NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9809, 2 May 1895, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

It is evident that Russia means to enforce her demands in connection with the treaty of peace between Japan and China. She now threatens to blockade Japanese ports unless they are agreed to. We have not yet had any precise information of the terms of the treaty itself, or of the demands which Russia is insisting upon at the risk of declaring war against Japan. In the absence of full particulars it is difficult to form an accurate judgment on the dispute, or to clearly understand the position taken up by some of the Powers. What was virtually a joint protest by Russia, France, and Germany wa3 addressed to the Japaneso Government against the conditions of the terms of peacc. England declined to be a party to the protest, on the ground appar. ently that there was nothing in the treaty to justify the European Powers in interfering, France ar.d Germany seem disposed to rest content with having entered a protest. They show no signs, at all events, of resorting to force to compel Japan to modify the terms of peace. Russia, on the other hand, with or without the approval of the other two protesting Powers, is mobilising her army and navy, and making preparations, which, if they mean anything, mean war. And while all this is going on England appears to be standing an anxious and expectant spectator, without any very clear idea of what course she should adopt. It seems almost certain, however, that we are about to witness a drama in the East that will effect vast changes, which, to use Lord Rosebery's words, will involve the solution of anxious problems in connection with British foreign policy. Japan is in no mood at present to submit to Russian dictation, and even talks of clearing her deck 3 for action should Russia resort to force.

We have now entered upon the month of May, and that we did so without any holiday festivities whatever, reminds us how many of the gay customs once honoured by our race have passed into oblivion. Still, there remains some old superstitions connected with this month that die hard, as is made clear by the municipal statistics of the city of Marseilles, in France, which show that on the 28th of April, 1894, there were registered at the Mayor's office in that town no. less that ninety-four marriages. Why this enormous number? Because, according to an ancient tradition, couples that marry in the month of May expose themselves to great danger— will soon smite the unfortunates, or, at the very least, their union will nob be blessed with children. Therefore a large number of Marseillaise lovers availed themselves of the last days of April to join themselves in wedlock. This curious superstition is by no means confined to Marseilles. M. le Blaut, a French investigator, ascribes bo it an origin in Roman antiquity. The Roman poet Ovid said that May waa no time for widows to marry, or for young girls, and adds that the imprudent woman who braves fate by so doing will die early, Plutarch agrees to the truth of this.

Ib may be because of this ancient principle that the Roman Catholic Church has made the month of May sacred to the Virgin. However this may be, the idea has certainly perpetuated itself with singular persistence. Tassoni, writing about the middle of the seventeenth century, relates that among the inhabitants of Ferrara, many young nobles and princes who were married in May died only a few days afterward. "Ib is the observation of this strange fact," he observes, " that induced the Ferrarese, so it is said, to follow the ancient custom." At the present day, the superstition has nob ceased to show itself in certain regions of Italy, in Roumania, in South Germany, Bohemia, Westphalia, England, and France, notably in Saintonge and in the Cevennes, where every* one . acknowledges the truth of the proverb, "The month of flowers is a month of tears." ''Perhaps," said Plutarch, "the month of May is regarded as unlucky because ib comes between April and June, the months respectively of Venus and Juno the tutelary goddesses of marriage. Or, perhaps it is because May is the month of the feast of the Lemurs, or souls of the dead."

To give an example of one of the many quaint May-day ceremonies that used to be so popular—at a village in Westmoreland called Temple Sowerby, it used to be the custom on the Ist of May for a number of individuals to assemble on the green, and there propose a certain number as candidates for contesting the various prizes then produced, which consist of a grindstone as the head prize ; a hone or whetstone, for a razor, as the second ; and whetstones of an inferior description for those who could enly reach a state of mediocrity in " the noble art of lying." The people were the judges; each candidate in rotation commenced a story, such as his fertile genius at the

