RANDOM SHOTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 190, 10 August 1895, Page 2 (Supplement)

RANDOM SHOTS.

femar write, a neighbours name to laffi. Pome write—vain thought! for needful cash. Some write to please the country oiash, And raise a din, Forme.aa aim 1 never fash— 1 write for fun.

I notice tbab our worthy Health ©fficer fjnd the Sanitary Inspector have paid a visit to some of the Chinese dwellings in this city, and are astonished at What they saw. The timo was not well chosen, for the Chinese may perhaps jump to the conclusion that this 5b the first instalment of reprisals for bhe atrocious conducbof their countrymen who havo been butchering missionaries. We Britishers are, after all, a strange people, prone to see the Sins of foreigners and overlook our own. Opium t-moking is no doubb a bad habib when .carried to excefes, but so is our own national vice, thab of drinking, and yeb xve draw a big rovenuo from the latter. Playing fantan ia a pernicioua practice, because it is gambling, but a glance at the Sbock Exchange, a visit to a clnb, a day spent on a racecourse or an evening at a church bazaar, will show thab we also love a game of chance. The Chinee, ab all events, does nob intrude his vice upon the public. Tbe unwary youth is not waylaid at street corners wit-It a request to play fantan, as he is to take a ticket on a horse. The opium smoker simply sleeps off the effects of his debauch, bub the half-drunk man wandering homewards at midnight yelling like a maniac or cursing like a fiend, is a far worse animal to deal with, and a nuisance to sober-going citizens. Chinese dens are raided occasionally to put down gambling, but our European gambling dens are passed by unnoticed. Yet, be ib remembered we nro Christians and they are heathens. We openly show how much we despise them and then feel indignant because in their own land a strong anti-foreign feeling is manifested. Of course, lam nob in any way attempting to palliate bho atrocities recently committed in China, for nothing could excuse euch conduct. Ab the same time, I cannot help wondering what kind of reception a mission sent from China to the benighted people of Auckland to teach their religion would receive at the hands of the more degraded part of the population. We have already had instances of Chinese being pelted with stones because they worked on our Sunday, and a visit to their homes outside the city will show that the windows are all covered with wire to keep oat the stones thab young Christians feel inclined to throw when they pass. I can imagine the kindly feeling of toleration that would be shown if when a man went home he found a Chinese missionary busily engaged trying to convert his wife or his children, lb needs little imagination to calculate thab be would not 'standupontheorderof his going.' Considering thab we have some thousands of Chinese in this colony, perhaps the best thing would be for our missionaries to stay here, where the strong arm of the law protects them, and wheri the almond-eyed birds of passage are all converted they migbb bo senb home to preach the truth to their brethren.

Besides the novel complexion which international reciprocity in bhe matber of religious missions might place on missionary efforts amongst bbc ' heathen,' bhere is an imporbanb poinb apropos to the Kucheng massacre which mission promoters might do well to consider. In view of tbeao atrocities, and of bhe great discouragements which European proaolytiaerS receive in China, would it not be as well lor some of these mission enthusiasts bo expend their superfluous evangelising powers Bornewhere nearer home ? The question has often been asked, why send missionaries to ' heathen ' countries while we have so many white heathen amongst Us in our own Cities 1 Surely, there are thousands of Europeans who are jusb as muoh in need of enlighlenmenband evangelical teaching as those Chinese? Several of the ladies killed ab Kucheng, t notice, belong bo Melbourne. Could they nob have found quite as congenial, and infinitely more profitable, occupation in reclaiming tbe thousands of waifs and strays and moral pariahs ab bheir own doors? Why, indeed, go bo China bunting for bhe little heathen when he is to be found (in a less interesting state, no doubb) within easy diabance of their Australian homes ? Aad why, if thoy hankered to minister to Chineae, and none bub the Chineaj., could they nob find thousands of the almond-eyed customers in Australia, just as heathenish, superstitious and dograded as In the ill-named Flowery Land itself? Of course they could; bub they preferred, like a certain naval hero, to clap their blind eye to the Australian glass, and see only the millions of China. Of course they would geb little kudos, if any at all, for mission work in their own land. Wibh all due reverence for the marbyrs who died ab Kucheng, I venture to say that they would have beon better employed in Australia, and the obvious moral of the affair would appear to be tbab every missionary in China should be instructed to habitually carry a conple of loaded revolvers and a repeating rifle.

