DUNEDIN.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 259, 16 January 1873, Page 8

DUNEDIN.

(From our own Correspondent.) The promoters of the Port railway have displayed considerable energy iv the management of the line, and iv addition to the six trains which run during the week days, have announced their intention of running Sunday trains also. It is not to be supposed, however, fiafc the . pure moral atmos phere wbi;h is generally credited as being one of the blessings of Dunjdin citizenship, will be allowed to be contaminated by the smoke an 1 steam of the noisy engine on the pc iceful Sabbath, without strenuous efforts being made by the " true blues " of the cotn° munity to stop the desecration. Moral persuasion will no doubt be brought to bear on those who have the management of the line, in order thatt' c pernicious example thus set to Sabbath-breakers may not be continued. lam afraid, however, that those who don't like it will just have to smother their feelings as best they can, for the tendencies of the age arc decididly in favour of some I means of Sunday recreation, and a ride ha a railway carriage on that particular day will, I anticipate, rather find favour than otherwise with the majority of "the community. And . probably opposition to the wishes of the majority will have the reverse of a benefical effect, as was exemplified some four months since when pressure was brought to bear on the Harbour Steam Company becanse of their steamers making Sunday trips to Port-Chalmers. The interference of one rev. gentleman in the mattet alluded to, and who has since bid a rather inglorious farewell to the service, certainly gained for him a good deal of the dislike which was only too openly expressed for some time before his departure. The fact is, the great majority, of people won't be dictated as to how they shall spend their time, and if on a Sunday they

feel inclined for a ride in a railway carriage, or a trip down the bay in one of the steamers, they'll have it, spite of "true blueism," or the dox customs, and all the rest oi it. It is no doubt very sad, but a fact nevertheless ; and any attempt to check and control their actions is resented and set at dofianco. It is not going too far to say that much of this feeling has been brought about by the austerity and severe aspect with which even the most harmless pleasures, when indulged in on a Sunday, are regarded in many parts of Scotland by the ministers of the Presbyterian Church, this absurd teverity and rigour extending even to the prohibition of a walk in the fields on the Sabbath day never attain any object but that of making those who are under its thraldom rebel against it, and gradually relax into ways which are much more pleasant, and it must certainly be said more natural. It has been found necessary to run Sunday trains regularly in the home country, in order to meet the requirements of the eye, and it will be useless, to attempt to stop it in the colonies. As well try to induce the proprietors of daily newspapers to forego the Monday morning's publication, on account of the Sunday work which it of necessity entails. In connection with which latter matter the query has often suggested itself to my mind. Do our ministers of religion themselves show a good example to their flocks by denying themselves the pleasnre of a perusal of the Monday morning issues of the newspapers, only produced by the systematic ignoring and breakiug of the seventh commandments? I think the question can be very safely answered in the negative. As with the production of the newspaper on Monday morning, then, so will it bo ! with the running of trains, steamboats, &c. The latter will run so long as it will pay people to run them, all the holy horror and declaration of true blueism and orthodoxy to the contrary notwithstanding. Moray Place, Dunedin. was the scene of a rather tragic incident on Saturday night but which it is happily without doubt anticipated will not result in serious consequences to the injured man. The people in the neighbourhood mentioned were rather startled about half-past 11 o'clock on the night in question at hearing the report of three or four pistol shots in rapid succession, followed by a loud outcry from the quarter whence the shots proceeded. Living in the neighbourhood, I in company with others proceeded to the spot, and found an excited knot of people round a man i who had just been shot, and who proved to be Detective Farrell. Fortunately the wound is not of a very dangerous nature, although from the fact that no less than four sbots were fired at the injured man, it is evident that murder was intended. Farrell avowed that his assailant was ex-Ser-geant Ryan, who is well known in Dunedin and the country districts having been long a member of the Otago Police Force. Ryan is now in custody, and will probably be brought up for examination to-morrow if Farrell if able to attend. [The above should have appeared in our last issue.]