Dunedin.

Bruce Herald, Volume IX, Issue 810, 9 June 1876, Page 4

Dunedin.

»■ ■— . — (From our own Correspondent.) Poor Mr Shand f Ills heart has had tq Weed again, this time to the tune of £30Q and costs. What the costs will come to report does not specify, but as Miss Campbell's lawyers are known to have been making extensive preparations for a big case, they are sure to be pretty tidy. Experience proves an unpleasant, though it is to be hoped a \yh.QlesQrne, teacher ; §nd Mr Shane's experiences in a certain direction would, if al{ were published, no doubt prove an acceptable eighteen days' wonder to the talking public, and a valuable permanent addition to the literature of that old story to which some people think nothing neyjr pan h,e added. Perhaps Mr Shand can now moralise with the philosophic I^aureate, and say— — " "Tis bettor tct have lftvod und ifist THiin never to liayc loyert at all," — a piece of reflectiveness at which many are supposed to cut up rather rough, and to find scant consolation therein. But without any reference to not loving at all, it certainly would have been far better for Mr Shand, when he did love, to have lost. He would, all circumstances considered, have found consolation when it is not usually found. Put it

was the misfortune of his impulsive nature when be succumbed to the gentle passion, not only to be fascinated by, but to fascinate, so many different dear ones, who are now proving in a practical way that courting carried to extremes may be a pretty expensive luxury. The general rule is that the poorer you are the more you have to pay for a thing, but the reverse holds in this case. However, ia the action brought by Miss Campbell he may congratulate himself on escaping so cheaply. People say, Why was Mr Shand so very susceptible to the tender emotion? But does not Mr Shand come from the land of gallant lads and bonnie lassies, and why should be be behind-hand in keeping up the national name ? Polished, elegant, and gay, he shot Cupid's shafts, turned heads and broke hearts. True it is that had he denied himself the pleasure of popping the question so frequently, he would not have found the delectation of his amiable fantasies so dreadfully costly. But the thing that was ordained to be must be, and now poor Mr Shand suffers severely in the tenderest part. If the matter which adorns this little tale serves to point any moral, it is that elderly well-to-do Lotharios, in bestowing attentions all round on the fair sex, should be careful not to exceed the bounds of admiration — that while it is permissible to conquer one, they should do no more than strive to please all — at the very farthest they should draw the Jine at making the promise. But what is the use in talking. There are no gentlemen like old gentlemen, and " boys will be boys," till the end of the chapter. From so interesting a subject allow me to turn to more prosaic matters, and permit me to mention that Tuesday was a great day in the aanals of deputations. On that occasion two important deputations waited on the Superintendent. The first was from the Dunedin School Committee. It came with a particular request, and a general grievance. The particular request was the providing of a proper play-ground for the Albany-street School, and the general grievance was that the High School and Normal School were receiving a measure of consideration from the Government, which was not extended to the schools under the Committee— that, in fact, primary education was made to suffer in order to force on the higher branches of education. His Honor informed the deputation that he did not think there was any ground for this censure, and in the matter of getting a play - ground for the Albany District School recommended them to wait upon the Mayor and " let out their steam." Accordingly they forthwith waited upon the Mayor, and the Mayor promised to briug the matter before the Reserves Committee. The proceeding of the Committee is one of those straws which show the way the wind blows — a reaction against that mania for higher education which has obtained here to so large an extent (with what ill success examinations have shown), and which has resulted in cramping the efforts of those engaged in primary education. There is a prematurely born University, for which " the great difficulty is," as Dr Stuart said, " to get students " ; an expensive High School (for which no adequate return has ever been made), and a Normal School that the Dunedin School Committee show is receiving more consideration than is extended to the Dunedin schools for primary education. Now it is proposed to establish a medical school, which will cost £4000 a year, and which will, at most, get a student or two, and very probably none at all ; while from all over the country come clamorous demands for school buildings. Verily this is higher education run mad. The second deputation which waited upon the Superintendent was from members of the University Council, and its object was to discuss matters concerning the University. For reasons best known to themselves, this Council has always excluded reporters from their meetings, and the proceedings at this deputa;tion gave the general public a little light concerning Universitj' matters. In the interview with his Honor, it appeared that Sir John Richardson and Dr Menzies had resigned connection with the University, The reason was not stated, but it is generally understood to be because there is a majority of the members averse to the immediate establishment of a medical school. Now it appears that Canterbury (in which scholastic province the prospect qf success is far greater thau in Qtago.) is making a mqve in th.c S£\me direction, and is likely to tal^e the wind out of the sails Qf the Qtago University by establishing one in Ch.ristchu.rch. Further, it appeared that the home authorities would not recognise the teaching of the Otago University. But what do some actually now want to do but try and get recognition fqr twq years' Reaching at the Qtago University, sending the students (if any) home to complete their education. As Mr Qargill, and thqae who hold with l\ln\, sensibly conclude, if all they could get was the two years' recognition, better far to send the students home for the whole of the term. The interview terminated without any definite result. It has, however, had the effect of pringjng {he matfen promiuently before the publicj and has been the meana of drawing Professor Coughtrey into priut. Dr Stuart said at the interview—" We PftW Prqfesgqr Coug-htrey to go hqme to get his recognition, but he returned without it, and it was only last year we received intimation that his letters wcivHa tie recognised by one school," Professor Coughtrey, in his reply, says he did not go home to obtain " individual recognition," but went to obtain "general recognition " for the University classes ; also, to collect information for the medical school, and to purchase and select teaching material, i He denies that the University paid him to go home, and mentions the interesting fact that \ " owing to the straitened state of the Upi-

