NEWS, VIEWS, AND OPINIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 153, 27 June 1908, Page 11

NEWS, VIEWS, AND OPINIONS.

f-.v ''' v ' ■ "' "■'-'■ --•.-;-.- -S I •Be not the first by whom the new 'are tried, nor; yet the last to 'lay the ■- old aside," says Pope, and he .applies the. remark to fashions as much as to'w'ordsi" Four young ladies who made their appearance in the enclosure at Lbngcharnp racecourse last month would have been . a good deal more comfortable if they had taken the poet's counsel to heart.. : But ■ they were dressmakers' models, and, perhaps, had no option. "Four, so to speak, /classic' feniinine figures walked out on ;ihe lawn," says one account, "in blue white, havana, and purple Directoire cos-" .tomes of such tight-fitting and transparent patterns as to make' some of the spectators rub their' eyes" and wonder

iwhether they were not seeing Henner's orßouguereau's figures' in a dream." It was a dazzling spectacle—so dazzlin<»; indeed, that a modest policeman covered one of the pretty damsels with his own cloak before escorting hereto the police station "to save her being ■ mobbed." There have been hints of prosecution, but they are all wrong, for what would you! The sage M. Touny, director of

police, sums up the situation delightfully: "I thought the exhibition made" by the young ladies somewhat daring, but if it is the prevailing fashion there is nothing more to be said.'/ Truly spoken, for is not fashion the greatest of human laws? Prudisits may ask, "What are we coming to?" but the modistes can answer, "What it pleases us to design"—and lovely woman will wear out her cheeksiwith blushes rather than run the risk of being "dowdy."

A mayor in Paris finished a marriage ceremony with the words, "You are united." The wedding party had just left when he remembered that he had omitted part of the formula, and that' consequently the marriage was invalid. He promptly opened the window, and shouted after them, "I say,, you know it is in the name of the law that you are united." -

The teetotallers of Boston ' are quite convinced'that claret is a non-intoxicat-ing drink. They drink it without so much as a twinge of the corner of their conscience at the.mayor's annual dinner, and -when during Lent "their ranks are temporarily swelled by those Who try to mortify the flesh,- the latter. draw the line or mortification at claret.. That, at any Tate, they think, does not minister to the pleasures of the palate or induce drunkenness. v.

Monslgnor Amette, the new Archbishop of Paris, • has undertaken the gigantw task of simplifying the Church's regulations as to matrimony, in order to popularise marriage among the people. The publication of banns preceding a French marriage is always an ordeaL The custom is to read the names of the fiances aloud from the pulpit, together with,the ages of bride and bridegroom. and a mass of other details. In small communities where.gossip is dominant this custom is a deterrent to matrimony. The' Archbishop -has now issued orders to the clergy that the age and aU unnecessary details are henceforth -"~2*o=l»TonutterL - _ . -

A short time ago it was announced that ironing the body'was the best aid to beauty as the only effective means of reducing weight. Now the virtue of freezing is being loudly proclaimed. It appears that ice treatment is the one thing needful to restore to. worn-out beauties their faded charms.. It is most of all valuable for the face. It removes wrinkles. This new., treatment is -an adaptation of what the Japanese call their "wonder bathi." The belles of Tokio, having taken their tepid or hot bath, slip on one of their most heavily padded kimonos, creep out-into the back yard and plunge, into the largest bank of snow, rolling "over, and oyer, dog fashion, until their skin tingles with a fine glow. Then they hurry "back into their boudoir to examine with delight the natural snow and rose tints of their. complexions.

