The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 1879.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 137, 18 April 1879, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 1879.

The "well worn dispute of Local SelfGovernment v. Centralism has been settled in our political system by the latter gaining the day. It is rather a novelty for the same question to be raised among religions bodies, and for the Bishop of the Wellington Episcopalian Church to advocate anew system under which central authorities will supersede local powers. At the late Church meeting at Masterton the Bishop supported the change on the ground that it was in harmony" with the usages of the early Church, and that it was necessary to recur back to primitive Christianity to obtain guidance in the administration of ecclesiastical affairs. How far a retrospect of this kind is safe and expedient, -we hardly venture to decide. In one direction, if pushed too far, it might compel a conscientious prelate to turn out his staff of preachers -without scrip and 'without purse to fulfil their mission, and this would hardly do. In another direction it is evident that the only perfect example of centralism in religion is that of the Soman Church, with its Sovereign Pontiff, and in road we fancy the worthy Bishop of Wellington would hardly care to travel too for. We are, on the whole, rather inclined to believe that in order to establish a strong and united Colonial Church, it would be more profitable to study the wants and requirements of colonists themselves, and to supply them accordingly, than to seek for rules of conduct in the institutions "of bygone centuries. The Laity of the Episcopalian Church' are attached to their liturgy, more especially when, as;

is rarely tha case, il is recited adequate feeling and expression. -They are not particularly- fond :of:Bermonß, because as a rule preaching is a dreary , paraphrase of truisms which neither touch the heart or excite, the brain. They are fond of Church music, and are possibly more attracted by it than by any other, portion of the ordinary services. The laity would like simpler, and more' natural sermons, and more; intelligent reading, and the clergy, would do well if they could meet these wants. Another want which the laity more or less desire to see supplied, is, that of an occasional change of ministers. In' a Colony like New Zea--land change is more or less a watchword. We like to change our Governors, or have them changed for us. Our Premiers require changing; our Judges, have to he changed. We grumble because our very constables remain - too long in one place. In the Wesleyan Church a periodical change, of ministers is imperative, and does more to keep that denomination progressive than any point in its system. The Bishop 'of Wellington, on Tuesday last, alluding to this principle of the Wesleyans, said that they themselves doubted'its advisability, and one member had recently left-their ranks because he would not conform to it. We can quite understand that Wesleyan ministers do not like their periodical migrations, and long for a change in the system which would give 4 them permanent homes, but we believe that Wesleyan congregations approve of the system thoroughly, and through it they get a more varied and vigorous ministration than other denominations obtain. The Episcopalian Church in New Zealand has reared a complicated ecclesiastical structure, in which vestries, diocesan synods, and general synods carry on the government of the Church in a weak and inefficient ' manner. There are three powers in all deliberations, that of the Bishops, that of the Clergy, and that of the Laity, and they are apparently so ingeniously distinguished in the system that they neutralize each other when they come in contact. A veiy simple ecclesiastical system would satisfy the laity- of the Colony, and after all it is. the wants and wishes of the laity which require to be studied, and not the theories and speculations of a clerical body which possibly understands more about Jerusalem and its ancient inhabitants than it does of New Zealand and its living colonists.

A Telegraph Station is opened at Pokeno, County of Manakau. . Messrs Blaker & Co. continue their sale of merchandize, in the Town HaH, Masterton, to-morrow. Tenders are invited by County West for one mile and ten chains of the Ekatahuna-Alfredton road. To-morrow Messrs lorns & Fergusson sell the surplus stock of Mr Chamberlain, consisting of cattle, sheep, horses, pigs, and agricultural implements. Miss Lyons desires us to express her thanks to those ladies who have kindly forwarded old linen to the Hospital -in answer to our appeal. It is said that Mr. Perrier late editor of the 2s Z Times, has given up the Dunedin Age, and is to become lecturer to the ZeaLandia exhibition.

