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Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 4024, 21 November 1881, Page 2

The Volunteers assembled for Church parade yesterday morning, and beaded by the Band of the Scottish, ruarched to St. George's Church, where the majority of the members attended divine service. The Volunteers wbo belonged to other denominations were per* Emitted to attend ibeir special fWees of

worship. All ttaturJay and Sunday night a number of men were told off for picket duty, and tramped round the various throughfares at iatervuls. This will continue until the Government come to terms.

It would appear that the House is always in a state of turmoil, and that until the lakn Native Minister puts in an appearance and exerts his soothing influence o'er the members, no business of importance is consummated. Vidt Mr Sheehan's speeches delivered on the 271h June and on Saturday night, Mr Sheehan on both occasions made use of the same words :—" When he arrived in Wellington, he found things terribly mixed up, indeed— like Buttercup's bubies." This simile is characteristic of Mr Sbeehan, whose predileotion for the green room is widely known; Mb Cadman will address the electors at St. George's School room at eight o'clock this evening. A pbesektation, consisting of a handsome library chair to the Rev. V. Lush, a writing desk to Miss Lush, an easy chair to Mrs Lush, and a box of colors to Miss A. Lush, was made yesterday afternoon by Mr Gerring in the name of the Sunday School scholars attending the St. George's Sunday School. A btjmotjb was abroad this morning to the effect that a ball was to be held in honor of the volunteers on Wednesday evening next. We do not know if the rumour has any founnation in fact, but hope that such is the case, as the men undoubtedly deserve a public ovation.

The s.B. Coromandel will leave the wharf this evening for Coromandel at five o'clock. Mb Speight will address the electors at the Theatre Royal on Wednesday evening. The Congregational Boiree takes place this evening at 6.30. In our Saturday evening's issue we pointed out some of the causes that necessitated the reform in the procedure of the House of Commons and Representatives. Mr J. Hall, the Premier, in his address to the constituents (which will be found in another column), said : " The speeches had been interminable, and the obstruction intense, and the first thing the new House would have to do would be to reform the order of busisess, in order to prevent a repetition of stonewalling and the obstruction of a minority." ' The men who assisted in disarming the Maoris at Parihaka say it was a most pitiful sight to see the Maoris in tears watching the destruction of tlwr property. Every whare was broken into, boxes emptied, and the contents destroyed. Most of the booty was quietly pocketed by those engaged in the pillaging. Two pannikins of sovereigns and a co pie of watches were all that was handed over.

It will be remembered by those who peruse Parliamentary reports, that on one occasion when the lute member for City East bad fairly surpassed himself in oratorical demonstration, and had caused the members of the House to subside into drowsiness, by his melancholy appearance and doleful oration, a member arose, and after facetiously drinking a glass of water, remarked, " I never knew before that windmills were worked by water."

" Eye Witness" sends us the following :— We bare all beard of and man; of us have seen a good deal of what is called by philosophers the odium tbeologicum, whicb is a highly respectable tradition of orthodox Christianity, and indeed enters largely into the composition of orthodoxy itself 5 but the odium medicate, which is quite as common, and equally venomous, is not so genera ly recognised. It may, therefore, interest your readers to relate an instance of it, whicb is amusing as well as instructive. On the first day of last week—the peaceful Sabbath within the Borough of Thames—two horsemen approached each other from opposite directions, both of them riding at a rapid paoe, and neither seemingly incline I to alter his course, which, if maintained, must have brought the parties into collision, or very nearly bo. Curiosity as to the result of such apparent recklessness arrested my attention, and I was then enabled to see thnfc the cavaliers in question were two well known knights of the lancet, each animated by the odium medicate— one ot them to an unusual extent, as will appear. This representative of Don Quixote, his eyes flashing fire, and his lips firmly compressed, was evidently prepared for the impending shock, and fearing that bo much good courage on bis part should be /wasted if no collision occurred he turned his war horse so as to make it inevitable, and thus overthrow his younger rival whose steed was too light for such an encounter, and whom he doubtless expected to fall an easy victim to his charge, but man proposes and Q-od disposes ; at the very moment when Don Quixote thought his vengeance was secure, the intended victim ported bis helm, adroitly leaving his antagonist to forge ahead with all the impetus given to his career by a full dose of the odium medicate which he always carries about with him.