HAMPDEN.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XX, Issue 3828, 22 January 1877, Page 2

HAMPDEN.

OBOM OtTEOTTIT COBBESPONBrEiT*). January 15. How oft have I blessed tbe comiqg day When toil remitting lent its turn to play, And all the village train, from labor ,free, Led up their sports beneath its spreading tree. In the above lines tke poet seems to have expressed one element at least of the" ' philosophy of life. Many things combine to disturb the monotony of existence, and. to mark with, periods broad and bold . . what otherwise would be an intolerable uniformity. Nature forces this upon out' notice, and in doing so invites us to par* take of her lovely and beneficien^ changes. The Hampden people began tlUnf jollities with a moderate Christmatf '2>ro<>' j , gramme, but added to it as elastic ' J and youthful spirit demanded, exercise. : The first event on the programnie "was ' the races, which were followed by other, convivial displays; such as the everlasting "hop" and field sports. The 'next was : an enter tainment .'.which, consisted' o£ musio^-vocal, ,an3 1 instrumental—recitations and readings. The object of this entertainments was to raise funds ia order; to form the' • nucleus of a" library. $her occasion referred ; ' to Was considered favorable' for Jthe ! furtherance of '^thiß>; ob> ject on account of. the presence of Mr" and Mrs P. Bear, of papier; who, by; their versatility, of talent; were considered' eminently qiiaiifie'd to maTce the affair a pecuniary .success, as, j 'w^ll : 'as'to engage the sympathy ' of the ' general public in quest of amusement. Jam bound to say that they fully answered to fhe .e^timfj,tion in which they are held as .devotees' of art. Mr. Bear presided; at the harmonium, sang, read, and recited with dramatic force. Mrs. Bear sang and performed her part of a vocal duet with a skill not inferior to that which obtains in the ranks of professionals in the melodious art.. Miss Gruppy and Mrs Glass sang with/great acceptance, and drew from the audience the usuil sighs of approbation. The entertainment was indeed a great success, and would be considered a treat by any audience of taste and culture. The last, but by . no means the least, event on pur Christmas programme was a pic-nic got up and conducted by our

esteemed townswoman, Mrs Burgess. There were, indeed, features in this pic-nic which, the dullest novelist would consider a treasure, and oiit of which a Scott or a Dickens would spin a volume ■■ of immortal renown. There were real characters — a philosopher, an artist, and a Beau Nash, the ( latter rivalling his great namesake "in' politeness^ general hilarity and "gallantry. Early on Monday, ,the Bth inst., some of the guests were taken to the residence of our host in a trap, and some found • their way thither on horseback, others on foot. , On arriving there, it being ascertained that the means of conveyance were unequal to the number of . ,the guests, a .spacious bullock . dray, was prepared to meet the emergency. It, -was canopied over with an arch of green shrubbery, studded with gorgeous flowersj placed there by delicate hands, in order' to vary 'the effect. , " ■'• Poplars and elms ever quivering played,- ' " : And nodding alders formed a grateful shade. The bullocks got the word of command to start ; they obey as if in sympathy with their gay and precious load ; slowly but surely they move' on, while the brilliant company siing soft and melodious ditties, talk cheerfully and gaily — \ ' . In shades like these pursue your favorite joy , 'Midst nature's revels— sports that never cloy. While this was going. on your correspondent was at a distance bringing up the rear on. a jaded nag. At last the plain is gone over, and several hills muat be encountered before the place of destination is reached. ' -The bullocks, accustomed to the ups and downs of rural life, with strained necks ascend the steep. Crack the whip— gee Dandy ! Had off, Rover ! Come here, Captain ! Wo ! there, wo ! The caravan now emerges into the forest, and in a short time arrives at a clearing — the intended scene of festivities. The clearing was on a hill commanding an excellent view' of the noble Ruabine, a ' sight which gave rise to a combination of the terrific and the sublime in every heart. Our artist was quite overcome by the boldness of the scene. He was heard to mutter these beautiful lines of Scott's : — Hound many an insulated mass The native bulwarks of the pass, Huge as the tower which builders vain, , Presumptuous, piled on Shiner's plain. Meantime the rest of the company set about to enjoy themselves in good earnest, delicate and conventional usage suggested the means. ' After the games were over, justice was done to; the good things of this life. The party then rose again to play and mirth-making. It was then ascertained that the clearing was not sufficiently commodious. We, therefore, struck tents and departed for a land not subject to such incumbrance. On arriving at a suitable place on the edge of the" ' forest, the bullocks were brought to a stand. The jubilant company alighted^ and under tbe,po,tent spell of ever-winning, ever-inspiring voice of music soon formed themselves into circles, fantastic knots, wriggles, and' other elegant contortions peculiar to the dance. The mellow voice of our beau was now'and then heard above the strain of music leading the company in the various parts and mazes of the dance, " swing your partner," " ladies to the centre, &c." This was continued until the sun began to veil her blushing face behind Ruahine, .. ■ • The bullocks again" got the word of command to start, slowly and patiently they wended their way home. Fascinating mirth and exhiliration rose to such a pitch, that the moving castle could without violation of comparison, be compared to a huge cage enclosing 1000 happy canaries, singing, twittering, and gamboling in the noon day heat of summer. At last we arrived at the house of our host, where a meeting in the open air was held for congratulation and thanksgiving. Our Beau thanked the hostess in such words as my dull pen dare not venture to repeat. : The unavoidable absence of our worthy host, prevented him from replying to this speech, but his better half, with that presence of mind peculiar to her sex in emergencies, stepped forward, and after apologising and expressing regret that it devolved upon her to reply to such a masterpiece of oratory, as the company had just heard, she said that she was extremely happy to know that they had enjoyed themselves during the day. Perhaps everyone was not aware that society in country districts sustained a great injury from want of that social intercourse which gave young people an opportunity of exhibiting the vivacity of their spirit. (Loud applause). No circumstance was more favorable to this, than a ramble in the open air. She thanked the guests for their appreciation of any kindness which she might have shown them, and declared herself always ready to serve them in the same way as occasion mijtht arise. (Loud and continuous applause). Three cheers were theu given for the host and hostess, and the company then dispersed. : >".

Kerosene will probably soon become one of the 'staple products of Russia. Au American. 1 speculator, who has ''struck oil "in 7 the valley of the Volga, has taken on lease 350,000 acres of land, which he has already begun to work. He promises to sell petroleum at 30 per cent, under the price of that imported from America, and he has already shown the value of bis discovery by supplying some of the steamers on . the Volga. It is said that the companies which have tried heating with the new fuel are perfectly satisfied with the result of the experiment. Two American hairdressers in England 'have .been competing keenly with each other. One employed pretty young ladies as manipulators of the hair and beards of his customers. The opposition'immediately offered a glass of beer to all customers. The result was an unusual rush of business to both establishments. , A fire broke out in a railway carriage on the Sydney side of the Paramatta junction, by the explosion of a tin of kerosene placed under a seat. The train was stopped, and the fire extinguished amidst the screaming of women and children. One man who jumped out was taken up insensible. The ©ounoil of the newly incorporated town of Picton have resolved to continue the practice of permitting cattle to graze in "the streets, on payment of license fees.