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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 306, 11 September 1874, Page 2

Some time ago, says the Greymouth Star, we remember an editor of a West Coast paper stating that some " coldblooded miscreant, dead alike to the promptings of moral rectitude and humanity, had poisoned tbe postmaster's poodle dog." For years we lost sight of thst writer, but fancy we have discovered him : for a late Toko mairiro peeper in its report of a munici- , pal election at Milton, speaks of a peri son guilty "of throwing a snowball at a candidate as a '-fiend in human form ! " MrKeeoe,atK.a_koura, Marlborough, says a correspondent to the Lyttelton journal, employs a considerable nutaber of men through the winter to catch the rabbits with which tbat district is overrun, and would employ more, paying tbem 3Jd per akin, but restricting them from selling to anyone else; and I hear that geotleman fin,ds them to pay far better than sheept~ But many men, youths, and boys catch them wherever found, and dispose of the skinß to the highest bidder. The real value ofthera for interested motives is concealed, but I hear from those that should koow, they are worth la 2d per skin in tbe London market, Many persons catch 50 or 60 per day, but the weekly average is £2 to £3, and this through the winter months, when work is scarce, with a few cur dogs and a spade. It is needless to say the flesh is good food, and might be profitably preserved and exported, as is uow done in Victoria. They have an Immigrants' Home in New York. Harper's Weekly states: — In this city of 1,000,000 inhabitants, there are 60,000 girls and 40,000 married women who earn their own bread; that is, they used to earn io prosperous times an average sum of 3 dollars 44 cents per week, with which too pay rent, clothe themselves, and live. One who appreciates tho enormous rentals in New Yoik will fiud it difficult to calculate how a human bei nocan subsist upon such a sum, and then have strength and heart to work. There are depths in which miracles are produced, and poverty calculates by instinct, discerns os by a revelation, snd in its expedients attains a something almost sublimity. In tbe light of the present those were gala days. Now tbe streets are filled with destitute girls, factory and workshop doors are olosed on every hand, and 60,000 women are struggling without work, and without means to preserve life in their bodies from day to day. On such occasions as these, the applicants for shelter come thick and fast to St. Barnabas House, 304, Mulberry-street, where the Episcopalian Sisters of Mercy await meekly at the door, receiving with words of cheer and kindly greeting their unfortunate sisters, the waifs from the street. Inebriety U the only thing tbat has power to drive one away from tbat door, over which is Written, ''Peace be to this house." ■« Fifty beds," the matron tela us, "are all we bave in the house, and we are so crowded! Many nights the floors are covered by women and young- girls, - who are more than grateful for shelter aud a blanket, or any covering we can provide. We give them food, and those who arrive earlier in the eveniog retire at nine. Of course others come in later, and from time to time. We have altogether to-night fifty-five in the house." The Paris Figaro advocates the introduction of --whips" into the French Assembly. "These gentlemen, it explains, "are young members of Parliament who pass their lives in tilburrees, thrashing their horses and driving about to clubs, restaurants, drawing-rooms, und other places in eearch of the lazy and undutiful members of their party," Mubder in England. — The London correspondent of the Auckland Star writes: — " Another body in the Thames. Another victim to the imbecility of the

