The Evening Star. SATURDAY, MAY 30, 1891.

Evening Star, Issue 8529, 30 May 1891, Page 2

The Evening Star. SATURDAY, MAY 30, 1891.

To-day'B supplement contains 'By the Way * (by ««Nemo "), a report of the depution to Mr Seddon to urge on the Government the necessity of passing a Fair Rent Bill, correspondence, an article on exploring for gold (by Mr C. J. Reeves), and a quantity cf other matter. There will be a Supplementary Stake at the Dunedin Plumpton Coursing meeting. Nominations and draw on Tuesday. Old cricketers will hear with regret of the death recently, at Huddersfield, England, from influenza, of Mr Hiram Rhodes, who for several years represented Otago. Mr Rhodes leaves a widow and two children.

Four small stacks of oaten sheaves, the property of Alexander Blackij, Stirling road, were burned down on Thursday night. They were valued at L3O, and were uninsured. The vital returns for the Dunedin district for the month ending this day are:—Births, 110 ; deaths, 67; marriages, 32. For the corresponding period of last year :—Births, 108; deaths, 63 ; marriages, 26. According to one of the Wellington papers Mr Seddon, before leaving for the South, said that he was distinctly convinced that it would be a mere waste of money to further extend the Otago Central line unless it could be completed to Eweburn, an undertaking which would cost far more money than could be spared. The Sunday School anniversary in connection with the Bible Christian Church was celebrated last Sunday, when three services were conducted by Rev. W. Ready to large congregations. On Thursday last the children were given a tea in the Milton Hall, after which a public meeting was held, presided over by Mr Vanstone, superintendent. The children recited and sang, and an address was delivered by the pastor. The report was read by Mr Jenkins, and Miss E. Jenkins ably presided at the organ. A vote of thanks brought an enjoyable evening to a close.

A step dancing competition, promoted by Mr John Ogg, was held in the South Dunedin Hall last evening. The judges were Messrs J. Jack, J. D. S. Burt, and C. Notman. Three medals were competed for, and produced a fine exhibition of step-dancing, Master Popham'a execution of the Irish jig gaining an encore. The prizes for best allluund dancing were won by D. M'Donald and A. Millar (youths), and H. Woods (adult). But for displacing the swords while danciDg the Bword dance Master W. Smith would have been close up in the contest. Pipers M'Donald and M'Eechnie (2) supplied the music

Tho third of the series of winter entertainments in connection with St. John's Church, Roßlyn, was held in the schoolroom last evening. There was a fair attendance. The programme consisted of songs rendered by Messrs Armstrong, Winter, and H. Martin, a piano solo by Master J. Haggitt, a reading by Miss Tracey and Mr D'Arcy Haggitt, and recitations by Mr Arlidge. As concluding items for each part of the programme a very interesting sleight-of-hand performance was given by Captain Hill (a recent arrival in Dunedin), who, with the aid of two local gentlemen, succeeded in completely mystifying his audience for the space of twenty minutes on each occasion,

The award is now announced of the prizes offered by the St. Petersburg Juridical Society for the best essay on the life of John Howard. The jury, composed of the best lawyers in St. Petersburg and legal writers of European reputation, have decided that no essay came up to the standaid required for the first prize of a large gold medal and 2,000fr. Mr Arthur Griffiths, of the British Prison Administration, and M. Albert Riviere, of the Frenoh servioe, eaoh receive a smaller gold medal and l,ooofr. A silver medal ia awarded to Mr Hazalett, an Englishman, who wrote in Russian; and honorable mention is made of Mr Baine, and likewise of e. Russian, M, LMmatotf.J

The Magistrate's Court case of Spedding v. the New Zealand Shipping Company Wag not ooncluded yesterday, it standi ad* journed until Wednesday, The body of the late Captain Mn Veah who died from the effects of an incident at Wellington k arrived at Port Chalmers this forenoon by the steamers Penguin. Ihe sitting of the Licensing Committee last night extended over two nouDS and a half. In cousequentfb 01 what was contained in a, confidential report furnished by the police, the licensees of the North Dunedin Hotel and the Supreme Court Hotel have been notified of objection to a renewal of vheir lioenees—in the first case, on the ground that the premises are in a bad state of repair and are poorly furnished; and in the case of the Supreme Court Hotel, that the house is of very bad repute.

Mr E. H. Carew, R.M., presided at the Port Chalmers Magistrate's Court this forenoon, uild gave judgment with costs for plaintiffs in the following cases, Mr Platts appeared for plaintiffs:—John Watson vi Thomas Lean, claim, L 4 Is Bi; Baale sr. Henry Grammond, claim, LI 17s '6d. In the case of JrihS Mitchell v. John Caple, which W&a a judgment summons for L 3 2s 6d, Mr North appeared for the plaintiff, and aßked for an order; but after hearing the evidence of the defendant His Worship dismissed the case, The irritation which the Moscow Exhibition has occasioned Was not unexpected. The St. Petersburg correspondent of the ' Daily News' wrote early in April:— " Though the Exhibition is expected to be an occasion for the fraternisation of Russians and French, there is a very large proportion of the people who loot oh the Enterprise with suspicion. Prince Metchersky, in his organ, the 'Citizen,' expresses the opinion of this class when he says that the panoramas, the fountains, and the fireworks are all that Russians will get out of the fair, while French exhibitors are allowed to do business, and pay diminished duties on their goods." A special meeting of the Port Chalmers District High School Committee was held yesterday evening; present Messrs J. Morgan (chairman), A. Thomson, J, Watson, I. SteveußOD, J. Mitchell, and Dr Drysdale. The Committee decided to recommend Mr W. W. Meckie for the position of fourth rendered vacant by the resignation of Mr W. H. Rennie. A letter was received from the secretary of the Orchestral Society re use of room, and the request was granted) The reotor reported that the average attendance had been 533; the number now on the roll being 623, Messrs E G. Allen and I. Stevenson were appointed a visiting Committee for the month.

