it is so much the fashion to laugh at the accounts that are occasionally published respecting large-sized vegetables, that we do not often insert them, it hj plainly an advantage every w,ay that agriculturists and horticulturists should know what it is to produce. This morning, Mr i Lowry, of Princes street south, shewed us j decidedly the largest potato wo have ever

men. It was grown by Mr Macartney, o' Portobello, is well shaped, apparently per ’isotly sound, and remarkably clean skinned From the form and color, we should imagim t to be what is generally known as the laptone kidney kind, but on that point we an mt informed. Its length is 12£ inches ireadth 5\ inches, girth 10 inches in th« -binnest part, weight 3lb. There are twent; hunches of “ eyes,” each apparently con aining the germ of five to six sprout*. Wr mderstand that from one cutting Mr Macrtney gathered an American bucket full o' very large-sized potatoes fit for the table, a? veil as about 150 partially developed tuber? suitable for pigs’ food.

A conflict between Church and State, and a disruption in the Presbyterian Church seem impending in Victoria The Acf 1 galisiug marriage with a deceased wife’s sister, which is now law there, does not meet the approval of the commission of the Pie byterian Assembly, which lias appointed a committee to report to the next General Assembly on the subject, and that members of the Presbyterian Church in the Colony be warned against celebrating such marriages. It is well known—indeed, it was stated at the sederunt when the matter was considered, that there are many ministers in the Presbyterian Church who will disregard such warning, and many members of the Church who regard the Act legalising the forbidden marriages with approval. These ministers will not hesitate to celebrate the marriages, evm at the risk of coming under discipline, and being expelled the denomination, and would, if requisite, form another branch of the ITcsbyteiian body. The Age remarks that it is also a question how far a minister registered for the performance of the marriage ceremony can refuse to recognise as legal that which the State pronounces to be such, for in their capacity as quasi registrars ministers themselves arc responsible to the power that confers authority upon them to celebrate marriages, which is the State.

Mf Shepherd, in his address to his constituents at Cromwell, referred to the new Mining Bill to be introduced at the forthcoming session of the Assembly. He said (we quote from t‘ie Argus) /—After the close of the session the Colonial Executive selected three gentlemen to prepare a new Goldfields Bill—namely, Mr John Mouat, formerly a Goldfields representative in the Provincial Council; Mr B. -C. Haggitt, Provincial Solicitor ; and himself (Mr Shepherd). In fulfilment of that commission himself and his coadjutors had lately been occupied in Dunedin for a who’e month. The Bill would consolidate seven statutes which are at present scattered over as many blue-books. It would provide that one miner’s right should be applicable to the whole Colony. It would provide that the miner’s right should no longer constitute an element of title, but should only be a source of revenue. It would provide for the issue of water licenses for a term not exceeding fifteen years, and for the payment of a rental of not more than ten shillings per sluice-head per annum. This would afford far better security of tenure to holders of water-races and other mining property than was now attainable, and would consequently tend to enhance the value of such property to a large extent. Provision was a’so made for mining reserves. Ihe Bill would enable the Government to set aside land for the formation of sludge-channels and deposit of tailings. It would provide a simple plan of mortgage, to enable the miners to borrow money on security of water-races, at a cost of live shillings for registration in the Warden’s Court. These wro a few of the new features in the Bill. It had been the policy of the framers to retain all the good points of the old enactments; and if the Bill passed the Assembly in its present shape, it would be the means of conferring great benefit upon every goldfield in tb? Middle Island, Our State school teaohers have somewhat to be thankful for. They are not subject to the inquisitorial examination which their confreres in England have to undergo, where religious education is permitted to be given by the teacher, and where the school boards eject the schoolmaster. Recently several masters w ere required for schools in the neighborhood of Birmingham, and candidates appeared before the schooj. Upon this board were found men as wjde as Canon O’Sullivan, the Roman Catholic VicarGeneral, and Mr George Dawson, the minister of the Church of the Saviour, where men of various shades of religious opinion meet. The first candidate, aMr Ball, bore the brunt of the theological examination at the hands of the ecclesiastics. In t° Canon O’Sul'ivan he said that he would teach the children that the Bible was a divine and an inspired book. Here he was asked to define inspiration. After this a Unitarian member of the board took the unfortunate schoolmaster in hand, and to hiip the bewildered candidate admitted that he believed in the doctrine of the Trinity, and would teach it to the scholars. Next he was plied with the question as to whether he would teach the doctrine of the Atonement. Mr Dawson here adroitly interposed on behalf of the perplexed theological examinee, and asked which of the twenty-five doctrines of the Atonement the questioner meant. Happily for the poor perplexed schoolmaster a controversy arose between the pmmbers of the board at this point, and he was 83.ve(J. the trouble of a reply. He escaped the Scylla only to be dashed iuto a Charybdis in the shape of a question on everlasting punishment. The candidate was proved to be thoroughly efficient as n teacher, but the Unitarian would not vote for him because be would teach the doctrine of the Trinity. Several other candidate? were put through their theological facings. One Bfrjd that if in doubt as to the meaning of any passage of Scripture he would consult the dignitaries of the Qhurch of England. Another said that he would confine his teachings on religious matters to those ppipts which were universally received. After all passing through an ordeal more befitting a candidate f.o;r the ministry than a schoolmaster, the applicants all received appointments, the Episcopalians being numerically strong enough on the board to carry the election. The above is sufficient jfco show how much our school teachers are sayed by pur Education Act absolutely prohibiting their giyipg peligipus instruction in the State schools, for wnich provision they are doubtless devoutly thankful. It is no wonder that our English telegrams report that the school boards are becoming more unworkable, if the Birmingham examination is a sample of what tianspires at the election of a schoolmaster in England under Mr Forster’s Education Act.

The adjourned meeting of cricketers is postponed till Wednesday, May 2ist, at eight o’clock.