moment prompted; and the mora tiarr<& loub or improbable his story happened to be, bo much the greater eh*n«« was there of his f success. ' After being lamu««d in this manner for n, coneiderab!< ength of time, and awarding the prizes tc the most deserving, the host of candidates judges, and other attendants adjourned fc: the inns, where the sports of the day very often ended in a few - splendid battles. There is an anecdote current in the place of a Bishop of Carlisle passing through in hi* carriage on this particular day, when, hi« attention being attracted by the group of persons assembled together, he very naturally inquired the cause, _ His question wag readily answered by a full statement of facts, which brought from His Lordship a severe lecture on the iniquity of such a proceeding, and at the conclusion he said— "For my part, I never told a lie in my life." This was immediately reported tc the judges, upon which, without any dissent, tjie hone was awarded to his lor ship as most deserving of it; and, as is reported; it was actually thrown into hii carriage.

It appears from recent cable messages that Sir William Harcourt's Local Tetc Bill is meeting with a storm of opposition in the British Parliament, and promises tc cause a further disruption in the already disorganised Government party. It has been pointed oat that if the Government attempt to redeem their pledge to the temperance party by pressing the Local Veto Bill to a second reading a number of Anti Parnellites will find themselves in an awkward dilemma. * The McCarthyite dissentients hold that a serious effort to deal with the liquor question musk inevitably drive Homo Rule further into the background, and as a. matter of fact no fewer than 13 of their number have privately intimated their intention to oppose the second reading of Sir William Harcourt's Bill.

The recent contest for the Speakership ol the House of Commons, which resulted in the election of Mr. Gully, Q.C., a comparatively unknown member of tha House as well as of the legal profession, has, in a sense, an historical interest, inasmuch as it made the fourth time since the beginniao of the present century that the distinguished office has been contested. On January 29, 1833, the opening day of the first Parliament after the passing of the Reform Act, Charles Manners Sutton, who bad been Speaker for nearly 16 years, was proposed for re-election by the Whigs, although he was known to be a pronounced Tory, his proposer and seconder being Lord Morpeth and Sir Francis Burdett, respectively. On behalf of the Radicals, Joseph Hume proposed, and Daniel O'Connell seconded, Edward John Littleton, and, although this gentleman desired not to have his name submitted to the House, a division was taken, with the result that Mr. Littleton's name was rejected by 241 votes to 31, Charles Manners Sutton being then unanimously re-elected. When the next Parliament met on February 19 1835, Charles Manners Sutton was again nominated for re-election, his proposer and seconder this time being Tories. Tha Whigs put forward as an alternative candidate, James Abercromby, who was appointed by a majority of 10—316 to 306. Mr. Abercromby was re-elected without opposition at the commencement of the new Parliament in 1837 ; but when ho retired in May, 1839, the Whigs nominated Charles Shaw Lefevre, while the Tories ran Henry Goulburn, the former being elected by a majority of 18—317 to 299. Since then—s6 years ago—until the other day, the Speaker has always been elected without a contest

Ib is expected that the difficulty between Nicaragua and Great Britain will be settled in the course of a tew days. Umra Khan, together with four hundred followers and a number of relatives, has been arrested by Afghan officials, A French transport steamer, with troops for Madagascar, has gone aground in the Suez Canal. The Duke of Orleans, while hunting in Spain, fell and broke his leg. His condition is causing his friends anxiety. Mr. Ward, the Colonial Treasurer of New Zealand, speaking at the Colonial Institute, expressed his confidence that; the colonies would soon regain as great a prosperity as they enjoyed prior to the boom. Touching on Social legislation in New Zealand he said that if mistakes had been made the common sense of she people would quickly correct them. The Times warns the public against recklessly lending money to the Australian colonies. The Liberal candidate has been returned by a large majority for the vacancy in the representation of Leeds caused by the death of Mr. Gane, Q.C., which, it will be remembared, occurred on this voyage from New Zealand to England. The defence in the London scandal is a complete denial of the charges. Wilde declares himself to b* the victim of blackmail.