TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7422, 23 September 1889, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Last night the congregations assembled in the Christchurch churches were thrown into a state of unnecessary uneasiness, and the Fire Brigade were called out on a fool's errand, because some feather-pated person thought it would be a good joke to start one of the fire alarms. This has occurred pretty frequently of late, and it is quite time the practice was put a stop to. We hope the offender will be caught, if only that wa may see what species of biped it is that can indulge in such inane conduct. Certainly it can be no one who has ever reflected upon the consequences . of such an act. First, there is the causeless alarm given to a large number of people, including, of course, a good many invalids, on whom the fireball is sure to have a dis- ; tinctly injurious effect. Then the firemen

>ttMNIW ,; «B*tt_rjr oogltt f» '*• tpsaxA ?! thia kind of *BBM**itMU*fe >33iayare a volnnteerbody, who cbeerfuHy risk «ieir Hves and work like heroes for us when there is real need for their services, and one can easily understand how disheartening it must be for them to find they have been the -rictims of childs* play of this character. It will be hardly matter for surprise |& r Jm?tße Cltetug hoaxed s6 often, they * -hclul* x not be so prompt as tumai -dine*- day 1 when there is urgent need' ft* - promptitude on their part. It is possible, of course, that the "false alarms" have been the result of nothinjf mo?s than sheer thoughtlessness hi tnV^-past. 2 If so; we hope that upon refl**fltipn tha perpetrator or perpetrators wip qeet bwrw. criminal, as well as imbecile, such conduct is. If the offence is repeated we hope the "police will be on the lookout, and in. the .event of the culprit being caught, it is to be hoped that the penalty imposed will be exemplary, so as to effectually discourage the practice in future.

We were not aware that toy balloons were capable of any'very deadly or sensat-oaal exploits until we read a thrilling telegram which appeared in the Alto California of _as*__ugust k _9th. Scarcely anything more excifangtihsawthia is to be found m the works d£ Fenimore Cooper or Jules VerneWe hafcbetter perhaps tell the story in the graphic words of the American journalist. Telegraphing item \ Chicago on August 18th, he says :— "Littie..tw<>ryea*r-old Sophie Sohwab in▼oluntariiy became a balloonist to-day, and waawattedhighupover the broad bosom of Lake Michigan. A rifleman's skill saved the .chjld'a life. The; exciting incident took luaee at Sheffield Park, and was witnessed by 1500 pchicers. An Italian peddler of toy baUoona attemptedto serve two purchasers at once, and in, doing so let go hia string of bright-colored globw. TheT cord.'. got twisted about Sophie S left arm and also in hair, and the buoyant, rubbe** 1 bubbles started heavenward, taking* , tne T^* 1 - 0 ! aeronaut along. Sophie's mother shrieked and fainted. Tbe bystanders stood horror stricken,"scarcely bTe»tbj»gV"»iUie balloons swept dose to a large oak tree and the fflfatit grasped a handful of twigs and checked her flight. A mtiscuiar young German was ascending the tree in an instant, and then crept out on t*he_branch nearest the child;- At this, moment Sophies puny strength gave out and the bslloonsi suddenly released, went again at least 100 ft, drifting then-out over the lake. Gus Koch, a sharpshooter 1 who was attending the picnic with his repeatmg rifle, hurriedly jumped into a skiff, with two companions, and pulled out into range. Koch succeeded in piercing several of the balloons, a successful shot helping I the bunch" 1 to descend. Before i» finally j reached the water, a boat was at the spot, i and little Sophie didn't even get her feet |wet."

Who could have thought that such innocent, frail-looking ptoythingtt could have become possessed of a spurffc. so fiendishly reckjess- co exitavagahtly i prankish ? This eclipses all tiie ! walkers, the Zasehv an 4 the j-«arachutists in creation, frohab^ywe shall.noxthear jthat some American *-hoW_na», wifli the j customary enterprise of his class, haa been i making liberal offers to the aad S" heroine "to tour the , I Sophie Schwab" can Tw ittdaced to repeat 'the ascension, and "ftußiKoeh'*" to-eaact Ithe part of Williah. Tefl hi } revved [and vastly improved-.fashion. Wioit too imuch to predict that w there** laiilions •in it?" ; -' ; - "'"',,'"./",,, J" )" .'•'.'■'' ' | A lamentable instance of the, e_ifee_linff | effect which protec-ton has npon the inteli lect was witnessed during ft 'recent 'debate jin the Victorian Pariiaznent* .The mom-ant-" i ous question under waa - a "bro* i posal to place a duty of 2d per dozen on all : im-orted eggs. This seems a. su__aisntry I lunatic propositior- on: "Hie face of but it was made in aU seriousness. Having |" protected" every other class /'ia. i the (country, it appears .that' the -GovOTnneht did not see r .why they 'should exclude' that highly deserving section the bara fdoor "We ha-** heard jm? I tection proposed as 1 a specific -for mauy j troubles, but it' is '$&[.',lsrh%] l ;tSsn9 |we have heard of its being brought ft>_* ! ward as a substitute for the much-adver-jtised patent foods poultry. W© trust !it will have the stimulating effect which • the Victorian Gtovernmen# see*oct*^fi-q-ecfc

This, however, is a digression,; 'What we [wished to refer to was ■ the stimulatm}*- ; effect which the proposal had upon the \ House. When the questioa was about-to |be put, the members -suddenly became | rompish. "' f The, poorest p-atfsters/* thd i_4r_-us tells lis, "vied with the accepted | wits," and for two- hours the contests was j maintained. Tbe::■> ". poorest punsters " I appear to us to have beea largely in the I majority/*-ti', Zox. began that tha_Biopo)jifeioa should be " neg-eggatived" —a screaming joke which, of course, " . 'down j_as Bouse." Be theh askecf if Mr Patterson had held. a. hen conventtofc>' On-' -the- subject,; to wMeli the s^idi 'CommffflajoTier repKed that there was'nothing to"c_u*kl* about." Sir Bryan O'Loghlen who;;' the JtrgvA would have us helieve, is, * very sedate member of the Asserably, e_*dea«oissex_ to ; put in a serious, plea on b-hslf of "'the people who product Buii the House insisted upon regarding the remark as a ■ witticismt, and! the* hon. gentleman appeared confused. 2 The-' ge«meto spread even to members holding com-mon-sense fee* question at issue-. Mr G. D. Carter, we learn, objected to depriving the people of Victoria. o£ the right to obtain eggs from the other coicnies when the hens in thsM; country were not laying. "The said, "as Ifar as I l^^w«^;&fis''^coloi^.'whp' ] ''-a!Jr fall the ye«|- »»md. ftre the IwikmakevM,? \ The speeches at le*Qg_a,and I a division was called for. Membeora took ; sides, and white the"9*mea were being I recorded a miniic'ifeom Giji-pslahd kept the I Committee amused by 1 giving pus eonnds I peculiar to the poultry ya_rd.wh.en. aoi egghas been laid. [ At last the result of the division was < ayes 55, noes 22. Two Gippsland. xaeh-bers, aa veil as some others, then contributed .cockcrows, and the the ganeries (adda our contemporary} .must have I thought they were .$& '\1&& jpolptj show*. There was moreina in the oyer the question we fancy than, ■ there will be in. _he *el9u-rf^F s whett i»aterianiißae finds that he has to V&3 A protectionist tax before he can even chip aa egg for hxs breakfast. " -"°'