The Evening Star. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1874.

Evening Star, Issue 3696, 26 December 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1874.

Tr is amazing how calmly mankind endure the most gigantic evils, when they arise from causes that are not at once comprehended. Almost every family in Dunedin has been visited by measles, or some form ol disease analogous to it ; scarcely a business firm has escaped inconvenience 0" loss through illness having attacked one or other member of the staff; many valuable lives have been sacrificed in consequence, and yet we go on, Turk like, and comfort ourselvi s that we are playing the part of martyrs, and proving to the world how patient we can be when scourged by the hand of Providence. Perhaps it is well that mankind can so easily console themselves hr the inconvenience and loss to which they are subjec ed through causes difficult to discover or remove. But even savages contrive some reason why diseases come upon them. Tiny do not always think them punishments fur their sins, although they do occasionally sacrifice a missionary to effect a cure, or, perhaps, one or two of thejr pwn tribe as a feast to their angry or hungry idols, J f we seek a cause it is usually “ infection " W b e mfort ourselves with abusing Dr Featherston and his emigration agents, never for one moment taking into consideration that when a disease presents itself over a large area at one time, two w.dely diffused conditions are necessary to its develop■aent— abundant seed and prepared ground. If these essentials to a crop of disease were borne in mind sufficiently, the probability is that a thorough investigation would be instituted into our every day habits : not so much as to “what to eat, drink, and avoid” those are pretty well known—but as to means for improving the locality in which we dwell, and adopting such measures as are calculated t,o reduce the tendency to disease to a minimum. J.t has never yet become part of our religion to ascertain those laws of the Creator that affect the bodily health of our neighbors ; yet it seems to us that js included iu doing to others as we would hare others do to us. Granted that subjects of that class require special attainments for their investigation, and that men engaged in business, fa producing and distributing goods adapted to hmpan /enjoymeht, are not aole to give that intelligent attention to the laws that govern life and health ,tp adopt or sanction necessary measures to secure them: that does not exonerate them from the duty of having those laws ascertained. It is clearly one of ! the duties of a Corporation. We have no doubt that the members of the Civic Council would be at once ready with a reason - City drainage would be the panacea; and when some tens ot thousands had been pent in effecting as complete asystem as ever helped ro purify a City, and another epidemic or endemic entered mpr households, some on ; more of the tho sand removable causes of disease would be blamed ; quack- ry would be tried; through natural causes the 1 disease would subside ; and until another outburst men would pronounce the evil ured. The British Association for the Advancement of Science has thrown out some excellent hints on sanitary laws. Professor J. Thomson, C. F., in an uddiess in the mechanical section, reviewed “the progress made in Rod weehapigaj scrota

during the pa*t few years.” He commented on tbe “ management of railways,” “ deep sea soundings,”and “signallingatsea a"d showed how carefully and scientifically dangers that are seen are guarded against He showed in what way increase of traffic and the consequent multiplication of the machinery of traffic on railwaes have ren } dered more complete arrangements necessary to avoid sacrifice of human life. He showed that signals and points and me thods of working them have been improved through experience, and that signalling at sea has been so far perfected as to increase the probability of safety in navigation. 'J bus, for extraordinary circumstancts, science has made provision. It has examined the laws that govern tendency to accident, and provided against their adverse action, so that sea and land can be traversed at a speed and with a degree of safety unknown and unimagined fifty years ago. But when he spoke of our dwelling-houses, he could tell of no improvement, The following is the picture he draws of .England s towns : While progress has been made with gigantic strides in many directions, in engineering and in mechanics generally ; while railways, steamboats, and electric telegraphs have extended their wonders to the most distant parts of the world ; and while trade, with these aids, is bringing to our shores tbe produce even of the most distant places, to add to our comforts and our luxuries : yet when we come to look at our homes, to the pieces where most of our population have to spend nearly the whole of their lives, I think we must find with regret that in matters pertaining to the salubrity and general amenities of our towns and houses, as places for residence, due progress in improvement has not been made. Our house drainage arrangements are habitually disgracefully bad ; and this I proclaim emphatically, alike in reference to the houses of the rich and the poor. We have got, since the early part of the present century, the benefit of the light of gas in our apartments ; but we allow the pernicious products of combustion to gather in large quantities in the air we have to breathe ; and in winter evenings we live with our heads in heated and vitiated air, while our feet are ventilated with a current of fresh, cold air, gliding along the floor towards the fireplace to be drawn uselessly up the chimney. . . . The atmosphere of our large towns, where people live by hundreds of thousands all the year round, is not yet guarded against needless pollution by smoke, jealously, as it ought to be. Many of the wealthier in habitants take refuge in living in the country, or in the suburbs of the town, as far away as they can from the most densely built and smoky districts ; but the greater masses of the oeople. including many of all ranks, must live near their work, and for them at least greater exertions are due than have yet been made towards maintaining and imp'owing the salubrity and the amenities of our towns.

