NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 10008, 20 December 1895, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

A corbespondhnt in yesterday's Herald oalls attention, very opportunely, to the neglect of the knowledge of saving persons in danger of drowning. The importance of being ablo to swim is now so deeply, impressed upon all those having charge of the young that wo doubt not that a large porcentago of boys and girls above tho age of ten are swimmers of more or less proficiency. But in casos of emorgoncy it is not sufficient to bo ablo to swim merely. One must have presonco of mind, firm nerves, and a knowledge of how to act best in tho circumstances. Wo do not believe that thoro is ono swimmer in ten who knows how to rescue a drowning man frantically straggling in deep water. Such a task, unless he who undertakes it has i some practical knowledge of how to proceed,

in fall of risk and danger. Butfcarb altogether from the ability to ewjmlany lire* that have been lost might have lon Bared had those close at hand had ti coolness and thought to do what waste right thing. So far as w« have reacSio particulars of the sad drowning case airborne both young ladies might easily\ V e been saved by a little presence of mil. Bud until everyone is tiught howTto act) in such cases, lamentable :ci<lonta are euro to occur. Our corn undent suggests that advantage sh Id be taken of the offer of the Royal lumano Society of Australasia, which is sin? a useful and important work in thispspeet and that in all the public sell is the children who arc old enough shild b« afforded opportunities of acquiri* the theoretical and practical knowledge if the art of life-saving from drowning. We aro by no means sure that it i- !ith« r a right or a wise thing for a mnjbtrate sitting on the Bench to state wit he means to do in a certain set of c cum. stances, or to threaten that lie wii! :t in such and such a way under such and -uch conditions. Mr. Northcroft statei :;,o other day that lie had mad.» up his mini that so surely as a man was convict 1 ol Sunday selling ol liquor so surely v uld lie haro that man's lieenso cancelled,! ho had a voice on the Licensing Bend, at the next general meeting. Wei ,i,j not object to Mr. Northcroft up his mind as ho pleases, but we question the propriety of his L. claiming it from the Bench. Juke Conolly might with as much or as lit'.# decency doclare, after the acquittal lot a prisoner, that in future when anyiL brought before him was convicted [if murder, ho would do what he could to hate that man hanged. The Judge, we presumi, would bo within his rights in making suci an announcement, but it would surely shock public opinion. Tho drink question i» on) that is surrounded by so many ditiiculties that it is ea?ily couceiTnblo that a publican sincerely desirous of complying with the law, and conducting his business in strict accordance with the Act, might find that oithor ho or his servant* had unwittingly been guilty of " .Sunday trading," and in that ca»o Mr. Northcroft without more ado would procood to cancel his license. That surely would bo an unjust proceeding. In so far as Mr. Northcroft's desire is to prevent Sunday drinking we are entirely with him, but to lay down an arbitrary rule, and to say that forfeiture of the license must in overy case follow conviction would bo to render tho doing of a grievous wrong in many instances inevitable. However, probably, Mr. Northcroft, like smaller mortals, sometimes says more than ho really means.

In many of the smaller towns in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and othor north western States, ordinances have been adopted which provide for the tapping of the town firebells at nine o'clock erery night, and forbid boys and girls under sixteen to remain on the street after that hour without adult escort.3. The welfare of the children and tho peaco and order of the communities are believed to demand this revival of the medieval custom. A number of newspapers criticise the ordinances as inconsonant with American civilisation and freedom, but they have also found many defenders. The Chicago Journal saysTho desire of preventing children from running on the streets when they should be in bed has taken the shape of a general movement towards the passage and enforcement of what are termed curfew ordinances. . . . There can be no doubt that tho idea is an excellent one, and deservos to spread and grow. The irediaval covor firobeli' which protected William the Conqueror's eubjocts from midnight conflagrations and from maraudorsintheunlighted streets is still capable of wise use in the era of fire departments and eloctiio lights. To teach children orderly and regular habits, and to keep them away from the bad associations of the streets after dark is a worthy object for an ordinance. It is a pity the idea is not practicable for the large cities." Another journal says:—"lf nob the curfew, then some other means should be provided to prevent the children of thoughtless parents to roam about tho streets, bent on mischief when they ought to be at home. Surely to teach children orderly and regular habits, and to keep them away from the ovil associations of the streets after dark, is a worthy object for municipal lawmakers." The idea is one which the Auckland City Council might give its attention to.

The strained relations between America and England over the Venezuelan dispute, are for the moment the topic of the day. No o;ie dreams that hero is any probability of war breaking out between the two members of the English race. That would be a crime. But President Cleveland's message is regarded as worse than a crime. It is a blunder. The Now York press condemns it. The best opinion in America condemns it. On the Continent of Europe it is universally condemned. If it was meant as a manojuvro to dish the Republicans io has lamentably failed. The President) must back down. After all his bluster and bluff be must, as the Americans would say, take a back seat. Were the Americans insane enough to force upon England a war with them they would stand no chance. It would be n naval struggle, and tho American navy is not worth mentioning in connection with the English navy. But we do not imagine for a single moment that such a struggle is probable. England and America are bound together by ties of blood and language. They belong to the same stock. But at the samo time the President's possago is to bo strongly denounced. It may bo that it was only intended to serve a purely political purpose, but it runs tho risk of destroying tho friendly relations that exist between the tj»ft great English • speaking nations. meoting has been hold in London in connection with the Turkish question. Dr. Parker, who seems to have been the presiding genius of the gathering, indulged in his usual extravagant language, while a letter was read from Mr. Gladstone, which it would have been better to havo loft unread.