COMMENTS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1760, 16 October 1883, Page 2

COMMENTS.

It is a very fortunate thing for Moore, the Almanac man, that ho did not live in this country. Fickle as the weather is in the "tight little island," reasonable odds might be taken that the almanac would be right occasionally, but nothing less than a thousand to one would tempt any one to back the prophet here. The climate of the British Islands is worse a great deal worse than ours, to be sure, but then it is consistent in its badness, and ours isn't— that's where the difference lies. If you set out to oiganise a picnic, or sow garden seed in Englaud, you know the safest course is to change your mind, and leave the thing alone. In ninety-nine cases out of a hundred you a<c compelled to acknowledge that second thoughts are best, and you rejoice that you did not expose you ham sandwiches and your onion seed; whereas, in tins country you would inevitably recreate and plant, and, though not inevitably perhaps, very probably suffer great and disappointment, These are dismal, but not altogether unnatural reflections, when we consider how long we have played shuttlecock to the clerk of the weather's battledore ; as we watch the months slipping by, passing into a spring that has its existence only in the imagination of the compilers of the kalendars. There is a pleasant fiction extant that October is the second month in spimg, but a long suffering people are not likely to allow themselves to be deceived by it again. Thcie may have been some groundwork upon •which to rest this delightful theory at the beginning, but if so it no longer exists, and henceforth we shall class this alleged spring month with th.it knot ot kalendar spaces which seem to be under the special patronage of Jupiter Pluvius. Seriously, the gilded climate of New Zealand is undergoing a sea change of some sort. Pei haps the comet is to blame. We are accustomed to laugh at the crude notions, as we contemptuously stigmatise them, ot the people who occupied the world before our time, but perhaps they were wiser than we. They had a holy horror of stars with tails, and believed that they brought pestilence, famine and a whole host of cheerful contingencies in their wake. Maybe these people were right ; and perhaps they were not It is this uncertainty that spoils the thing. Then, again, if we decline to subscribe to the doctrine of the malign influence ot comets, may it not be that the shock of the tidal wave which played up in the Straits of Sunda a short while ago, has loosened our moorings, and we are drifting {unconsciously but surely towards the South Pole ? Or, on the other hand, may not some terrible earthquake have unsettled things a little in the Antarctic regions, and may not a few square miles of ice, loosed from its bonds, have come floating hither, and melted in what we are wont to call our summer seas ? All sorts of theses may be advanced, but we forbear ; we have only ventured upon the above suggestions because all the old familiar methods of foretelling the weather, by the aid of which folks are able to gammon their neighbours, have conspicuously failed. We have tried to apply such s<\«c aphorisms as "A red sky <it night is the shepherd's delight," " The moon on her back carries rain in her lap," and so forth, and so on, but we have met with such unmistakable defeats that we have retired from the prophet business, humbled and despairing. Through the general chaos of rain, hail, wind, and " things," as Mark Twain would have said, there shines one gleam of hope, and that is afforded by the forthcoming Annexation Conference. Providence never closes one door but it opens another, and when New ZeaUncl shall have become to frigid a place for the enervated southern Britons, they may find a congenial resting-place somewhere in the sunshiny valleys of New Guinea, where, forgetting the biting hardships of a time then past, they shall bask each under the shelter of his own fig-tree, and live happy ever afterwards.

Tjijs action of the Cambridge School Committee in providing a separate playground for the girls attending the High School can, at the very least, be characterised as judicious. Not only will this new provision keep the boys and girls apart during the hours of I'ecreation, and thus lead to a better state of things than could be expected under the old system when both sexes used the same enclosure for the purposes of recreation, but some of the scruples which have hitherto been entertained by parents, and to which we directed attention some short time ago, will have been overcome. The High School may thus be materially benefited, and be looked upon as a more distinct institution than it has heretofore been considered. Doubtless, aa time advances, and the attendance at the school increases, other provisions of a like nature will be made, of which separate and distinct school aocomodation may be named as the most important. When the scholars of both schools — the High School and the elementary— are promiscuously arranged in the one room, and taught their lessons side by side, though the difference may be purely an imaginary one on the part of those whd may conceive it, still the mere fact of its being conceived at all by the parents of the children is sufficiently detrimental to the welfare of the High School as to'admit of its serious consideration on the part of the committee, ' Spine people form ideas and prejudices on nia#s?r£ of this, kind, which are very hard to remov^ by any process of reasoning ; and the only effectual means of disabusing their minds would saom. to be the complete abolition of the causes m „which' such prejudices originated. 1 , , ( ' !

