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Evening Star, Issue 3831, 4 June 1875, Page 2

Wha.t has become of the “ hj uneral Reform Association?” Has it got itself buried out of sight, or is public feeling on the subject of funer Is and mourning educated to such a point that further agitation with regard to the matter is unnecessary ? We can hardly think that this is the case. The “mourners still go about the streets ” in melancholy procession, and the “customary suit of solemn black ” is still as customary as ever. This is a matter that should not be allowed to go to sleep. Those who really wish to see a reform in this direction effected, should be up and doing. No doubt there are very many people in Dunedin who think they have fully made up their minds that when the dread occasion arises, they will be equal to it, and will by dispensing with the ordinary customs show that they at any rate are not the slaves of fashion. When the time comes, we fear, they will not do anything of the kind; they

will just do as others do, unless they can have extraneous moral support, such as a funeral reform association is fitted to give. It seems to us that there would be no difficulty in providing this support, if the work were set about in the right way. Opinions differ as to what is the right way. Some advocate the virtual maintenance of the present system, but propose to moderate the weight of the burden in the case of those who are unable to bear it, by means of charitable provision for meeting such cases. As has been pointed out, this plan would effect no real reform. In a short time it would be considered a badge of pauperism to take advantage of such charitable provision, and things would be just as they are now. Others, again, think that by changing the character of the mourning and the mode of disposing of the dead, the bonds of custom might be loosened, and that in time public opinion would recognise the right of every individual to do just as he pleased in such matters. But this process would take time to get itself wrought out—probably a ery long time, and there would always be the danger of a relapse, if not into the old fashions, at least into expensive modes of carrying out the new ones. On the whole,lit would seem that neither of these two methods of dealing with funeral reform is likely to effect any permanent good._ If we were asked to propose a plan by which the reform could be at onee effectively carried out, we should suggest some such a scheme as the following :—We should propose that the Dunedin Association should be partly resuscitated at once ; that all those gentlemen who are not in favor of making a radical change in the whole of the prevalent system of funerals and mourning should leave the association ; that it should be thus composed of those, and those only, who have thoroughly made up their minds that the system should be at once completely abolished, and are willing personally to do their part towards discountenancing it; that these members should draw up a document embodying their views on the matter, and pledging themselves to abstain from wearing any kind of mourning under any circumstances whatever, and promising that in the case of the death of any of the membeis of their families they would use their influence to have the funeral conducted in the simplest and most inexpensive manner consistent with decency j that they should sign this document, and get as many others as possible to sign it; finally, it would be desirable that a copy of the document with the signatures appended to it should be published. If some such plan as this were adopted, we do not hesitate to say that the funeral system at present in vogue would have received its death blow. It might still linger on for a little, but its recovery would be impossible. The advantages to be derived from this plan are obvious; it may be as well, however, to specify them. In the first place, it would be inexpensive. A very few pounds would suffice for the carrying out of the whole thing. Then, it would bear fruit immediately ; there would be no waiting till by-and-by till people would no longer think it odd if other people dispensed with mourning. Persons who had signed the document could have no possible excuse for refusing to carry out their agreement; they would feel that they possessed the sympathy of the more intelligent of their fellow citizens, and would not need to fear the sneers of Mr A. or Mrs B. —in short, they would have the moral support which is the one thing needful to enable them to carry out in the time of sorrow and bereavement what their unbiased judgment had before told them to be the right thing. There are many other advantages which would accrue from the proposed plan ; we shall mention only one more, it is to be presumed that a large number of citiz-ns would become members of the association.- These members would be called upon to attend certain funerals; it would be thoroughly understood that they were pledged not to wear hat-bands, mourning, or any other of the ghastly trappings which now disfigure those talking part in funeral processions. At many funerals there would, therefore, be persons who would be dressed in a rational way. There would thus be a constant appeal made to the common sense of the disciples of the old school, which would be sure in the end to cause the absurdity of the present fashion to be thoroughly recognised even by them. We do hope that the gentlemen who were so earnest about this matter a short time ago are merely taking a rest to recruit their energies, before making a final and successful effort to overthrow the monstrous system which has so long tyrannised over Christian nations, causing a greater immediate amount of annoyance, hardship, and misery to men and women in the time of their direst trouble than any other of the secondary evils which death brings with it.

