TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8162, 20 June 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

No greater boon can be conceded to the work-girls of London than a scheme which promises them a home and food within their means. Such a promise is fulfilled in the Viotoria Hostel, dedioated recently to the servioe of the work-girls of South London. It is situated iu the Newington causeway, in the highway of the factory world, and has no other objeoi for its foundations than the welfare of the young women. Thos# who have no real home in London can command the, use of its restaurant, sitting, soolal and olubrooms, laundry, bath-rooms, library, gymnasium, and a completely-fur-nished uubicle for 3s 6d a week. The restaurant, situated on the ground floor is open to all, nnd there the girls are to be served with good wholesome food at the lowest possible cost. A plate of roast beef, for instance, will cost them 3d; potatoes, %d; pudding, 'ld; steak pudding, 2d; a plate of soup, Id; and so on through a capital tarif?. The residents have their own restaurants on the second floor, where, however, the same prices rule, the remaining floors being occupied by the bright, white wooden oubioles.

The London oomapODdent of the "Sydney Morning Herald,'' writes: —I referred some time ago to the remarkable want of information occasionally displayed by educated foreigners as to the area of Australia. They were evidently misled by the" statistics, of 'the population, and I have heard cultivated Frenchmen talk about the Australian Continent as if it might be another Ireland or Scotland—or, at all events, evidently without any real appreciation of its aotual extent. The recent campaign which has been going on in our rural districts in favour of emigration Bhows, however, that considerable misapprehension still lingers among our own countrymen in this particular matter. This has boon so clearly the case that the Agent-General's Department has thought it worth while to have a special lantern slide prepared reproducing, a map which was published some little time ago showing clearly the comparison in size between Australia as a whole and all the European States combined with the exception of Russia. The European States are oolored, while Australia forms a dark and easily ajl-embracing background. I am told that wherever the map has been shown in country districts it has almost invariably produced an exclamation of surprise.

The late Joseph Jefferson, the American actor, used to say that liia career came very near being nipped in the end in a email Western town. He afc that time was a member of a small pioneer company, which progressed by means of three "bull teams" from one miuing oamp to another. They wore always heartily received by the miners and cowboys, who readily paid the five dollars in gold required to witness their performance. Mr Jefferson was the traditional melodramatic villian, and in the third act was supposed to Kidnap "the child." The supposed mother, bonrioß itß cries, rushes upon the soeue just as he is about to escape, and fires a fruitless Bhot from a revolver. ' Upon this particular occasion all had gone well until this scene was reached, and the audienoe, many of whom had never before seen any kind of theatrical performace, sat as if spellbound. At the crack of the mother's revolver, however, the apell was rudely broken. "By heaven, she missed bim!" a redsbirted miner in the front row shouted, drawing his own "sixshooter" and leaping to hie feet. "Round to the back door and head him off 'fore he can git a boss, boys," he yelled and, following him, half the audience stampeded for the exit. The excitement was finally allnyed by the "mother" and the villain appearing hand in hand before the curtain, and the manager's explanation of the situation. When the performance bad been concluded, the audience insisted oh paying another admission price, and having an immediate repetition from beginning to end.

The London correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald, writes:— "1 have refeired to the strong teetotal contingent in the House of Commons. .1 formal calculation on this point has now been made, and the number of total abstainers

is pat down as 209. This is getting fairly on to one-third of the whole membership of the House. Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerinan is claimed as a staanoh temperance reformer. I believe the fact to be that the Prime Minister, who had been a very moderate wine drinker at any time, did decide on total abstinence when the repaonsibility of leading the Liberal Party fell upon his shoulders, because he found that in this way he was able to get through more work with greater ease, Whether he is still an abstaiuer I oannot say, but it is pretty certain that he is practically one. When one considers tbe habits of the House of Commons even twenty or five and twenty years ago tbe change is very striking. It is almost entirely due to the altered ideas of the last generation of "grown-ups." I have myself seen a letter from a distinguished man of th« old sahool —1 cannot be sure at tbe moment who it was—'but the letter would be written within the memory of many living peoplestrongly recommending a young man to another statesmen as private secretary on the ground that be had distinguished himself brilliantly at college, had travelled a good deal, could tell a story and was "a steady drinkei." Those were considered in high political quarters at that time tbe qualifications for a real associate—the kind of companion you liked to sit up with o' nights. The new type of our political young men is quite different.