The Evening Star. MONDAY, MARCH 6, 1876.

Evening Star, Issue 4064, 6 March 1876, Page 2

The Evening Star. MONDAY, MARCH 6, 1876.

Ik Sftturdfty’o supplement we published an interesting communication on the effects of Savings Banks in schools ; as übject to which attention has been called by more journals than one in Dunedin. Many may be disposed to look coldly upon the plan, under the idea that it is unwise to nurse what they deem a spirit of avarice in youth; while others may regard it of too trifling moment to require public notice. We regard it very differently. We do not estimate the value of the plan by the money that may be saved, should it tind favor in the public mind. That—though an important element in a national point of view—is of very secondary importance compared with its educational advantages. We know of nothing in which more disastrous mistakes prevail than in human duty in regard to money. To them are owing bankruptcies, forgeries,*and other miseries. (Some excuse their want of thrift by pretending to despise money, and have a

set of phrases at their fingers’ ends to justify themselves in spending it thoughtlessly. They press Scripture into their service, tell of the evils of heftping Up riches, find point with 8001*0 to those who honestly and' in a spirit of self-denial seek to keep their spending within their income. Epithets are not wanting culled from light writings Careful economy is termed mammon worship, spendthrifts are lauded as generous fellows, while thoughtful managing people are characterised as hypocrites; the opeii profligate is held up to the young for imitai tion, and those who have acquired strength of character through self-denial are pointed at as beaoons telling of mental habits to be avoided. But Charles Surface is not necessarily amiable, nor Joseph SURFACE necessarily a hypocritical Scoundrel. They may be tolerated in a play, but both would be unbearable in real life. It is unfortunate, too, that amongst theologians, through looseness of interpretation, much injury ban been done to society. They tell us that “money is the root of all evil, ” although nowhere that we know of have they any authority such a statement. It is not money, but ,the love of money that is condemned; and we do not know that in this respect it differs from any other material or even mental object, if worshipped as an idol. There is, however, one redeeming feature in regard to money, which distinguishes it from other gods of man’s creation; it is in. itself good, and rightly used may be made to benefit not only the possessor, but the society in which he lives, his country, and consequently, the world. None but those who d&ll 1)6 truly considered independent. It is the misfortune of the working classes that they never seem to look forward to a time when they may find work slack, or impossible to be obtainedit is the sin of other classes of society that they seek to outvie each other in lavish expenditure. We do not advoe&ta that grading parsimony that would lead to the abnegation of all enjoyment for the sake of saving. That would be a source of self-imposed nuscy equahy reprehensible with poverty induced by extravagance. But the danger is on the other side. It is said that notwithstanding the high wages prevalent in weat Britain during the last four years, the depression in trade which has followed the 1 American panic, has found the greater number of the artizan class penniless. The hasty conclusion has been arrived at by some economists that, therefore, high wages are j i ’ e y have induced habits of selfindulgence Which can now no longer be continued, and that the misery of deprivation of comfort is intensified. We fear that the cessation of demand for labor has had the effect of inducing much misery, butwe are not prepared therefore to condemn high wages. Our wish is to see the arrangements of society so justly balanced as to secure to every man a full enjoyment of the positive blessings of life. When wages are high through legitimate demand for work, all classes prosper in these democratic Colonies; but only those can really enjoy life whose minds are trained to estimate rightly, the duties of the positions m which they are placed. The first step to the attainment of this all-impor-tant haoit of mind is to obtain a mastery oyer self. It may seem a trifling matter to witness a child, who suddenly possesses a few pence, run at once to convert them into some tasty morsel to pamper its appetite. All grown-up people like to see children enjoy themselves, but unfortunately in most natures this tendency to self-indulgence grows with the growth and strengthens with the strength. If not checked ultimately, self-control is gone, the man becomes unable to resist the calls of appetite, and too often sinks into degradation and vice. It is not, therefore, habits of parsimony that the projectors of Saving Banks in schools desire to encourage. What they seek to induce is the habit of self-control, based on knowledge. They wish to cultivate a habit of mind that may lead to a true spirit of independence. We know of nothing so likely to effect tb™ as the consciousness of possessing property of some kind. It is to be feared that the influence of the English poor-law system has . had much to do with the absence of thrift among the worlonen at Home. They have been educated in the idea that they have a claim to be supported whenever trade is and work slack. To the honor of humanity, none are allowed to starve in ’any British community; but in .the Colonies what they receive is not of right as at Home, but of goodwill. As therefore they have no poor rate to fall back upon, those who will have to earn a living by labor must set before themselves the task of becoming independent of society ; and we know of no method so well calculated to effect this ■ as by early training to careful and saving habits. We consider the Government may do much to foster these by special encouragement to youth%l depositors in savings banks, and the Post Office Savings Banks ean be made the machinery. Prudent economy should be a branch of education in Day and Sunday Schools, in both of which the system may he advantogously worked ; and we therefore trust thfe'project will meet with the consideration so important a subject deserves.