'Uch are English towns ; but far wors • night be said of' Dunedin, with its noisome closets. pointing the air, and d caying veg ■ r. -ble matter lying on its hill sides. conceal.d by deuse bush. We p#y for insurance of ou r .•nods agni’ st tire and on our lives in view *f being cut off, hut would very likely grumble t* pay a drainage tax or a small contribution towards purifying and beautifying the Town Belt. The merles will have visited us in vain aud taxed us heavily in discomfort, loss of time, aud doctors’ bills if we neglect its warping. What is needed is not merely an association for the advancement of <cieuce, but an association pointing how the discoveries of science can be applied to increasing happiness, improving health, and lengthening life. The Cup cricket match between the Press and the Tradesmen was concluded to-day, the former getting the numoer of runs required to win, 04, with the loss of only four wickets. Tue Greymouth paper thinks the young men of that place cannot be taunted vvi hj Ifeminacy, seeing that there are two local cricket cjuhs, a bycycle association, and a bowling club all in full swing. The legal rate of an auctioneer’s valuation commission on stock hag been determined by the Christchurch He-ident Magistrate to be live per cent, for the first LlOOjj, and tu o and a-half per cent, for anything ovep that amount. A man has been fined L 5 in Auckland for assaulting Mr Talbot, the sec etary of the VlechauLs’ Institute. He add, “To —— with every man who wears a white belltopper,” a d then knocked i’a.bot down and tore out a few ounces of his whiskers. A lecture was delivered on Thursday evening by the Hon. Mr Fox, in the Presbyterian Church, Port Chalmers, to a very large audience, on “The L gislative Aspect of the Temperance Clause.” Alter the lecture—which was attentively listened to—a vote of thanks to Mr Fox was proposed by fVXr J. Morris and seconded by Mr F, Downes, Yesterday, Christmas Day, was observed everywhere as a general holiday. There was morning service in the English and Roman Catholic Churches, which were decorated in accordance with ancient custom. Several pic nics were projected, and many excursion parties visited different places in the neighborhood. Unfortunately the afternoon proved wet, £ud consequently there was some drawback to the general s enjoy ment.

The Armed Constabulary must possess some good shots, if the detachment stationed at Taranaki is to be taken as a criterion, In firing for representative-, at the olonial competit on, Private *-Jd< r made the fii.a l score of 99, and following him were M i]or Luke with 95, and 1 nva e Collins with 94 Elder made 27 at 200, 27 at 40, 24 at £OO, and 21 at 6Do—as line shooting as waa eyer seen in the Colony. Eider i” the Provincial representative. At the Resident Magistrate’? £o irt today. before Messrs 1 ogan and Brown, J.P.’s, Robert M‘intyre, for being a neglected child, having no home to go to, was committed to the Industrial school for six years, Dan M'lntyre, charged with being drunk an*l disorderly, was let off with a caution ; and as Jane Monson. who had been c mmitted to b.ul on her own recognisance, did not appear to answer to charges of assaulting Constable Scott and of damaging his uniform, a warrant for her apprehension was issued. A fire broke out shortly before eight o’clock last evening at Murray’s private hotel, Rattray street. The lire originated in what is knswn as the drying room —a room q.f small size fitted up with wooden racks, and ufcei for drying sweetmeats, &c. It is situated upon the ground floor, and immediately over the baking oven ■ and the cause of the fire is attributable to spontaneous combustion, owing bo the high temperature at which the room has been kept up The brigade were speedily on the spot, and soon goc the fire under. Mr Murray, how ever, before their arrival, had checked it. A£r Murray estimates his damage at L 750 and is insured for L 3.000 as follows : -Norwich Union, /yd on stock and , i 750 on building ; Standard, 1-750 on stock aud 7 0 on building. fihe whole of the City police were promptly on the sp -t, and kept back an unusually large crowd which soon congregated.