versity finances" he " waived his right to at ' least £50 sterling " of what was due to him. Furthermore, he throws the fault of failure on to the supineness of the Council in certain matters, and charges them with having disregarded his advice. His letter is not one of such a description as is likely to go unchallenged, and we doubtless shall soon have members of the Council having their say, and saying a great deal, on the matter. There is a story told of two dogs fighting for a bone, and au ill-favored bird swooping down and bearing away the cause of strife from the contending parties. What I am now going to mention may not be strict analogy, neither of the contending parties, unless one of the dogs, having had possession of the coveted spoil. My narrative is simply this — that while the rival supporters of two medicos in Dunedin were each hotly doing battle for their chosen man, and, in the slang of the profession, putting "their knives into each other," it has been resolved that the billet contended for, au Inspectorship of the Lunatic Asylum, is to be filled by a man from home. Now, so goes rumor, the lion has lain down with the lamb, or, rather, the two are standing shoulder to shoulder, preparatory to making a grand aggressive attack on the General Government. The Licensing Court met on Tuesday, on which occasion was disclosed beyond doubt that twelve reverend clergymen in Dunedin i are on one subject distinguished for a lack of common-sense. In a petition presented from them asking the Licensing Beuch to refuse [ " all new applications for hotel licenses," and also " to refuse to renew at least a quarter of the number of existing licenses," they managed to drag in many far-fetched things, including the Queen and the abolition of the African slave trade. The petition was a choice specimen of English in its way. I hear that it was framed by a revereud gentleman whose English has on a previous occasion been placed— apparently without advantage to himself — "under the microscope," and that some of the members would not sign it, and wanted the petition drawn up in another form. However, seeing that it was already signed by a bishop, they considered that what was tjood enough for a bishop was good enough for them, and so persuaded themselves to append their signatures to it in its prtsent form. The Richardson Fusiliers are the subject of a great fuss. Briefly the case is this : they have a Captain Von Schwabe, and they want him to resign. He elected himself by a majority of one (the one vote was his own), and now he won't resign for a clear majority. I do not blame Captain Von Schwabe, because he clearly sees that an emergency may possibly arise which may call forth to the fullest the exercise of his undoubted military abilities ; and, under the circumstances, he is placed in the painful position of having to suppress everything in the way of delicacy of feeling. Privately, I should advise Mr Macandrew to communicate with him instanter, because on the side that he (the Captain) takes in the ensuing civil war the future government of the country may depend. He is said to be very anxious to know who have been writing certain letters in the morning papers, and in the simplicity of his heart to have gone to the editors wanting to be enlightened. He is going to sue the ' Times ' and ' Guardian ' for libel, and maybe he will also sue the Bruce Herald while he is about it ; but possibly all three, at least so far as he is concerned, will manage to survive. Everyone wants to know who is the distinguished captain with the aristocratic foreign name, and how did he persuade the green youths into electing him. Who dug him xip? If rumor be true, and it speaks with no uncertain sound, a number of — well, till the thing is contradicted I shall call them gentlemen—who were sent as a representative body, by public subscription, to another colony, behaved in the public street, iv uniform, in no proper manner while there. The numerous readers of the Bruce Herald in Dunedin, and perhaps by this time those in Tokomairiro, will know what I mean. When a public company is a popular concern, the shareholders, whenever th,e general meetings come round, assemble with beaming faces to hear big dividends recommended and obediently adopt same, paying complimentary remarks to directors, and ditto, to servants, with per-h^ps a V.Qau,s also. When a company is losing, there is not the same agreeable harmony and unanimity. Saying so much, need it he mentioned that at a late meeting of the ! Grey Coal Company shareholders in Divoedin the denunciation by one of the happy (?) proprietors that " the whole concern was a sanguinary or- condemned swindle," meant that the shareholders had to pay more calls without the prospect qf getting any dividends* By-the-bye, the revenue that was to have come from the sale of those big blocks, which in some miraculous manner was to have increased and multiplied, and have built railways, roads, schools, and to have met all manner of liabilities, has been again trotted out. as a stalking horse. This time it was to. have done a great deal for a school in Bunedin. Can his Honor n.qt see that he is overdoing it ?