WILLIAM MACKENZIE’S CONCERT.

Te Aroha News, Volume XII, Issue 1794, 14 December 1895, Page 2

WILLIAM MACKENZIE’S CONCERT.

(to the Ediior.V

Sir,— Through the medium, of your columns allow me to tender niy sincere regret to.the kind people of Te Aroha, who were disappointed ,by Wy nonappearance as announced, j I was reluctantly compelled to return to Auckland from Te Awamutu,| and. to abandon my visit to your district until January next, I hope my patrons will overlook ;any -unpleasantness caused, until a personal explanation is given, when myself and company appear. ; Nothing will be wanting on my part to recompense those who were inconvenienced by the postponement. Soliciting the favour of your insertion of this iri explanation.: -I am,etc., W. Mackenzie.. Auckland, Deo. 7th 1895

(To the Editor.)

Sm,—Allow me space in yoiir columns te draw attention to the change in opinions as expressed by a person A in authority and a portion of the 3?ress, on a most importantfsubject, as now, and about sixty years sgo.. It. is generally acknowledged- that the high principles of humanity that guide the doings of the Anglo Saxon race at the : present time are the result of endeavours on the part of our forefathers,' or persons who have earnestly worked for the amelioration of their kind. The Bible is held in greater regard, though the blood, and. treasure that was spent centuries ago to uphold it, than it does from the assertion of Divine- inspiration in its pages. Slavery was abolished at great cost, because the license under it caused a thrill of terror to • arise in human minds; and woman, it is finally asserted, is being gradually placed on equality with man, both socially andjpolitically. Is it so. About sixty years ago, during a noted war in Europe, known as the Division of Polard, by the then - great powers whose name ends with the letter a— Austria, Prussia, and Russia, a great howl of indignation thrilled through . J§gjdand and. the English_prjjss. At the of the Russian forces, exasperated by the i tenacious patriotism of the Polish - women, condemned one of them to the Knout, the Russian lash. All the manliness of the English- character roused against, and lhe General, known as the .Russian Hyena, from his savage ways, narrowly escaped lynching in London some years after-*' , wards when he paid the city a visit. Manhood then coni 3 not abear to hear of a woman being flogged under any circumstances, and the flogging of female negro women in slavery was considered one of the greatest blots. Yet, with all these precious heirlooms in the keeping of man at the present time, on perusing the colmuns of the New Zealand Herald a short time back one of bur Stipendiary Magistrates was reported to have said to a female prisoner before him that he was sorry, actually sorry, the law did'not give him the power to sentence her to the lash. Words, it is to be hoped, lepented of as soon as uttered. And the Herald Newspaper in commenting on it positively advocated the use of the lash upon woman. Oh man how hast thou fallen from .the high estate of thy grandfathers in'advocating the pursuing of a course which roused their resentment. Now, having made a laughing stock of woman by giving the right to enter into political elections, with all its under-handness, chicnnery, and tricks, some men now are advocating also the application of the lash as a means of punishment. Better far the whole" earth change to Meteoric dust, or a lot of small meters, as the earth passes through once in thirty-three years; better the earth forget to pause and turn in the summer hut keep on. rushing over till equator becomes the polo,than that Englishman should turn and inflict the same disgrace upon woman, of whatever degree,their forefathers bled to abolish.— l am, etc., H.J.H.