MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Waikato Argus, Volume III, Issue 210, 16 November 1897, Page 1 (Supplement)

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Congregationalism and teetotalism threaten to become synonymous terms. An evidence of this is to be found in the fact that no less than 251 out of the 256 students now training in the Congregational colleges are abstainers. Of course, the older class of ministers have not so unanimously pledged themselves to abstain from alcohol. However, it is significant of the influence of teetotalism in Nonconformity that 2364 out of the 2847 ministers who arc to be found in the connexion have formally relinquished intoxicants. The proportion of abstainers in the Baptist ministry is equally large ; and in less important Connexions, like the United Methodist Free Church, the Primitive Methodist Churchy and the Bible Christians, it is larger still. Brutus has been greatly praised for his self-denial in condemning his own offspring for some alleged offence, but Mr Coroner Sworder, of Hertfordshire, has done even better than the old Roman consul, for he has unhesitatingly and magnanimously condemned himsslf. By his orders a jury was summoned, but when the hour arrived the coroner was conspicuous by his absence. He, however, sent a "telegram postponing the function until the following day. When at Inst he appeared in his own tribunal he frankly explained to the assembled jurymen that there had been a mistake in his office, for which he apologised to them. As he had often threatened to fine jurymen for being absent, he had determined on the present occasion to fine himself, and he forthwith handed to the jury the sum of £2, to be divided amongst them. Let Brutus now take a back-seat. The recipients thanked the coroner for his keen sense of justice, and hoped the day was not far distant when his excellent example would be followed by all who were the arbiters of jurymen's time. Then would the life of a juror bscomc worth living.

A correspondent signing himself " Bravo " forwards the Argus the following incident, which he says is taken from advices received by the last mail from the Indian frontier:—" Fort Lockhart, or Gulistan, was recently the scene of a Bharp engagement with the tribesmen. When the war broke out the wife of one of the English officers, having a young infant, was unable to leave, and remained, with her other two children and a nursegirl, by name Teresa Magrath, in the doubtful shelter of a mud hut within the so-called fort. Teresa, who is a young Australian, exhibited on this occasion a courage and coolness well worthv of record. During the whole of the attack, which lasted fourteen hours, she was the doctor's right hand assistant, attending to the injured native soldiers and dressing their wounds, and all this under an extremely heavy musketry fire. The comment of her eldest charge (aged six) on the affair is rather striking, and singularly applicable to the curious waiting game at present being played by the Indian Government. ' There was nasty men creeping up. Daddy saw them burning the hedge, then he snooted the man that did it, and I told him he should have shooted him first.' "

The course of true love not only runs smooth, but gallops apace, _ in Worcestershire, if one may take as typical the following story. The hero lives in a

small Worcestershire villiage which for obvious rDasons shall be nameless. He took to himself a wife, who was " a pood un," but transitory, wherefore he took to himself a second wife ; she also—so he affirmed in converse—was " a good un," and she, too, left him a widower, " and so," said this persevering Romeo, " 1 were a-lookin' round me for someone as would make me comfortable, and t'other day a friend of miue 'e sez to me, ' I knows the very 'ooman as'll suit you—she's a widow.' ' All right,' sez I, ' let's go round and look at 'er, I sez. So we steps round. ' Well, Mrs Jones,' 'e sez to 'er, ' it's time as you was settlin down agen. 1 ' And so I shall,' she sez, ' when Mr Right turns up.' ' I've brought 'im, Mrs Jones,' sez 'e, ' 'ere 'e i.«,' sez 'e, ' and now I'll leave you two to fix it up.' So I sez to 'cr, 'What I want is a woman as'll make me comfortable.' 'Mr Brown,' she sez, 'if you marry me, you'll be comfortable.' ' All right,' sez I, ' that's all I want.' And so I puts up the banns and we'm agoin' to be married.'" This rustic idyll my friend had from the lips of the susceptible swain himself.