LOCAL GOSSIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9711, 5 January 1895, Page 1 (Supplement)

LOCAL GOSSIP.

'let ice have audience for a word or two." —Shakejperc. We always seem to be very loth to commence work in a new year, but now that we are at January 5, 1595, we must begin to think seriously of taking off our coats and working in earnest. I can see a prospect of Now Zealand doing fairly well during next year if only our Ministers will let us alone. If Mr. McKenzie will stop buying up land from friends at exorbitant rates, and then proceeding to put oil it special settlers at a Urge cost to the country, and if Mr. Reeves will cease agitating for stringent labour measures, which have the effect of causing distrust and banishing capital, then the end of 1895 may see the colony in a much more prosperous state than it is in now. But the question is, Can these fanatics bo restrained ?

In regard to all the licensing laws, the prohibitionists have for many years past succeeded in banishing from the licensing bench all persons who had any interest, direct or indirect, in the liquor trade. Brewers and publicans contended that if they and their kith, kin, and allies were boycotted, so should extreme teetotallers, who held that it was their object in life to put down public-houses by every means in their power. They contended that the licensing benches were for the purpose of deciding what was fair and fitting accommodation for travellers and the public, and that men who proclaimed it was their conviction that under no circumstances should a hotel be allowed, to exist, could not fairly decide on such a question. The argument was never allowed, because if temperance advocates were debarred from sitting on licensing benches, they must logically be prevented from votiug at any election of members of licensing benches.

But now the publicans and their friends ere having their revenge. At a recent coroner's inquest at Christchurch, Mr. Wake, a juryman, said he had been informed that the policeman who summoned him had got into trouble for doing so. Mr.Brohnm stated that ail instruction had been issued by Colonel Hume that no person interested in the liquor business should bo allowed to serve on juries in which any question of drink was involved, and that Mr. Wake, who was known as an extremist on the temperance side, had forced himself, so to speak, on the jury. Mr. Broham continued that it had been the case several times lately, that prominent prohibitionists had come to the police and asked to be put on coroners' juries, with the view, no doubt, of showing how all deaths that came before the coroner were due to drink. Surely such a game of see-saw as this is ridiculous, and should be stopped. Persons who arc interested in the trade, it seems, endeavour to get on coroner's juries so that they may prevent the blame being ascribed to drink, while certain other persons, "extremists on the other side," as Mr. Broham calls them, endeavour to force themselves on juries, so that drink should prominently bemade responsible. The only way out of the difficulty, it seems to me, is to abolish coroner's juries altogether, and make better arrangements for judicial investigation in cases of sudden death.

The people of Dunedin feel their Scottish blood becoming hot with indignation at a certain illustrated weekly which in its Christmas number has published an article descriptive of their city. The writer of the article actually tells the citizens of the Southern city that "on one of two noble monuments in Dunedin is inscribed the name of Scotland's famous poet— Burns !!" The leal and true Scots, who nave been wont to speak of him who is their darling as " Robbie" or even Bobbie Bums, are amazed thab any man who can hold a pen, and who aspires to write about ft city whose inhabitants are mostly of Scottish birth or descent, can show such profound ignorance. It is worse than if ho had spoken of" Robert" Sbakespete. The -Christian name of Burns has become as closely identified with his personality as his surname. In Scotland, indeed, he is generally referred to by the Christian name only, and when it is desired to quote anything of his, the phrase is generally used, "As Robbie says." And then to have this man. who can only be classed with Homer, and Shakespere, and Goethe, and Dante, in the list of the world's poets, spoken of as "John Burns" shows a profundity of ignorance which no Scotchman can conceive of.

Considerable excitement was recently caused throughout these colonies by the publication of a most extraordinary article in a new journal called Cosmos, in which Dr. McCarthy, of Sydney, described some marvellous productions of materialised spirits by a Mrs. Mellon, a spirit medium, staking bis professional reputation upon the statement that part of the actual flesh and bone of the medium was assimilated by the spirit-form produced. Dr. McCarthygave illustrations from photographs taken by himself of some of the materialised, spirits. A Mr. Ernest Hpsking, in the Opera House, Sydney, recently produced spiritualistic manifestations a3 the result of a challenge which he gave after the Mellon controversy, that he could produce similar spirit forms under the same conditions as Mr?. Mellon, by artificial means. Mr. Hosking successfully made good his contention before a committee of influential gentlemen, and photographs were taken of the so-called " spooks" produced by him. He sat in the cabinet under test conditions, and produced the so-called forms of "Cissie," "Geordie," and "Josephine." To drop from the spiritualistic to the prosaic, the Australian Photographic Journal states that " the negatives were produced by magnesium powder flashlight, and taken with a Zeiss Anastagraatic Lens, series 11., which greatly facilitated operations. Besides being of general interest, the picture gives a good representation of what can be produced in semi-darkness by flash light with a good lens, and carefully developed negatives." Mr. Hosking does not pretend that he materialised spirit forms, but simply that his results were produced by the trickery of the photographic »rt. He gives a decided negative to j Mellonism. The other day I came across a brochure s«titled The Reminiscences of a Bodysnatcher." As in my young days I knew a good deal about Burke and Hare, the title opened up a vista of untold horrors. Imagine my disgust on perusing the pamphlet to find that it was simply the record of the personal adventures of an "insur- j ance fiend," while on the warpath " taking lives." He says some nasty things aboub "the tricks of the trade," and does nob burke anything. Somo of his poetical effusions appear to be cast in the irregular measure. " I see that Sarah Grand is recommending that irascible old gentlemen should be taught to knit. She tried the recipe on several old gentlemen, and ib worked like a charm "My pupils are out in the garden now, either sitting together sociably in groups, or in happy solitude, each occupied with his own pefc piece of knitting, and all looking so benign that my heart goes out to them ; and when I compare what they were with what they are, I feel bound to maintain that all irascible old gentlemen should be taught to knit. Families afflicted with one cannot do better than send him to me." I have my doubts as to whether the remedy would be successful in New Zealand. The most effective cure for irascible old gentlemen in the colonies would be "to give them yarns." The Rev. John McNeill was greatly delighted with his trip to the Lake Country, and his impressions of the Wonderland will probably find their way into some of the home magazines. Ib is his intention to ?ive " A last word about the Colonies" in Melbourne, before finally leaving Australia. Ib is not yet definitely decided whether he will go on to India, or return direct home. Every thing will depend upon tho letters which he expects to receive on reaching Ceylop. ' "

A good deal has boon written about the New Woman, bub the following colloquy between two costers is about as good as anything that has been said. The first one said to his mate, " D'yewr, Bill, wot's awl this abaat the noo woman? Wot is she?" To which hie fellow made rejoinder, "I dunno, but I wishes I cud come acrosb one. I'm abaat sick o' my old woman, I am!" What would Sarah Grand say to such a deliveranco as that ?

Ib eaunob bo said of the colonials, that like tho English, they "take their pleasures sadly." The wide world might bo searched over for a happier and more pleasureloving crowd than is to be seen in Auckland at Christmas and New Year's Day. With all the talk of "depression " the totalisator returns mount higher and higher, and I should nob wonder if shortly tho machine is worked on the co-operative principle for the benefit of the working classes. Even ab the Charitable Aid Board committee meeting the proceedings were shortened by the holidays. There were very few applications for relief on Thursday, as the regular habitues of the office have not yet settled down to business owing to the holidays. Mercutio.