New Zealand haa contributed its quota of missionaries for work in China and India, but of what avail have their services been so far ? The Chinaman, ib would seem, bakes aboub a Century or co to Understand tho rudiments of Christian teaching, and when he does dimly comprehend them, he/'snvees' that it is all «no good' and sticks to his old joss, the language, too, as was remarked on the lecture platform bore the other evening, seemed specially devUed by 'auld Clootio' to keep the white man's religion oub. Cannot our young mission zealoba find work unbo their hands in thia country? If bhey ah3Wor no then thoy must bo very blind or very stupid. Are there not hundreds of young girls living a degraded life on bhe streets of New Zealand cities whom no hand is raised bo save, many of them scarcely in their teens, and are there nob thousands of people in the colony who are in as much need of missionary oflorb as any Chineae barbarian ? Have we no Maoris who need a mission amongst bhem to supplement the feeble efforts made at preeonb by some of the religions sects? I would advise some of our innocehb young budding • missionaries for China' to pay a visit to Jftoborua at Cbrisbmas time, and say whether they had any idea that there were such people in this province so degraded as many of the hh.drturifate natives tbere.demorallsed to the depths By this while man's vice and drink ? Or let them take a few nights' run through the loWiosfc portions of even Auckland, and relate what they see there. I think their eyes would be opened thereby, and if they Would hob abandon tho self-glotifieabiCn of A mission to China br India, they would at I^6 be c<-tiij.bliad to fcdtfiib thrtt tiveti' bheif dWA hornet. Wduld be grfeatiy the bettor for a little, of tho mistaken z&dl diSfoiavfed tin .Jtifcfa&disH trifc&i thdiilatid bf milfes hv^av -' •'■* '» ' ' ■''■*•*< ■ v .-.., ,-, J' .-: Whe* preferred lisb wefek to .the inju*. tice done the ' Chollies '. by making them

pay 40s on their London made suits. I did nob notice the hardship inflicted upon the community as a whole in tho matter of currants. Don'b laugh, dear friends, for bhe matter is one thab appeals to the internal economy of every human being. In childhood's happy hours what delight equalled that of eating a penny bun and trying bo find an occasional currant inside ib. Sometimes two currants were found close together, and then our hearts, like our months, became too full for utterance. Then too, ye Englishmen, think of your currant dumplings andyour plum puddings! What would they be wibhoub the fruib ? Why, mere dough. Our worthy Premier looks as if he is a good trencher man, and I feel sure his attention has only bo be called to the facb that the duty on currants still remains ab 100 per cent, to have ib altered. Clothea we make hero, bub currants we cannot produce. ' Cholly ' only wants one London suib a year, bub we all wanb curranbs ab leasb once a week. Jusb bhink, ye wives of working men, bhab whenever ye buy one pound of curranbs, two pence goes to bhe State. After all, one of the best arguments in favour of the Customs system of taxation is the fact that bhe mass of the people never realise how freely they are being bled. Jasb imagine whab the effecb would be if retailers had- to say bo each customer, ' Currant 9 ; oh, yea, '2d per Ib, and another for tho State;' or if, when a man gob a stick ot tobacco he waa told, '4d duty extra.' If thab tysfcem were adopted, I fancy thore would soon bo a cry from end to end of bhe colony for retrenchment in Sfcato expenditure, and people would recognise that ib was no übo bleeding the Government because ib all came from themselves.

