The Waikato Times "OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." SATURDAY, APRIL 19, 1873.

Waikato Times, Volume III, Issue 148, 19 April 1873, Page 2

The Waikato Times "OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." SATURDAY, APRIL 19, 1873.

It is a relief to tarn from the contemplation of the • heary waste of New Zealand politics, if it be only to consider the "Woman's Rights" qnestion as defined by Mrs Colclough in the lectures she has lately delivered in this district. We understood her definition of the wants of women to be: — I . Perfect equality with man as regards the exercise of the franchise in her marriage relations. J. That all professions and employments should be I'tvown open to women. 3. That the education of women should be more sound in order to fit them for the new order of things. We will consider these propositions in detail. As regards legal equality for the married woman, we must remind the strong-minded of the sex that the moment they obtain their demands they will be no longer entitled to tho consideration that they nowreceive at the hands of most men, principally on account of their natural weakness and legal thraldom. It must be admitted, us it has been by Mrs Colclough, that man is both ■mentally and physically stronger than woman ; also, t'.iat there must be an acknowledged head to every establishment, be it commercial, military, or domestic; otherwise a state of general disorder is certain to unsue. Make the woman equal to the man in a household, and we can, except in very exceptional cases, look for no other result than constant bickerings, if not open warfare. The latter we believe would be the case in nine instances out of ten. The majority of women are unfit even to have authority over their own children, still less over their domestic t-ervants. To make them legally eqaal with their hushauds would be disastrous in the extreme. Husbands who had clubs would be driven to them, and those who had not would retort to the public house. The wife would be found, possibly, at a political meeting, or attending a lecture on political economy. Her children in the meantime would he left to the tender mercies of a nursemaid. If a woman is to exercise the iranohise intelligently, she must of course make politics her study. With regard to throwing open oil employments to women, so long as a woman remains single there is probably no very great übjectio!'. ; bnt the moment she marries, or at any rate bears children, her place is at home to watch over and nurture her offspring. We are prepared to ndmifc th«t as ifc is impossible all women can ijiarry, they should be prepared to support themselves after the death of their parents, or before, if necessary ; bnt' we are of opinion that contact with the outer world would lessen considerably their . charms to men. Nobody, of coarse, is prepared to dispute that women should be better educated, if only for the reason that on them devolves the form, ing of our children's minds. On the mother depend * to ft very great extent the future of her children. If mothers pip all to take their places in the world us competitor* with, or compeers of men, their duty to to their children must to u great extent be neglected. The last reason in itself ihunlil be sufficient to convince Iwomaqkind that to tusutne for themselves the same power as men is not consistent with their 4uty to themselves, their husbands, or their children. So long as woman remnins a woman both by nature aud in manner she will have the respect of all tncn. If she reflpeas herself in her natural

position siie will alwnsy, as now, be respected except by the lowest of mankind. All men hare had mothers ; in proportion to the goodness or otherwise of those mothers they have a tendency to respect j or despise all women. We know that in some in- j stanoes women are badly treated by their husbands, but feel couvinced at the same time that a general emancipation would bring more misery to the fireside than at present exists. Woman's power is her weakness, her tenderness, and her ability to love deeply. Active contact with the cares and troubles of life must harden her, her nature is such that she cannot become «s hard as man, yet she will become hardened, and in proportion us she becomes so she will lose to all true men her charms. A man wants u companion to soften the hardness of his disposition; he mixes with men of the world all day, and In does not desire to come home to find in his only companion; u woman nearly as hard as they. May the dny be far distant when the agitation iv favour of " Woman's lights" shall destroy the charm of English homo life !

