NEWS OF THE DAY

Globe, Volume I, Issue 59, 7 August 1874, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

St Luke's Entertainment.—The usual weekly entertainment in connection with St Luke's parish, will take place this evening at 7.30. Avonside Entertainment. —The sixth of the series of the winter evening gatherings will be held in the schoolroom to-night, when an excellent programme will be submitted. Dinner. —A number of fiicnds assembled last night to give Mr J. Goldsmith, commodore of the road, and for many years connected with Messrs Biug, Harris, and Co, a farewell dinner on the occasion of his departure for Europe. About twenty-four gentlemen sat down to dinner, Mr J. White occupying the chair, and Mr D. Davis, the vice-chair. After full justice had been done to the excellent catering of Mr Oram Sheppard, the usual loyal toasts were given and honored, when the toast of the evening was proposed by the chairman, who paid Mr Goldsmith a very high compliment for the number of friends made while transacting his business, and that he would leave many well wishers behind him in Canterbury. Mr White, in the name of the company, then wished Mr Goldsmith Von voyage, and success in his new commercial sphere, and concluded by proposing the health of their guest, which was drunk in full bumpers with musical honors. Mr Goldsmith replied feelingly, and thanked them heartily for the manner in which the toast had been received, and the kindess lie had received from his Christchurch friend?, whom he would always remember. Complimentary toasts and songs followed, and the company separated at an early hour, having spent a most enjoyable evening.

Ever Faithful Lodge. The usual weekly session was Held last evening, when, after the initiation, the officers eleGted for the ensuing quarter were duly installed by Bro Caygill. The reports of the various officers for the past quarter were received. The W.S stated that during the quarter nineteen members were initiated, and eleven admitted by clearance card, and that the total number of members was eighty-five. There has been no violation during the quarter, and only two cases have occurred since the opening of the lodge six months ago.

Rangiora Literary Institute.—The monthly meeting of the committee was held on Tuesday evening, all the members present, Mr G. Merton, president, in the chair. A number of books purchased by a subcommittee were approved, and a vote of thanks passed to Messrs Merton, Cunniugham, and Keir, for the trouble they had taken in procuring them. The secretary having, at a previous meeting, given notice that he would move for a committee to be formed who should produce plans and estimates and other information connected with the enlargement of the present building, proposed it, and, on being seconded, a lively discussion ensued as to the best means to procure the necessary funds for the improvements, which all were unanimous in wishing to see carried, it being considered that the addition was much needed. It was ultimately resolved that a memorial be presented to the Govern ment, explaining the want of accommodation, and soliciting a portion of the vote to public libraries in aid of the building and the consequent additions required in furniture, periodicals, and books. The president was requested to draw up the memorial and forward it with as little delay as possible. Mr Good, on behalf of the Presbyterian Sunday School committee, asked if any reduction would be made in the rent of the hall for the evening on which it was used for celebrating the school anniversary. A discussion arose on this subject, as it was not deemed advisable to deviate from the usual charge, but a majority ruled that iu this case the allowance should be made, the object being both charitable and of a local nature. A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the proceedings. Philosophical Institute.—A meeting was held at the Public Library last evening. Present: Messrs G. Hall (chairman), Rev. J. W. Stack, Dr Coward, Messrs Inglis, Fereday, Condell, and Guthrie. It was resolved that " The resolution of the Public Library committee, contained|in the secretary's letter of July 15th, 1874, be acceded to." It was resolved " That the rules of the Philosophical Institute [at present in force as to taking out books and periodicals by members, be adhered to until further consideration, and that the secretary be instructed to forward a copy of the rules to the' secretary of the Public Library. It was moved and seconded and carried, "That the secretary be instructed to call in at once all the books and periodicals in the hands of members, and that no books or periodicals be allowed to be taken from the lihrary, pending their being handed in to the Public Library committee." The secretary placed on the table six copies of " Table of sedimentary rocks of New Zealand." by Capt. F. W. Hutton, F.G.S., and a copy of the " Constitution and rules of the Otago Institute, 1874," presented by Capt. Hutton. The secretary was requested to acknowledge receipt of the above with thanks. A couple of the tables it was decided, should be framed for the use of the institute. At a general meeting held afterwards, Professor Bickerton was elected a member of the Institute.

