TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12593, 8 September 1906, Page 8

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Probably leas ,is heard about Liberia. Liberia than about any other part of Africa. Indeed it might be eaid thafcit is chiefly known to tho world by the unique designs On

[ its stamps. A very complete interesting work on the negro Vq! has lately been written-by Sir'JH Johnston, from -which wo learn tblt State is in a fairly dition, and that the iwgro is dh<ji there some talent for 6c]f-govc*n| It ia usual to decry Liberia, jtas Harry Johnston holds that thie* what paltry atonement which heel made by Britain and her daughtd America for the wrong-doing ofi* slave trado' , has not failed end Lai tain possibilities in the future. ~f sixty years sinoo the I*opubh'o\< founded, the original settlcra bejil few hundred negroes from Amoi and in epito of some struggles and c dais, it is still solvent and fairly j porous, and controls a torriiory oa' Woet Coast of Africa not much end than England. Sir-Harry Johneie verdfct is that the Liberkm American origin have a right to boj of their civilisation. "They are an , telligcnt, even wcU-educnied, poll people-, whoso method of life fe'per3 moro akin to that of the. Enajlitf mar. or New Englandor than it frS that of the African negro. Mcritaft they aro much moro European ttoi African." Some of their towns brf comparison with European West Africa, and they onn, for' 2 stance, construct and maintain aim phone. They aro quite as well rcafrl tho average English peasant, are fel abiding, and kindly in disposition.fi fortunately their numbers ar«'mj small, the civilised and portion of a population ' of oil 2,000,000 nativee of various *j2 being only 1200. Their faults <v! that' they are too religions," much addicted to alcohol this they aro no worse than the £jm| peans of the West Coast, and perStt not so bad), too American in theqfjfc votion to frothy oratory and floo&fc| printed eloquence, and "too much up to politics after tho Amemi fashion." By "too religious" wo too mechanical adhesion to the'Celfli istio principles of their Ashmun, an American Methodist, tj» religion being "an exact mimicry of;jjj narrow, warped Christianity «f' f&j land from Puritan times to the da'intfj better things in the middle of thejjjuiij teenth century." The Sunday ie peculiarly severe, birtfj; touch of the ridiculous is given ttf|: by tlio universal wearing of top<£| and frock-eoate, wliich aro euU*£ neitJtex to the climate nor tlio phjwl nomy of the ■wearers. Among the ot)j natives is a fine tribe called th« l£| dingoe, handsome, proud, and ©putt OU6 Mohammedans, wlioso appeaxwgj compares weir with that of the, iujjjjjij The contrast moves Sir Harry Jonajriaj to give advice to tho citizens of : ;l& Liberiaji Republic on the folly of ajsjjjj European customs and ideals inst«*ti|i developing an African satire lines. ■ & "I wonder how many t*B Favourite of picture poet»c»rd» Cards. needed, montii by tnouUj to meet)' England's :'it mend for images of its 'sta.ni,' big *£ littlef' asks Mr Mas Beerbohm in tU "Saturday Review." 'jTo hbw mti photographers, at how maojn angfee, i how many frocks,' must even' a" obscure actress find herself compelle to. eit i» the course of a yearP* Wb« England's Cbenoellor of the EnbheQol remarked in a, Budget epeedh. uponj| place taken by picture official returns, the stage deed bare earned come ' of it 9 special value to the The ftcfareas poet-card hoMe the »M for the largest ealee, a Zena Dare being at preeetvt aae,"sM most popular subjects, while her, Mr Lewis Waller, in /miiptjfril profile, commands the buyerW pence. amongrt the eand' 4 ol cardg leaned them are fraiwttjt apart from etegelawl. "8m "hodfe Darling," the most wwwftflji "baby" postcards, reigned in ,)T«| last, being despatcaed to TebUbmik fast tm the machine* by tlhe neweffb prooese of pM«cnipi| Another rw»rd-breaker "Warder of tie Tower of Lsi don/ , wtoee medieral ermodeor, 4|il in coK>ura, made him the ragft tbm|j| out England, the sake ratobiafg tn «>JJ one hundred thousand in tUMilfi month. A recent cartophHisVe'ttefcei fere also to the propartimi roached by tho sale of tin Express," also in oolpure, duly lfipreiefc ing the train co named, and pfoduoia * fine effect of speed. Amongrt nail of foreign eoenery, t3w avries depiotii "OfiUee on the Rhino,".ie iflid to 1 •niost popular; amongst JJngJieh riew the wastes or rooky stream* of Bar moor are especially preferred. , H»rwhere our own natural eoeneiy otfppiu) tho (wilder element, it is gentler Bftj lish eoenes that hit the v oolonlal jtMh "The aotrees card," says dealer in' such. mattenr, "per-hape "««t tie best -with w, jbut.nexl> oom4|| picture of the English. Thaw*,? , th* next few mofrt'he W »U some wonderful figures reached in « patch of Exhibition post-card/i, brilliant in colours, artietio in phot graphy, or depending solely on tl picturesque wording of an invitation , rhyme. It was a happy idea < The Early Mr D. Boberteon, Clti Poet Office. Clerk of tho W< . lington Post ' 0 Ceo, to compile a history < the early days of the New Zeal?! post office, whereby <wo can contrast 01 prceent efficient service with the liar ships of the first eettlere. Tho early hi tory of the postal service is one of ye slow progress and constant complain of delays and heavy charges. Tho fir mention of a postal service is found 1831, when a Mr Powditch was ©ty missioned by the New South Wai Postmaster-General to make up mci at the Bay of Islands, but it wan 1& before the first Post Office was esta lished, at Kbroreka. Prior to this k ter» Home bad been cent liy tradii ships to Australia, or by whalers, whi inland communication had been carri* on by jneane of native runners. It ir. a Tare occurrence for an aniwer to 1 received from England within, years. It ia painful to record tlwt ti new Post Office garo very Httlo sati faction. Tlie charges were Very high one batch of three letters from Hor cost tho addressees 2s 7d each—the were no stamps, and tho postmaster W not fit for his post. The R«v.- 1 Oolenso entrusted him with tho effet of a dead Enelishman for transmiesii to his relatives at Homo, ant! , to Indi and discovered a good wliile oftorwar that the man had burnt the parcels V approjjrinted tho which- it

