NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11275, 19 January 1900, Page 5

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

3. happy suggestion relative to the formal establishment, of the Commonwealth of Australia was made some time ago by Sir George Turner in a letter to the Secretary of State ; or the Colonies. Writing in his private capacity to Mr. Chamberlain, Sir George, . who was chairman of the Conference of Premiers, which gave the finishing touches to lhe Commonwealth Bill, mentioned that ther? seemed to be a general desire throughout the federating colonies that federation phouM como into existence about May or June next. It had occurred to him that it would Be a graceful act, and one that would be appreciated not only by Her Majesty's loyal subjects throughout Australia, but by Her Majesty herself, to formally establish the Commonwealth on Queen's Birthday. The birth of Australia as a nation 'would thus be for all time linked with the birthday of the gracious Queen who ruled the Empire, while there was also the advantage that the ; Treasurers of the respective colonies would ! be afforded some weeks' experience of the ! altered circumstances before framing their \ tstimatfls of receipts and expenditure for the ensuing financial year. As this proposal was not m;ule by Sir George Turner in his . representative capacity, but as a private citizen, it was not his intention to make any public announcement on the subject, but one or two gentlemen recently wrote to him making a similar suggestion, and it then became necessary for him to reply that he had anticipated their proposal some time ago. The carefully-registered records of the college classes (writes the New York correspon3ent of tho Sydney Morning HeraH) show indisputably that the higher education is rnfavourable to matrimony and to the penifltnation of the race. In every class thore are men who are born to competence, ar.d these help to conceal this tendency; and if they could be eliminated, the record would prove far more positively than now the fact that as a class in America the lettered f< nd j.rofessional men have a very hard time in getting a living. Marriage is, of course, the test of well-being, for the normal man gets mar- > ried as soon as he can see his way to jrovide for a family. In the Harvard class of 1875, 18 years after graduation, only 105 out of MO had married, and in the Yale class of 1891, in eight years after graduation, only 57 out of 185 had married. Of course, in American colleges the same families are represented from one generation to another; and in the Harvard dass, instanced abovJi 105 marriages out of M 0 members, were represented only by 104 children, while the Yale class in 57 marriages in *ght years could only show 40 children. Evidently, tho cultured classes in America, like the population of great cities, are a vanishing quantity, useful in their day and generation, no doubt, but doomed to extinction. The cable news from the seat of war in (South Africa, including important information regarding the advance of Generals Buller and Warren in Natal, and the engagement at Rendeburg, in which the New Zealanders played a prominent part, is referred to elsev.'herer The Portuguese Minister for Foreign Affairs has definitely stated that Portugal will neither sell, cede, nor lease any portion of her colonies.