MISCELLANEOUS.

Waikato Times, Volume V, Issue 293, 28 March 1874, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

The new* that a second European it about to turn Mahomedan, as a mean* of getting more married without tear of the lavr against' bigamy, the ITameward Hail Bays, renders a volume by Mr Bham» Churn Sircar on Mahomed»u law-"Tagore Law Lectures," published by Thacker and Spink, of Calcutta — just come from the press, very intereeting, for it treats at length on Mahometan marriages. The first "eeseatwl" prescribed for matrimony might seem to cynics to preclude the vontm« altogether, for it is coolly laid down that " both the contracting parties must b» sane and discreet." But, passing over that initial difficulty, it wouhl seem at if marriage threatened a Mahomedsm of either sex on all sides, and that it would be next to impossible to esc;*pe the memoes which it spread to c<vtch the unwary\ A girl may marry herself by a simple smile j she can only escape the danger by complicating it with «i steer. If. whan ahe be asked will she many so-and-so, she hold her tongue, " ihe law respects the modesty of her sex," and her sdenoe is taken for consent. If she laugh it is the same, provided the spectatois see no reason to believe th.it ahe is laughing at them rather than at the proposed bridegroom. A man may be tied up befoiolie is iw.irc. If ho ny to a woman, " I marry thee," or oven simply " Marry me," and she be prompt and skilled enough to reply, " I hare accepted"— not "-I accept," for the present tense seems oomehoVAto lx> rath«r loooe in its efforts — " tha contract is effected " The tamo end can be produced in a vauety of I other wava If any inaa 18 polite enough to say to an eligible party, " 1 have given myself as an alms to you," or, in a more mercenaiy form, " I havesold niyeelf to you." always caiefully minding his tenHca— the marriage is good* And reciprocally if the ar lent-lover says, " I have bought you for ao much," Mid- she ans*ero> " Yes" (or smiles a smile V ithout a sneor) , the marriage is contracted. A good deal of care would aeeta to be necessary in writing lov« letteis, fir if a lady says to a, couple of her friends* " Bear ye witness that so and flf* has- written offering me marriage, and that I hare accepted him tho marriage is valid. Tha only time when a Mahometan need not be desperately on his guard is when he is either walking or riding with » lady ; the preterite tense doea not count on such occasions ; but if he and she be in .1 boat " in piogress," he must look out, and at the first symptom of a departure from the preient tense of the indicative mood jump into the river. The Melbourne Argus, of March 4, report! that :~A deputation from tho Victorian Agricultural Society, consisting of Messrs M'Caw, M'Culloch, Rudd, Murray, Peck, McFarland (secretary), and Curr (inspector of stock), waited'! upon the hon tho Chief Secretary yeiterday, to urge the desirability of removing the prohibition, of the importation of stock from New Zealand recen ed by that country direct from England. It will be remembered that it was deter- j minfd at the intercolonial conference held- in December, 1672, that ths colcnios repreiented should unite in prohibitin;j for two years tho importation of stock .from beyond the Astralasian colonioi. N"->w Z ami. 1 fvd nob power to carry this out without "u \.» uf l'» mm ,it, pnd the measure I introduced by iUr ''m ...,.t t C < ,t l)ll>nT was defeated. The New South Vvale* U-oierument then prohibited the importation of from New 3ea'and, and this prohibition wai subsequently extended by Saw South Wale* to Victoria, on the ground that tho latter colony received esttle from New Zealand. To rcmnve-thu ban as regarded the exportation to New South Walos, the Victorian Government- were compelled to exhibit the importation of cattle from New Zealand. The Government of New Zealand thereupon wrote ' to the Government of Victoria, pointing out that theirproclamation was ultra vires, inasmuch as they were only empowered to prohibit the importation of cattle from placet where infectious diieases were known to exist. The Victorian law-officers being also of this opinion, the proclamation was rescinded. The oolony is therefore at present obliged to receive cattle from New Zealand on the ground that it is not an infected diitrict, although the cattle imported from that colony may have been sent there direct from England, where pleuro-pneumonia, rinderpest, foot-and-mouth disease, and other infectious ailments are known to exist. Mr Francis pointed out to thj deputation that nothing could be done without fresh legislation. The Government of this colony could only act where diseases were known to exist, as provided in secMon 30 of the Act No 310, though the New South Wales Government could net where disease was believed to exist. The deputation ailed that the introduction of cattle from New Zealand should either bo prohibited, or that the prohibition as rogardod Europe should be altogether removed. After ioine discussion it was agreed that the deputation should placo themselves in communication with the law officers, with a view to considering the best measure to adopt. Among the many fanciful experiments made by Georfre the third Earl of Oxford, was one of driving four red deer (stag*) in a phaeton, initoad of bones. He succeeded in reducing thrm to perfect discipline, snd often took excursions with thorn in the public road*. It happened at last, as he was one day driving them to Newmarket, that their ears wero nccidontallj saluted with the cry of a pack of hounds, : who soon after approaching tho road, immediately caught 1 sight of tho four-in-hand, and commenced a new sort of chase. In vain did bis lordship exert all his charioteering skill ; in vain did his well-trained grooms endeavour to ride before j them ; reins, trammels, and the weight of the carriage wero j of no effect ; off they went with the celeritj of a whirlwind, and this modern Phaeton bado fair to experience the fate of his namesake. lAickily, however, hie lordship had been j accustomed to drive theuo fiery-eyed steeds to the Ram Inn in Newmarket, which was most happily at band. Into the yard they suddenly bounded, to the dismay of the ostler and stable boys ; hero they »ere fortunately overpowered, and the stags, the phaeton, and liis lordship, »er# all instantaneously huddled together in a large barn, just at the hounds appeared in full cry at the gate. A rather amusing incident occurred the other day not a hundred miles from the quiet and rural township of Donald, near St Arnaud, Victoria, relnlna the Clwies Guardian :— j " A happy coupie. just married, both of bashful tempeera- j ment, thr liclv being noted for her absence of mind, arrived I at a certain hotel the first day of her bridal tour. In the | middle of the night the lady aroused every ioraat* in fcbe i - hotel hy WKamim; oufc that there *«• a tpan m h«- room., She hid qui*e forgotten her marring tlat'njoviiiug, ,»«d it I was oplv after hor poor ucfnrtunato Juty'cH w ki<-k*n tn»t » 1 -" > >i.ipv«-T,l i~ r/ .,0] »it "

