TIMARU.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1213, 6 March 1880, Page 2

TIMARU.

[prom our own correspondent.! March's;

The elements have lately been waging war against each other in the most extra- | ordinary manner. Rain, wind, heat, cold [ —everything striving for the upper hand —within a short space of time. Although the farmers, as a class, will have good reason to be thankful for the harvest of 1880, it would be going a shade too .far, and departing somewhat from the piaths of truth, to deny that some poor • devils TyiU have in £j,dclitiqn tq fhftfl? accumulated trials the bitter of seeing their crops, which they have, hitherto so carefully tended, taking root and growing again in the stooksi -This disappointment must be very heartrending, and may well stimulate the -sympathies of all classes for the poor coickatoo, who labors hard through the ; winter months, sacrifices sleep, and even health, and spends a most anxious time throughout the entire year, only to see the, mainstay pf big suecgsg gnftp ftpflftdfr, afl'd jpave hfm. gtill in tfta of. poyerty. sphe Janpolnghire delegates', went tfto sopn. They tarried with ;us only ito be entertained by a few fine rioh fellows, and to listen to glowing .yarns about rich Boil, abundant yields,) and so forth, but they had not any opportunity: of seeing some irreparable damage donedamage that would strengthen their visionary capacity sufficiently to see the bitter germs of selfishness floating atmosphere of exhaustive speeches, and swimming on the surface of the whisky; toddy so lavishly provided for them by. certain members of the " upper ten." During the past week the heat has been almpst intolerable, apd Iftst §v§niflg it began raining again. To-day is cloudy, everything indicating raors wet', in occurrence last Sunday proves that the heat is as oppressive in : doors as ;iq the open air and scorching sun. At the

English Church, a member of the weaker sex, being quite overcome, deemed it prudent to make her exit, but ere she had gone half-a-dozen steps from the door down she came full length on the ground. Scientific folks- had better set to work and elucidate this extraordinary state of matters. Mr. Henry Read, sometime in charge of the circulating library, has resolved to resign his - post, having obtained an appointment in Invercargill. N During his stay here Mr. Read haa ; given immense satisfaction in his capacity of: Hbrarian, and, being a gentleman of refined manher and most obliging dispositiorii?'he from our midst with; the good wished!of all. Under his supervision the libraiy, which had ebbed down to a low level, has been fully resuscitated. Every publication is now kept in its proper place, memstudied to the utmost, and Mr. Read has made the institution exactly what it should be. "-'ATa refcent meeting'of the" Committee of the public school it was resolved to hold the head master responsible for the words attd actions of all .within the school. That this is a step in the right direction nobody can gainsay ; and if.!the'new rule can only be adhered to, without modification:,,it will operate , much more satisfactorily than the ridiculous system of having many masters in one house. With the head master at the top of the tree in the school, as hie always should be, and the right class of men in the cofiimitteeroam, the teachers' labors would produce saltisfaQtory results, arid ; education in New Zealand would make rapid strides ; but. with unediicated men acting as committeemen, unacquainted not only with the rudiments of the English language, but "with the Elements of common sense, with j such,; I: say, holding, the, ?eins of local scholastic government* it is. absolutely impossible tetany teacher can fulfil the d.uties, of office with any degree of credit to himself or satisfaction to otherß. Sureiyi it w the mo&t absurd thing in the world" to persist in appointing persons who would be literally lost at an ordinary to criticise the work of' schoolmasters, and to decide teach rightly or wrongly, and whether they are[ fit and proper persons to teach at all, or otherwise, Every man likes to be judged by bia superiors, and not by boobies who are incapable of correctly reading one 1 page in their mother' tongue.At the District Court'this week,' Judge Ward has had more criminal cases before him than usual. A.& you are apprised <by telegraph' of the issue in each case, it would oJftly exhaust your patience, and ngy o.wn, to re-gravel over the ground. I will, therefore, allow th§ wire to complete : the task that it tWL begun 'without interiferenQQj..' JTfee. judge, Jin addressing the' jury, relative to the position of the rioters, entertained tlie counsel by stating, that he had two first cousins Roman Catholic priests, and any number; of Roman Catholic connections, sa that he could not possibly have any feeling adverse to the accused, aa touching their faith.. He further expressed a desire to see the same harmony during life among all creeds and seots as reigns'in the grave, where the bones of Romanists and Protestants intermingle in the dust, His Honor is right, if it could only be done, but I fear his wish will never be gratified. He is' evidently in a very happy mood, in which may he long continue. Every day since the opening the Court has been crowded.