THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume V, Issue 238, 8 October 1870, Page 2

THE WEEK.

Some eccentric advertisers have bit upon a plan for bringing themselves and their wares before the notice of the public which is exceedingly creditable to their ingenuity, and highly renumerative to the proprietors of newspapers. They engage a whole column which is left quite blank with the exception of the words — This space is reserved fcr so-and-so's advertisements. Now, I have no intention of discussing the merits or demerits of this particular mode of advertising, but it has struck me that if my allotted column stood forth in the Evening Mail of this day in unspotted purity, beyond what slight stains ■might be left upon it by that small modicum of printer's ink which would be necessary to convey to the public the notification that therein should have appeared the customary weekly summary, it would give a very fair idea of the history of the past seven days. But this I fear would not answer. Even now there is ringing in mine ears the horse-leech-like cry of the ink-stained imp as he beseeches me to supply him with " copy," and the demand "Give, give, give" mnst be responded to with matter more substantial than that supplied by vacant columns, no matter how much more attractive they may appear in their virgin, whiteness than when soiled by the ramblings of your hebdomadal correspondent. And so to my task. To begin with chronological correctness, I must first of all refer to the Diocesan Synod whose session came to an end on Monday last, after seven days hard and earnest work. The debates as a rule were not very interesting, but my own experience goes to prove that in any deliberative assembly the more real work there is done, the less interest attaches to the proceedings for those who are merely looking for something to enliven and amuse them. I must not, however, omit to refer to one particular discussion which was exceedingly spicy and lively. One Mr. John Spear felt himself called upon to reprobate the conduct of those who had endeavored at various times to turn to account the talents, with which they had been gifted by a bountiful Providence, on behalf of the church to which they belonged, and consequently, he, with a want of judgment that was pitiable (not to use a harsher word) in the extreme, moved that the raising of funds for Church purposes, by public concerts, ought not to be encouraged. In support of his resolution he made a long speech, in the course of which he hurled several pages of the prophet Haggai at the heads of his opponents, but as his quotations had nothing to do with the question before the Synod, their effect was unobservable. He stated his belief that religious people ought to use no exertion whatever on behalf of their Church, but that they should rest content in the simple faith that all their wants would be supplied from above, and he then proceeded to argue that although he could see no harm whatever per se in the concerts and other entertainments that had

been given in the diocese for Church purposes, still be was of opinion that whafc were really good in themselves, were rendered objectionable by being devoted to a good purpose. Logic such as this was of course quite unanswerable, but the mover of the resolution was not suffered to cast abroad the imputations, with which his opening speech abounded, with impunity, and many old and respected members administered to the unfortunate individual such stinging rebukes as must have worked their way through the skin of even the most callous of mortals, first, for his attempting to induce the Synod to interfere with matters with which they were in no way concerned, and secondly for the highly offensive speech with which he introduced his resolution. lam of opinion that for the future Mr. John Spear will be somewhat more careful with regard to the notices he places on t lie paper, and a little more circumspect in the expressions he makes use of in moving his resolutions. Our volunteers have once more gone through their monthly Inspection Parade, and on this occasion we had oa the ground a real live commanding officer, some 30 men, and ten or a dozen commissioned and non-commissioned officers. I see you have published a pretty full report of what took place on the parade ground, so that I shall not make any further reference to it than to ask, is it not nearly time, either that the farce was played out, or changed for something better ? I have myself in my time served as a volunteer, and there still clings to me a prejudice in favor of the movement, but I must .idmit that I do not like to witness the reductio ad absurdum to which it has been brought. If it were taken up in earnest, aud officers and men could be induced to devote themselves to their work, no one would be more, desirous than myself of seeing success attend their efforts, but I confess that it pains me to see our volunteer force placed in such a position that Bryon's description of Napoleon I. may be considered applicable to it : — "And now thou art a nameless thing; ' So abject — yet alive ! " I would far rather " bend me o'er the dead And mark the mild angelic air, The rapture of repose that's there," than stand complacently by and watch the painful struggles exhibited in its endeavors to exist, for, view it as charitably we may, we cannot refuse to recognise the fact that " soul is wanting there." Additional news from the seat of war has been received during the week, but the details are but little fuller than those to hand by the Gothenburg . We learn that the Emperor Napoleon surrendered himself a prisoner to the King of Prussia, but what the circumstances were under which the surrender was made we are still ignorant of, and shall remain so until the receipt of the next mail. The 90,000 prisoners of whom we [heard, appears to be the sum total of those taken during the war, and not that an army of that extent had been captured in a single engagement as was at first supposed. Of amusements we have had a fair share during the week. The Christ Church Organ Committee gave one of their entertainments on Monday, the Christys have performed three times, and last night Mr. Heller appeared for the first time before a Nelson public, and well worthy was his entertainment of a crowded- audience, for a pleasanter evening it would be impossible to spend than in listening to his ''marvels, music, and mystery." Considering that I commenced with the assertion that I had nothing to talk about, I think I have pretty well shown the utter fallaciousness of the old saying, Ex nihilo nihilfiL On the other hand, some unkindly disposed persons may say I have only proved its correctness. .... Fm