MOTHER'S BOYS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 428, 23 January 1875, Page 3

MOTHER'S BOYS.

Yes, I know there are stains on my carpet, The traces of small, muddy boots ; And I see your fair tapestry, glowing All spotless with blossoms and fruits ! And 1 know that my walls are disfigured With prints of small fingers and hands ; And I see that your own household whiteness All fresh in its purity stands. Yea, I know my " black walnut " is battered, And dented by many small heels, Wfcile your own polished stairway, all perfect, Its smooth, shining surface reveals ! And I know that my parlor is littered With many odd treasures and toys ; While your own is in daintiest order, Unharmed by the presence of boya '. And I know that my room is invaded Quite boldly all hours of the day ; While you sit in your own unmolested, And dream the soft quiet away ! Yes, I know thatlhave jackets that wear out, And buttons that never will stay ; While you can embroider at leisure, And learn pretty arts of " crochet." And I kmw there are lessons of spelling, Which I must be patient to hear ; While you may sit down to your novel, Or turn the iast magazine near ! Yes, 1 know there are four little bedsides Where I must stand watchful each night ; While you may go out in your carriage, And flash in your dresses so bright ! Now I think I'm a neat little woman ; I like my house orderly, too, And I'm fond of all dainty belongings : Yet I would not change places with you ! No ! - keep your fair home, with its order, Its freedom from trouble and noise ; And keep your own fanciful leisure, But give me my four splendid boys !

The noble and highly aristocratic sport of horse-racing, as it was once considered iv England, is in a decidedly bad way. • ' The Thanes fly from it. " It is yet fresh in our memories that Sir Joseph Hawley, one of the most spirited and honorable patrons that ever gave countenance and active co-operation to " the turf," sold off his stud : and now we have another sad defection, which will bring sorrow to the bookmakers and the betting world. "The Marquis of Exeter." says the " Times " of the 4th August, "intimates his intention of withdrawing his subscription from the Stamford races after the season of 1874. and of devoting the stand and course to more useful purposes for the future." The ground of this determination is (as we collect from the article of whice the above quoted words form part) that horse-racing in lOngland has, from various causes set forth, degenerated into a mere medium for gambling and demoralization, and that the old plea about the improvement of the breed of horses is at an end. Railways are said to be accountable for much of the decline, as enabling speculative turf men to move "dark horses" about the country at pleasure, and thus to discourage the more local efforts, once common among farmers and other breeders, to raise fine stock for the local races. " Queen's plates" are proclaimed a farce, and are said to be doomed. There can be no doubt that racing of late years has become a sport of which gentlemen are rather shy. The " horsey men " of the day are not remarkable either for refinement, education, elegance of manners and speech, or even for Honesty Their betting shops,, studded throughout every large town in the country, are accountable f3r many a robbed till, and for many a defaulting clerk. Thus the turf has become a much more vicious thing than was the old lottery. Society is awake to the evil, and the Legislature is compelled to notice it. In the same impression of the " Times " which contains the account of the Marquis of Exeter's succession, is a report of some betting prosecutions at Birmingham" which shows, as most of such reports do, that the turf is now supported in England by a very equivocal style of patrons. " The bookmakers," of course, take a deep interest in the whole subject, and under recent enactments are being rapidly made much less happy than they were a few years back.

Writing of school Inspection and of examnations the •' Daily Times" says: — " There is no eliminating the element of inspection, but nowhere are the consequences of caprice so Berious and, occasionally, so disastrous, as under the 'Result' system. And yet we learn that meek arid modified form of this system, which as yet only ventures to introduce ' the standards,' is being insinuated into one or two of our Provinces, and that it is seriously proposed to extend it to the others. We trust that the good sense of the community will interpose before so fatal a step is taken. We pointed out, not long ago, that the perpetual meddling and worrying of local Committees was one of the causes that rendered the profession of a teacher so unattractive to our promising young men. Let us be very careful lest we add anything to a burthen of trouble and anxiety that is already heavy enough to deter many a good man from taking it up. Nothing ought to persuade, the mass of our teachers that the making their remuneration dependetit on the results of annual examinations, based upon a sort of arbitrary tests, will not tend to make their incomes more precarious. Nothing will remove the impression that such examinations, however fairly conducted, will not be vexations, and the source of periodical anxiety. If the educational authoritiesthroughout these islands should ever resolve to introduce the system of rigid standards, and payment by results, they may as well make up their minds to one or two things. They must either pay their teachers much more liberally than, as arule, they do at present, or they must rest content with an inferior class of men. Whichever alternative be adopted, the ' Examiner,' as we have defined him, will be found a very expensive kind of animal to keep. People who are to be exposed periodically to tossing and goring, will expect to be well paid for their sufferinga."

An instance of somnambulism, in which the subject indulged in a curious and dangerous freak, occurred lately. A boy, named Alfred Baker, aged about six years, H> ing at 211 Bourke-street west Melbourne, got up during the morning, and walked to a table, on which stood a gin-bottle, containing vinegar. He took this up and drank about a pint of the vinegar, and then woke up and fell into violent convulsions. His mother, hearing the noise he made, went to him and found him in a fit, He was taken to the Melbourne Hospital, where he was found to be in a very bad state. Emetics and other remedies were applied, but he had convulsions at intervals all day Wednesday, and it was feared he could not live,