NEWS OF THE DAY

Globe, Volume I, Issue 65, 15 August 1874, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

Californian Minstrels. —These clever artistes will open a short season at the Theatre Royal on Thursday next. During their stay in Dunedin, they have had very large audiences, and generally appear to have been successful.

Legal.—His Honor the Judge sat in chambers yesterday. In the case of John King, Mr Slater applied for an order of adjudication, and fixing of first meeting of creditors. His Honor made the order fixing Monday, August 24th, at 11 o'clock, for the first meeting of creditors. He Matthew Grainger ; Mr Slater applied for an order confirming the resolution of the meeting of creditors suspending the proceedings in bankruptcy pursuant to section 247. His Honor made the order as prayed, proceedings to be stayed for one month from date.

Concert. —A concert under the auspices of the Canterbury Typographical Association, will be given this evening at the Oddfellows' Hall. The programme includes the names of several of our best musical amateurs, and is a very well selected one as regards the items. Mr Dugdale, the organist of St Luke's, has kindly proffered his assistance, and will preside at the piano. Mrs Digby, Mrs Barry, and the Christchurch Liedertafel have also consented to appear, and altogether, the concert promises to be a success.

Sporting —The programme of the Wellington Jockey Club races, to be held on the Hntt Park course on Thursday and Friday, 3rd and 4th December, has (says the Post) been issued. The stewards are Messrs G. Crawford, John Martin, J. Gilligan, J. McDowell, J. Paul, A. Braithwaite, and Dr Diver; judge, Mr E. Pearce ; starter, Mr Andrew Young ; treasurer, Mr J. R.George ; clerk of the scales, Mr G. H. Jackson ; clerk of the course, Mr James Prosser ; honorary secretary, Mr W. Bromley. The events of the first day will be a Maiden Plate of 100 sovs ; the Wellington Cup, a handicap of 200 sovs, with sweepstake of 10 povs added ; Selling Race, of 50 sovs ; Hack Race, of 10 sovs ; and Provincial Plate, of 100 sovs. On the second day there will be a Handicap Hurdle Race, oE 75 sovs ; Hack Hurdle Race, of 10 sovs ; Wellington Derby, of 100 sovs, added to a sweepstake of 5 sovs ; Consolation Haudicap, of 50 sovs ; and Hack Race, of 10 sova.

Cricket.—The Auckland Herald of the Bth reports :—A meeting of Auckland gentlemen interested in cricketing was held last evening at the Thames Hotel, for the purpose of taking steps towards entering into competition with th2 Melbourne team of cricketers, which purposed paying a visit to Auckland at an early date. Captain G. Johnston was voted to the chair, and having stated the object of the meeting, introduced Mr W. E\ Buckland. This gentleman informer! the meeting that he had received a telegram from Dunedin, to the effect that the Melbourne team of eleven intended making a tour through New Zealand, and would first visit Auckland. They were prepared to play a team of twenty-two New Zealand players in each province. He had, therefore, decided to call a meeting for the purpose cf forming a com' mittee of inter-provincial cricketers to carry out all the arrangements for competing here with the said team. He begged to propose that Mr V. E. Rice be appointed secretary, and Mr E. Hesketh treasurer. The motion was carried. The following gentlemen were then elected as a committee, with power to add to their number; three to form a quorum : Messrs W. P. Buckland, W. L. Bees, Jos. Beunetfc, J.Yates, and James Russell. The appointment of a selection committee was left to the general committee to decide. After some discussion the meeting separated.

Theatre Royal.—There was a very good House at the Theatre Royal last evening when a very diversified programme was submitted. The De Castro family in their clever feats were loudly applauded, as also Mr Vose and his friends, Johnny Trotter and Mrs Browu. Mr Vincent sang "Castles in the air " and received the compliment of a double encore, responding with a well written local song "The hotels of Christchurch," in which the characteristics of the various bonifaces of the city were cleverly brought out. To-day will be the last midday performance of this clever troupe, and in the evening a capital programme has been prepared.