police. A mutilated woman, the second within a very few months, has been found floating in the river. No clue has been obtained to the murderers^ and no reward has been offered. Human life is getting cheap in England. We seem to think nothing now-a-days of a brutal murder. The sort of thing is getting quite common. The horrors in Madame Tussaud's collection quite pale before tbe modern deeds of unknown criminals. With escaped lunatics from Broadmoor, and a useless police, we hold our lives on a very slender tenure here in England. And then it is getting quite the thing to kick one's wife to death, always remembering that magistrates appear to entertain a fellow-feeling for men who are brought before them for that offence, if offence it can be called, which rneeta with such light, punishment. The approved method as adopted in England by the experts is to boot your wife exactly up to that point where you must leave, off if you wish her to recover. It is bad form to go beyond this point, because if sbe died soon afterwards yoa might be imprisoned for twelve months at most. Of course it needs several experimental bootings before you can be certain of the point to which you may safely go, bo tbat it is tbe thing to begin with Bmall doses and gradually increase. If after you have reached the extreme margin of safety you find tbat you really must gratify your feelings , a little further it ia considered the,/ thing to prolong your wile's agamies as long as possible, and not finish'" her off at a blow, which would be an unpardonable weakness. For instance, -an excellent plan is to begin with boots and fists, aod after an arm, a leg, and , a fen ribs are broken, and the features' smashed up, to take a rolling pin f»r some such convenient and handy Instrument and beat her about the region of the stomach and heart until sbe died in the most exquisite torture. If she is likely shortly to become a mother the fun of this, plan is greatly augmented. It will\hfe well worth the three mouths good food and idleness/ to which you may possibly be condemned. "\ Here is a sad warning to foothjerkers. A young dentist, while at work upon a young lady's pie-eaters, so far forgot his business as to imprint a kiss 00 her lips, or maybe he thought it would soothe her. On the contrary, she slapped his face, and blackened his eye. The next day the young lady's father aod a shot gun called on that dentist, and he was ao pleased with the \old gentleman's remarks that he gave him n cheque for 500dol. Now he says he got that eye while " fooling with a kitten." Yes.— American paper. The following piece of humor we need hardfy aay is American: — We overhead a little conversation in thia city a few evenings since, which interested us, and inasmuch as it carries with it a hint which may be of practical value, we have concluded to reproduce il, as nearly as we can from memory. We will promise hy saying that one of the principal speakers — whom we will call Smith — is not noted for his stern and unflinching veracity upon all occasions. The theme under discussion was cremation, and Smith expressed cordial approval of that course to take away from the body its impurities after the vital spark had fled. As Smith finished hia remarks, one Jones who was present remarked as follows: — " Smith, it would never do in your ease." "Why?" asked Smith. "Because your friends would never get your asbep," answered Jones. "And why not," said Smith. "Because," answered Jones, " the sexton would steal them and make a fortune selling tbem to a soap factory, as they would be but * concentrated lies.' " Io about a moment Jones thought cremation had come, and we left. In reference to the proper treatment of the depraved. Dr. James Jackson, of New York, writes : — I care not how impure a man is in his personal life, if he will give me supreme control of his food and drink, I will pledge myself to so reform him as that he shall become pure in his conduct in life. He may be a debauchee, a gambler, a profane man, a loafer, a man whose passions are uppermost, so that tbey riot and revel like fire in brushwood. Notwithstanding, I will agree so (0 regulate that man's life that penal courts aud officers of retributive justice shall have no need fo deal with him./ There is only oue possibility of failur^ in such a case, which is tbat man's vital force shall have become so ruinously used up that he is not able to stand the taxation which the change in existing habits must necessarily impose. If he is physically incurable of any disease, I will not take him as an example. But if he have constitution enough to undergo the necessary recovery, I will agree, under the conditions named above, to cure him, not only of his disease, but to make him outwardly a decent man. Ido not care how debauched or guilty such a man may be. I pledge myself that, given complete supervision of his table preparations, I will bring bim where he will cheerfully walk in the paths of morality and righteousness. Tall Swearing.— The friend of India gives the form of an oath taken by a Burman in Conrt: — "I will speak the truth. If I speak not the truth, may it be through the influence of the laws of demerit— passion, anger, folly, pride, false opinion, immodesty, hardheartedness, and scepticism — so tbat when I and my relations are on land, land animals-— saeh as tigers, elephants,

buffaloes, poisonous serpents, scorpions —shall seize, crush, aod bite us, so that we shall certaiuly die. Let the calamities occasioned by fire, water, rulera, thieves and enemies, oppress and destroy us till we perish and come to utter destruction. Let us be subject to all the calamities that are within the body, and all that are without the body. May we be seized with madness, dumbness, deafness, leprosy, and hydrophobia. May we be struck with thunderbolts and lightning, and come to sudden death. In the midst of not speaking truth may I be taken with vomiting clotted black blood, and suddenly die before tha assembled people. When I am going by water, may the epiriiß assault me, the boat be upset and property lost; and may alligators, {porpoises, sharks and other sea-monsters seize and crush me to death; and and when) I change worlds, may I not arrive among men or angels, but suffer unmixed punishment and regret, in the utmost wretchedness among the four states of punishment, Hell, Prota, Beasts, and Athuraki."