There are some very peculiar features about the present tariff thab are worbh noting. For insbance, although rice has been reduced £2 per bon, ebill £4 remains, while sago, tapioca, vermicelli, and macaroni aro admitted freo. Turpenbine ia reduced sixpence per gallon, while kerosene, the poor man's illuminanb, ia only lowered one penny—a reduction which, ib is to be feared, will never reach him. After all, however, the Government is nob bo bo blamed in the matter, for they senb a commission round the colony ab considerable expense tc ascertain tho wishes of the people. Therefore, failure to obtain proper information rests with tho people, and not the Governmenb. How hard it i 3 to please the public is shown by a careful perusal ot the report of that Commission. Fer instance, boot manufacturers gob increased protection in order to enable them to make goods here and compete with the importod article. Thab looks all righb, bub, unfortunately, the tanners also wanted protection, and they got it, with the result thab the bootmakers assert that some lines of boots cannot be made here now, owin# to certain leathers not made in the colony being more heavily taxed. Here is another instance. A farmer in Dunedin said he could grow any quantity of currants and raspberries, consequently, these fruits were protected, with the result thab jammakers in Auckland are severely handicapped. Then, again, there ia the creation of flannelettes, aboub which we have heard so much during the week. A perusal of the aforementioned roporb will show that some of the very people who are now clamouring against bhe proposed duty, gave evidence before tbe Commission in favour of ib being imposed. Under such circumstances, how can a Government be expected to please bho people ?

In a recent English magazine there appeared a very gushing interview by some young thing—she was a Mrs Someone or Other—with Lord and Lady Onslow, our late gubernatorial sojourners. Ib ia a rather amusing article, to say tho least of it, and Onslow musb have laughed with amusement and perhaps a libtle vexation when he rend it. lb contains a long and mosb thrilling aocounb of tbe travels of Lord Onalow through ' tbo fastnesses of the King Country.' 'Faatnpsaea' is good, considering that Onslow was never in tho King Country, and that hia experience of tho noble Maori savage was confined to a nocturnal encounter with the uncivilised fleas of llua.toki. Ab ohe place, tho veracioUa narrator aaserfcs, a party of ' braves '(' braves ' ia exceedingly good ; she must have boon devouring * The Last of tho Mohicans'), 'leaped forth armed wibh guns and propared to dispute the further passage of tho Governor and his patty.' To those Who know the sort of warlike 'braves' our labo rerespecbed Governor encountered on his bloodleaa peregrinations wibh buggy and picnio hamper through Maotiland, this aorb of thing is >as good as a comic opera. Equally funny in another warlike paragraph which reads : ' Horo _>till another band "of savages sprang, like Rhoderlck Dhu's warriors, oub of nothing.' I wonder whab thab unsophisticated lady would writo if she Haw a Maori tangi.

But this truthful historian reached tho culminating poinb of bathoa when nhe concluded :—' No man knows what fear is, co ib would be words bhrown away bo compliment Hia Excellency bho Governor on his courage and composure under this ordeal; but if those who now hold thia page in hand do nob insbanbly sefc up the Countess of Onslow in ono of those niches bhey reserve for the heroinea of all ages, ib is because this account of the advance of tho Maoris is altogether inadequate to describe tho scene, or that bho history of tho Aboriginoß of the colony during tho last fifty years haa remained unstudied by readers of this magazine.' And this is bhe Sorb ef thing the English magazines ladle oub to their readers aboub Nm Zealand I No wonder Onslow is looked upon as a second Sbfcnley or Mungo Park 1

In view of recent cable messages, it soems bo me aboub timo bhab a new petition was added to our church prayers for vhoee in peril. We have prayore for those who •go down to the soa in ships ;' will some one move in the direction of offering up a daily prayer for tho safety of ' tboee who do go up into the air in parachubeS ?' This would be a novel and possibly a welcome addition bo the book of Commou Prayer. Then we migbb geb some rising hymnaber to indite a stirring Bpirituul song entitled, 'For Those in Peril in the Air.' Tho frequent reports of ballooniats boing killed, and of lady parachutists falling from dizzy heights and being masbod to small bits beforo a delighted—l moan a hor_.iiaed-~asßemblago, give some foundation for a suggestion of this kind. Tho latest, Wired bhis week, in this lino chronicles bhe falling out of a parachute of ono Adelaide Baesetb, a young woman who earned v living by flying up in bhe air in a thing like au umbrella. We have had aerial visibors of tbis sorb here boo, bub co far they have signally failed in gebbing high enough to hurt themselves if thoy fell off tbeir parasols.