The phonograph was exhibited in the City Hall last night, and again this afternoon. There was a large attendance on both occasions, these being the final appearances of Mr MacMahon and the wonderful "talking machine" in this City. Last night a couple of songs by Mr H. B. Smith and a cornet solo by Mr Felton were reproduced with almost startling fidelity, and a number of phonograms of music, speeches, and songs were also given out by the machine very distinctly and with sufficient strength to be heard in all parts of the hall. Mr Alexander Don, Chinese missionary, afterwards spoke into the phonograph a few sentences in the language of the Flowery Land, and also the English translation, both of which were repeated by the mechanism as clearly as could have been wished. The attendance this afternoon waa comprised for the most part of juveniles, who apparently enjoyed the working of the machine more than they appreciated it. At the Southern Clnb and Gymnasium last evening Dr Macpherson gave the first of a series of ambulance lectures to the members of the club. About 200 lads and a few ladies attended, and the lecturer was listened to attentively. A singing class is about to be formed under the leadership of Mr Braik, and arithmetic, elocution, aud other classes will be formed in the course of a week or two. Arrangements have been made for several entertainments during the next month. The club has been such a success that enlargements are already necessary, aud a lecture hall is about to be added. Correspondence has been received from Welliugton requesting information respecting the working aud success of the club. It has been decided to inaugurate one there, and over L3OO has already been collected for that purpose. Letters have also been received from several country towns in Otago requesting information as to the success of our club, with a view of starting similar clubs in those localities. Robert Buchanan's new book is entitled * The Coming Terror,' bat there ia not a great deal in it that has not already been read over his signature iu the newspapers and magazines during the past few years. Still, his chapters dealing withl bsenism. Huxley, and modern young men are worth reading. In • The Coming Terror' we are told that Buchanan "descries not very far ahead State Socialism, with its enervating dead levels, its emasculating dependence on grandmother the State, its providence made easy for the lazy aud ignorant. As a sample of vigorous writing we quote a passage from his essay on the ' Young Man Critic': " With the passing of one brief generation, the world has changed; the youth who was a poet and a dreamer has departed, and the modern young man has arisen to take his place. A saturnine young man, a young man who has never dreamed a dream or been a child, a young man whose days have been shadowed by the upas tree of modern pessimism, and who is born to the heritage of flash cynicism and cheap science, of literature which is less literature than criticism run to seed. Though varied in the genus, he is invariable in the type, whioh includes the whole range of modern character, from the young man of culture expressed in the elegant humanities of Mr Henry James and Mr Marion Crawford, down to the bank-holi-day youDg man of no culture, of whom the handiest example is (as we shall see) a certain egregious Mr George Moore."

A notice to members of Port Chalmers Marino Lodge, £.0., appears in this issue. Witnesses and jurors are reminded that the criminal sittings begin at ten o'clock on Monday. Annual meeting of Gaelic Society on Weddesday eveniog in Stuart street Hal'. Election at 7.30.

The box plan at Madame Fatey's concert at Napier opened at nine o'clock this morning, and in half an hour every seat In the theatre was booked.

On Sunday evening, in the Tabernacle, Mr J, F. Floyd, evangelist, will deliver the first of two sermons on 'The Salvation Array—Some of its Merits and Demerits,' including a brief discussion of General Booth's great scheme. On Monday evening a tableaux entertainmont ar,d conceit will be given in St. Matthew's Schoolroom. Messrs H, B. Smith, Densem, W, P. Young, and Miss Blaney will lend their services, and the proceeds will go to the choir fund.

At Mr Arthur Olampett's entertainment totight he will sing several popular Bongs, portray athletic styles, and give a short address on physical culture. He will be assisted by Messrs Dickie (ventriloquist) and Fred Woods (seriocomic). At a meeting of ladies interested in the Kaikoiai Band's bazaar, the following appointments were made:- Chairman of General Committee, Mr 8. Haigh; chairwoman, Mrs L. Kemnitz; stall holders, Mrs KemniU, Misses M. Cubit, Wakelin, E. Hayward, B, Watkion (refreshments), and Watkins (fishpond); secretary of Ladies' Oommittee, Miss E, Hayward. The usual quarterly meeting of the Primitive Methodist Sunday School teaohers was held in Dundas street Church. Thirty-one teachers were present, representing Kew, Ravensbourne, Abbotsford, and Dundas street Schools. Papers on ' How to Retain our Elder Scholars' were given by Messrs Milne and W. King, The discussion which followed was taken up by Mesdamea Jones, Warburton, and Roberts, and Messrß Turley, Cable, J. King, Kennard, G. Adam, and Loudon. The Rev. P. W. Jones occupied the chair. The order of service of the choir festival, which is to be held at All Saints' Churoh next Tuesday evening, will be found in our advertising oolumni. In addition to a roll choral evening service, Mr O. Coombs is to play a cornet selo ('The lost chord'/, and Miss Rich will give a violin solo (Handel's Largo lit G), with organ accompaniment: while there will be vocal bolos by Miss Cooper (with violin obligate), Mr Jago, and others. There 1b of course no charge for admission, so it is hoped that the congregation will contribute liberally to the offertory, which is fox. the choir fond. The Rev. Mr Fitchett will give a short address, and the bishop, with several of th>* Icotfkl clergy, are expected to be present.