OTAGO.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 28, 11 January 1864, Page 2

OTAGO.

(FROM Oc'B OWN CORRESPONDENT.) • Donedin, Wednesday, Jan. 6. I. The holidays are over, and we. ate all^oinici more in harness, doiug our : best to make:ii]* for much lost time. Never was a greater success than our Caledonian meeting. Not a hitch nor a break occurred during- the two days set apart— and most religiously observed— for the pelebration of the sports and pastimes. On Friday afternoon eight thousand people were on the ground, nearly three thousand having paid for admission into the Grand Stan 1, and thelarge remainder to the open area. The spectacle was certainly very imposing, an<J I (lOUDt wUetlier so large a namSer of persons will ever assemble together again in our Fro- ; vince for the mere purpose of amusementThe Society netted closi upon a thousand pounds for the two days' takings, but the committee had to go to a large outlay, and the prizes offered to the successful competitors in the various games were so exceedingly liberal, that it is not likely there will he much in hand when accounts are balanced.. As may have been expected, trade is very dull, but commercial men look for a turn in things as soon as the present week has passed by. A large number still continue to leave our Province for various parts, principally Victoria and New South Wales. The deficiency is in. part made up by the arrival of pausengers from .th« same places the out : goers are'leaving for. | Ws are now in earnest about trying what our quartz-reefs will do for us. A company is about being formed with every probability of success, and a prospectus is already before the public. U is to be called the Pioneer Quartz-Crushing Company (limited) with a capital of £8000 in sixteen hundred shares of £5 each. The company has been promoted: by several good men of sound judgment, much expevience, and ample means. The preliminary arrangements for bringing the company into existence, having beeu initiated by Mr Martin Sholl and Mr Jabez Ham, both firstclass business men. The excavations for the foundation of the Exhibition Building are now nearly completed, and the works will be proceeded with instanter.. The site is admirably chosen, and will greatly improve the value of all the leaseholds and freeholds in King Street. The building, when completed, aud^madj ready for the reception of exhibits, will not cost much less than twenty th ,usand pounds. At a meeting, yesterday afternoon, over which His Honor the Superintendent presi-.ied, Mr Matthew Holmes was appointed permanent Chairman, and Messrs Vincent Pyke and R H. Forman, Deputy-Chairmen. Mr J. S. Webb, principal editor of ihe Daily Telegraph, was appointed Honorary Secretary, and Mr Beverly, Honorary Treasurer. The General Committee were then divided into ten districts, each section to watch over the interests of the district they represented, and to report from time to time to the Central Committee. A paid Secretary is advertised for, upon whom will fall the arduous duties of organising and following out all the details necessary to make the whole undertaking a great success, of which little doubt is entertained. The Committee then adjourned until the 13th insfc. The All-England Eleven were expected among us on or about the 24th of this month, by which time our twenty-two will have been selected for the great match. I am sorry to inform you that Mr Shadrach Jones met with rather a severe accident on Saturday on the Recreation Ground, while engaged in the Caledonian Sports. Jones, mounted on horseback, was in the act of tilting at the ring, when the animal stumbled and threw him heavily to the ground. He was picked up quite insensible, but shortly recovered, when he was taken to one of the refreshment booths where restoratives were administered, and shortly after he was conveyed home. No bones were broken, but Mr Jones was very much shaken, and received one or two rather severe bruises. It is expected that this gentleman will be able to attend personally his multifarious engagements in the course of a week or ten days. Mr Jones is, probably, as popular a man as we have in Dunedin at the present time ; he is certainly the most enterprising. From the diggings we receive no intelligence but what pertains to the "various amusements which have been going on, and the consequence will be a ve«y deficient escort for next Tuesday, the day upon which it is due. The Town Board has been solely occupied for some days in hearing numerous appeals against the assessments upon town propertiesIn very few instances have the objections and protests been entertained, the members of the Board in almost every case confirming <,he valuations made by the assessor. The fact is patent that funds must be raised for city improvements, and a heavy assessment is the only ineans open to accomplish it; but one shilling in the pound and sixpence for a lighting rate is certainly very stiff, and more than most of us can afford to pay. The Supreme Court in its Civil Sittings' jurisdiction is still on, but no case of any interest has come before it to the present time. Our Gas Company has not turned out so good a speculation for the shareholders as was anticipated. No dividend has been declared, and it is feared there will be none for some S time to come. Some steps are " about being taken for the suppression of prostitution which is so rampant in- Dunedin. -The police laws are to be more rigidly enforced as regards the brothel-keepers, and a Society is to be formed, the objects of which, aie to try the effacacy | of mo al suasion, and finding employment for i fallen-women who. may repent the, errors of their ways, and are desirous of leading reputable lives. I trust such may sueceed, for the plague spot -threatens, unless remedial measures are adopted, to spread far and wide, carrying a "malignant-moral corruption, which must result in '; the worst consequences to pur Province. " The new daily paper previously announced to come out on the 4th of the month, has not yet rcade its- appearance. •'. Whether the issue is adjonrned sine die, or the proprietary aria waiting to complete arrangements, is not certain. In" the face of two daily papers arid one evening issue (really a most respectable little publication) ;.it is probable the projectors will think twice before risking their money.