Were we to search, for ap appropriate,, designation fyr,tl}atjyery .copiprehenwje

bridge some time ago for the purpose of draining the storm water off the flat in the vicinity of S. Andrew's Church, we could hardly hit upon a better name than " The Town Board Folly." The present impecunious state of the town board can be little wondered at when it is considered that £100 sterling was expended in the erection of this monument of an ill -conceived idea as a sort of plaything for the first piece of rough weather which might ensue. Like many of the actions of our every-day life, the scheme was good in intention, but unfortunately bad mitseffect. A remark was recently made in connection with this matter, wlficli for absurdity could not well be equalled, unless by the great scheme itself, viz., That had it not rained so heavily when ittlid the unfortunate accident (the washing away of the pipes) would not have occurred. The mind which gave birth to this exceedingly sublime idea could not surely have been aware of the object for which the pipes existed. Doubtless had such weather as proved fatal to the scheme not have been anticipated, the scheme itself would never have been given effect to ; the £100 sterling would now have been to the credit of the town board, and all subsequent ridicule would never have been elicited. A visit during the present weather to the scene of the catastrophe is almost sufficient to cause a ratepayer to shed tears over the ill-fated remains of the pet baby of the then local representatives. The evil which it was thought would be averted now exists ia greater magnitude, and unless some ether and decidedly more effectual means of averting the course of the water is conceived, the damage to the banks of the lake will be much greater than was ever antici* pated.

The Church of England service at Morrinsville, which would ordinarily be held on Sunday next, has. unavoidably to be postponed.

The forty-eight hours' walking match at Dunedin, between Scott and Edwards, terminated at 10 o'clock on Saturday night, Scott winning by one mile and three quartern, all but a Lip.

Two men, named respectively, McMunus and Clarkson, weio In ought up at the Hamilton Police CouiL, yesteiday, before Mr Northcroft, R M., chaiged -with di imkenncss. The charges weie proved, but the magistrate took into consideration the fact that pi inoneis had been already in the lock-up for a couple of days, and discharged thorn with a caution.

The usual monthly meeting of the Hamilton Bi.mch of the Gospel Temperance Mission, 01 Blue Ribbon Army, will be held in the Oddfellows' Hall, Hamilton Eaut, this evening. An address will be delivered by thu ßev. Mr Shade. The oigaiiisition has effected much good .since its introduction to Hamilton, and we trust it will continue to receive a generous support.

The charge of assault brought by Mr Wickham, the proprietor <md editor of the Free Lance, against J)r Hanison and othois, was hoard .it the Auckland H.M. Comt on Katiuday, before Mr H. (i. S. .Smith, K.M. A laige amount of evidence was taken, and the magisti ate dihinis^ed the case as against Aspinwall and Hillett, and fined i)i Hanison 10s and cost*.' His Worship considered that the paiagraph in Figaro which caused the rumpus, was a very offensive one.

Some people, who ought to know better, are in the habit of boi rowing sundry trifles from the Hamilton Auction M.ut without the proprietor's .sanction or knowledge. These trifles are rarely if ever returned, and although each aiticle of itself 1* of small value, the loss to the owner in the course of a few months is noticeable. On Satmday a volume of " Danipier's Voyages " was missed. This sort of thing is the essence of meanness, and we hope by calling attention to it the perpetrators will discontinue the practice in future.

Messrs Crellion and Co. held a sale of section 13 of the Thames High School reserve, Waiorongomai, in the Public Hall, To Aioha, on Fnday, audit pi oved most satisfactory in eveiy 1 expect. The section had been subdivided into allotments by Mi- Macky, the lessee, who sold by consent of the (rovei noi, s of the school, they taking a cleai thhcl of the jjioceed-.. There were, in all, 02 allotments disposed of, the piices being very good, and the competition keen. Mi J. Ciai^ officiated as auctioneer .so successfully that the sale leahsed no less than USOO. This fact show.s the confidence of the public in the futuie of tins goldfield. The allotments langed from £11 to £00. — News.

The Te Aroha News of Saturday s>ays : — The weather throughout the week lia-5 been wi etched, and the anticipations of fine spiing weather have been nipped in the bud. Rain commenced on Monday and hah fallen without intenuption all the week. High winds also prevailed at intervals^ and home pi ogno&ticated another stoniiy visitation similar to that we suffered from a .short time ago. In this respect, however, the prophets were happily in eiroi and it is probable that now the bad eathei of the season is over and that the Miminei is really about to set in. All public woiks have been stopped, and wo have not had a moie wretched time durinsr the whole winter.

A contemporary annalist, in a leading Geiman review, dismisses a controversy which severely e\eici&e-> the winds of many English churchmen with a contemptuous reference. "In England."' he remarks, "the bill which hns been talked about most during the last week is that legalising marriage with a .sister-in-law, which, aftei having been read and passed twice, was unevpoctedly tin own out in the House of Lord-*. That this pait of the canon lu\v, which is completely opposed to the Levitio.il IIW of the Old Testament, should have li\ ed for coutiuieH after the Reformation and inti ocluction of Piotestanism is one of the peculiarities of British insular development which will for e\er remain incomprehensible to the Continent."

The Te Aroha mail coach arrived at Hamilton on Saturday, an hour and a half behind time, and of coui.se mih.sed the midday tram to Auckland. The new service is ho radically bad that it is bound to break down, There is no reason why the mail from Auckland should not be cariied to the Aroha in one day, but it i». uhele&b to expect that the return mail can bo conveyed to Auckland in the same .space of time. A couple of days' lam on the clay roads of Piako will always be bufficient to upset the calculations or the department. In view of this we again give expiession to a hope that the railway will be pushed on with all possible speed.