The Provincial Government acted very wisely in recommending, and the Council are to be congratulated on appointing Mr George Andrew as successor of the late Mr Auld in the Home Agency of the Province. For the last twelve years Mr Andrew has practically performed the duties of the Agency; the public of bcotland have for a long time regarded him as the sole representative of the Province in Edinburgh; his high social and professional position, is a guarantee that he is able to command the influence that it is abso lutely necessary in the interests of the Province that the occupant of the post should have; and he has been strongly recommended by the Premier and by Mr Adam. Mr Vogel was so convinced of Mr- Andrews’s qualification that he at once appointed him the agent in Scotland for the General Government in the matter of immigration.

The Fakir of Oolu announces his last four nights’ performances here, so that those who have not yet seen this pleasing entertainment have not much time to lose. An afternoon performance will be given to-morrow. The two men, Cavanagh and Caufield, charged with assaulting John Loftus, their brother-in-law, at Roslya Bush, have been committed for trial by Mr Turnbull, R.M., at Invercargill, who refused to admit them to bail,

In Southland the other day a dog worried a flock of pure-bred Lincoln sheep, the property of Mr Sutton. The owner of the dog paid L 166 for the damage done, rather than risk a lawsuit. He will now, probably, regard his canine pet as a costly animal.

The Otepopo tunnel on the OamaruMoeraki Railway—a part.of the main trunk line to Dunedin—is progressing favorably, and the ‘North Utago Times’ reports that there remains now oniy about a chain of the work to be done. This it is expected will be completed in a month or six weeks.

The acting Home Agent (Mr George Andrew) has engaged to proceed to this Province as teachers Messrs R. Peattie, M,A., late master of the parish school, Carnoc-, Dumferline ; Mr Alexander Stott, late master of the burgh school, Girvau; and Mr T. W. Grant to be assistant teacher, High I- chool, Dunedin. The two first-men-tioned were to sail by the Aldergrove, from Glasgow, on April 29 ; and Mr Grant, about the beginning of July. The newly-elected Committee of the Dunedin Canary and Poultry Association held its first meeting at the Bull and Mouth Hotel last evening. A letter was received from Mr James Marshall, accepting the office of President of the Association. A sub-com-mittee was appointed to revise prize list and conditions of show ; also a sub-oommittee, consistingjof Messrs Jacobs, Curie, M'Laren, and Peake, to canvass the city for special

prizes to be competed for at next show, which will take place about the end ©f August, and has every appearance of being more successful than the last.

An important legal opinion from Mr Geo Higinbotham has been furnished to one of the Viotoriap Shire Councils, showing the position of public bodies who are saddled with bank overdrafts. The tenor of the opinion is that it is unlawful to pay interest on the overdraft existing at the bank, and the only alternative that Councils will have, will be to raise loans according to the provisions of the Act, and pay such loans off by annual instalments.

Our files by the Californian mail are— London to April 6, and Sau Francisco to May 1. The latest mail dates in i.ondon from the Colonies when the mail closed were as follows:—Via Suez and Brindisi on the 16th March; Sydney, 23rd; Melbourne, 28th; Adelaide, 30th ; and New Zealand, 21st January. By the St. Osyth (s.), which arrived at Plymouth on the 28th March, intelligence was received from Melbourne of two days’ later date than that brought by the Brindisi mail.

The only case at the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Port Chalmers, this morning, before Mr T. A. Mansford, R.M., was a charge of furious riding preferred against a lad named George Crawford, in Oe >rge street, on the 28th of May. The accused, in answer to the Bench, stated that on the day in question he was not on horseback, but acknowledged being so on the following day. His Worship adjourned the case until Monday next in order that further inquiries might be made.

Two more robberies from tail-races at the Arrow are reported by the local journal. The workings of Beales Bros, and Clayton at the Eight-mile were visited on the same night; and from the former fifteen feet of tail-race were removed. From Clayton’s claim L4O worth of wash dirt was abstracted. The Macetown correspondent of the ‘ Observer’ says that it is the third time Mr Clayton has been robbed. The first time he caught the fellow (a Chinaman) and gave him a sound thrashing, The second time was last Christmas ; but, as in the present instance, be had not the good luck to catch the thief. The thieves are supposed to be Chinese.