'P AJJD jLITBaAEX £SSOCIATIC)N. t\ An^inSngUTaljinee^ng] of J-tfie above associ. iaiion^tfas ;het&Ut tKe4^P^"Hbuse^ Taj «tre^>^\E^a^^vemng^l«t; ; Dr. X\ Ryley'was unanimously elected to the chair, . The Chairman, after a few introductoij remarks, said*-r's Every one must be satisfy thatT a great "desideratum in" this town is j Literary— Association,; where/ -young men might meet for mental culture, social inte^ coursejror innocent amusement. -Man besidq the senses which -he has^ih commoa VuiK*' animals inferior to him in the scale of b^ingM| and by. which ,he Jahjoys such, materiagf pleasures as fall,' within- the doniain of seeing hearing, tasting,^ touc^mff, Bcc., is possess* of a^mind by which .he -perceires, imaging remembers and reasons, and .through whtcj he is capable of enjoym'ent'bf.; a' "niuch morj elevated character ih'an&falls>to the lot 4 other animals-viz., imagination and thought From this description of^uman hature,ii w'ould ! be'absWdVto suppose:! that the life [| marT.ihould-'be;" entirely-devoted to the cob. tempiataori' of iaason;oji the qne'Jiand, or tht -gratification of sense on- the •other. .- If aniiiiHr devotes himself wholly to the gratification ofßf his senses, or purely anj^Lpart ofhisgf nature, he .becomes 1 a. voluptuary or a sengtsualist, oii the other hind.lf Jie > wholly dUg| - cards the use of ,the7sanßes»;aod devo^gt himself entirely to the cultivation of h» mental or moral faeulties^the spiritual pangi of his nature— he becomes an ascUic orajj misanthrope, : Greator has naißr 'given us . a single faculty-that he did nom? I intend to be used,; and perfect-health of bott [body and mind cajip only be obtained by thf legitimate use of : bprh, our' natures. W< seldem have •- reason ; to complain d men neglecting the cultivation of thei senses, but too of ten. "that the neglect they cut tivationof the mind.., By the word educa tion we mean the leading out, exercise, 01 training of the faculties "of sense or intellec! for both are capable in a tugft degree of e<j tt cation, especially the latter. We have a! "had to a greater or less, extent what is com monly called education— the education whicK we have received at school or, college ; buHr there is. another education which can onlHc come from ourselves, to which theie is n Royal road, and in which I fear- many of n are deficient. .. "Every man^v'says Gibbo: the historian, "who rises frdm^the comn<o leyei has received two educations— the fin from his teacher, the secondhand more in portant, from : himself."'.- We do not i modern ti-nes place so much-importance upo *a University eJucjti'on as our ancestors did We do not now study the dead^Linguages « much for themselves as for.Htbjfe disciplin whicH their acquisition gives £& tne^meritmr powers. We do not lookf? upon their mea|| acqiisition as education- so much-as the effeijß; which sacli acquisition has in devplppiug anj trahiing. the menial. and moral faculties, ,1a a word, we regard them iasonly- one meansoi attaininer an end ;". and that 'there are otbei means of attaining the isame- end, the ex amples of the Franklins; therjaradays, thi Drews, the Cobd' ns. and the in oui own ; d-yi have clearly^hbwn.;Tlie -.stores c! human knowledsre *re no wTsb great and mani fold, and the diffusionof-suchrinowledgebi the Press, so general, that we are not so d? jpendent upon ihe_cla£4icß_a3 a means of eds cation, as we were , in the , palmy days M -^Academical teachings, viz., the middle a SS^R Itis interesting to notice, too, tfiat such soc&Bfe ties as we have met to-night ; to Jinav^«^t«, were unknown .until, com parati.vely c=Ht««H ilimes —until, in fact people:be;gan to.entertaiM ; more profound %vvotions in regard to the realH:; naf;ure of education." \. But a"t]the,preseht tin)® ]. there is, perhaps; not a. town " or a TilB | lage Europe without its. societyg; The' most celebrated" "cf : these sooietiemi 'are the Historical '"'- SocieQri .; of Trini!