We have as yet not learned to the contrary ; we thereproNiime that £2 Ws is to l)e demanded for game license. Tho Acclimatization Society could not have pursued a more auieidal policy. The extermination or excessive thinning of the birds, wo maintain, to bo impossible. In fact, diving May ami June, the +wo months set aside for shooting, it in uoarly impossible for the sportsmen likely to be in the field to clear off tho cock birds sufficiently to allow the hens the rest requisite for the propogation of their species. ! Is it true that when two or three men are congregated together that they are void of common sense? Appearances are greatly against amalgamated humanity. The two locouiathcd which tiro at present upon the Waikato and Mercer line two for different gauges. The old locomotive, wliicli was imported hero vrben Air Eohcrt Graham was Superintendent, is of a Ift Bin gauge, while the one lately brought up from the South is 3ft 6in gauge, the width of the permanent line. In consequence of the break in the gauges, the new locomotive cannot come further down tho line than 2icwniarkct, and the old one cannot go further j south than that neighbourhood. This difficulty is about to ' be obviated by laying down a third line so as to accommodate both locomotives. When this is done both locomotives will bo able to traverse the whole length of the line as far as it is Little addition is being made to the length of tho embankment across the" Official Bay at present. The workmen are employed in repairing the damage done by the recent gale, and also in putting in a large sewer so that the drainage of that portion of the city may be carried under the embankment. When the sewer is finished, but a short time will elapse before the embankment joins the reclaimod land on the western side of tho Wynjard Pier. Tho road leading from the railway-station to Custom-house-street is being rapidly pushed ahead, and the stuff taken from the tunnel being put in is used to fill up the large basins into whioh the tide now flows. A portion of the stuff will also be used for making the road along the beach to the native hostelry in Mechanics' Bay. This road will be made to a width of 66ft, the contract having been taken by Messrs O. Jones and Co. When this road is finished it will be a great convenience to the people of Parnell. It will provide a level line of road from Queen-street to the foot of Parnell Bice. Yesterday the rails were being laid down to enable the contractors to commence filling in the space set apart for the road. — Cross. A strange caso of cattle stealing in Queensland has recently attracted a good deal of attention, as allowing how tho minds and morals of * ■whole district may become so tainted by sympathy with some particular form of critno that to bring it to justice would become- almost impossible. In this case, somo cattle thieves had built stockyards on a rim, mustered the cattle, drafted them, and drovo off about 100 of them. Some of the stolen animals were traced for a distance of 1,000 miles, and were proved to bo said in South Australia. •The evidence was conclusive that tho prisoner had sold them. Tho Crown felt tho difficulty of obtaining a conviction, and ■ challenged a number of jurymen. After all the result was that the jury, in the face of the clearest evidence, acquitted tho prisouer. The Judge observed, " Thank God, gentlemen, the verdict is yours and not mine." The case is naturally lookod upon as showing an unhealthy moral condition in' the district, and no doubt ,in similar trials the Crown Prosecutor will rely much more on a change of venue than on challenge of the jury for obtaining a righteous verdict. — j Otago Daily Times. At a late meeting of the Dublin Microscopical Society, Professor M'Nab gave some details of his examination of the "vegetable hair" (brought forward by Dr Frazer at a previous meeting) now much used for the manufacture of " chignons," and forming a beautiful glossy " hair" capable of being dyed any (fashionable) colour ; Dr M'Nab, however, had arrived at the conclusion that this was produced from the New Zealand flax, the fibres being used in the rough, the finer portions not being eliminated. Both tho Whang&uui newspapers havo actions for libel impending over them. In the case of Watt v. the Wanganui fferald, Mr Trovers has charge of tho case for the plaintiff; Mr Gordon Allan, with Mr Kutchinson, of Wanganui, being entrusted with tho defence. — Cross. The case of Fitzgerald against Te Monanui, which occupied the Court the whole of yesterday before his Honor Mr Justice Johnston was concluded last night, and resulted in a verdict for the plaintiff. The cose of Jones v. Loveday, on the application of Mr Bees, was withdrawn, it having been referred to arbitration. The Court then adjourned until next Monday at ten o'clock, when special jury cases will be dealt with. — Evening Star, Wednesday. The meeting of the Houses of Legislature i» deferred till the 15th May.