The Melbourne Argu? say*: — Tuoi'u are nineteen ladies I among the 212 persons who havo'pre^ented themselves for I examination at tho University matriculation which has justß terminated. That the numbers of the female sex desiriuAfl the higher educational qualification are increasing is ut^i encouraging sign, and' ib is evident that the mere fact of the I cnndidatei including ladies will soon cease to be considered as among the social curiosities. It it coming to be fashionable to study for this examination. Girls are not afraid to any they are " going in " for it. " Ladies' colleges " announce t that they now include matriculation claisen, and the mntri- < dilation tutor to young ladies is beginning to be a recognised necessity in tbo educational scheme. Very shortly it will be fashionable for ladiet to pats, and already the girl who pastes i« not to generally regarded at a " blue" as once ah* was. It it, in short, one of tbc figni of the time* that • higher kind of educational training I* being insisted on as aa accomplishment, nnd, jading by tbo number of those who desire the distinction, it will not b* long before it will be a roprcttb to a girl of any sort of social position not to ba thinking about it. The effect of all thi» stirring of the dry bones of woman-teaching cannot fail to be beneficial to the whole sex. It is not to be expected, nor, indeed, desired, I thAt every woman should be a utivtersity donna, but it it I very much to be wished that the impression should be uni- I rcrsal at to the possibility cf every woman, if the so wishes it, raising herself to an educational equality with any man. If, therefore, every woman does, not pass the roatriculatiou tost, tho mere fact that any woman may, will of necessity cause those who have the direction of private girls' schools to improTr the quality of the instruction they give to their pupils. We shall grt a little btyond the " French, music, and drawing, and the use of the globes," winch so long represented the higher branch** of a young lady's education w | She trill not hare "finished" her education when she quiijM the "establishment" where, during half a doten years she I has dont little else than learn to read ill-spelled English in a crammed, pointed, hand, to play the piano with no feeling, to speak French so that nobbody can understand her, and to be conscious that she it about at ignorant of all that constitutes real kowledge as an Abyssinian monk. Competent persons will be employed as schoolmistresses whose sufficiency for the vocation they essay may be tested by the matriculation standard. Of such a change nothing but good can come, so that the larger the number of female candidates as each examination comes round, the more hopeful of the future shall we be. There is no game so disadvantageous to gamble at at whist. Tb begin with, it is impossible* ever to get a rubber^ where all the players are equal. After dinner one man may have taken more wine than another, and therefore maj be less competent to play. To play whist decently requires much stndy. Taplay as well as you are able, giving your whole attention to the subject, is exhausting work. Few can play their best after dinner. Yet men play for stakes that amount to considerable euros. They are more free in their bets, and if they become large losers, they are too often reckless. Some lack energy and the power to concentrate their thoughts ; some become dreamy and indifferent, and play hands in such a lackadaisical fashion that they cannot be interested in tho matter in hand 1 . We bate constantly seen men play without any regard to the fall of the cards. The absence of observation for a singlo moment ia sufficient to lose a game. To forget whether your partner's card was three or four, or whether the turn-up, card was an eight or seven has often lost a game, and yet it is such a gane at thit that men choose for gnmbling. The man who never forgets, and draws every possible inference on the assumption that he has a decent partner, is nearly equal to loaded dice, and mutt win in the long run. If men must gamble, we say play lansquenet and not whist. Flay for ready money and not on credit. Poor men can never gamble as well as rich men. They are noi an equality. The loss of the sttke it nothing to the rich roan, everything to the poor man. The poor man must be more excited about the result, and excite* jnent and good whist are impossible combinations. The least thing at times will rufflt the temper, and if the temper it ruffled, then whist should be avoided. — The Wettmintter Paper.