An Atlantic city-clergyman, despairing of other 'means of attracting a congregation,, has hit upon the-plan of giving his. service, something pf the character of a smoking: concert His .aim is to .make the service as attractive to men as dancing and- music halls, and he is evidently gratified at telling the public that the haze of tobacco smoke almost obscured him, from the view of the assembled people, and that the.collection taken was for the purpose of paying for the cigars, cigarettes, and pipe tobacco •■.-'; consumed This is an American innovation, and let us hope that it will remain m America. The fundamental error which prompts these devices of such parsons of music, hall tastes is the failure to grasp the idea that is an •- act of worship and not a means of entertainment or even instruction. ' The able preacher need never resort to sueh 1 contemptible devices. Wherever a capable man is found there will.also be a. . large and. edified. congregation;" and. .if | a clergyman finds it -necessary to' adopt the methods of the music hall to attract the people, he may be assured that he | has missed Ms true vocation. After all, .it will be admitted even in these irreverent and free-and-easy days that -there is some respect due to ;the Almighty and that is scarcely shown by appearing -'-in-His presence with a pipe in one's mouth. ~.,„ It is distinctly satisfactory to know that the "Portuguese soldier, Valehte, who saved the life of the Queen of 1 Portugal on the occasion of the assassination of the King and ! the Crown Prince, has been rewarded by Queen Amelie with a cross of honpuTj which: confers upon the recipient 'a ; pension •_ equal to that bestowed upon a captain. Queen Amelie was, evidently, determined that the charge . sometimes brought •gainst the House of Bourbon of neglect v to reward those who : have served its members loyally in the hour pf adversity should not be justifiable in her;'case." It 'is doubtful how far that'charge is really ':':. deserved. Certainly, the faithful servant . girl, Rosalie LamOrliere, who.did so much to soothe the last days of Marie .Antouv ette in the Conciergerie, was (allowed by the Queen's daughter,, the Duchesse dV ■ ': Angouleme, to die in a. charitable, institution. But, on the other hand, Louis iViU. decorated and Imndsomely.reward- . Ed the brave scullion, Tuigy,; who; fearlessly served the Royal Family in. the ■-. .-Temple, and risked his own life to .aid m attempting- their • escape. .; At.all events, Queen Amelie's gratitude to the "man who knocked down the- murderer ".'; who was taking aim at her deserves to be counted unto =: the Bourbons for s^ghteousnesE. -& i -■■ •'" '. ' ,; - - •;'--.' '-Z.Z- :';'.,- :-Zv' : z>

_ Naval etiquette is a very serious thing. -Not -. long ago : one of ■ the vessels of the United States Navy called at a Tifcfle port on the Haitian coast known to have a battery in its fort. The ma^-pf gave the/national salute; but > waited in vain for an answer. "A little while afterwards one of the lieutenants was; sent.ashore to demand an explanation, and was- with many- apologies, that ho powder-was on hand, but that messengers bad been sent to a neighbouring town>fqr it and/that the ealutc would be returned as soon as the powder \ arrived. This, however, did not please the commanding officer of the vessel, who sent back word rthat. if the .salute, was not re-turned-by sunset, he would consider the incident in the light of an insult to the United States.

Inanswer to this, a'dusky Haitian officer, covered with gilt lace and trailing a huge sword, came on board, with the smiling request .that a quantity of powder sufficient for-the purpose be kindly lent the fort, whereupon the salute •would be returned at once. The commanding ofiicer relented, gave Mm the powder, and the'booming of 21 gun 3 was soon heard.

The finishing touches were being given at Monzell, on Lake Constance, in May, to Count Zepplin's airship No.- 4, which our cables this week inform us made a very successful trial trip. " The newairship will be the largest of its kind yet constructed, says an English exchange. It measures 135 metres in length, and 13 metres in diameter; Between the two huge baskets attached to the airship the count has had two rooms—a study and a bedroom—constructed in bamboo for himself and his friends. Besides this novelty hammocks will be swung between the baskets and the study for the accommodation of the engineers and the workmen during a long voyage. The count jhas anounced that his first voyage after a I few preliminary trials over LaS» Constance will be to Frankfort and back, and if this trip proves a success he will pay a flying visit" to the Kaiser in Berlin.