The Rev J. Dukes delivered a sermon at the Trinity We.sley.rn Church, Hamilton, on Sunday, on the subject :— " Does ' destruction' mean extinction of being." The object of the discouise was, as might be inferred fiom the title, to coutiovert the btQtements of the annihilationists, or believers in *' conditional immortality,"' and the preacher's contention was that the word " destruction" meant simply separation from God, just as " Life" meant union with God. On no other hypothesis was it possible to interpret the words of Christ. The doctrine of extinction of being did away with the necessity of a resui rection and a judgment, since men were judged at their death, and it was impossible to bring back to life, for judgment, a being who had been annihilated. The rev. gentleman quoted numerous passages from both the Old and New Testament, to prove tll^j; wherever the woid "destruction" occurs its plain and obvious meaning was not extinction, but separation. " Eternal punishment" was continually referred to in the sacred writings, but such a phrase was an absurdity if punishment meant annihilation. Nobody would think of qualifying " extinction" by the adjective "everlasting." Further than this, the speaker said the doctrine of annihilation had a tendency to undermine morality. In France, for instance, where the great majority of people were materialists, the number of suicides was as three to one asleompaped. with England. Death to such people, when haVrasxed by Qa.re. and remorse, came as a welcome release, all the more welcome because it entailed no punishment for their sins. Death.could have no terrors for such people, however deep their guilt ; nay, the grosser their ains, the more welcome would be thagravethat lapped them in eternal sleep and forgetfulness. On thflse grounds he. ventured to state the Christian Phurch would never accept the docfajhiie fflc .extinction of being. ' Owing to the state of the £h,e gqngregation was small, "but the- rev. v gentle. men was listened to with' [> much- ) afcfcen£i<J'n, and his arguments evidently 'made if deep impresstqrLpn th6"n^^""6f-^'h'eareri' ' " l ; n tO& ivalileWaibrilta^itbvEiigiand

jacent bay. Our merchant steamers and our war-ships muat be able to coal, our transports to embark men and stores, in perfect security. Gibraltar Bay is inviolable only so long as Spain permits it to be so. Varying in breadth from 8000 to 9000 yards, it is now throughout" its length brought within practicable range of modern guns mounted along the Spanish shore ; while of its total circumference of 15 miles, only about three miles belong to England. Krupp or Armstrong is doubtless able and willing to supply the guns in a very short time. The cost of mounting them in simple earthworks will be comparatively small, and if Plevna has any meaning, the Remington rifle will make them perfectly secure against a landing party. All this is thoioughly well understood in Spain, where the Gibraltar question has been much discussed of late.

Concerning the recently deceased Tom Thumb, Mr Labouchere, in Truth, writes as follows :—": — " Never was a dwarf more run after. When he came over to England in 1844, the large room in the Egyptian Hall, where he was exhibited, was daily so crowded that it was almost impos-jiblo to approach the table on which he stood. With ladies he was so popular that many of them took season tickets. For some reason best known to them, their idea of bliss was to be kissed by him, and as he walked about they used softly to say, ' Kiss me, Tommy.' The next time I saw this dwarf was in America. I came into a hotel, and, sitting on a water-butt at the bar, I discovered what I supposed to be a child smoking a cigar and imbibing liquor from a large glass. I was just going to congratulate the barkeeper upon the precocious tastes of his infant son when he introduced me to Mr Stratton, who at once commenced a political discussion. Later on, when Tom came over to England, having married a tiny sister of Commodore Nutt, I invited the happy pan- to dinner. Tom was very dignified, and Mrs Stratton was a remarkably agreeable lady. She had then a baby, and it was funny to hear her talk of this child in a supurb matronly fashion. Their only trouble about their diminutive size was, they said, that they had to dress as children when they went out walking to escaoe observation."

The following " specials" to the Press Association, dated London, October 12th, have appeared in the New Zealand Hoi.ild I—The1 — The Failiamentary papers i elating to the pL-tiijnsod annexation of New Guinea have been issued. Among them is a closi patch fiom Lord Granville, asking France what number of convicts it i-> proposed to send to the Pacific, and what their position will be after anival ; also, regaiding the failure of tho authoiitios of Noumea to apply for the extradition of escapees who landed in Queensland.— Messrs Ale\audei Bros., of Sydney, have become h.iukiupt, with liabilities amounting to £52,000. The assets of Meb&rn Alexander Bros., of Sydney, are estimated at £4(5,000.— 5ir Julius Vogel, in a letter to The Times, defends the action of the Governor and the Premier of Victoria in excluding the Irish infoimcia fiom landing in Australia. — The .Roumanian soldieis taken prisoner by the Austuans ha\e been 1 pleased on certain conditions. — The French Pie->s aio niodeiating thoir tone lespecting the action of Oommodoie Er.skine in connection with the tieatment of the Ficnch Company in the New Hebrides.— The British Shipowneis' Association are urging upon the (4o\ eminent the necessity of io-opeiiiiig negotiations in reference to the construction of a second canal through the Isthmus of Sue/5. — Several shocks of earthquake have been experienced at San Francisco within the la.st few day. 1 ).