NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11687, 24 June 1901, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

The agnostics of London have determined to assume a militant attitude. Several distinguished freethinkers, including Mr. Leslie Stephen-. Mr. Edward Clodd, Mr. Passmore Edwards, and Professor Earl Barnes, propose to establish what they term a " freethought institute," dedicated to the intellectual and ethical elevation .if the British people. Efforts sit in progress to raise £30.000 io construct and endow this proposed agency of light. Mr. George Anderson, the well-known Loudon agnostic, has himself subscribed half the amount required conditional upon the other half being secured. The promoters of the enterprise say they mean to address themselves principally to women, since the latter make up the vast majority of British Christians. Perhaps Mr. Lesiie Stephens, the great critic, now entering on his 70th year, brings less enthusiasm to the new departure than any others whose names are associated with it. He has been a lifelong agnostic, and ha* contributed several notable books to that philosophy, but he has never been a reckless or arrogant trampler upon Christian sensibilities. He said today:—"l have consented with some reluctance to permit the use of my name in connection with the effort to found a freetho'ight institute in London. lam an agnostic, and sympathise with the intelligent idvocacy of agnostic principles, but I should deeply deplore any radical attack on the Christian faith. I believe orthodox religious dogmas to be obsolete and to be gradually losing their hold upon the cultivated minds of the world. I believe in the adequacy for the needs of mankind of pure ethical doctrines, unaffected by notions of divinity or inspiration. Nevertheless, 1 repeat, I cannot sanction any coarse, assault im Christianity. Indeed, all our ethical agitation does not seem to como to much. We appear to hasten very little to the emancipation of our race from superstition. This emancipation is coming, but. almost, if not quite, independently of the activities of the professional liberators. In my old age lam willing to let things take pretty well their own course. I remain an agnostic, but an amiable one." Lady Jeune, the brilliant society woman and writer on social subjects, st.id regarding the proposed campaign against the religious orthodoxy of British women : —" In so far as these freethinkers wean to destroy the Christian faith of our women they will fail. British women are fundamentally and preeminently religious. They love the Christian system and have absolute confidence in, the divinity of its authorship. They will never trade their theory of God for the unconvicing dicta of agnostics. It will be a sorry day for the British Empire when its women lose their devotional natures and set the currents of their influence flowing toward cynicism."

A new opera ramed *' Nero" is about to be produced at Rome. The correspondent of the rail Mall Gazette says: —lt is impossible to give any idea of the interest and curiosity with which the libretto of Arrigo Boito's long-expected opera " Nero" is awaited. Boito, besides being a musician, is a most talented poet; so that the production of his opera is au event in the literary as well as in the musical world. One can only say that a great poet has prepared a work for a great musician. The libretto is taken from a tragedy, also by Boito, in five acts, one of which lias two reenes, and takes place in the period between the murder of Nero's mother, Agrippina, ami the groat fire in Rome. The principal characters are Nero, Simon, Asteria, a suake-charmer, and Fennel, a Christian. The first act shows Nero at daybreak, on the Appian Way, come to bury the ashes of his murdered mother, hoping thus to be delivered from the apparitions which haunt him, and of which Simon has promised to rid him. In this act one of the chief musical effects ia obtained by a "Pater Noster" sung by a Christian, in pure contrast to the passionate passages before and after it. Nero, although greatly fearing to appear before the Romans, is overtaken by his litter and escort, and is so warmly received by the crowd that gathers that ho regains his courage and goes triumphantly to Rome. The second act takes place in the temple of Simon Magnus, where Nero comes, brought thither by curiosity, superstition, aud ihe hope of being rid of the spectres tnab torment him. Asteria has been induced to impersonate a goddess, to whom ISrn addresses impious words of love; but wi en he touches her and finds her real ilesti and blood he has one of his gusts of furious passion, and, together with his Prefcon.ans, wrecks the temple. The next act opens among the Christians, who are broken in upon by Simon, who has vowed to have Christian blood. In the struggle Fenuel is taken. The first scene of the fourth act is in the Circus Maximus, to which the great fire penetrates, and Simon is mad* to try his famous flight through the air. The second scene is in utter contrast, being a subterranean chamber under the circus, where those killed in the games are deposited. Here are seen Fennel and Asteria searching for Rubica, a vestal virgin, sister of Fenuel. The last and fifth act is terrible in the extreme. It is the theatre of Nero, where the Emperor recites in a mask of Orestes, although Rome still burns; but he soon loses himself, seeing no more an imaginary murdered mother, but his own. The stage is then filled with the spectres of 1 his many victims, among whom, at last, he I sinks unconscious, amidst the curses of all.

Suicide has been epidemic in New York for the last three months, no less than 183 persons having taken their own lives within that time, an average of two each day. Among them are several persons whose names have been prominent in both the social and commercial world. In addition, there have been many unsuccessful attempts at suicide. Carbolic acid was easily the preferred method of these self-murderers, not quite one-third of them using this drug. The fact that carbolic acid causes great pain when swallowed and is not the surest means of suicide seems to make no difference. Of other rare methods of self-destruction, shooting was perhaps the favourite. Records of the Health Department show that more than 60 persons, or one-third of those who killed themselves, were natives of Germanic countries. It has long been contended that the sale of carbolic acid should bo restricted; that there should be thrown about this drug the same safeguards that surround other poisons. Because of its wide use as an antiseptic and a disinfectant, no difficulty is experienced by a purchaser in procuring it. This is thought by doctors to be largely responsible for the popularity of this drug in suicidal attempts. Dr. George F. Shrady, in a brief treatise on " The Increase of Suicides," which appeared in the Medical Record, points out that there is imitation in suicid.i as in crime. " It is difficult to classify the various causes of suicide," says Dr. Shrady, "but, generally speaking, they may be grouped under the heads: Financial troubles, religious mania, alcoholism, unrequited love, and heredity." It was pointed out by the doctor that the law making attempted suicide a crime has failed as a deterrent of self-destruction. There has been no appreciable diminution in either the number of the self-destroyers or those making an attempt. " It is an accepted fact,"' said Dr. Shrady, "that the

percentage of self-destruction, among unmarriedmen is far greater than exists in the ranks a. their married brothers. Again, the disfl-epancy between men and women naicidesis startling. For eve one woman -who voluntarily seeks death no less than four met die by their own hands." A Lmdon newspaper, the Sun, states that IWriing street believes that Botha tho Boe' leader, has surrendered. This rumour his not, however, been confirmed in any w. The report of an American military attache, with the British forces states that had the British shown less bravery there vould have been more victories and l«a faults. He Ms,, declares that tie British have been too merciful. In his report to the American Government on the Chinese campaign, General Chaffee said tint looting aid the indiscriminate Bhootinj of coolies bane caused distrust of the Allies, lie also states that for everv Boxer idled D harmless people have been slain Furtheranti-clerical disturbances have taken place ii Spain. Trouble between French and Italian miners in the Department of Isere, ii France, resulted in the expulsion 6f 409 Italians.