Mining operations are all but suspended at the Blue Spur and Drybread, owing to the want of water. »

The Telegraph Department continues to show an increase in business. In the December quarter of 1875, 252,303 messages were transmitted, being an increase of 30,567 over the corresponding quarter of 1874. The receipts during the same period were L 15,196, or an increase of L 2,140.

The Government received a telegram from Dr Featherston to the effect that it had been decided by a court of law that the Colony was entitled to a refund of half the passage-money paid for the immigrants by the Cospatrick, in accordance with the special proviso in the charter-party that half-passage-money is to be refunded for every passenger embarked but not landed alive.

' V A very well contested game of football was played on Saturday last by the Standard Football Club on the ground near the High School Rectory. After a good deal of hard play, the game resulted in a draw, each side having obtained two goals. The sides were chosen by L. Israel (captain) and J. Hume. On Saturday, the 18th inst., the club will play a match Captain v. DeputyCaptain. At the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Port Chalmers, this morning, before Mr Hansford, R.M., James Fairweather 10a or forty-eight hours’, and William Harper 20s, or in default forty-eight hours’, for drunkenness. For deserting from the ship Corona on the 16th of February, Robert Smith was sentenced to twelve weeks’ imprisonment with 'hard labor.

An accident happened on Saturday afternoon at Port Chalmers to a man named James Taylor, who had engaged to work his passage to Wellington as fireman in the steamer Phcebe. ft appears that he was talking to another man on the fore gangway plank, and when in the act of turning round hik foot slipped, causing him to fall between the vessel and the pier. He was immediately rescued, but when taken on board was nearly insensible, and appeared to be suffering from injuries to the head. Dr Drysdale, who was shortly in attendance, pronounced him to have sustained concussion of the brain, and ordered him to be kept as quiet as possible. He iroceede'd on in the Phocb?.

The last number of the * Gazette * fldfltains a notification of the acceptance by the Governor of Mr Wm. Reid’s resignation of hia Office as Returning Officer for Port Chalmers.

extraordinary reason for raising an action for libel we ever heard of is that assigned by the chairman of the Greytown Local Board, who rejoices in the name of Anderson. The ‘ AVairarapa Standard’ is to be subjected to a criminal pfOMoution for having stated that Mr Anderson, ill his public.capacity, had sent a telegram to the Queen on the occasion of the opening of telegraphic communication With England. With the ‘Post’ we should like to see'the case go before a jury, as it would be laughed dtlt of Court,-and thus put aa end to the system which prevails, of unjustly annoying newspaper proprietors with frivolous'and vexatious actions.

In computing the time occupied in the transmission of cable messages from Loudon hither, it should be borne in mind that as Neiv Zealand moan time is eleven hours thirty minutes in advance of Greenwich time, telegrams always must appear to take 80 longer to come and so* much less to go. The Qp<ost ’ explains thus: Telegrams will always appear to arrive in New Zealand eleven hours thirty minutes later, and in London eleven hours thirty minutes earlier, than If there were no difference in longitude. Thus if no delay took place c» route, a telegram despatched from Wellington at eight o’clock in the morning would reach London at half-past 8 on the previous evening. Or, to put it in another way, suppose a merchant at the close of a day sent a business telegram to London, it would he received there before office hours on the morning of the same day, thus giving a London mercantile house the opportunity of learning the result of the day’s operations by the New Zealand branch of the firm before the London business hours of the same day. Such are the wonders now rendered' possible by telegraphy; but, of course, the usnal unavoidable delay ß at \ the repeating stations would prevent their being put in daily practice.

