THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 95, 20 April 1872, Page 2

THE WEEK.

If the week has not been more lively than usual in town, tbe country has not been able to complain of its accustomed dulness, Tuesday last hnving been devoted at Stoke to a ploughing match, and at Richmond to a festive commemoration ia connection with the Oddfellows, and Thursday having been tbe day appointed for the annual Agricultural Show. Tbe ploughing match was under the auspices of the Stoke Farmers' Club, a valuable little Society that, is exercising a most beneficial influence on the farming community, not only, in its ■ own immediate district, but throughout the whole of the Waimeas, as the discussions that take place

at its monthly meetings are tbe means of calling tho attention of our agriculturalists lo many matters that have hitherto bpen entirely overlooked. A club of a similar description that has been formed at Motueka, is also Jo'ng good in a quiet, unobtrusive way, aud I see it intends following suit in the matter of a ploughing match, and that it is proposed to hold one, in that district on Wednesday next. Tho Agricultural Show of Thursday last was a great success both with regard to the quantity of stock, produce, &c , tbat was exhibited, and to the number of persons who were present, such a crowd not having been witnessed in Richmond for many a long day. Of the quality of the stock so much cannot be ?niil, but I take it that ono of the objects of these exhibitions is to show wherein lies our weakness as well as our strength, and I think it very probable that many who saw the show of cattle, which, it is to be presumed, was the hest that, could be got together, will begin to seriously consider whether it is not high time that some steps were taken to improve tbe quality of this particular class of stouk by the importation of foreign blood. Tbe necessity of something of the kind being clone must be patent to all; the next question is, how is it to be done ? Ihe most feasible method tbat suggests itself to my mind is embodied in the word co-operation. This is too largo a subject to be fully entered upon in a tveikly summary of events, but I may fit all eveuts throw out. the suggestion that by a number of our farmers clubbing together, sufficient funds might be raised to purchase one or two good bulls from one of tbe other provinces, win th greater attention has been paid to the breeding of cattle than bas been the case in Nelson. The show of poultiy the other day was exceedingly good, and greater justice was done to the birds by their being placed outside the building, but I think that there was still room for one improvement in the method of arranging them, namely, by reversing the positions allotted to the fowls, aud ducks and geese. Had the former been placed ou the sunny side of the building their plumage would have shown to far greater advantage. luside the Hall there was one exhibit tbat is well worthy of mention. It was a sample of flax of the softest and silkiest description, which had been dressed in a small hand machine, the invention of Mr. Barnes of the Wairoa Gorge. The machines can be supplied by the inventor at the low price of £1 each, and with one of them 20ibs. of flax can he dressed per diem, of a quality that will realise — so it was stated by thoroughly competent judges who saw the sample exhibited — at least £40 a ton at the rates at which flax is now selling in the London market. To settlers in the out districts such a machine would prove invaluable, as it can be worked by a woman or child, who could with its aid add daily lo the family store some seven or eight shillings. Mr. Barnes should send samples of the flax diessed by him to town for exhibition ; he need not be in any way ashamed of its quality. In connection with matters pertaining to agriculture I may call attention to a shipping paragraph that attracted my notice in a recent Nelson paper. It was as follows : — "Arrived, Emerald from Lyttelton ; 250 sacks barley, 162 sacks sharps, 100 sacks br >v, 80 sacks oats, 20 sacks wheat, 20 sacks grass seed, 40 bags oatmeal." It is not a large shipment certainly, but I would very much prefer to see it under the head of " Exports" instead of "Imports." Before another week has passed over our heads the town of Nelson will be steeped in the excitement of a contested election. Two candidates have already sought the sweet voices of the electors and it is highly probable that a third will present himself before the day of nomination, but should anything occur lo prevent his For remainder of news see fourth page.

