General News

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4566, 23 August 1883, Page 2

General News

The Bishop of Melbourne told a story the other day to the Education Commissioners of the painfully grotesque reply of a child uniostructed in spiritual things. A correspondent vouches for this, which furnishes another illustration of the same kind of ignorance. A Presbyterian minister called at the hut of a boundaryrider at Torlarno on the Darling. Not finding either MTnnes or his wife at borne, the minister opened a conversation with their son there, about 10 years :—Minister. " Is your father or mother at home ?" Boy. "No, Sir." Minister. "Can you read or write, my little fellow?" Boy. " No, sir/ Minister (anxious to improve the occasion). "Do you know anything of God?" Boy. " Ho, sir." Minister (with astonishment in his voice). " Have you never heard of your Creator?" Boy. " No, sir, I haven't, but if he's anywhere boundary-riding on the river, dad will know him. He's beeu about here these twenty years."

This is a sample of the educational acquirements of the " Invincibles." Joseph Hunion wrote as follows at Melbourne :— " 1 have been a Crown Witness in the case and wos forwarded out Hear at tbe etpres desire of the home Goverment. I woa in the Park Whun the Murder was comitted. dective Simmins, of Dublin, obtained My ticket for Malbirae, and Handed Me Bank Draft for 50 Pounds, the same arerrangements Wos Made with Kavanagh."

The elephant presented by the King of Siam to the Sydney Zoological Gardens costs nearly £1. per day to feed. The Echo ruefully remarks—" Why, that is more than it costs to maintain a dozen children at, Kandwick; and four and twenty orphans can be maintained at Parramata for less money." . Teetotal beverages have their dangers no less than alchol. The Dublin Express is responsible for a statement that a man named Howes died suddenly, it was supposed, while under the influence of drink. Froma post mortem examination it was discovered that the man had died, not from alcoholic drink, but from " teetotal beverages." AH the organs supposed to be affected by alcohol were " very healthy," but chronic dyspepsia had been set up, and the man had died from a peculiarly painful disease, to which it was proved that " abstainers " are very liable. The doctor and coroner agreed that since tee' totalism spread extensively, deaths from the disease are frequent, and, strange to say, the outward symptoms, when the oase^ becomes serious, are somewhat similar^o^ those shown by alcoholic drunkards. ~

An organisation called the Irish Total Separation Society held its first meeting in Chicago on June 25. The object of the society is to labour to enlist'the sympathy of the United States, France.and RtMriftto make Ireland a nation free, independent, and separate from England. [Recourse would be had to arms, if need be, to obtain freedom/ J'\ '-