Sunday Observance League.—The inaugural address of the Sunday Observance League was delivered last evening in St. Andrew's schoolroom. The chair was occupied by Mr Anderson, one of the vicepresidents, who called upon the Rev A. F, Douglas, who gave out the 100th psalm. The Rev J. Buller read a portion of scripture, and the Rev F." Knowles offered prayer. The Chairman then called upon Mr Twentyman to deliver the inaugural address. The lecturer began by disclaiming any intention of imputing motives to those of the other sid«. He stated that the only weapons the league meant to use were those of moral suasion. In these day* there was a strong inclination to throw off the restraints of external authority, to promote education at any cost, and on account of the amelioration of the working classes in regard to wages, time, &c., to go in very largely for recreation. Again there was a class of people in all communities who hated religion. From these four sources the tendency to Sabbath desecration had sprung. The lecturer reviewed the argument for the observance of the Christian Sabbath, traced the institution from the Creation, noticing the intimations of the existence of the seventh day period during the Patriarchal age, coming down to the period of the manna and the giving of the Decalogue at Mount Sinai. He then stated that Christ came not to destroy but to fulfil the law, and that the Sabbath was made for man, not the Jewish man. There were also indications of the observance of the Sabbath during the millenial period in the prophecy of Isaiah. God's commandments were based on a need be, not arbitrary, but resting on some necessity of our nature and circumstances. Whatever was merely circumstantial in thsm might be and was put away in these days, but whatever was of their essence was perpetual. The fourth commandment was based on man's need of stated rest, the lecturer referring in illustration to the French revolution, when the tenth day of rest was instituted, but had failed. The next was man's need of a perpetual memorial of God, as Creator and Redeemer, man's need of set and special time for worship, and of breaking the current of Vorldliness. These needs were unchanged and bore upon us even more strongly now than at Sinai. The present movement was of a character to destroy the sanctity of the Sabbath. The lecturer then referred to the argument which had often been jeered at, that this was but the thin end of the wedge, and it would be driven home unless effectually resisted. The next step would be the opening of the public houses, railways, places of amusement, and places of business, and illustrated this by his experiences of Paris. If Government were neutral with reference to religions bodies, it had no right to depart from that neutrality by setting up a rival to all churches and Sunday schools. They were not taxed in this country to support churches, but they were taxed to keep the Museum Qpen on Sunday. The lecturer concluded by reading an account of the discussion in Parliament on the proposed opening of Museums in England, which after twenty years labor on the part of Sunday League, was defeated by a majority of 271 to 68. The meeting was then addressed by Rev Mr Fraser, Buller, Douglas, and Mr Jebson. Votes of thanks to Messrs Twentyman and Anderson brought the meeting to a close. Ellesmere Agricultural and Pastoral Association. —A meeting of committee of the Ellesmere Agricultural and Pastoral Association was held at the Leeston Hotel, on Monday, 10th August, 1874. PresentMessrs T. Acland, B. Gillett, J. Rennie, D. Marshall, W. D. Lawrence, R. Lockhead, J. Smithson. J. Osborne, G. Sandry, G. B. Woodman, and C. Bourne. On the motion of Mr Gillett, Mr Acland was voted to the chair. The minutes of meeting of 27th March, were read and confirmed. A letter read from Mr Lunn, resigning his office as secretary, owing to pressure of other business. It was proposed by Mr Gillett, seconded by Mr Woodman—That the vacant office of secretary be offered to Mr James Lewis, of Southbridge, on the same terms as it had been held by Mr Lunn. Carried. Proposed by Mr R. Gillett, and seconded by Mr R. Lockhead—That a Select Committee consisting of Messrs G. Sandry, J. Osborne, and the mover, be appoiuted by the present meeting to arrange for planting and fencing the grounds. Carried. Proposed by Mr C. Bourne, seconded by Mr Sandry—That thirty cattle pens be erected at the back of present pens, 10 x 9, and that Mr T. Acland and Mr W. D. Lawrence be appointed to carry out work, and call for tenders. Carried. Amendment proposed by Mr D. Marshall —That thirty cattle pens 10 x 9 be erected at the end of present pens, in continuation instead of at the back. The amendment was lost, and the original resolution carried. Proposed by Mr C. Bourne, seconded by Mr Sandry—That the shingling the pens be deferred for another another year. Carried. Proposed by Mr W. D. Lawrence, seconded by Mr Osborne—That the secretary be instructed to get 50 life members' -tickets and 150 annual members' tickets printed at the Times office. Carried. Proposed by Mr J. Rennie, seconded by Mr Woodman—That the secretary be instructed to write to the Provincial Secretary, asking what portion of the Government grant to agricultural societies will be allocated to the Ellesmere Agricultural and Pastoral Association for the current year. Carried. Proposed by Mr Gillett, seconded by Mr Lawrence—That a general meeting of members of the Association be called by advertisement for the next sale day, to revise the programme aud arrange the date of the next show, &c. Carried. Mr J. Rennie gave notice of his intention to bring forward a resolution at the next meeting—That a select committee be appointed to frame a set of rules for considering the business of the Association. Proposed by Mr Lawrence, seconded by Mr Gillett—That a vote of thanks be passed to Mr W. G. Lunn (who has just resigned the secretaryship of the Association) for the able and satisfactory manner he has carried out the duties of his office during the time he has held the appointment, Carried,

