The Telephone. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE POVERTY BAY STANDARD. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26. Local and General.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 245, 26 September 1884, Page 2

The Telephone. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE POVERTY BAY STANDARD. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26. Local and General.

Marrionettes.-Webb’s Royal Marrionettes gave their final performance last evening, and fully sustained their reputation. Speculators.—Most of the Gisborne speculators who attended the land sale in Auckland returned to-day.

Nuisance.—lf the Borough Inspector will take a walk under the trees in Peel Street on a wet day he will experience a pleasure to which he is at present a stranger.

Excursion.—The s.s. Rosina returned last night from the Ariel Reef where she has been on a fishing excursion. The excursionists did not succeed in baiting many fish. J Battery.—The members of the Battery were inspected last evening by the Commanding Officer, and afterwards marched out headed by the band. C.'ble.—Operations for repairing the Tasmanian cable have not yet been successful, as the cable has broken several times in lifting. It will probably be a considerable time before it is restored. Life Insurance. —Mr. Alexander Kennedy, who has been in Gisborne during the last few weeks, doing business on behalf of the Government Life Insurance Department, left today, but will return in a month or six weeks.

Hospital Ball.—AH the arrangements in connection with the Hospital Ball to-night are now completed, and will make the affair an undoubted success. The decoration of the room has been proceeding all to-day. Ala ge number of tickets have been disposed of, And there will, even should the rain continue, be a very large attendance. We understand Mr. Fa’■am intends producing a selection of dance music hardly to be equalled in the Colony, and we feel certain every visitor will pass a most enjoyable time.

Horses.—The thoroughbred horse Maroro and the draught entire Bismarck will stand this season in the Poverty Bay district. Attention is directed to the advertisement. Particulars can be obtained from W. Poulgrain or H. Honor. Titles.—The Post very properly animadverts on the practice of civilians using military titles, such as “ Major ” Steward, “Colonel” Trimble, “Major” Baillie, and the like. It makes an exception in the case of Major Atkinson, because he served during the native difficulties on the West Coast.

Progress and Poverty,—Henry George began life as a printer ; later he became a sailer, then a reporter on the Sacramento Record, then owner of the San Francisco Post, and afterwards a lecturer. He is fortyfive years of age. His wife is of Irish parentage and Australian birth.

Bank Notes.—ln the Sheriff’s Court in Glasgow, the Judge ruled that the property in a bank note does not pass to a recipient of the one half, but remains with the sender till the transmission of the second. This is an important decision as regards the ownership of half-notes.

Immovable.—At the Salvation Army demonstration to welcome Colonel Booth, the Colonel, at the conclusion of a hymn, drew attention to the fact that the reporters did not join in, and required the last verse to be repeated, remaik ng that he wished all present to join. Notwithstanding this appeal the stony hearty journalists emitted no sounds. This shows that while a career of crime still leaves the burglar and drunkard open to the softening influences of religion, the average press man is a creature quite unresponsive to all appeals to his spiritual nature.

Reply.—Mr. George Francis Train, a gentleman not unknown in the colonies, thus replies to certain “ink-slingers”:— “ Venal scoundrels ! Have at it, ye curs I Out damned spot! Whang! Bang ! Wh-o-o-p! Miscreants all of ye! More ink!—Spavten dogs, I hate ye ! Roast ye in deep-down gulf of liquid fire! Turn the rascals out! Come on, feeble carrons, all of ye! Carrions, all of ye! Carcasses fit for the hounds! Goosefleshed, fevered lepers and paralysed imbeciles, I hate ye ! —More ink! Emaciated, horned idiots, pack terriers, and gliding ghosts, avaunt! Cap and knee slaves, vapours, minute jacks, naked gulls, and dish-cloth harbingers of pestilential visits, have at it ! — More ink !—Green sickness carrion and tal-low-faced baggage, away ! Away ! Carbunclebacked toads, dove-feathered hogs, and can-vas-backed hellions pale before me I Turn the rascals out!” George would shine in the Salvation Army.

New Book.—The Marcus Clarke Memorial volume, now being issued at one guinea, is handsomely bound in calf or morocco, with Marcus Clarke’s monogram on the cover, and the printing, which is done on richly-toned paper, reflects great credit on the publishers. There is in the book a strikingly good photograph of the brilliant litterateur, whose name is so familiar to all Australian readers, and attached to it is his autogragh. Besides this, an eloquent letter, with authograph, written by Lord Rosebery in accepting the dedication of the work from the widow of the deceased author, to whom he showed great kindness while passing through Melbourne. That the talented nobleman (who has taken up the cause of Australia in the Imperial Parliament) thinks highly of Australia’s greatest writer is proved by these words of his referring to Marcus Clarke’s extraordinary novel “ His Natural Life.” “To me, I confess, it is the most terrible of all novels, more terrible than ‘ Oliver Twist,’ or Victor Hugo’s most startling effects, for the simple reason that it is more real.” Apart from this, there is an excellent biography of Marcus Clarke, written by the editor, Mr. Hamilton Mackinnon, who knew the author from the time of his arrival in Melbourne—they both having come out by the same ship—to the day of his sad, sudden and premature death : also a list of the works of the deceased writer, which shows that the charge made against him of being idle was unjust. At the end of the volume some of the obituary notices written of him in leading journals in the Colonies, together with in memoriam verses composed by the late Henry Kendall and Mr. Garnet Walch, are published. W. M. P. Association.—A meeting of the Working Men’s Political Association took place on Tuesday, September 23rd. Mr. Sandlant in the chair. About forty members were present and several new members were enrolled. The interest in the affairs of the Association still continues, as evidenced by the attrndance, at the commencement of a new quarter. The balance-sheet was submitted showing an even result, and it speaks well for the management that they have been able to accomplish so much, on such a small income. An ably-writien paper by Mr. Pierce on “ land tenure ” was read by that gentleman, and an animated discussion followed, the concensus of opinion baing that the author had evidently studied the subject thoroughly, and must have read the works of the latest political economists to advantage. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr. Pierce, and hopes were expressed that similar papers would be forthcoming. Mr. Whitcombe was elected vice-president, vice Mr. Friar, who resigned, and Mr. Burton was elected corresponding secretary. The committee was convened to meet on Wednesday, October Is*, after which the meeting dissolved. [Although we insert this local we cannot vouch for its correctness, as we are only supplied with the information through a medium. We have made several proposals to report the Association meetings, but have each time been refused admission. Referring to a similar combination the Napier Telegraph says :—On Septembei’ Bth last we published a letter from Mr. J. P. Ward in which the following |s mter.ee occurred :—“ If the Daily Telegraph is really anxious to be posted up in the work of the Napier Liberal Reform Association, I, as secretary, will at all times esteem it a pleasure to impart any information, true and impartial, that may be required.” The Association held a meeting last night, and we asked the secretary to inform us of the business transacted. His reply was that his “ lips were sealed.” The Association is, we think, much more of the character of the old Star Chamber than it is of a society to bring about needed reforms, either social or political.