Oamani has not yet done, with earth* Shakes, Two more alight shocks were experienced tnerd Oil Friday, the first at 6.40 a.m,, and the second twenty minutes later. In a lecture on “ Earthquakes, their causes and phenomena,” delivered at Oamaru on Thursday night, Captain Hutton told his hearers that, for want of proper scientific obseryations, it was impossible to say where the earthquake felt in Oamaru on Saturday originated, or which way it came.. This, at least, might be said, however, that as no such earthquake had been felt in Otago since Europeans came to the Province, the recurrence of a similar disturbance need not be apprehended for at least an equal period; how much longer it might be,, in the absence of reliable history, prior to the landing of Europeans, it was impossible to say. At Oamaru there was not the least cause for people to be alarmed, as they might safely calculate that they had at any rate a considerable period of quiet before them. In New Zealand there were evidently three distinct and separate earthquake districts, viz., one embracing Wellington, Cook’s Strait, and part of Marlborough and Nelson ; another in the Hot Lake district around Rotomahana, and the third here in the South Island, extending as far as Christchurch, Dunedin, and Lawrence. We had no business to try to shift thS responsibility for our earthquake shocks upon the North Island; our earthquakes were our own, and no amount of “separation,” political or actual, would relieve us from them. The licensed victuallers intend to ask Parliament to pass a Bill next session to l provide for the repeal of all existing Pro- , vincial Ordinances relating to the liquor traffic, they desiring to have a uniform law for the Colony, which will also enable them to open their houses during certain hours on Sundays, without being subjected to the interference of the police. Commenting upon this latter proposal, the * Post ’ says “No legislation'that can beiframed to prevent Sunday trading will ever succeed in achieving the desired object. It is no use trying to dam up human nature, or to make men sober by means of magistrate’s law or policeman’s baton. To maintain the present law would be most impolitic. It creates a purely artificial crime and then fines the publican for committing it. It injures the self-respect of the people, because it is not well that a man should be required to adopt secrecy in obtaining that which he has a perfect right to be supplied with openly. Besides, the law is unjust and unequal. It seeks to /deprive the mechanic or clerk of his moderate refreshment on Sunday, while it permits the merchant or member of Parliament to soak all day long at “the Club” or Bellamy’s.” Clearly, in any new Licensing Bill provision should be made for allowing hotels and publichouses to be open during certain stated hours on Sunday. We are no advocates of Sabbath desecration. It would be a scandal that church goers should pass open publichouse doors. There is no necessity whatever that this should occur. All that is required is that hotel bars should be opened for an hour in the afternoon, say from 1 to 2 o’clock, and for two hours at night. There is a similar provision in the English Licensing Act, which worts in a very satisfactory way. Were this suggestion adopted, the inconvenience to which the public are subjected would be removed and their reasonable wants supplied, while the hotelkeepers would no longer be subjected to heavy penalties for doing what they are practically forced into by the demands of their customers.”

An adjourned meeting of members of the Working Men’s Club will be held this evening, at eight o’clock. A meeting of subscribers to the bailor'’ Hi-me will be held in ’he lartte-room of the Home on Wednesday next, at 3pm. Rehearsal for Mr Monish’s concert will take qdace at the Friendly Societies’ Hall to-morrow evening. Soh-ists at 7 o’clock

During the week twenty-one patients were admitted to and twenty dacha ged fa-m the Dunedin Hospital. There were no deaths during l the week. The ps. Golden Age will make excursion trips to the s.s. Granada, lyme at Port Chalmers, to-morrow, leaving Port Chalmers Wharf on arrival of the 12.15 and 2 30 trains.