The Evening Star THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1875.

Evening Star, Issue 3973, 18 November 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1875.

It is strange, but no less true than strange, that people are more prone to get angry when discussing matters about which it is difficult or impossible to arrive at certain and indisputable conclusions than they are when dealing with questions which admit of being definitely decided one way or the other. Everyone has noticed the extreme bitterness which the discussion of nice points of theology often calls forth. Persons who are in no way remarkable for their want of amiability or of good sense are sometimes found to be quite incapable of taking part in a theological argument without losing their temper. It would seem, indeed, that in such instances ill-feeling is made to supply the place of evidence, which is from the nature of the case often altogether wanting. The same sort of thing is observable in political discussions. Men manage to make themselves angry about politics with very little trouble, and the more complex and difficult to understand a question is, the more likely are they to lose their temper when their opinions are controverted, and to believe that their own view with regard to it is the only one that sensible men can adopt. There can be no doubt that the question of the Abolition of the Provinces has evoked more personal feeling than any question that has come before the public of New Zealand for a very long time past. This is of course partly due to the importance of the subject, which is admittedly great, but we believe that it is principally owing to its complexity and to the consequent facility which it affords to theorists of all classes for forming theories which it is difficult to overthrow just on account of this very complexity. It must be a poor theory indeed which cannot find some support from some part of the state of things that has resulted from the highly artificial and complicated system of government which has hitherto existed in New Zealand; on the other hand he must be a very poor politician who cannot find sufficiently plausible reasons for maintaining that, all things considered, his own theory is the best. Thus there is a practically boundless field from which every one may choose his own doctrines with regard to the best form of government for New Zealand. The choice will in most cases be made in accordance with personal interest, tastes, habits, and education, and in no other way; and of course, too, the doetrines so adopted will be held with characteristic tenacity. Leaving the regions of theology and politics and entering the domain of medicine, we find that the same curious law holds good. We have recently had this exemplified by the rather fierce discussion on the subject of "quack medicines" which has been carried on in our columns. One of our correspondents opened the ball by warning our readers against the baneful effects produced by these medicines. He drew a sufficiently alarming picture certainly, and if his statements are anything like correct it is highly desirable that they should be laid before the public and circulated as widaly as possible. For our parts we

