BUSH DESTITUTION AND IGNORANCE

Evening Post, Volume XXI, Issue 117, 20 May 1881, Page 2

BUSH DESTITUTION AND IGNORANCE

? Mr. Hall, City Missionary, writes t» ns as follows : — " Yesterday I wandered a few miles out of town to visit some families. When between two hills, and nearly surrounded by bnsh, I observed a small hut, built with bark and toitoi, without, any windows, and put together without the slightest pretence to architecture. Observing a girl standing close by an aperture, from whence was proceeding a cloud of Smoke, I ventured to approach her, and took her to be about 16 years of age. Her appearance was very much like that of a' sweep after he had parperformed hi* duty in a number of chimneys. Her garments were composed of the veriest rags, and of the filthiest description. Around her were three children, much younger than herself; I 'and clad with nothing but a few tatters, all so dirty as to lead me to suppose tjiat they had never been washed from the time they had been tied round the little creatures' bodies. The following replies were made by the elder girl to my questions : —"Can you read?"— "No?" "Did you ever go to school?" — "A little while, I think?" "Do you know the letters of the alphabet?" — "No." "Do you know who God is ?" — " I don't." " Have you ever heard of him?" — "No." "Do you go to church?" — "No." Other questions were answered in the same manner. Being anxious to see the interior of the hut, I looked inside, and observed one dilapidated chair and a block of wood, whioh was all the furniture in that wretched abode. There was no floor to it, but simply the earth on which it was built. I could not make out from the girl what was the occupation of her Cfather ; but, callißg on a neighbor some distance off, I learned that he and his wife went into-the bush collecting fungus, which they fjjld to the Chinamen, and that at this em- ¦ ployment they obtained the barest subsistence. I have seen many sad cases of distress = incur city, but have never witnessed such wretchedness as this.

The Lap of Luxury.— When the cat gets at the cream. There is a good deal of bitter sarcasm exhibited by a bulldog in a midnight interview with a young man and a guitar among the roses. " Tiers, tiers, idle tiera," as the actor said when he aaw the rows of empty benohea be*, fore lid.