COUNTRY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9125, 6 August 1888, Page 6

COUNTRY NEWS.

MAHURANGI.

An , evening's entertainmont, under the au--Bpiees*of the M&hurangi Band of Hope, took place in the Masonic Hall, Warkworth, on the 23rd, when the weaili*. - was everytlugK that could be desired, and the hall was WeTT filled. Mr. R. H. Douse presided, and the following programme was gone through :—Chorus by the band, " Wh« Is a Brave Man?" The Rev. Mr. Mather (Wesleyan minister) engaged in prayer. Master E. Hadduekgave a recitation, when Miss Grindrod, of Auckland, treated the audience to a song, which was greeted h long and loud applause. Master Aluert Long next gave a recitation. Miss Thomson sang " Angels' Voices." Miss S. Southgate gave a recitation, when Misa Grindrod gave another treat, in the shape of a recitation, which was much appreciated. Miss M. Williams sang " The Vacaut Chair," which was greeted with applause. Miss F. Wilson and Mr. Worsley sang the duct " The Minute Gun at Sea." Miss J. Wilson recited " The .Soldier's Dream." A chorus by the choir followed, after which an address in favour of Bands of Hone was given by the Rev. Mr. Mather, who took for a text, "Stand to your guns, boys," and introduced various anecdotes of heroic deeds done by England's heroes and heroines. Miss Grindrod sang another song, delighting the audience as usual. Miss M. Southgate recited " The Burial of Sir John Moore," Miss Florence iVilson sang "He Never Smiled Again." and Miss J. Campbell recited " Casabianca,' The Chairman gave a short address, when he announced that two prizes would be offered to boys of the Band of Hope for the beat recitation, and the like to girls for singing, the particulars of which would be given shortly. Miss E. Southgate sang a song, and an encore was demanded and submitted to, when MissGrindrod recited " Katie Lee and Willie Gray," and an encore being called for, she gave " Don't Be In a Hurry." Miss Ragg sang " Won't You Buy My Pretty Flowers ?" and Miss Grindrod volunteered another recitation, " A Christmas Story," which was greeted with loud applause, and the whole of her recitations were very much admired. Mr. Nathaniel Wilson addressed the meeting, congratulating the young members of the Band of Hope and the lady friend from Auckland on the success of the entertainment: and on his motion the usual votes of thanks were passed with acclamation. The choir sang " Love At Home,' after which the Rev. Mr. Mather pronounced the and the meeting dispersed, well pleased with the very pleasant evening. The concert in aid of the Agricultural Society's funds is to be of a vocal and instrumental character, and all the best available local talent is expected to be to the fore, and is to take place alxmt the 23rd of August. With regret I have to report that we seem as a community to have the bad fortune to have amongst us a second edition of the notorious Fred I'lunimer, for on either Sunday, the Bth, or the 22nd of July, on both of which days the whole family were at church, some person or persons entered the dwellinghouse of Mr. John Grimmer, of Forrest Home, and took seven one pound notes out of a drawer in Mrs. Grimmer's bedroom. The notes were in a calico bag, inside another fancy bug, in which was some loose silver, which was not taken. The work is evidently that of someone well acquainted with the family, as nothing seems to have been disturbed to excite suspicion until the money was missed. The sensible attitude taken by the settlers at Otara anent retrenchment has had its influence on many of the most intelligent of our community, and in response to a letter from Colonel Dawson, of Otara, the chairman of the Upper Mahurangi Highway District Board intends to communicate with other Boards in the neighbourhood with a view of having a public meeting arranged to be held at an e:irly date, in order to make it quite clear to the Government that, although thankful for the small mercy of retrenchment already attained, we are bound to have a very much larger amount deducted from the enormous cost of being governed.—[Own Correspondent.]