A claim for salvage, altogether novel in its kind, is shortly to come before the Adelaide law courts, atid it arises under these ircumstancea Two imdi at Moonta Ray made a wager between themselves to swim to l< ranklju Harbor hack. Theystaned on what was a very foolhardy exploit, but had not got far when it was seen'by persons on shore that if aid was not soon rendered neither cf the men would be iu a position to claim the wager. A dingy was sent out to thejr assistance as Richly as pofcsibfe, ao?l

eertamlynot too soon, for tlu men were both exhau-ted—in fact, in a drowning u hdition Tbe men could not he taken »n board the tiny craft for the fear of upsetting it, and so they were secured, by ropes, aud towed astern until a large craft came to their assistance aud t iok the tn m on board. A claim for salvage has been set up, on tbe v.round that life must have some value, as is the case with property. The men musi have been drowned, by which both their families would have sustained a severe 10-s. and would pr >bab y have been thrown upon the bounty of s one government enaritab e ins itation. But as these men were saved an appeal is to be made in the proper courts to assess the amount of salvage the salvors are entitled to receive. .1 he liability sought to be established is prec sely the principle the adoption of which Steadman, for many years champion swimmer of Victoria, urged through the Press of that Colony. This morning a large number of excursion ists, bent upon bavin-/ a trip by water, availed themselves of the opportunity. The first to make a start was the s.s. Ladybird, from the rai way pier, with over 300 passengers, who were conveyed by the train that left Dunedin at 8.30 j the next being the ps, damson, with a large number on board, which passed the Port shortly after eleven for the Heads and W dkouaiti. Thep.s. Golden Age had a number for Broad Bay and Portnbe.llo. and the L*dy of the Lake for Port Chalmers and the Heads. A sailors’ tea meeting was held last evening in Dodson’s bonded store, which was nicely decorated with flags and evergreens for the occasion, the whole of the crews of the shipping being invited free. Shortly after 7- 30 p.m, between lot) to 200 sat down the tables being plentifully supplied with buna, sandwiches, cakes, and tea by the promoters of the movement. After the tea was over the ro on was thrown open to thpublic. M' J. Fulton presided, and amongst those present we noticed Captain Thaehal, of l*e ship May Queen ; Captain Jennings, of the barque liecor.l ; and Captain Samson, of the Duke of I'dm burgh. Addresses were delivered by the I‘levs. Messrs Johnson, Isi ! t, Brunson, Mr Heroes, and others, and also by Mr Johnson, of Caversham.

Dr Carr commences a series of his amusing and mstnic'-ive entertainments at the Masonic Hall this evening. Mr Val Vose, who was undoubtedly the chief attraction in the late Smith Combination . roupe. o).ens at the Temperance Hall, Moray ilace, this evening, and will be assisted by Mr Saunders, the clever harpist and pianist. Messrs Price aud Hobbs, members of Allen's English Opera Company, are also announced to give songs, ballad?, ami duets. Val Vose—who, to use a hackneyed expression, is a host in himself-—will introduce our old acquaintances. Room Redhead and Granny Chatterbox whose quaint sayings amused the large audiences who nightly assemble.! at the Princess theatre. Iroiu the excellence of the entertainment we have no doubt but that Mr Vose will meet with liberal support. A more than ordinary treat is in store for our young people in the pantonpm<» that will be produced at the Princess’ Theatre to-night, and we have no doubt the gorgeous scenery and pantomimic arrangements will he equally enjoyed by the old. Mr Willis, whose talent as a scenic artist needs up recommendation from us, has been engaged spine time in preparing for this entertainment. We have been permitted to take a peep at some of the machinery and decorations, and can safely say they equal, if not surpass anything, seen before in Dunedin. The pantomime, founded upon the well-known sfory of “ Cinderella and the Glass Slipper,” will he introduced by Rossini’s beautiful opera of that nanie, which stripped _of the fun and frolic incident to a Christmas pantomime tells precisely the one tale. In fact we shall have brought before us two different ways of telling the same story, just as Hume and Smollet have written English history in one style, ami the Comic History of England tells it : n another. We may truly call this “The History of Cinderella,” with comic illustrations. We entertain a conviction that our anticipations of enjoyment _ for all ages amd classes will be amply realised, apd good Cinderella will lose npno of the interest attached to her adventures by the maiifior in which they will be related to-night, ' ” 1 ' !—IiIIWWWUM