cannot help thinking that they are very far from correct; at the same time it is difficult to believe that the way in ' which they were dealt with by some of • our correspondents was the risht one. The denouncer of quack medicines was evidently sincere, and had put himself ; to some • trouble in order to give the public the benefit of what he considered to be his superior kiiQ\yi e( jo; e Evidently the thing to be decided was whether the statements made were correct or false, not whether " Philanthropy " was as honest or as wise as, ,ts ought to be or r.ot. Nevertheless this latter question engrossed attention to a very large extent, while the true issue was by many of the disputants passed over as comparatively unimportant. Our reason, for dissenting from the views expressed by our correspondent, in their extreme form, at all events, is that we have little or no evidence on the subject before us to enable us to come to the conclusion that these quack medicines produce such fearful results as "Philanthropy" says they do. Doctors tell us that a large proportion of cases of disease tend to result in recovery, In many cases, also, it is very plain that death results in spite of all treatment, That a very considerable number of children die after taking Steedman's powders is perfectly true; but it is. also true that the same results take place when the most orthodox medical treatment has been adopted. It is plain that it would be altogether unfair to attribute death i» the one case to the medicines given unless the same thing were done in the Other case, On the other hand, it can hardly be denied that powerful drugs like those which form part of many patent medicines must be very dangerous things for persons to deal with who do not understand their nature. No one can doubt that it is infinitely more likely that these drugs will be properly used by persons who have received a complete medical education, who alone have what can be called a real knowledge of the effect of these drugs on the body, and who alone know much about the structure and functions of the body itself, than that they will be so used by those who know nearly 1 as little about such things as they do about the man in the moon. It must, we think, be admitted that a considerable amount of harm is done by these medicines, not because we have any very great amount . of positive evidence to show that this is , the case, but simply because it is known that niauy of theta contain very active i substances, and because it is quite cer- • tain that they are in many cases very ; recklessly used. After all has been ; said, however, people will use these medicines, often, too, probably with • more or less advantage. Much of the i danger arising from their use might be avoided if it were made imperative s that all such medicines containing sub- . stances capable of producing dangerous > results should bear labels stating the • name aud the quantity of such sub- ■ stance contained in each packet. i Judge Bichmond'p leave of absence has I'een extender till Februarj, 1877. In some parts of the Province the Government have been giving to Volunteers, who have served the requisite number of year*, the sum of Lls each, in lieu of the grant of thirty acres < f land originally promised. There was a capital circle and average [ downstairs attendance at the Queen's Theatre last evening, w'ten " 'i he fchaughraun" was repeated. On Monday *' The ■ Two Orphans" will be played for the first time in this City. At the City Police Court, to-day, before , Messrs K. M Glashan and A. Mercer, J.P.'a, '-. Jane Monson and James *nderson were each fined ss, with the usual alternative, for > drucikotinesß. The business was delayed fully twenty minutes for want of a J P. s The veracity of the ' Clutha Lead r' i , truly wonderful, as witness the following ' paragraph from its to-daj's issue :—'We believe a new evening paper will be started in Dunedin six weeks hence It is also proposed to start one in Christchurch, and i another in < >amaru, in the interests of the constitutional party. The mid-day train from Port Chalmers to Dunedin was nearly an hour behind time in 1 arriving to-day. When near St. Leonards i the engine broke down, through the eccentric rods working the valve having given way. The guard returned to Port Lhalmeis, and telegraphed to Mr Conyere, the railway manager, who imraediatttly proceeded down with another engine., which brought the train to town. At Loyal Pioneer Lodge's (Protestant Alliance) ir.eoting last night Bro. Walker was presented with a P.M.'s collar and a locket and gold chain The locket (engraved by Hewitt and Wollett) bore on one side the order's emblem and on the other the following inscription :—" Presented to Bro. J. Walker, by No. 1 Pioneer Lodge P. A. P. S., N. Z., for his valuable services.— November, 1875." The Princes street widening matter may be considered definitely settled The Finance Committee left the final settlement in the hands of the Mayor, and we are in a position to *tate that the result of the negotiation between his Worship and Mesr-rs Sievwright aud .Stout is that the Corporation pay a Jump sum of < 20.0U0, out of which the tenants pay the whole of the n'osts relating to the arbitration and the law costs incurred by the proceedings that followed the arbitration, together with the Corporati n solicitors' costs. Mr Studdert, a gentleman who lately arrived from England in the barque MaitLnd, was drowned at Bluff Ha<bor on Sunday af ernoon From the evidence adduced at the inqu-i-.t it appeared that St.u klert was of temperate habit.?, but latterly had drown symptom-i of aberration of rniud. In a fit of temporary depression he seems to have le himself down on the outside of the Maitland. It bad been the intention of Capt. bowerly of the M.-ntland, to take deceased on to Sydney, and although he had been disappo'.med of letters from Home, there seem.-* to have b«-'u nothing known in \na oiicunistances to account for suicide. *he jury returned aver .ii- that 'the deceased met his ieath by drowning in Bluff Har or while in a state of temporary insanity." i'he 'Southland limes' says the deceased was a native of Limerick.

This afternoon Messrs © "~ ■son waited upon his £, '" x ton and OoorTdentwithreapecteot)-' onor fcbe ,s up; ! ritit*n of Mut-seiburgh r '®P ro P?sed municipalit, to questions i*- °'* Kilda. In answer that all thf / wa .! , Bfcatea V Mr Paxton gone thr- „ ', necessarv had been ahw p'„J, I fche , d | s Pute with the <'aver action L/T d h ? d been ett!el ; "O Jtfoa of h^, been od ßf to the'for viou of the municipality; a-d th, abou JrA° With South "«n«Hn t dn► - h a d,s P* fc e had arisen. At their hUt f rVl ri he "tat- d h" £ ot 'bis wa* a he htl • // 8 H ° nor ' iu re P ] V. Btat,d thac Thai 9 * that thev h>d petitioned, mere had been a difficulty about .. ,™ UMOl P»uty and that of South L)u..edin but since it appeared that fct. Kilda h^ a petitioned for a separate municipality the matter would now be all s?tt,ed. Would it not be better to Have only one large municipality for the whole d strict ? To this Mr Paxton replied m two negatiTe, saying that their requirements w re not the same as those of ; 'uneom. His Honor then promised that the municipality should lie gazetted forthwith.

A meeting of the directors of the Ayrshire Assoeiatwm will be held in the Provincial Hotel to-morrow at 8 p.m. All interested in boating are requested to wSrL* PUb ' lC at the 'temperance Mall this evening, for the purpose of djscussinr and arranging programme and date of the 'w annual Regatta to be held in the bay. An error crept into our Port Ch?\ mei . s Police Court report yesterday. Itw** +i a ? appear that Ah Mow hi u -here made to and was convicted <*"*¥ Wlth > forrw, while the ** " g + a h hat « an l a com - WilliaTTi p, ft ,r iact was tne offender was in two . Vn ' wLo had n^ured as defendant " lwo caS' JS previously disposed of.