TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8045, 14 December 1891, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Okk of the keenest discussions which took place at the Methodist (Ecumenical Conference was upon womon'a work iv the church. Strange to say, thie is a subject on which the American Methodists appear to be more conservative than their English brethren. Miss Prances Willard, a wellknown philanthropic American lady, was elected as a delegate to the (Ecumenical Conference, but was not allowed to take her seat, her sex being the disqualification. In the debate at the Conference it was admitted that women ought to be allowed to preach, but there wae strong opposition on the American aide to their being allowed to attend the quadrennial General Conference as delegates if elected. The leader of thie opposition waa Dr. Buckley, the Editor of the New York Christian Advocate, the official organ of the Methodist Episcopal .Church. According to the Bey. Hugh Prioe Hughee, it was assumed by the more conservative section of the American delegates that the British delegates were aa conservative as themselves, and would unanimously support them in redeting the admission of women into the councils of the Church, but to their surprise not a single speaker from the European side of the Atlantic took Dr. Buckley's side, but a great many spoke strongly on the other. The question is to come up at the approaching General Conference, and Mr Hughes, who is an ardent enthusiast "for the emancipation of women," believes that the debate will have a great influence on the action of the Conference—and chat in fact the emancipation aforesaid is "at hand."

The cable messages the other day informed us that the Borghese library had been put up to auction, but did not state how. it came into the market. It appears that the Borghese family — one of the most famous of the historic houses of Italy—hag become bankrupt. At a meeting of the creditors held, in Rome it was stated that the liabilities of the family amounted to 34,000,000 lire (say, £1,360,000). and the assets to 25,000,000 lirn (say, .£1,000,000). It was hoped, however, that the assets would exceed the liabilities if there was no great de - preciation of the real estate in the possession of the family. The magnificent Falconieri Palace was sold for no more than 120,000 lire, and the library, a3 we know, failed to fetch any bid that could be deemed at all respectable. There must still be some valuable art treasures iv the possession of the family, although they have parted with a good many, and we ehall probably hear of their final dispersal.

A NitfE- year-old Jack Sheppard has been causing the Haokney workhouse authorities some trouble. He had been committed to the workhouse, so a Home paper informs us, during his reinatd on a charge of pigeon stealing, but evidently found the accommodation nob at all to his liking , , seeing that he effected no fewer than three sensational escapes from, the institution. The, first time he managed to get away from the ordinary room in which boye are there confined. Recaptured, he was for better security placed in a room by himself, the officials taking the precaution to leave him only a blanket for bed covering in fear of its being pub to another use. Their fears were not groundless, for trying his clothes -o the blanket he improvised a ladder, andalthough he had to face a. drop of forty feet, managed to reach the outer world. Once again he was laid hold of, and this time the workhouse authorities for better protection nailed up the window and took away his clothes, leaving behind only the blanket for warmth. Iα the case of this precocious youngjter, however, it is abundantly clear that— ■

" Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a cage; " for again he evaded all the precautions of the workhouse authorities and found himself once more in a cold world—very cold he must have found it in his primitive condition. . Of course he was not able to get far away, but the Guardians gave him up as a bad job, and in .despair of ever being able to keep him in custody themselves applied to the North London Police Court to send him to Holloway Gaol for safer keeping. The Magistrate, however, said* the Act distinctly specified the workhouse as the place of remand, and he should hold the Guardians responsible. The baffled workhouse officials were accordingly once more thrown on their own resources. What next device they proposed %o adopt is not on record.

Lord Randolph CuvncßTLt, it is needless to say,is not popular at Johannesburg, and the local account of the reoentlionhun t ing is much less sensational than that of Lord Randolph himself. The correspondent of the local Star says that his lordship was wise anl stnck to his horse, and let Lee, the veteran hunter, blaze away.-" Like 'Ikey,'" adds the correspondenti "he hadn't lost no lions, and wasn't goin' to look foe none."

Thb Victorian Government; are evidently determined that the colony's batter shall nob get a bad name if they can help it. The Australasia* rtatea that when the shipment by the E.M.S. Valetta was being made up* Mr D. Wilson, the expert connected with the Agricultural Department, discovered that there were 180 cases, containing each 561b, of such an. inferior quality of butter that .he recommended that the lot should be excluded from the shipment. This course was adopted, much to the chagrin of the consignor, who waa anxious to get the butter shipped, and iook up a very aggreaaiv attitude towards the department, threat* eniog to institute legal proceedings against Mr Wilson. On being informed of what; had occurred the Minister of Agriculture (Mr Graham) deemed the matter of sufficient importance to inquire into, it personally, and with an independent expert he made an examination of the rejected consignment. It was found that although the cases were branded " Prime new Victorian dairy butter," their contents were so poor, in Mr Graham's opinion, as to fully justify their being excluded from the shipment, and he has given inetructione that for the •future the closest scrutiny shall be exercised as to the quality of the consignments Twafring tip each shipment. This ia, no doubt, " interfering with the liberty ot

tb ® * Qb J e <*" but it la ■««■" «*** o* **" Pe™one to ruin a moat important branch of export trade. .• . ' »**