What Evening Says.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2515, 27 January 1877, Page 2

What Evening Says.

"In multitude of counsellors there is safety.!' . —Old Provbrb

Everybody knows that a sermon lately preached by a clergyman at the Thames has caused letters to appear in the papers in which fault was found, charges made, and suggestions offered. It would be perhaps better for everybody if they had an opportunity of reading the sermon in print in extenso, as then everybody would judge for himself of the sermon as a whole, for it must be borne in mind that, it, is very easy to pick out single sentences which read by themselves mean one thing, but when read with the context mean just the reverse.

Lord Lytton, in one of his works, describes a banquet in the days of the Roman Emperors, and details the conversation of the convives. One of these appears to have been of a charitable turn of mind, and to have attempted to find some good in everything; it would be well if everybody would follow his example. He seems, however, to have found it hard to find anything worthy of praise in Britain until, in a moment of inspiration, he exclaimed, " Well, there is some good in the poor Britons after all; they can produce an oyster." Not a large meed of praise to give, but perhaps better than none at all. According to the Herald there is the same sort of good to be found in Hobartown, with this difference, that they can produce salmon at 6d a pound. It is to be hoped they will find another Sallust to praise them.

Speaking of these same Komans we read that some of them used to bathe in wine. Their example appears to have been followed by some people at the present day, if what the Weekly Argus says be true, that there are those who delight " to 101 lin easy chairs and fine wines.'' Everybody has heard the phrase " rolling

in riches," but how this " lolling in fine wines" is accomplished passes comprehension. Except that it must be an expensive process it might pay somebody to come down and give a few exhibitions, especially as judging from the advertisements the finest wines can be purchased at the Thames at low rates.

\ Virtue is its own reward, though not always a satisfactory one. It seems the cap of a brass wheel was lost the other day, and the finder was informed by advertisement " that he would be rewarded by leaving it on the cabstand." Was he merely to put the brass wheel down and retire, content with the knowledge that he had done an honest action, or was there a person employed to walk up and down the cabstand with a Bum of money waiting for ,the appearance of the brass' wheel? By-the-bye, are there not more cabstands than one in Auckland, if so, which claims the prefix " the ? " v

Everybody during the last week has; been taking up the cry so Common in England. "OhJ there's no news in the papers." There is no reason why they should not say so, for if it be the privilege of Englishmen to grumble, the same i privilege ought to belong to her colonies. It-is no good telling anybody that "no news is good news," for they immediately \ say, " Then what's the use of buying papers?" And the fqlly of proclaiming tish to be in other than a fresh condition is allowed by everybody. But there has not been much to write about, and that little not very interesting* Everybody does not know how hafd it is to make news, and for the wretched journalist after the manner of Antonio to watch with weary eye and aching brow, in the hopes that a horse may stumble and fall, or a policeman run in a goat, and then perhaps scurry across the street to find j out what six men assembled in a group are talking about, and get there in time to near that they are just going to have a beer, or pick up any other fact of equal importance. "Yet this sort of thing has to be done, the general result being, that there •" is no news in the papers."

Now that the County Councils have got fairly to work it has become a question with some how the Chairman should be addressed—-Whether he is to be considered a little lower than a Borough Mayor and be plain "Mr Chairman," or a little higher and succeed to the title,- as some chairmen affect to have assumed the functions of Superintendents. This matter may perhaps be left to that West Coast County Council, which has already in debate so far aped parliamentary proceedings as to address or speak of each other as " the hon. member " for such and such a riding. Everybody, however, thinks that County Councils were intended to be useful rather than ornamental bodies.