THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 86, 11 April 1874, Page 2

THE WEEK.

The San Francisco mail service brings us the newa that this little colony of ours is attracting considerable attraction among the laboring classes at home, large numbers of whom have made or are no\7 making up their minds to cast in their lot with us New Zealanders. Huge ships aro engaged to convey to our shores the bone and sinew that has hitherto been ruuning to waste in Great Britain, and every ship sails with its full complement of passengers. Hitherto every man and woman seeking a situation who has been landed on our shores has found immediate employment, showing that the supply is no more than equal to the demand, but lately I read in a paper published either at Dunedin or Christchurch, I forget now which, but at all events it was in one of the great southern provinces that have up to the preseut time proved the chief absorbents of labor, that a number of immigrants by one of the late ships still remained in the barracks, not having met with engagements. It may be that there was a temporary lull in the demand for labor, or it may be that the unengaged were not desirable as servants — for, mixed with the good, there always will be bad lots — but the circumstance is at least worthy of note, for it might be an indication that the labor market was sufficiently well stocked. Ido not say that it is so, because I do not possess the local knowledge requisite for making such an assertion with any degree of authority, but there can be no doubt that all such indications should be closely watched. Too much labor is worse ' than too littlo. Good Templars are becoming numerous in New Zealand, and in some of the provinces they are exceedingly energetic, but their enthusiasm has not yet reached the pitch attained by some of the lady lovers of temperance principles in America. A crusade against drinkiDg saloons has there been commenced by the women, who seem to have been in downright earnest, for a time at leaaf. I will not. attempt to describe their doings, but will leave it to the celebrated preacher Henry Ward Beecber to do so. He summarises the movement thus: — "It is a moral cyclone — a perfect tempest of influence." These enthusiasts, it appears, invade the saloons in their respective districts, making short prayers in each. In one place in the Stato of Ohio, the local journal tells us that "several prayer bands of women visited a number of saloons here to-day. None surrendered; but several were willing to sell out or to be set up in other business. Three new saloons opened to-day. The women are not discouraged, but are determined to persevere." In another locality " four large bands of women spent the day in Bong and prayer before other saloons, and a dozen small companies visited other places. Before night it was rumored that three more saloons had agreed to surrender to-morrow morning. A notable feature of the war in the city for the last two days has been the presence of a large school of girls, led by their teacher, singing before tho saloons such songs os " Say, Mr Barkeeper, has father been here ? " and " Father, dear father, come home." It is seriously proposed to close all the schools and business houses for a portion of each day that the whole population may be brought to bear on the saloons. This is a night of rejoicing in Xenia. Those best acquainted with the situation are so sanguine as to believe that not a month will pass before every saloon in Xenia will be closed." And the termination of one of their meetings is thus described by an eye-witness : — "Another shout and another song, and the assembly beI comes too happy for orderly manifestations. Some women were laughing, some crying, others praying, but the majority rejoiced in song or silence. Nothing was to be witnessed but tears, songs, prayers, hand-shaking, and congratulations. In the outskirts of the crowd was an old lady almost in hystorics, but still shouting in that rapt manner one often hears at campmeetings, «* Bless the Lord 1 O ! O! O ! Bless the Lord !" On inquiry I learned that she belonged to one of the first families in the city, and is ordinarily a most quiet, placid lady. One son she j lost by intemperance, and another is in danger. To her this victory over the saloons was a consummation long prayed for." Perhaps, under the circumstances, the old lady's hysterics were excusable, but I am not sure that all this can be called " temperance." I should feel rather inclined to attach the negative prefix " in " to the word, It is astonishing what women can do when they make up their minds to act. In a small way we have had aD example here. One of the churchy j s shockingly lighted with kerosene, and it was felt that the introduction of gas would be a great improvement. Had it been left to the men to effect the desired change, they would probably have half forgotten the thing, or if roused to exertion would have said:— "Let's get up a subscription." And they would have gone to half-a-dozen or so of people and said " will you let me put your name down for a pound for lighting the church with gas," and on receiving five negatives and one promise they would have given the whole thing up in despair. Now, per contra, see what those of the other sex

do. They say — We will not be in a hurry, but wait twelve months or so *hich timo wo will devote to working ourselves and inducing others to holp up, and theu we will offer our wares for sale. And this they do, and within the specified lime they aro prepared to display such an array of goods as attracts a thousand people to view them, and a large number to become purchasers, and after a two days' sale they are iv a position to state that, notwithstanding the " bad times," they have netted a couple of hundred pound?, and still have a large quantity of goods in hand which they mean to dispose of in some other way. I think the women can occasionally set a good example to the men. I wonder if it is the climate that breeds opposition in Nelson to everything that is suggested. Many years ago it was suggested to make a railway to the West Coast, but the idea was laughed at and ridiculed, and the proposed line was referred to as a railway to themoon,and in one way and another another so much cold water was thrown on the scheme that it was never carried into execution, and the consequence is that we have no communication with tKo "moon" although we now very much wish that we had, and ate, one and all, trying to get it. Then agaiu some accommodation for repairing ships iv our harbor was thought neceseary, and a patent slip was to be erected, but then up jumped Mr Keelson and he said, No, 1 think a dry dock will be better, and if you don't have that I'll take fioe care you don't get a patent slip. And he did. And now vessels go to Wellington and Dunedin for repairs that might have been executed here. Now, I will come from great things to little ones. 1 noticed an advertisement in the papers saying that a few ladies having got a lot of work ready meant to offer it for sale and to devote the proceeds to a certain work which thsy desired to see executed. I thought this was all right and very thoughtful, but Mr Somebody els 3 thinks otherwise, and so he writes to the papers and tells the public that (hose who' have worked mustn't spend their money as they please, but must lay it out in such a manner as is most agreeable to those who have not worked. I had an idea in my head the other clay that I was very nearly carrying into execution. I am an enthusiast in the cause of education, and wish to advance it by every menus in my power. Not being overburdened with wealth, I make up my mind thai I will deycte all my spare time to digging in the garden and growing potatoes and cabbages, which I mean to dispose of to those who are in want of them, and, when I have accumulated sufficient money, to found a scholarship iv connection with the Neleou College Having determined upon this I enter into negotiations with a neighbor for the loan of a spade. I make no secret of my intention, which I flatter myself is rather a laudable one, but one morning, I, to my utter amazement, read in the newspaper an attack upon me for thinking of such a thing. "What!" says my mentor, " you, who are aware that the dry rot has made its appearance in the studs aud plates of the College to dare to propose to found a scholarship when your cabbage and' potato money would be far more fittingly appropriated to the purchase of new timbers! No, Sir, you shall do nothing of the kind if I can help it." lam very much surprised, and not a little hurt, and I don't think I'll borrow that spade, so there will be no additional scholarship, and the dry rot will still go on. A wouderful country is this Blind Bay nook for the growth of fruit. With a little attention to your trees you may raise bushels of apples; prune and look after your vines and you will be able to boast of hundredweights of grapes; stick a few raspberry canes in a flax swamp, and in a few years there will be any number of fruit bearing bushes, and we all know that cherries by the ton rot on the trees every year. Perhaps you are wondering what all this is leading to, so I will tell you, or rather what led to it. I read in yesterday's paper that a whole cargo oi Tasmanian produce had bee.n. disposed of here at good prices, and lhat among other articles sold was a quantity of jams and preserved fruits. We are tremendous fellows to talk about local industries, but I think that, practically, we prefer to support those that aro pursued in localities far away from us to initialing and carrying through any of our own, p l . ,; " ... — .u_ujajy