MELBOURNE GOSSIP.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2701, 2 November 1889, Page 6 (Supplement)

MELBOURNE GOSSIP.

|n«)M ul'll OWN IiOKUKSrONWiST]. In my last letter I ventured to way tha there'was a great deul of hypocrisy in rumirrlion with tho protests now being Hindi: against, the establishment in Molbuiuiio of n Sunday newspaper. Since then i havu read ;i sermon on Sunday observance by I lie Rev. Dr. Stron},', which u-iis published in tho Argus last week. '.Unit discourse deserves to bo engraved en itiiirblu in letter* of yold. Regarding the ■jonunilly accepted idea about keeping Iho (Sabbath, Or. Strong pits tho teaching of Jcsns Christ against the law of Moses, aud takes hia stand upon the former. Josus Christ appealed neither to the law of Moses, nor to the traditions of the Elders. He appealed to a great principle, says Dr. Strong , , which no law, no Bible, Church, or authority can overrule — Iho principle of reason and of love ; in other words, whnt is best for man ? Why should we be bound by a Hebrew Decalogue any moro than by the precepts of Buddha or tho law of Manu ? "Why should we obey a law which may have been most excellent for a certain time and place, but which may not be available for us living some 3,000 years after its promulgation ? There seems to be a reason in this. If one or more parts of the Mosaic law are to be observed, why not the whole ? If we are bound to observe the fourth commandment in the sense in which it was observed by the .lows, why should we not sacrifice a bullock as part of the church service, and altogether abstain from the use of swine's tlesh as an article of food ? Again, if wo follow tho Jewish observance of the seventh day, why not the seventh year ? or, say, the observance of the jubilee year? lam satisfied in my own mind that the institution of a jubilee J ear, with all its privileges, would be welcomed tomorrow throughout Victoria by every man who does not happen to have money owing to him. The fact of the matter is, that whilst every other thing has been changed by tho teachings of science, religion has stood still. We now know that tho Biblical account of tho Creation is incorrect; that the earth was not created before the sun; that the earth did not cease to revolve upon its axis in order tbat Joshua might have daylight in which to overcome his enemies, as well as many more things of which thu Jews were ignorant 3000 years ago. Viewed from this point, there are many people who do not regard the publication of a Sunday newspaper, or the opening of a public library as crime, and Dr. Strong appears to be one of the number.

Wo have nearly reached the point when employers of labour in Victoria will be regarded as " unnecessary evils " —a kind of social nuisance in the aggregate—to be tolerated as channels through which money pusses from the " regions of somewhere " into the pockets of men who rleign to accept, because, after all, they cannot do without it. The recent strike of the masons at tho Parliament House is an indication thereof. Mr Pidgon is tho contractor for tho works—or, in other word?, tho " medium" through which, on certain clays of tho month, a given amount of money is convoyed from tho Treasury to a largo party of workmen. For many years past ho has commenced work during: the winter months at 7 a.m.. and during the summer months at (J am., This year tho Society of Masons decided to begin work at 7 a.m. instead of G a.m. during the summer timo. Mr Pidgen, however, appears to havo boon thought too unimportant a person to bo cousultcd in tho mutter. He put up tho usual notice last week, notifying , that on Oct. I. work would begin at G n.m. On the Monday morning another notice appeared calling upon tho won not to begin until 7 o'clock. This notico Mr Pidgen had lurn down. Next day, Octl. about 100 inasous went out '' on strike." Of courso, .so long , as lie obtains eight hours work, it matters littlo to the contractor personally whether the masons begin at G or 7 o'clock. Matters wore not mended much by tho Union tendering a lnmo apology, at tho same time adhering to tho 7 o'clock rule they have made. Tho masons havo resumed work. But Ihoro are the plasterers, carpenters, and other trades who at present hold to tho 0 o'clock rule. They arc ridden rough shad over by their brother workmen with the samo disrogard to their wishes or convenience, as was shown by tho contractor. They must also give wivy.or two times will have to be kept at the works, thus adding to the hours of labour of those who have to overlook both.

One can hardly bo surprised at the coarse, bullying demeanour of a certain class of lawyers towards wituesses, when we sec the impertinence with which some of them cast unworthy imputations upon judges who lire weak enough to allow it. In it certain action brought by Messrs McCurron, Bird and Co. for the recovery of a debt, which was tried before His Honour, Judgo Worthington, judgment was given for tho plaintiffs. Tho same judge had previously given similar decisions in .similar cases. Mr Duii'y, who appeared for tho defendants, said :— ■" It appeared as though the plaintiffs were making a collecting judge of His Honour, because they only caino to the court when His .Honour presided at it." His Honour said that ho did not think that Mr Duffy's remark was fair. Mr Duffy replied that ho did not wish to impute unfairness to His Honour. Ho "only thought it was not desirable Ihtit Messrs McCarron, Bird mid Co. slimld havo all their cases tried hr.'foro one judge. Tlii* (viarso imputation .'ij>|jenrs to luivo routed Ilio jiiflgc. Ho said : " That U a most improper observation to make. I think you are going ton jar, and I .shtiiila not ullow such an observation to bo made. It merely comes to thi.-i —that if a judge decides against a couusel he is to be found fault with." This, was mild enough in all conscience. I have .seen a judge suspend a barrister from practice beforo his Court for a leas offence.