My Note Book.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4218, 8 July 1882, Page 5 (Supplement)

My Note Book.

• (By aCbitical ■ Character.) ; I attended a" lecture in the Good Templar Hall, giren by...Mr. Berry Cass, and for the benefit of those who have not had the opportunity I hasten to tell them they have not lost .much in the way of information, though they may count an evening's amusement less in their lives. Mr Cass is not ah unpleasing speaker. He speaks quietly, and with a full knowledge of the insinuating power of language. He read his lecture, and though well read, much of the effect is lost through the speaker's continual attention to his manuscript. Mr Cass is not a convincing debater. Possessing a great amount of cunning in his nature it becomes very apparent in his replies to questions, the latter portion of the time being devoted to replying to queries from the audience. In this he signally failed; in hardly a single instance was a direct and honest reply given, although many straightforward questions were put to the lecturer. In this day of the Nineteenth Century fco us, who .are the " heirs of all the ages," it is hut a poor compliment to our reason or intelligence for a public lecturer to come before us with an array of passages which he supposes meets his case, and attempt to ridicule the inter" pretation applied to passages by men (t« say the least) equally learned, honest, and as earnest for the truth as Mr Cass. " Prove ail things." In trying this the lecturer makes the same mistake, or falls into the same error as many others, viz., that of adopting a theory, and then culling as many passages as possible in support of it. " Christianity as it was at the first" is very likely to remain so, unless some better exponent than Mr Cass takes the field. I was not a little amused by an apparently nondescript individual announcing that he would continue these lectures, and began wondering how I was to know 'tother from which, when Mr Cass himself set the matter at rest by announcing that this was his meeting, and he begged this gentleman (?) not to interfere.

The Harbor Board are into it again* From a report of their proceedings at their meetings, they appear to have arrived in deep water, whatever may be the result of the wharf and harbor question. Colonel Fraser appears to hit the nail on the head when he speaks of the wire-pullers, for upon no other ground can Mr Beere's memo, be explained. A professional gentleman to spend days taking soundings and furnishing an elaborate and expensive plan of works that he knew he was about to condemn requires at least some explanation. The Chairman's excuse that he was not asked is altogether too thin, and increases the impression re the wire-pullers. How could Mr Beere report at all without giving expression tc his opinion, and if he has reported has this report been stifled or what are the public to think of the whole matter ? If this Board conduct their business in this way there is a possibility of the Borough abandoning the proposed railway and we may have the spectacle of a wharf running out from the bare hill and totally useless while the public are saddled with the expense. It is quite clear that either one of the pro - posed works would be a monument of folly without the other, the clear intention of the public vote upon the Borough loan being sufficient proof that both works were in prospect and there is no shadow of doubt but this double work influenced the votes on that occasion.

The people of the Thames have now an opportunity of gaining a vast fund of information from the geological lectures of Professor Denton—information that is in itself not only interesting, but information that may be made a basis for the study of other branches of science. A 'correct knowledge of the first principles of geology may be a pedestal from which other lines of truth may be safely followed. An opportunity like the present does not •ften occur in the colonies, so all should embrace it.