coming forward; and the contest be confined to Mr, Richmond and Mr.Luckie, we may look (forms pretty a ;s*ahd -up fight as has yet been seen in New Zealand. There will be no occasion-whatever to introduce the personal element into the struggle, which will be one between the representatives of two distinct parties, and as such it should be fairly and honorably fought out. Mr. Luckie swears % the present Ministry, Mr. Richmond swears at them ; I mean nothing offensive by the expression, but, were^l |p _write column after column, I don't think I could explain half as clenrly as by those few words the " platforms," as the Yankees would Bay, on which the two candidates .already, in the. field have, taken their stand. We are' to be fully informed of the views entertained by these gentlemen on the great questions of the day on Tuesday and Wednesday next, and if there is any resident in Nelson who thinks that political meetings ou two consecutive evenings will not form a sufficient treat for one week, all that I can say is tbat he must possess a voracious appetite for such luxuries. For my own part lam inclined to think that by ten o'clock on Wednesday night I shall be quite prepared to vote politics a bore. . The Nelson races promise to sustain something of their old charactei tliis year, as notwithstanding the smallness of the prizes, we are to have a better field of horses than has been seen on our course for a long time, and the various events will be as keenly contested as was the case in the days of yore when the best animals the Southern hemisphere could produce were wont to delight tho eyes of the Nelson public with their performances. There is an amount of vitality about our race meetings that fairly surprises me. For years and years we have been told, and most of us have believed, that we had seen the last of them, but so surely as the autumn comes round do we find ourselves at Stoke looking on at, sometimes very fair, sometimes very inferior, sport. The prospect of a really good meeting this year after all the dismal prophecies that have been uttered calls to my mind the story of an old Scotch dame who, when lying on what appeared to be her death bed, heard one of her doctors remark that she must die before the night was over. But she was a plucky old lady who clung strongly to life, and instead of turning her face to the wall and taking her departure quietly, she raised herself in her bed and exclaimed, " Nae, nae, doctor, I willna' dee." And she didn't " dee." F. Mr. Spurgeon on Sermons. — In the course of an address delivered on January 13 to workmen, Mr. Spurgeon commented on the excuses people made for not going to church. Some persons, said Mr. Spurgeon, complain that they cannot understand the sermons they hear. The reason was that ministers would use big words. He (Mr. Spurgeon) always endeavored to get rid of all the big words out of his sermons, and was as particular as their wives were to get the stones out of their plum-puddings. They would get in somehow, but the main thing was to preach as simply as possible. Loug sermons also were a great evil. If a parson preached a long sermon it was because he had. nothing to say. It might appear odd, but it was nevertheless a fact, that when people had nothing to say they took a long; time about it ; but when they had got something, worth telling they out with it at once. Therefore, he repeated, when a. map makes a long sermon he sets out with very little, and begins to spiD, spin, spin. He was of the same opinion as Dr. Chalmers, who was once asked how long it. took to make a sermon. " That," he replied, " depended upon how long you wanted it. If your sermon is to be half-an-hour, it may take you three days : if it is to be _ three-quarters of an hour, it may take you two days ; but if you are going to preach for an hour, why there is not much occasion to think a great deal about it — it may be done in an hour." Mr.' Spurgeon has been staying in Rome, and during his visit preached in the Presbyterian Church there.. A correspondent of the ; Telegraph, describing the service, says :— Perhaps the boldest, thing Mr. Spurgebnever said mi his i life was said in his running' comments before the sermon, while reading a chapter of Scripture. Somehow or otSer, he introduced Rome and Roman affairs into his discourse, and raising his .hands and eyes at'the same time — the hands .clasped, the eyes turned up tojthe- ceiling-— 4ie broke out, without warning or preparation of any kind in th.°! following terms :-^"o\y[c7-6,r'Emm'an_'ei! O, Emmanuel of ;Heavenj though true Victor P' Help' ; the Italians, bless and. sanctify their cause, and make; them pros-' perouß.?' Ido not think-the cry of"- Fire." or " Stop thief ; .!:";Utt.ered in the? middle" of the sermon, would have caused much more sensation than this- prayer did"; 'some of the congregation looked frightened, ; fioirie' indignant, and some painfully amused ; a few old ladie%B-emed "i»B if they would \

rush out of the cliurcb, but being too far from the door kept their seats ; otbers appeared bewildered, hardly knowing whether to laugh or cry, and quite' beside them selves. Others again — and they formed the greater portion of the congregation, both as regards men and women — sat, as it were, spell-bound aud devout-looking, wondering what would come next.