NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10200, 3 August 1896, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

One of the moat unique and interesting meetings in connection with temperance that was ever held in London took place on the 2lst May last, namely, a gathering of octogonarian total abstainers, who, under the auspices of the National Temperance League, were got together from various localities. There were no less than 44 of these old veterans, Dr. F. R, Lees presiding. The eecrotary of the League stated that information had been obtained of some '200 octogenarian teetotallers. Interesting details had been secured concerning 152, of whom 18 were from 90 to 94 years old, 31 from 85 to 89, and 105 from 80 to 84 years. Twenty-six had abstained for periods under 50 years, 50 from 50 to 59 years, and 76 from 60 year* and upwards, a lady of 81 being a life abstainor, showing that a goodly proportion of these 80-year old and upwards poople bad been abstainers since the inauguration of the movement. The testimonies of a few of these octogenarian abstainers are interesting. Dr. Lees is now 81 yßars old. In his youth he was considered to be of a souiewhab feeble constitution, and when a man between 20 and 30 years old, he did not look very strong. Yob now, after upwards of sixty years pi teetotalism, he has few equals in strength of intellect, sociability, and jlove of. fun, At the mooting, Dr. Newman Hall

woe abloto state that) the been given hltn, tfetlio mUfc abstain! ?; ;' « non-smoker, that be had been a a w' : in London for 42yesr«, and thab during whole of that) time he had only bean sU half-dozen Sundays, Another of tlm $?* ; present at the meeting is thus sJtff the Daily Telegraph rosy, ruddy, active little gentleman' r ifi •V> Quaker habiliments of aby ( £> miOrt, was worthily siven pride of n" Mcdestly, yet with d,m boyant eaStf he the meeting understand howheS enjojed his travels round the globs fe,L : t Africa to Iceland, from Australia" ? Oreonkud. All the spriteliness) o '' . | boyish enthusiasm prevaded hinj' Lias he dvelb with satisfaction on thecir '' cuimtanceof having been bora no eariul i than 1806 lie was impelled to consul ' in soasons rf extreme cold, in winter nifik on snowy pisses, in reinoto parts 0 { ths ' earth, he hid clung fast to hie creed J was rejoiced to feel that lb was the'only wise course he could hare followed ft over a gonial end happy soul justified by hi, appearance the complimentary appellate' of an 'old buck,' surely Isaac Sharp 0 Errington,Yfas the porson.

Tho tostiiwny of a London prints »„* proof reader is as follows:—■ My record a teetotaller dates from 1848. I lan kft the faith until now, and in April j«t I attained ray eightieth year, in good health not needing to omit going a singlo day to my occupation for tho last twenty years' And now for a few testimonials fro m ocWi genarian ladies as to the value of nbstiii.in c l from intoxicants:—A Birmingham ijfyj U, who signed the pledge under the inffo, ence of the Preston men abnat sixty yea™ ago, gays she was never a strong parson '•-. and ' considers her. personal health has been much sustained by her teetotal habits.' A Glasgow lady of 93, an abstainer of seventy years' standing, is reported by herdaughta to bo in 'perfoct health and wits, able to walk about and enjoy lifo thoroughly.' From Bath a nonagenarian lady writ« For more than titty years I have been a teetotaller and enjoyed good health. Had I to live over again, my >vhole life should be a teetotal life.' A lady of eighty-sovan now reeiding near London, 'has been ' total abstainer sixty- two years, has eight sons and daughters, forty grandchildren, and twenty-three great grandchildren, has" been actively engaged in temperance work in Hadleigh, Sufloik, until 18S6, and with memory clear and recollection of having led many lives to the straight path of total abstinence, she is awaiting her end. 1 Another Suffolk lady, who is in her eighty, seventh year, aad became a teetotaller lit 1843, says:- 1 ;! am (.till able to take an interest in the meetings, and attend oceasionally. I think that the great hope of the cause is in (.raining the young to avoid that which is the cause of so much sin and misery.' A Yorkshire lady of eighty-four writes: 'I signed the pledge in 1835, iV Uewcastle-on-Tyne, after hearing Joseph Livesey's malt liquor lecture. I hiT« enjoyed good health, and have led a busy, active life.' Among the numerous lett/it received by the secretary of the League, was one from Dr. B. W. Richardson, it 7 which he declared that 'alcohol is noti supporter of life at all, and to none is it more injurious than to those who are failing in years and in power.' Aged people should note this.

The borrowing boom (eaye the Sydney Bulletin) shows signs of brei»kingoutafr«?li in Australasia. Within the last few days - no lees than three loans have been more or less definitely announced by as many different provinces. Maoriland proposes to borrow £1,000,000, partly, for railway con* . sbruotton and partly for toad and bridge ! and miscellaneous purposes, and the old curse of Vogelism is apparently coming bn.ck by instalments upon the land, i few years ago ' Maoriland—then wreckec and desperate and almost inEolvent-swort off borrowing, and sot itself to lire honestly. Then it resumed borrowing in a ' small way, and unobtrusively, in the local market. Then it began to float large loans in an indirect sorb of millions on behalf of the Bank of New Zealand, and 1J millions for the State Land Bank— apologised for them on the ground that they were not for public works purposes and therefore did not indicate a reversion.to the great borrowing disease of the Vogel days. And now.as Maoriland purposes going in undisguisedly for a- big loan, it would seem that the old garish times are coming back, and that the aggregate national ho; is returning to his wallow. New Soutl Wales also proposes to float a loan withil the next few month*—amount nob ye: stated. Westralia contemplates ft loan ■ of about £5,000,000, which, in proportion to population, will be the biggest financial operation evor dreamt of in Australia, and on the strength of it, tho Rod Dust Land should have such an orgio as no province in this part of the world over heard of before., Tasmania is also said to be contemplating & loan, and probably one or other of th remaining three provinces will rise up and borrow manfully within the nest twelve months. So far as present appearances go, th» financial ye&rwhich lias just commoncOu, promises well in the borrowing line.

A section of the Matabeleare said to be in a strongly fortified position. The Moslems have sacked four Christian vil ages. Prince Bismarck's or gan is urging 'a modification of the control in Samoa >>> avour of Germany. The Zurich riots have doveloped into a general crusade against Italians. Tfao latter are being harshly treated, Landlords refuse to et houses to them, and over a thousand are camped out. By the explosion ol a powder magazine in Hungary 150 person were more or less severely injured. By fire in Ottawa damage was done to the extent of £50,000. The Italian warship Roma was set on fire by lightning, and n« torpedoes were used to sink her, in order to prevent) the fire reaching the powder MP* sine, and also to save another vessel. U result is not stated. By the foundering 0 die German gunboat litis 73 lives were » The Transvaal raiders, although not sentenced to hard labour, will not bo treated M first-class misdemeanants.