NOTES AND QUERIES. [By Jacques.] "Give me leave to speak my mind," As You Like It.

North Otago Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 1888, 15 May 1878, Page 2

NOTES AND QUERIES. [By Jacques.] "Give me leave to speak my mind," As You Like It.

From tho time when the soprano of Eve blended with tho basso of Adam, at the entrance of their rose-clad bower in tho Garden of Eden, and their duet awoke the morning echoes is they chanted praise and adoration to their Creator, till the present time, the voices of men and women trained to harmony, and fitting concordantly together, give supreme pleasure to those souls which are attuned to tho susceptibility of sweet sounds. Some unhappy persons there are, and have been in all ages, who, as Shakespeare tells us, are nob amenablo thereto, and against such he warns as thus — • The man that hath no music in himself, And is not moved with concord of aweet sound*, Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoilt ; The motions of his spirit are dull m night, And his affections dark as Erebus. Let no such man be trusted. and Congreve uses these oft-quoted lines — Music hai charms to soothe a savage breast, To soften rocks, or bend the knotted oak. The Greek poets teach us that Amphion built the walls of Thebes by tho sound of his Lyre, and that to listen to the music of Orphous, the rivers ceased to flow, the wheol of lxion rested on its axle, the stone of Sysiphus stood still, Tarturui forgot his thirst, and the Furies relented. These are of course poetic inventions, but thay tench us that in all ages the divine science has had a mighty influence in tho world. I have boon led into this strain of thought by having been a privileged listener at the rehearsal of the Oamaru Philharmonic Society ; and it is with tho greatest pleasure I have learned of the existence of a Society devoted to tho Eractiso of music, and which, thanks I elieve to the efforts of a few enthusiasts, and tho prevalence of that kindly social feeling among all classes of its population for which Oamaru is remark - abh), there has been developed hero a power of pleasure which I feel pretty sure no town in the Colony can surpass. Tho inaugural concert of the Sooiety was intended to have been held on Wednesday next, but the Committee, on the application of the Rev. A. B. Todd, have gracefully consented to postpone the concert to Friday, the 17th inst, and for that occasion an excellent programme has been provided*. Those who obtain tickets for tho same may be considered fortunate. A railway to Livingstone ! Kight. Let us liuve it by all means. It will benefit four estates immensely, and the coit of construction will bo less than the four proprietors would gain by the addition to the value of their properties thereby. There needs, therefore, no appeal to the Legislature for assistance : the landholders will feel a pride in doing the work themselves. As one strolls through the streets of tho town, visiting occasionally its marts, hotels, and Triclinia, one may often hear remarks which amuse, and sometimes they abom woithy of being jotted down that they may afford amusement to others. For instance — I saw a man one evening last week perusing painfully the last number of the "Australasian;" when suddenly he lifted his eyes from the paper, and said to a companion who was sipping his whisky beside slowly, as though to lengthen the pleasure the imbibition gave him to as great an extent as possible, " Hey, Sandy, nion ; think o' that noo ; the Torpedo crops in Victoria ! it's wonnerfu' I I've often heard o' they brusiin' things to bluw a' things tae glory, ye kon ; but I ne'er kenned they raised crops o' them like wo used to do neeps i' th auld countree." Adam Peter Lyell had been guilty in a church of conduct which had placed his euphonic cognomen on men's lips, and while partaking of a bony flounder in tho most fashionable triclinium in the city I heard speculations as to the special family of tho human race to which ho belonged. One of the speakers thought he must hail from Ireland because — and I did not recognise the logic of the conclusion — it was not likely he came from anywhere else. A second speaker thought he must be a Scotchman who was anxious to emulate the one historical heroine of his nation, Jonnio Gedcles. A third deemed ho might possibly be an Englishman, of

rery Low Churoh proolivities ; but a famous dominio, learned in Hebrew Greek, and Latin, sneorinj(ly said •' Ye'ri a' wrang, laddies ; lie maun be o' Hebrew extraction— the name shows its origin. Doos na' Paul say ho sat at the feet o* Gemi Liel ; or, as the folk in King Jamies day cad it, Oama-liel ? So that tells ya whaur the Lyell'i cam fra. Has the fable of the Ox and the Frog boon written in vain ? Why do the men of Gotham still Btrive to emulate the vain-glorious frog, and try to persuade themselves and the world that our port ii fit for the Royal Navy. The Honorable Mathow Holmes and Captain Sewoll tell us that we have a good and safe harbor for' coasters', and all tho assertions we may ' make wfll not deepen the water in the bay one inch, or bring us an Indian liner to carry atrajr oW corn. Let us improve^ our advantages to the utmost, and get facilities for discharging increased, and the charges reduced. Havo political writers yet Battled the question — "Is the suffrage a privilege or a right V Mr Hislop, in reply to a question at the rhetorical treat ho and hi* colleague provided us with last week, •eemed to consider it a privilogo, for he •aid ho would give it to all men settled in the country, whose caligraphical ability equalled the power to sign the application for registration. This boing so, what plea can be maintained against the same privilege boing granted to the fairer half of the race. Some suoh thought must I think have passed through tho mind of the gallant sailor who acts as Returning Officer at Timaru, when ho felt himself called upon to lodge an objection against a person who had claimed to be on the roll of eleotors of that town, reason given "because she is a female." 'Tit to be hoped the applicant is not like the lady in the "Termagant," who laid " Call me a female, sir. How dare you. I'll make you prove your words. " or the may cemb his wool for him. Rosy-cheeked Delia dwolt in the vale, Colin crept to her, and told her a tale, Breathed tho soft language of love in her ear, Vowed he would die ore he'd cause her a tear. Delia lintened to all that he said, Shook back the ringlets of brown from her head, Looked at him boldly, with mirth in her eye, "Ain't you a simpleton, Colin, Oh J my."

The freedom of New Zealand from snakes and venomous reptiles is a matter of great rejoicing ; but good people of Now Zcalund look well to yonrselvea, and sco that no lurking serpent is nestling within you. You may be negleoting the stealthy on. croachments of some deadly serpent in th« foi-m of insidious disease. Take the antidote ere it bo too late. Whatever stage of disease you may be suffering, those marvellous medicines, "Guollah's Great In diaw Cubes," can save you,— [Advt,]