«| College, Dublin, and thespeculattve SocietieS; of Oxford and O.ambridge,:which havg\jc^|j more^ according to • Broughaim, to ppbduc«i orators, statesmen and man . of letters tha!» their Alma Maters themselves./ IndolenoB; is the great bane of society. .There are feirB \ who have nut at some period of. their UyeSj fell its enervating influence.' ' :.' If yve wislH; success in life— nay, if. we^ wish- to obtaicgeven to mediocrity, we "must shake off ttaßL; incubus. It-has been well remarlcedj thatitßs is, not the possession of gieat talents, but theH; use of them, that" makes great inen. HaTeg; we nut examples every day of men of humbleg' .ibilities, but of untiring~patience and indefatigable industry, , rising over the heads of men immensely sup£nqr.'in3.atural endow; ments, but inferior in those acquired .virtues. Let us declare war ,^th'en7 against -this, great vice of indolence, by' joining tikis Soeietj and becoming its active members. The bustness of the Society will consist, in debatinj subjects of interests in literature, scienc^ art and general politics— in ; the reading oi essays on those subjects^followed by friendlj criticism, and the occasioaal delivery of lectures by' competent parties. No betta means could be devised, in my opinion, fa the purpose of self-education in the rnosl agreeable and attractive way possible. la preparing for a debate we have to read, thins, collate, and draw our conclusions from varioui and conflicting sources. We thus make ourselves thorough masters of the subject, bar, above all, cultivate our intellects — the greal object of the acquisition of all knowledge. We likewise learn that every question W two sides, and. as a cotollaty, the great principle cf toleration and consideration for the opinions and convictions of others. Subservient to these great objects are manjg not so imposing, but not the tesg useful, viz., to give the members ug opportunity of. measuring -their,' strengtbg with each other, and of thus" preventing ®W overweening confidence in .their indiviouiji abilities on the one hand, or. a too humbjH estimate on the other ;■; itp excite a spit it «H emulation among the members; to afford tug agreeable variety "to their ordinary avoca-g tions ; ; to blend ; instruction with amusement* to promote a spirit of pb-japfration and fri eni 'g ship among the. members'*; rtoeffect an int?jfichange of ideas among:yioung ■■_ men, brougWg together from every par^bxthe mother-coia-g try— indeed, from almbsXevery part of twg world— yoiing men, diflferhig as widely W their original, or natural capacities as they ««l in the extent of the improvement which the-^| capacities have undergone by education ; tog encourage habits of self-reliance ; to aceus-g I torn the members to reason extemporaneous™ 1 and express- themselves intelligibly, andwi»g I self-possession in public , and last, in poi»g of time, but not least in importance, to kee |g them out of the public-house, or from spenfrg in» their time in other kinds of dissipation* I fear I have detained you top long, gentteg men, but in conelu<ri6ri,^ti:tne : impiess uposg membet s the nacessity of w« presßion. and the "most chivalrous good te^|| ing in their wordy warfare.'. Hear the a*« vice of the poet: Cowper :-^» j. r H " D-scourse may want an animated * Tsqj B To hush the surface, and toxnake it flfriw ; g But, still remember, if you wub. to r please, g To press your point wita modesty and ease, g The following resolutions were then passcig 1. « That a Society be now formed undi« the title of the JnvercargiU Debating Claw and Literary Association.'^: 2:— " That »■ Subscripaon be 10k 6d- quarterly, payable* advance." : 3. — '.• That the Hon. Sec. * instructed to write tpECs Honor the Sups 1 intendent, asking hisrfiyor to become Patr* to the Associatipn- ~' 4.-^"That^a meetiij be held this day week^ and that the oo» mittee report progress.-' - » T^e following-, gentlemen were then a? pointed as" a Committee^.^^df Management, * draw up rules and' forward the interest « the Association, viz. :~Dr. J. R. Ryley, aoMessrs M'Cdmiell, King, Fergußon r Wuli«» son, and tezardw . > • :... ' rt ■ A ivote of thanks; was awarded w Chairman, and the meeting terminated. H