CURRENT TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12426, 15 February 1901, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

In tlie multitude of counmodern sellers tliere may "be was-, UEorHETS. d Cm, but in a multiplicity of; prophets there is undoubted; dissension. At. this time of the year, certain' gentlemen who are not without honour among a superstitious section of their own country, are worit to publish in almanac fprxn their casting of the horoscope of the coming years. “ Old Mopre,” “ Zadkiel, “ Raphael ” and “ Orion ” are probably the best known Of these astrologers, and a comparison of the results of their black magic leaves a comforting variety of predictions, January is to be blessed with “increased ■prosperity,” “much distress in the land,” and “poor public health” respectively according to varying prognosticators. In March there is a singular' unanimity in prophesying a big theatre fire in Paris. In April, trade is to be “ very good ”an d “ very bad,” which . ought to about realise a fair gen era! average. Three of the prophets, tell of war in May, but Zadkiel seems to have missed shooting “the red planet Mars.” July brings the portentous fact that Neptune will enter into the tropical sign of;Cancer, which everybody ‘ agrees is a- roost momentous occasion. August is to bring' great fires or more war; , according to whichever family prophet one favours; whilst September will find “ trade and commerce unsatisfactory,” with “British trade increasing.” October introduces the anomaly of foreign affairs “unsatisfactory -and troublesome ” and “ Satisfactory and placid;” but November is still more quaintly contradictory. We have “ Old Moore’s ” assurance that “ owing to an annular eclipse Of the sun ” the month will. be,r both politically and socially, the darkest and stormiest of any for ten years to come. Zad- - kiel, however, sees in this omen only a little sickness among Royalty, and Orion ignores ' it. At the close of the year, “ Old Moore ’’ predicts that December, will exercise over London a “ benefic ” influence ; Zadkiel pro- : phesies for the last month of the year much sickness, and a- high rate of mortality for the metropolis, coupled with an l outbreak of crimes of violence 1 which is to shock, the communi- , tyOrion says it will be scourged by extensive and terrible fires, and another prophetic publication of lesser note boldly an- , pounces the total destruction of London by an earthquake and tidal wave, and the overthrow of Britain’s maritime supremacy, owing to a European coalition, as well as tho death bv. a “ virulent sickness ” of twobird's of the inhabitants of the United Kingdom.

The Twentieth Century A message comes to ns brimming with . from mars, scientific effort on the brink : of achievement, its opening day brought the significant suggestion of - 1 a possible’ message from Mars, that mysterious neighbour of ours in space, whose a possibilities have taken alike the imaginations of philosophy, science and fiction. Lika ipany other momentous discoveries, this new sensation of M. Nikola _ appears to have been discovered while in pursuit of other game. Mr Teha, it seems, had goaw to Colorado for the purpose of itscerfaining the' best conditions for the inwismissinn of electrical power, without wires, and to perfect an instrument designed to transmit messages across the ocean. For Hie purposes of lus experimen ts it was neces- • : sary that he should work at a very high! altitude, inasmuch as to succeed in solving his problems'he had .to master electrical pressures of .at least filly million volts, in' orlcr to- produce-electrical discharges, of .60 ■ , io lOint in length. . R was while making ' these experiments that M. Tesla- noticed ini a pertain -instrument repeated faint -aioyjfrt

[Bients, "which is was impossible to account lor save cm the supposition that they were jdue to currents from the planets, whether intentionally devised or otherwise M. Tesla ;does not, of course, pretend to say. He, however, adds the gratifying information (that he has perfected an apparatus making it possible to transmit messages any distance . .whatever, without the use of wires. “ I have,” says the inventor, “perfected my transmitting apparatus to the extent that T can undertake to construct a machine which withoiit doubt will be fully competent to convey sufficient energy to Mars to operate delicate appliances such as are used here, .for instance, delicate telephone and' telegraph instruments. Since we ourselves are so advanced, is it . unreason able to believe/ ■in the possibility that of the twenty to twenty-five planets of the solar system, one, if not more, may be ahead of us in evolution? When there are the heat of ithe sun and moisture, life must originate, must go on developing, as a stone must fall to the earth.” It requires no vivid stretch of imagination in face of this explanation and argument, and with the recollection of the many marvels of nineteenth century science still fresh in our memories, -to class as among the probabilities of the juew century the absolute opening of communication with Mars. <r :. The old, old question as op to the future of the Anglothe Saxon race, and 1 , imcidentrace. ally, of the British Empire, :s again on the “tapis.” land Charles Beresford, undaunted 1 by the doubtful freshness cf the subject, contributes to the “North American Review” a reliable rechaufee of the previous pros and cons. His paper mainly derives its interest JErom its authorship, but his Lordship has the advantage of a fresh basis for induction in tbe South. African trouble. He thinks that the reasons conducing to the 'downfall of the ancient Empires can be pummed-up in the statement that they did 'not permit the commercial spirit to keep ialive and grow with the military spirit. !His paper purports to investigate how far She British Empire haiS succeeded in this direction. It is one of the penalties of Empire that teixritorial expansion saps the vigour and life-bicod of the nation by imposing on it great burdens in the matter of defence, and! the expenses of colonisation. Unless expansion of acres is accompanied by a corresponding expansion of trade, the (end is not far distant. Lord Beresford admits that most civilised nations look on ithe British Empire as an unwieldy and tottering fabric, whose ramifications have (extended beyond l the control of the vital bentre, and he thinks there is much to favour this gloomy view in the undoubted bvoral deterioration and instability cf the higher classes of the Empire. As in ambient Rome, power and pleasure were the tools of ruin, so now the horrifying monster of plutocracy is eating up our manliness and chivalry, our moral courage and • fearlessness. But in spite of this dark admission, Lord Beresford ranges himself bp, ■ of those who look .for a glorious Consummation, of ■thn.Tacw' To this hope, fhe attitude of the colonies, more patriotic ieven than their fathers, the sympathy of our brothers in America, and the life derived ifrom the admixture of blood in the race, lend a good foundation.