Recently two specimens of antimony and copper ore, from Hall and Resta Bros, reef at the Arrow, were sent to Dr Black for analysis, with this result:—“No 529 is a sample of sulphide of antimony or submite. It contains 34 per cent, of antimony, 13 per cent, of sulphur, and 63 per cent, of earthy matter. It is too poor an ore to be worked profitably at the Arrow. In the Melbourne market, tha mineral of the quality of this sample is not worth more than L 7 to L 9 per ton. No. 530 is copper pyrites, or sulphide of copper and iron. It contains 11 per cent, of copper, about 34 per cent of iron, and the remainder sulphur and earthy matter. This would be a good payable ore in Cornwall, but it is too poor to bo worked profitably here at present.” The usual meeting of the Caversham Road Board took place in the School-room last night; present —Mr Rutherford (in the chair), Messrs Bridgman, U’Ren, Carey, Jackson, Wilson, and Langmuir. It was agreed to employ Messrs Stewart and Doughty to survey the continuation of Hillside road to the Eorbury road. The chairman and members of the Board agreed to meet to-morrow forenoon, and, accompanied by Mr R. Stout, M. P. 0., to wait on the Provincial Secretary in reference to the subsidy on the rates. The clerk was instructed to write to Mrs Goodall, asking her :o remove the stable at the back off the road, the encroachm°nt being about four feet. Another 100 yards of rotten rock was agreed to be put on Bay View Road. Mr Bridgeman paid an additional sum of L2 16s towards the formation of a footpath at South Kensington, and Mr Carey paid L 9 towards the footpath on St. Kilda road.

At the Princess’s last night “The lady of Lyons ” was the piece selected for the reappearance of Mrs F. jvl. Bates, that lady taking the part of Pauline. Since their dihut here about six months ago, Mr and Mrs Bates have been travelling through New Zealand,i performing at the principal towns, and meeting with success everyMr Bates did not ( play last night, being indisposed, but he is announced to appear at the end of the week. The house last evening was not well filled; but this must not be ascribed to a want of appreciation of Mrs Bates’s powers, but to the fact that Lord Lyttou’s play has been before the Dunedin public several times recently. Con* trusted with the Pauline of Miss May Howard and that of Miss Colville, Mrs Bates’s idea of the herome suffered in some part; but on the other band some points in the characters as [delineated last night, showed such recognition of the author’s meaning, that the performance may well be termed a worthy one. Mr Steele’s Claude Melnotte is so well known that we need only say that he showed no falling off in the spirit which he always exhibits in this part. Mr Musgrave’s Colonel Damas, for a similar reason, requires little notice. Of the new faces Messrs Stonebam (Glavis) Saville (Gaspar), and Hoyle—we did not see enough to form an opinion ; but it apthat in the representative of Gaspar, at least, the company has received an accession of strength. The programme concluded with “ A Silent Woman.” Tonight “ East Lynne ” will be given, with Mrs Bates as Lady Isabel and Madame Vine.

The usual Saturday night concert] will be held in the Oddfellows’ Hall to-morrow evening, at 8 o’clock.

A Young Men’s Breakfast Meeting will be held in Murray’s Hotel on Sunday morning, at eight o’clock.

Dr Carr, the well-known mesmerist, will appear at Port Chalmers to-morrow evening, and at Mosgiel on Tuesday evening next. A skating competition is announced for tomorrow afternoon. A pair of skates will be presented to the best lady skater at 4.30 p.m., and in the evening, at 9.30, the best gentleman skater will receive a similar present.

The members of the band engaged at the Queen’s Theatre! were entertained at dinner, last evening, by Mr Patterson, of the Royal Hotel, Walker street, who also invited a number of leading citizens, and provided an excellent spread, which was done ample justice to. The health of “The Host and Hostess,” was proposed and drunk with musical honors. iSignor Gagliardi, on behalf cf himself and the other members of the baud, returned thanks for the kindness they had received from Mr and Mrs Patterson duringtheir stay in Dunedin. The health of Mr Whittington (Dr Sylvester’s courteous secretary), who leaves for the North in the course of a day or two, was proposed and duly honored. During the evening the band played several operatic selections with their accustomed skill and taste. Mr John Moran, the well-known Irish comedian, gave some of his best selections, and m mentioning his name i we may state that he has volunteered his services on the occasion of the benefit of the band, which takes place on Wednesday evening next.

A provincial reception of the Prince of Wales lately, comprised an escort of twenty velocipedista. The “ ’Tater Bug.”—Here is a good thing on the “ ’tater bug ” (the Colorado potato beetle). Three men comparing notes: One says, “ There are two bugs to every stalk.” A second says, “ They have cut down my early crop and are sitting on the fence waiting for my late crop to come up.” “ Pshaw V f says a third, you know nothing about it; I passed a seed store the other day and saw the bugs looking over the books to see who had purchased seed potatoes,”