OUR MELBOURNE LETTER.

Auckland Star, Volume XX, Issue 7, 9 January 1889, Page 5

OUR MELBOURNE LETTER.

(EKOaIOUR OWN CORRESPONDENT..

Melbourne, December 30,

HOLIDAY ACCIDENTS.

What a chapter of accidents was published in the papers which made their appearance fja the morning following Boxing Day ! Eight cases of death by drowning recorded under one heading, a tiro ab tho Alfred Hospital from which a number of the inmates were only rescued withsome difficulty, a premeditated murder afc Camberwell, where a man deliberately shot his wife dead, and fired at and wounded hia brother-in-law, and whole columns taken up with accounts of destructive conflagrations in the city, and devastating fires in fche country. In many families tlie present Christmas will not be looked back upon as at all a merry cue. THE EXHIBITION CONCERTS. Speaking as a warm lover—though nofc au ardent student—of music, I aro. inclined to agree with those who held thab the concert.? given in the Exhibition building under the baton ol our distinguished im portation, Mr Frederic LI. Cowen, are not in touch with the popular taste. It is all very well to talk of the elevating and educational value of classical music, but it must be Lome in mind thab the members of tlie general public do not always crave for education in their distractions. Shaiispere is said, in theatrical parlance, '' to spell ruin." The reason of this is nob far to see!,:. The average citizen, coming from his chambers, office, or shop, and wearied with the labours of fche day, goes to the theatre especially with a view of finding amusement. The same thing holds good with these who frequent; the concert hall. The valh in the Exhibition buikiing is, I am prepared to grant, usually well filled, especially on Thursday nights, when the oratorios sre given. My personal observation, however, distinctly shows me thab it is fche same persons who go time after time, and that the public at large infinitely prefer Sir Arthur Sullivan's tuneful though light coin positions, such as the "Mikado" or "lolanfche," to his heavier work, as for"example '"The Golden Legend," whilst Mr Collier's "Dorothy" is far more popular than the most involved production of Wagner. Mendelssohn, Handel, Beethoven and -Mozart are, fco be sure, great masters, and an occasional selection from thorn is cordially welcomed. It is, however, but an infinitesimal proportion of tho public who are capable of sitting out with any real degree of pleasure or satisfaction tho whole of one of their great works. INCIDENTS OF THE LAND BOOM. The proceedings ab the half-yearly meetings of shareholders in the various public companies are just now being watched with considerable interest. Many avo being held about this time, and since it is in several instances the first occasion upon which the directors have met the shareholders after the collapse of the laud boom, a great deal of public curiosity is evinced as to what the report:: and balance-sheets wiL disclose, es-

pecially in ihe cases of those companies involved inland transactions. These periodical gatherings have in tiie main been purely formal, particularly when a satisfactory dividend is declared, but now thoy aro protracted, there is a numerous attendance of shareholders and chairmen and directors are unsparingly .catechised as to their past

proceedings. In one notable instance ib'was elicited thab a speculator purchased a quantity of land afc £1 per acre, and resold it to a company afc £1,000 per acre. The wndor, however, so it was stated, refunded £15,000 of the purchase money. SABBATARIANISM.. 1 think thafc a branch cf the English Sunday Society might;, with advantage, be established in this colony—or a kindred association formed for the same object. The English Society is, I believe, the only organisation devoted to the good work of ohtainingthe opening of libraries, museums, and art galleries on Sundays, and it has to contend against numerous Sabbatarian Societies far wealthier and more powerful. It is just now making a pressing appeal for funds to carry on its work. I hope some of my readers who share my detest;!tion of museums and libraries not being allowed to compete with pot-houses on Sunday, may be induced to express their sentiments in the shape of a subscription.