p.iul ii cash. It mny be remarked that th<- nv<>n!~e \vap;e of a lalwnrer in New Zrnland in tho«=e <lnya was about 3.s a dnv k-iiid thnt of h skiilnd mechanic ss, FO it can l>. , easily real-red how heavy chnnro , . rl a shilling for tho convcvaiir • of :i Mter from the Bay of Islands I<> Hckiengii. or even more for a letter from Homo wore- to such. men. Before the Imperi;tl Government took cluirtio of the Post Office, nnd matters beenmo woivo. if anything, owing to th;* constant disputes between the Poet Offifo flnd tho NY.V Zealand Government. Imagine tho Wings of an Auckland mident on receiving (in 1843) a notice from tho London J'ort Office informing him that a letter v.rb dotaincd till lie wrote to wmo agent at Home who should pay eightpenco on his account! This the. Aucklander described in « letter to the local '-Chroniclo' , as "n drliboratu folly and cold-blooded wickedness."' The introduction of stamps in ISoS 6eeniß to have been a step in the rt'form of ft very unsatisfactory service. Communication within the oolony was very *=low. One official in Wellington complained tliat to important lotters sont to Auckland ho did nob receive flruswors for months, and it was not unusual to tend letters from Wellington to Auckland, round by Sydney, to en6Ure greater despatch. The first regular post mute between Auckland and Wellington was overland, by nativre on foot Mails left twice a month and the everngo length of the trip was three weeks. It is curious to notice that, while there were constant complaints «,l»oiit tho officials, tho native runm-xs did eplwidid service. Tho book—ft copy of which we }vavo received from the Government printer—is altogether most interesting.