DAIRY FLAT. Our local minstrels, "The Jubilee Variety Troupe/'gave their hist entertainment in the Dairy Flat Public School on Monday, the 2,">rd ult. The programme consisted of songs, gag:!, connundruins, song and dance, and wound up with a laughable farce entitled, "The Haunted House." The following sentlenien took part in the performance :—Messrs. G. W. Vallack, 11. Ford, W. Jeffs, Marry Buchanan, and \V. Griffiths. Mr. G. W. V'allauk acted as bones, Mr. H. Buchanan as tambourine, Mr. H. Ford us banjo, Mr. W. J Jetls as Hute, and Mr. W. Griffiths interlocutor. At ten o'clock the building was j cleared for dancing, which was kept up with < spirit until .".;><) a.m., there being a ■splendid \ moon to light the people home. Mr. E. M. Clinton (as usual on the occasion of many previous balls) ably performed the duties of master of ceremonies, and Mr. Martin was the violinist. The proceeds of the entertainment will be devoted to procuring the nccce.ssary paraphernalia for the troupe. Sixty persons were present from this and surrounding districts, some having come a considerable distance to be present. All appeared well satisfied with their night's enjoyment. The troupe consists wholly of local gentlemen. Tin- late heavy rains have caused a considerable amount of damage to the roads in this district. Due large culvert has been completely washed away. —[Own Correspondent.]

POLLOK.

Tub Pollok Mutual Improvement Class held its monthly meeting on Monday evening, July '2,'5. There was a good meeting, and all appeared to he in the best oi tune. An entertaining and intellectual programme was successfully carried out. There were many songs and readings. Mr. Torbet, as usual, supported the humorous element by reading some of "Jeems Kay's" best pieces. Mr. Robert Dick road in good style "An Estimate of the Character of William Penn, the Founder of Pennsylvania." Mr. J. S. Clark read some excellent pieces, one from the writings of Dr. Channing, "The Dignity of Human Nature." Mr. Thomas Suiter sang a semi-comic song. Mr. John Ansin gave an interesting essay, entitled " The Land of tiie Midnight Sun." The essayist commenced by saying:—"lt somewhat becomes me to give an essay on this subject, as lam a native of that land. I was born and brought up on the banks of the river Tornea, Haparanda, at the top of the Gulf of Bothnia, on the border line of Lapland ; and, therefore, 1 must know something of the Laps and the land they live in. Their ideas of men and manners and things in general are very different from that of people m the provincial district of Auckland. The Laps are not such money-grub-bers as they are here. They do not tear the bite out ot one's mouth; their joys and sorrows are generally of a different cast. They are not such great drunkards us I have seen in many other places, although the whisky is only threepence per bottle, and the brandy only sixpence, and almost everything else as cheap in proportion. A person going there with £W() or Jt'7oo could live as an independent gentleman. As to the climate, the winter and summer are very distinctly defined. The winter is very rigorous, and extremely cold, the thermometer often ranging ."{() degrees below zero, the land covered with a heavy coating of snow, and the lakes and rivers with thick ice, sometimes seven feet thick. Several weeks at Christmastime the sun never appears, so that there is total darkness except or the moon, the reflection of the snow, and the Aurora Borealie. The summer, on the other hand, is lovely, and often very warm. In Juno and July the sun never 'sets for several weeks. It is seen at midnight as well as midday ; only this difference : a man looking to tho north, the sun at midday would be shium!* down on the back of his head j at midnight, apparently upon his face; at li p.m., on his left side; at 3 a.m., on his right side; but the further one goes northwards towards the pole the duration of the dark season and the sunlight season increases till leaching the extreme north, where it is only one day of six months and one night of six months all the year round. This is truly tiie land of the midnight sun." Mr. Ansin sunij a Lap eong, entitled "En Sjoman's Flieka'—in English, "The Sailor's Sweetheart." The language seemed euphonious and the music melodious. Mr. A. Clark gave a telling essay on "The New Zealand State Pensions," and a third essay w;as given on "The Songs of Scotland."— [Own Correspondent.]