A distinguished guest has lately been honouring London in the Dewan or Maharajah of Nepal. Those of us who remember the shock caused by the number of trunks our Alethea required for the honeymoon trip will smile to see how superbly the Dewan "goes one better." Since Mark Twain arranged his ascent of the Riffelberg no such catalogue of baggage has startled the public eye. We read of a hundred and fifty crates, a hundred and forty trunks, forty uniform cases, tnuvy uoxes, two beautiful birdcages, and five sealed boxes, each five feet long, laden with jewellery. No wonder a veritable army of retainers had to travel with such a Mount Everest Of luggage! The Dewan, indeed, does nothing by halves—he travels with six cooks. And, on his arrival at the Lord Warden, two cows had to be obtained so that he and his suite might have pure milk! For all of which we like the Dewan. He is evidently an Individualist of the first rank, who will remind effete Europeans that the Grand Manner still survives.

The Raiser's recent look-in upon Alsace-Lorraine was not unconnected with the acquisition of yet another chateau that he has recently made there, and under rather. , interesting . circumstances.' . The chateau in question is] known as the Hohkonigsburg, sflnd dates from a time when its owners were of the . House,yof-HabsbuTg:--., When ithey'l ceased to occupy it, the chateau fell into ] picturesque ruin, and the ruin eventually vested in the town of Schlettstadt. The expenses of keeping the ruin in pictur-i esque condition was felt heavily.by the municipality of Schlettstadt; and when the brilliant idea of making a present of Hohkonigsburg to the Kaiser, occurred to one of the leading citizens, it was adopted with acclamation. The Kaiser, who has a pronounced mediaeval side to him, accepted the gift. It would have] been worth something as. a political! "manifestation; and it occurred, to him' to -improve the occasion, and restore the i ruin. -.When Schlettstadt, however, found that it was suggested that it' should divide the cost, it demurred. The j Kaiser, though, has a knack of getting bis own way, and he got it in this in-! stance. Schlettstadt paid half the cost, and-the Empire the other half; and now there is again a mediaeval Hohkonigs-1 burg, battlements, drawbridge, and donjon, all complete.

Mr. -P. A. M'Kenzie, in a volume entitled "The Tragedy of Korea," tells the story of the gradual acquisition of power and authority by the Japanese. It is a terrible story, of intrigue, murder, and oppression, but Mr. M'Kenzie has many anecdotes of the Koreans themselves, of Whom, by the way, he thinks highly. The following story is amusing: —' ' VV hen the i electric tramway was first opened in Seoul the drivers and conductors were greatly hindered because coolies constantly, slept in the roadways and used the, rails, as pillows. The conductors became quite expert in throwing these men off the track. It is said— although. I cannot guarantee the truth of the story—that a number of high officials presented a petition to the Emperor protesting against the action of the" tramway company. The petitioners I pointed out that sleep is r natural for man, and that to disturb sleep suddenly is injurious. They therefore begged the Emperor 1 to issue : a''command to the tramway drivers that when they came upon a man sleeping across the track they should stop the cars and wait until he awoke."

All New York was recently discussing la remarkable sermon in which Dr. Aked, [formerly of Liverpool had informed Mr' John D. Rockefeller, sitting at the 'head of a wealthy congregation in the lEifth Avenue Baptist Church, that Christianity is rapidly declining owing to the unwillingness of the millionaire class to i provide the fundi? necessary to make it a success and to the stupidity of the 'clergy. decline of Christianity," he proceeded, "is universal. In England, France, Germany, Spain raid Italy we ihear the same Only lately I was talking with an English clergyman. He | told mc that not merely was there a I great falling off in the number of church- , goers in England, but that the class of people who frequented churches is becomI uT<r inferior. In this city there ere a million Who do not belong to any denominat tion. What are,the causes? Erst of all, ' the pulpit is diit of touch with the times. Everything: has progressed except Christianity. Many thinking and progressive I voun» men and women have been driven from "church by the stupidity, of preachers Compelled to a life of grinding poverty treading always the same old paths of a thousand years, hidebound and restricted m our actions, we clergy become a laughing stock, the- parrote of dead church! cries, instead of preachers of the livin" Christ." Dr Aked ended wita a powerful plea for money and abundance of it. "Give us a chance/'.he said, .to realise bur-ambitions and "energies. Give us unonejr/' ■".'•.'..;... .'.-'-"j