His Julia: "No, Adolphus, I shall not epeak to you after the shameful way you flirted with that Miss How, last night." Her Adolphus: "Why! my love! She is my cousin." His Julia : "Oh ! you horrid why she comes from Boston." Her Adolphus : " H'm, ah, yes, I meant' American cousin,' you know!" Virgil Williams, the artist, is arrived in town. Visitors to the art gallery at Woodward's Gardens will regards his advent with gome apprehension. And so, for that matter, will visitors at the Fair ; the few works of the exhibition will be amply sufficient for this gentleman to knock off a half acre of land to afflict us. He possesses some merit as an artist, but it is hard to tell whether it lies in landscape or marine painting; you never cin tell his cows from his ships, except •when they have their tails exalted, when the absence of spars betrays their character. Even then they maybe mistaken for schooners scudding under bare poles.—American paper.

Mr Forayth, Q. 0., was entertained at the Agricultural Hall, Islington, on May 13th, by the Marylebone Conservative Registration Union, to celebrate his return for Marylebone, Lord John Manners being in the chair, and seven hundred banqueters lending their festive countenance to the occasion. Mr Forsyth made himself merry, of course, over the absence of unity in the Liberal camp, thought that if Sir William Harcourt were to be King, it would be like the bramble ruling the forest,—" the Liberals would find themselves considerably scratched,"—and so forth. (Mr Forsyth is a very excellent person, but his liveliness is not lively.) Then the Chancellor of the Exchequer made the crack speech of the dinner, declaring his loyalty to Marylebone, where he was born, where he was married, where he had two sons settled, and where he had lived more than half his life, notwithstanding all which powerful reasons for attachment, a feeling of loyalty to Marylebone sounds almost as eccentric as a feeling of loyalty to Tottenham Court Eoad. Sir Stafford Northcote ascribed the defeat of the Liberals to their failure to watch the signs of the populur feeling. " The late elections reminded him of a French caricature on the summoning of the States-General, in which a farmer called his chickens together to know with -what sauce they wished to be eaten, whereupon they replied that they did not wish to be eaten at all." The application to to the States General is obvious, but hardly to the late elections, where the sauce suggested was a very substantial bread sauce for the chickens to eat, the reply being apparently that the chickens did not want to be fed at all; —which is a story with a difference, for a want of appetite for eating is much less common in such chickens than a want of appetite for being eaten.