A FEW THOUGHTS ON CURRENT TOPICS.

Evening Star, Issue 3777, 2 April 1875, Page 2

A FEW THOUGHTS ON CURRENT TOPICS.

I have been so sad, sir. thinking of those poor gentlemen who are said to have loet such a lot oi money over the races. It is heartbreaking, after devoting time and talent to studying the powers sf racehorses and the intentions of their owners, to find oneself deceived: and, added to that,- how galling is the black ingratitude of a public which tolerate# in its midst people to whom the chances have been given to win enormous sums through the unbounded liberality of a few open-handed men, who, when they happen to lose, have not the honorable feeling to attend at the appointed pl«e and hour and aid to aoothe the sorrows under which those devoted and painstaking gentlenm labor. To such mean persons, it i “A » never-suding source of remorse to know that through such dishonorable behavior aided, perhaps, by other disappointments, a misunderstanding arose between two |of the

sufferers and that !n their grief they eftoha&Md words and applied to eaeh other lanSuwe to be found in the laet edition of the “jPolit* Letter Writer,” followingJ upon whist and acting upon the well meant advice of friends, a rural adjournment was agreed upon, at which every attention was paid to the rales and regulations in such eases provided. You will no doubt, sir, in doe time be furnished with aU the particulars of so momentous an event. It has already dohbtksa formed the subject of telegrams tor distant •rrovrnces, and is almost as exciting a piece of news as that barefaced people have appropriated to themselves the name of the real, original John Smith. That is audacity—when they have thousands of names ef all lengthsand colors, and, not content with sSch a'col-' lection, must needs pounce upon the uncommon name of John Smith. The betrayed man should call aaauction and seU his baptismal name; with such a desire for It, it would fetch a large sum. A gentleman m Norfolk who rejoiced in the pretty name of Bug, delightful from its asio *> .the publio that hence-> forth he discarded his bedpost crony, and Tlaotagenet-xHowapd—or some . equally mild patrician name. John Smith might Try the variations. It is said yon can spell soissore a good many ways. Try it John. Begin at Smith, and go on tdSamyythe, and th Ca tr^n* be and telegraph

“As the twig is bent the tree.’s inclined.”— Nothing like beginning early. , -The law may leave suitable loopholes for certain occasions: but, apparently, the Industrial School Act is ’ {or d <> a, t we read b Cl ? rke l “oglectcd child* two years old, was ordered to the School for one year, to be brought up in the Congregational form of persuasion. That child will. mature into a theological phenomenon. Talk about Pope lisping iu numbers—baby Clarke will prattle sermons.

Would it bo too much to ask. those gentlemen on whom devolves the direction of the training of the rising generation of this City, if it would, by any means, be possible to obtain from the City Council or other authority the reservation of apart of the public streets as a playground? Were the necessity for it properly explained—that the school-ground covers only an acre or two, there is no telling how kindly the City Council, so austere to others, might be towards the children, At fao “ e » J * ho hardened, unsympathetic school authorities employ men In uniform to take children from the streets, but here experience shows that it is liked to see the thoroughfares crowded with the little dears, to allow them to acamre that finishing touch of geod manners and choice language, without which the educational advantages of the school would be lost; ? Did you happen to notice, sir, that I have been in the fashion, and turned prophet, and that my tip, unlike some I might mention, does not need any after-explanation. It speaks for . itself. It was not on so important a matter as horse-racing. It merely referred to human life, which, beside the winning bones, is a mere The following appeared in the Stab a fortnight ago. Occurrences to which the extract might refer may since have appeared in your columns:—

Can you. sir, or any of your readers Inform me whether there is any statute, Colonial Act, bye-law. or other authority, call It what you will, bearing on t*® in which dangerous ground is to be ’v. 1 h®“d,but perhaps my authority knew nothing about it, that the Act provides that working with a face and nndermimiug should not exceed ten or twelve feet in height. X good many accidents have happened lately. Should such an Act exist, I think there is room for its application, and, amongst other places, to Port Chalmers, where I fancy a certain face is being worked by falls measuring nearer twenty feet perpendicular, and should one of those unaccountable occurrences happen, where nobody is to blame. It might, in faffing ■mother a few, even though they might be Huimjwr,