Appaling Depravity.

Patea Mail, 23 April 1881, Page 4

Appaling Depravity.

The Lyttelton Times says—Once more, in the course of the Police Court proceedings, the veil has been lifted, and the community has been forced to look upon one of the more horrible phases of the social evil. Three more young girl®, their ages ranging from fourteen and a half to eighteen years, wore brought up on the 11th April under the provisions of tbc Vagrant Act ; and the mother of two was included in the charge. In a four-roomed house in (ienrgc-slreot, there were living a man and bis wife, two grown tip daughters, two younger children, and a girl of 10. The parents were addicted to drink, and, according to the evidence given by the police, they have been living on the proceeds of the prostitution of tbeir daughters. There was scarcely any furniture in tbc bouse, the interior of Avhieh bad a general appearance of squalor: the younger children slept upon what appeared to he a bundle of filthy rags, and the stench was sickening. Nevertheless this place was much frecpiented, and a witness stated that during tSiimlay some 20 “ larrikins ” wont there, the ages of these visitors ranging from .12 to 20 years. On Saturday night and early on Sunday morning there were several free fights, and these disturbances led to tlie arrest of the occupants. The father it appeared left Christchurch a week ago. The mother, her two daughters, and the other girl were each sentenced to three months’ imprisonment. The two younger children, aged 10 and (I years, were sent to the industrial School at Burnham, there to remain til! they attain the ago of 15 years. The Bench, alter hearing the sickening story, characterised it as perfectly horrible. This woman was leading her children in a life of prostitution: and their career, judged from the past, would bo one of perpetual imprisonment, with death in a ditch. Perhaps nothing more strikingly illus - trated the deep-seated nature of the depravity, than the fact that the Bench had to severely censure one of the girls for the levity displayed hy Iter in Court.

POSTAL CATS. Under this title the London Telegraph says that certain .Dutch naturalists have come to the sage conclusion that Grimalkin may bo utilised as a letter carrier, with considerable advantage to public interests. These worthies propose lo organise a service of postcats. and arc at present engaged by a series of ingenious experiments in testing pussy’s capacities for delivering the mails. Selecting Lnik for their headquarters, they thence dispatch a number of cats securely tied up in woollen bags, to tiie neighbouring villages, where they arc freed from confnn’ment, and turned loose, with neat packets of letters firmly strapped to their backs. At once their domestic instinct comes into full play, and they quickly flee homeward with unswerving directness. Of 2)7 cats thus constrained to servo their country, not one of them has hitherto failed to fulfil its postal function with excellent punctuality. It is feared, however, that when a double service shall be arranged, difficulties and delays may arise from the meeting of post-cats on the high road. If the feline postmen can be inspired with a high sense of duty, overriding personal impulse, all will bo well. Failing this, we apprehend that irregularities in dcliv. ry will take place.”