The Feilding Star. Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. MONDAY DEC. 31, 1894. 1894—A RETROSPECT.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 156, 31 December 1894, Page 2

The Feilding Star. Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. MONDAY DEC. 31, 1894. 1894— A RETROSPECT.

♦ What the mile stones are to the road, so are the years the space marks or measuring places along the vista of Time. The end of the old year marks a regular halting place on the journey ; we gain, as it were, another bill top where Time's illimitable road takes a turn, and here we aro wont to pause and cast a backward glance down tbe way that has been traversed while the forms and scenes that filled in the panorama are still descernable through memory's mellow light. Perchance we turu our gase forward also, where our steps must soon follow, to the distant prospect, where lie the " pleasures < f hope," and the enchantment tbat distance lends to tbe golden hued visions of the future, not always, alas, to be realised. To-day, however, we can no more than take a hurried glimpse at the " abstract and brief chronicles" of 1894. Taken as a whole the past year does not stand out from its predecessors as specially remarkable, though fruitful enough in incident and interest Tbe peace of Europe remains undisturbed, and tho ominous war cloud which has so long threatened to break, bhows more signs of lifting than JrrTi&s done for many years past. In /he very first days of the year a decidedly awkward collision occurred in Western Africa between the French and British troops that, though happily sW.jlown as accidental, might have had most serious consequences. The war between China and Japan, though fraught with weighty enough consequences to the two belligerents, excites no great interest elsewhere, whicii is rather to be wondered at, for, as the London Times points out, a large proportion of the Corean population is Christian. Among matters at Home and abroad of a political bearing the resignation of Mr Gladstoue, and the succession of Lord Rosebery to the Leadership, was an event of the greatest importance, and it is pretty certain that it marked the final exit from the political stage of its leading actor. The French invasion of Madagascar, now in progress, is likely to result in virtual annexation of the Malagasy Kingdom. Death removed the rulers of two of the Great Powers — the French President Carnot falling by the assassin's dagger, and Alexander 111 of Russia after having survived more attempts upon his life probably tban any other single mortal on tbis earth capitulated unexpectedly to the Grim King himself. By what is knowu as the Turkish atrocities io Armeuia the " Unspeakable Turk " bas surely put auother nail in his coffiu, nation ally speaking, though the " sick man ot Europe " appears to hold rather tenaciously to life The year has beeu marked by an unpleasant increase in thu number of diabolical outrages by the Auarchist classes of the contineut. aud the labor anu racial conflicts in the United States assume almost the dinitmeiuuß of civil war, while strikes and luck-outs of the ordinary type have been unusually frequent in mauy quarters. The collapse of the *' New Australia" scheme adds another to the already long list of similar socia hutic failures Tbe marvellously rich gold finds iv We&teru Australia added to the general increase in the world's goid production for the year, gives piwspect of some relief from the preset universal tightness of money, aud so fur as New Zeaiaud is concerned it is to be hoped that the danger of an) great disturbance of the financial atmosphere is now over. The Govern ment guarantee to the Bank of New Zealand averted disaster, for tho time being, aud with auy slight recovery from tho existing low pricee of our staple products, all our great financial institutions will duubtles.* weather tbe storm. The colouies bave been fay ored witb the usual batch of visiting celebrities from over seas; chief uiuong thesh probably were Mrs An uio Besant and the Revs Talmage and McNeil. The year gave gruesome promise during the early mouths, of being a record one for suicides, but a desirable falling off bas taken placo towards tbe close. Of disasters by sea and laud— at Homo and abroad there has been a full share ; earthquakes accompanied by great loss of life and destruction of property have occurred in Greece, Japan, and South America ; destructive hurricanes have swept the British coasts, and fires and floods have left their devastating impress iv mauy quarters; among the former, the recent forest fires iv America that laud o{ everything big — must take chief place. Our owu Wairarapa disaster marks the most sad page, probably, in tbe history of Now Zealand, and in many homes to-day the usual hearty seasonable greetings will uot bo heard. They would be but a mockery of woe. Wedding bells liave ruug out their merry peals as of yore, but tlio funeral dirge has been, alas, heard no less often. Among the makers of history who have passed away (Czar Alexander and President Carnot we have already referred to) may be mentioned Sir J. S. D. Thompson, Premier of Canada, whose mortal remains are now beiug conveyed across the Atlantic ; Oliver Wendel Holmes, best beloved of American men of letters, past or present ; Louis Kossuth, the Hungarian patiiot; Chief Justice ColeridJgo ; M. Wadclingtou, for many years French Minister to Great Briain ; F. de Lesseps, R. L. Stevenson, J. A. Froude, and hosts* of lesser lights. Here, in New Zealaud, the stream of departing pioneers has swelled in volume during the year, but the memory of such is sufficiently fresh in the public mind as to call for no detailed mention from us. The hopes with which the year opened as to commercial improvement have certainly ridj been realised, but "Hope spring* iv tho human breast," and we' feel that our people will face the New Year with as large a sbare of that much needed quality as ever. The Government Advances to Settlers' scheme provides a certainty of cheaper money aud more of it; that is something to gild tho gloom

with— a cheerful thought for a cheerful season. It is a long lane that has no turning ; the clouds must lift sometime. We trust that for the sake of our fellow colonists, who havo battled so long with the hard times, the new year may be a season, figuratively speaking, wherein— " The night shall be filled with music And the cures that infest the day Shall fold their tents like the Arabs, And silently steal away." In tbe spirit of such a hope we heartily wish our readers, oue aud all, A Prosperous and Happy New Year.