Everything in bhe theatrical way having been aoquieb lately, has given rise to bhe belief tbab all local enterprise haa been well nigh extinguished by the dead failures some of our recent enterbainmenbs burned oub to be. Concerts, plays, oycloramas, panoramas, lectures, 'picture,' and so forth have, for bhe most parb, been running a cloee race as to which would have the emptiest houses. The first mentioned are yory far forward, and likewise lectures, bub the judge's verdiob has* I believe, been declared in.favour of ' bhe picbures.' . These had, : perhaps,, bhe mosb unexampled run that any kind of enterbainmenb has had for a long time past. They attracted a large erewd (chiefly bald-beads) the first night,

aboub half a dozen the second nighb, and nobody at all the third night. Yeb the cosb of producing these ia said to have been upwards of £150. After going to the expense of getting costly scenery and all the necessary apparatus for producing the pictures On the same scale of magnificence as they are now being produced (successfully, I believe) in some of the Southern towns, the promoters had the satisfaction (very intense) of seeing the entertainment attended by about one-tentb of the number bhab usually attends a concerb which needs an outlay of about half-a-crown for a few handbills. Of course, it ia quibe possible this may mean Auckland people do nob appreciate ' art,' and ib would undoubtedly mean it if paucity of attendance were confined to thab class of entertainment; bub it appears to be a facb also thab a local Concert promoter ia lucky nowadays if he can geb his bakings bo bally with his expenses, much less strike a profib. Bub when an artisb cornea along who has gob a name which he ought to geb six months for the case ia different. Auybhing thab comes from a distance, of course, is always beeb. W6 don't wahb bo see or hear anyone now bob him or her who comes from Timbuctoo, or some other distant region, who is a German, Italian, French, Russian or any nationality bub English. Herr Goucher Meidetduik or Herr Fatobrienawßki, or Signor Palliwallidini, can cause sens&tione which excite bhe public for months before he arrives and months after he has gone. If, however, a local man, who is quite bb good, gives ah entertainment, he is not worbh hearing oxcepb bhab he goes to Germany, stays there long euough to allow tha presumption to grow bhab he is studying under Herr — (anybhing wibh an 'i' at the end). Truly the public baste is being peculiarly shapawed by tho visit of bhe musical foreigner to bheae shores.

'Is Marriage a Failure?' ia a question which, ib seems, tho colonists of South Australia are inclined to answer in the affirmative. According bo a cabled reporb from Adelaide, the reporb of the local Registrar-General showß that bhe marriage rate .in South Auatralia for bhe pasb twelve years has been a littlo over six per thousand of bhe population as compared wibh niue per thousand in 183-2. Tho conclusion arrived ab in consequence ia bhat ' there is a growing disinclination on bhe part Of colonists to enter the married state.' The precise reason of the young Soubh Australian's growing aversion to marriage is left to the imagination. Evidenbly he (for the ' she' never has any objections to marrying when • the right man' cotnea abng) has weighed the young colonial of the obhor sex in the balance, and found her wanting. Whab she lacks I can only surmise, bub possibly it included a scarcity of cash, good looka, good temper and the ability to cook. Perchance a surfeit in youth of 'dumper' and fab mutton ill done has soured bhe temper and impaired the digestion of the back-blocks native, who haa thereupon aeb hia face (irmly against the baneful practice of giving hatf his victuals to some girl to geb the other half badly fcodked. Or perhaps the giddy young things of Adelaide are too frivolous and extravaganb for the money-making young man, who does nob like the idea of handicapping himself with a apouse too early in the raco for wealth. Thore is a chance, too, thab the female population of the colony haa achieved an unenviable reputation for bold foeb, or bhat the girls turn up their little noses at the yOung fellow who takes his coab off to work, and evince a preforenco for the gilded bub impecunious bank clerk or youthful civil servant, who often can scarce afford to keep a robbib, much less a wife. Here is a problem that may well occupy tho attention of our women's liberal and political leagues.