Christchurch Horticultural Society.—A meeting of the committee of the above society was held last evening, at the Clarendon Hotel. The president, Mr W. Wilson, in the chair. The resignation of Mr. Reid, as one of the committee, was received and accepted. The £5 given by Mr Gould for extra prizes were appropriated as follows, to be given at the coming rose show ; —Open class, 48 varieties of roses, £2 and £1 ; amateurs, 30 roses, £1 5s and 15s. The £5 given by his Honor the Superintendent was divided into the following prizes : Collection of fruit, £2 and £1 ; collection of vegetables, £1 5s and 15s. . It was determined to devote the £3 3s given by Sir Cracroft Wilson, to two prizes of £2 2s and £1 Is, for the best collection of coniferous plants. Mr Greenaway stated that he would repeat his prize for dahlias. The secretary read the balance sheet which showed a credit balance in favor of the society of £l7 lis 6d. The committee then adjourned for a week. The monthly meeting of members was then held, the president in the chair. Mr Chudley opened the question whether it is advisable that instructions should be given to judges at the shows, and held that it was not. Messrs Greenaway, Basterbrooke, Low, Allen, and the president took part in the discussion, after which a resolution moved by Mr Chudley was carried. A vote of thanks to the chair closed the meeting. An Amusing- Judge.—The administration of justice in Judge Walsh's Court, Brooklyn, U.S., is carried on in an amusing if not in an impressive manner; indeed, a morning spent there appears to afford unfailing entertainment to idlers. The comparison of the Brooklyn and London methods may prove instructive. The first culprit was a little boy of twelve, without hat or shirt, wearing one boot and one shoe, and effectivelv bespattered with street mud :—Judge Walsh—" Whose boy is this ?" " Nobody's child," said the officer. Judge Walsh—" Put him in his little bed at the Flatbush Nursery ;" "Put him in his little bed" being the title of a popular " Christy" song. After this two revellers were placed in the dock, and the judge addressed them —" Charles Murphy and James Moran, you are charged with being drunk and troublesome " Murphy —"I was slightly." Moran—" And I too." Judge Walsh—" Better not part you, then. Both go to gaol for ten days or lOdols." Johanna Wolfe, a nurse in the College Hospital, was the next victim charged with drunkenness, and having familiarly addressed her as " Johanna," and asked if she " didn't think that she was a pretty sort of nurse now ?" she was committed. The disadvantages of being "thoughtless and thirsty," were then exemplified in the person of Miss Eliza Walker, a young, handsome, and welldjepsed girl, twenty-five years old. Judge Walsh—" Eliza, so you're here again." Eliza—" Please, Judge, I'm young, and once in a while I'm thoughtless and thirsty, and you know how 'tis yourself, Judge. We girls don't always know what's right" Judge Walsh—" lieliect over your sins at the House of the Good Shepherd for thirty days." It is seldom we find instruction and amusement so well blended as in the Court over which Judge Walsh presides}

Lyttelton Borough Council.—A spe* cial meeting of the Lyttelton Borough Council was held last night to elect a town clerk in the place of Mr Perrin. There were twenty-two applications, and Mr Packard, late station-master at Lyttelton, was the one chosen. Art Onion.—The drawing of an Art Union for various pictures and other articles took place last evening at Tattersall'a. Amongst the prize-takers were Messrs Perkins (Ist prize), Whitley, Savage, Manning, Hennah, and others. The affair was brought off very satisfactorily. Theatre Rotal.—There was a capital house at the Theatre last evening, when the programme was gone through very successfully. To-night Mr Val Vose, the clever ventriloquist, will take his benefit, when there is a most attractive bill. Apart from this, Mr Vose has firmly established himself as a prime favorite amongst us, and deserves what we have no doubt he will get, a bumper house. Too Good to be True.—A correspondent of the " Ifew York Herald" writes as follows : —" Here is a good story which has not yet found its way into print, but for the truth of which I can vouch. Lord George Gordon, a young man of fonr-and-twenty, wishing to marry a certain young lady, went quite recently to ask the permission of his father, the Duke of Argyle. The duke, a pompous little man, replied in effect, « My son, since our house hag been honored by being united with the Royal family I have thought it right to delegate a decision on all such matters to your elder brother, the Marquis of Lome. Go, therefore, and consult him.' The Marquis of Lome, on being applied to, said, ' My dear brother, in a case of importance like this I should think it right to ask the decision of the Queen, the head of the Royal family into which I have married,' The Queen, on the matter being laid before her, declared that since her bereavement she had been in the habit of taking no steps without consulting the Duke of Saxe Coburg, the brother of her deceased husband.' To the duke, then, the case was referred, and from him a letter was received telling his dear sister-in-law that recent political events had induced him to do nothing, even as to the giving advice, without the express concurrence of the Emperor William, before whom he had laid the matter. The Emperor William wrote a long letter, declaring that though he was surrounded by counsellers, there was one only who had on all occasions proved himself correct, loyal, and faithful, and without whose advice he (the Emperor) would give no decision. ' Therefore he had referred the matter to his faithful Minister, Prince Bismarck. And it is narrated that when Prince Bismarck was made acquainted with the subject, he roared out, ' Gott in Himmel, what a fuss about nothing ! Let the boy marry whom he, pleases so long as she is young and pretty.'"

"A Life of David Friedrich Strauss," by Professor Zeller, his friend from early youth to his death, ig announced as, nearly.ready, An Indiana Jury recently returned a verdict of " blode to pieces by a biler bustination." A high-school girl, just graduated, said in her essay :—" Let us avoid the frivolities of life, and pursue the noblest ends only." The next day she was moved to tears in an agonising attempt to decide the proper shade of blue for her complexion. ' v r Jeweller—"What kind of a chain would you like?" Young man—" Well, I don't know, hardly. What kind of a chain do you think I ought to hare? That is,..what style do you think would be most becoming for a young man who carries groceries to the best families in town ? " '■Little Tommy didn't disobey mamma and go in swimming, did he f" mamma. Jimmy Brown and the rest of the boys went in ; but I remembered and would not disobey you." " And Tommy never tells lies, does he?" " No, mamma ; or I couldn't go to heaven." " Then how does Tommy happen to have on Jimmy Brown's shirt?' A woman Hied lately aged only 105. She had her senses up to the last, and expressed a belief that she was being cut off in her bloom by bad ventilation and cityiair. If she had only remained in the country, where she was born and brought np, she might have lived out the remainder of her days, A sad, sad warning. Burns' collectors will hear with pleasure, says the " Athenasum," that Mr McKie, of Kilmarnock, has in view the publication of a " Burns' Calendar and Handy Register of Burnsiana," which will form.a record of events in the poet's history, of names associated with his life and writings, and a concise bibliography. Mr McKie has devoted himself to the collection of everything that could throw any light on the life or works of Burns. The " Academy" understands that the delay in Mr George Smith's return to England is due to a misunderstanding with the rities at Mosul. He is bringing back some 3000 fragments of tablets, and seems, pretty well satisfied with the results he has obtained, though they do no more than complete the inscriptions already in the possession of the British Museum.