On Tuesday next tlie ordination of the Rev Panton B'-own to the Lower Valley charge will be conducted by the Presbytery, which will be represented by the Rev Mr Paterson, the RevJVlr Hogg, and the Rev J. McKee. The barman of a certain hotel in town? was rather confused when one of his customers called for an "Attorney-General." This is now a popular style in Waimate of asking for a glass of stout. The Times reports the silver cup prizes in connection with the Wairarapa and East Coast Pastoral and Agricultural Association are now on view at the shop of Mr Hislop, jeweller, Lambton-quay. They are handsomely chased, and embellished with appropriate inscriptions. The latest development of the " artiste" we have lighted on is a show announcement in a Wanganui paper : —" Punchand Judy every 15 minutes by a lady artiste."

A Birmingham manufacturer sends to the Birmingham Post the following copy of an inquiry which he has redeived from a Turkish house tor a dog-skinning machine. The inquiry, he adds, is quite bona fide. " One of my customers is in want of a 'dog-skinning' machine. You have probably seen or known such a thing - Through this machine holding the dogs, when still alive, in a few minutes the skin is off them, and the dogs also killed thus, without giving them much torture. Please send drawings and lowest prices, &c." Mr J. Brayley, of Ulooloo, a corresponds, of the South Australian Advertiser, furnishes the following information as to a plan of rabbit destruction adopted by some farmers in the Hallet district: —" They (the farmers) have got about 2000 yards of netting. This is put up against the fence on two sides of the paddock j and in the corner a yard is made about twenty yards square, and the rabbits are driven into this yard, and killed in numbers, and. I think will astonish some of the Adelaidites, who are hard to pursuade that the rabbits are numerous. I will give you the result of six days'work, the number yarded and killed each day.. First day, 836 off 160 acres ; second day, 900 off the Baine land ; third day, 741 off 100 acres : fourth day, 800 off 100 acres ; fifth day, 1,585 off 200 and 100 acres of this Government land ; sixth day, 619 off 100 acres. The total number killed, in six days, 5,371. The Post Office in England continues to be used as a means of transmitting articles of almost every variety from one part of the country to the other. The following articles amongst others, were observed during the year 1877 A dormouse, four white mice, two goldfinches, lizard, and a blind worm, all alive ; cutlery, medicine varnish, ointments, perfumery, articles of dress, a stoat, a squirril, fish, leeches, frogs, beetles, caterpillers, and vegetables. Many of these being prohibited articles, were sent to the Returned Letter Office. A snake about a yard in length, which had been committed to the post for transmission in a box, was observedto be. at large on the floor of one of the night mail sorting carriages in the London and North Western Railway. After a good deal of confusion and interruption to the work it was killed. A. , "small box which, reached the Returned Letter Office in Liverpool was found, on being opened, to contain eight living snakes..

f The 'Wairarapa ;East County, Courfcilmeets on Monday next re the Mungapakeharoad. 'A meeting of the Committtee r of the Masterton Farmer's Club, will be held at the Empire Hotel, to-morrow evening-at 7.30. At a special Committee meeting of the Canterbury Jockey Club held on Wednesday afternoon, it was decided that it would be inidwsbl^^iOTei^Deci^rac^jiepfc; ing sent: our. to 7s sary; nent ing tion boy The her that Dr The the back tage, was day, was carry and ton, of story the the and The | with it, but their chief had put off dealing with it again and again, and would never give anybody a chance to bring it before ' him. At length the patience of the member—for the gentleman referred to. represents a Northern constituency—was , fairly, exhausted,. and he determined to- . make a desperate effort to get his business 1 out of the Premier's hands altogether. He, ■ accordingly found a means to obtain an interview with him alone, and after detailing the case, and describing the distress that he was in about it, begged the • Premier, as a favor, to allow two of the other Ministers to look into it, and settle it for the Government. Sir George heard him patiently to the end, when he told him, with an air of terrible weariness and distraction, that he had so many anxieties and cares that his head was well nigh bursting. Changing his manner, then, to one of great interest and pleasantness, which raised the hopes of the applicant to the highest pitch, he proceeded to narrate to him an anecdote of a little child who had seen a little mouse come out of a little hole and eat a little bit of cheese, and who asked him whether he thought God taught the little mouse to eat the cheese, " Now, was not that a nice thing for the little creature to say to me ? What I mean' to say is, was it not really, though, a very interesting thing 1 Do you not think children are most interesting? &c., &c." The member tore his hair and fled, and that business remains in statu quo to this day. This story is not only highly characteristic, but it has the further advantage of being strictly true in every particular.