ECHOES OF THE WEEK.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1188, 7 December 1894, Page 21

ECHOES OF THE WEEK.

Satire’s my weapon, but I’m tro discreet To ran auiuck and tilt at all I meet. Pope.

BY SCRUTATOR.

THIS is thebathing and swimmingseason, and if we are to have much more weather of the same kind as we have had this week, half the population of Wellington will be longing for a dip in the briny. Unfortunately the bathing and swimming season is generally* also the season for drownings, and this being the case a paragraph I have read in a lecent issue of the British Medical Journal is of special and timely interest. The Journal has been investigating the cause of so many fatal accidents being recorded during the summer months at Home and especially endeavouring to throw some light on the sudden death which sometimes overtakes swimmers, tb all appearance in the fulness of their strength. One of its correspondents, Dr C. E. Shelly, thinks it extremely probable that one, and perhaps the most frequent, cause is laryngeal spasm. He cites the case of a naval officer who did ‘return to tell the tale/ because, in his case, the laryngeal spasm, due to a sudden inhalation of particles of spray, occurred while he was in water so shallow and so near the shore that, by a strong effort of will, he was enabled to struggle ashore just as impending unconsciousness caused him to-fall, and produced relaxation of spasm. A few similar cases have been re-corded,-and the accident may really be less uncommon, and not so certainly fatal, as has hitherto been believed. Dr. Shelly believes that in all the recorded cases the swimmer was using the breast stroke, and that in most cases there was at least-a ripple of the water caused by a wind blowing more or less directly in the swimmer’s face. It would be well, therefore, for all bathers to accustom' themselves to inspire through the nostrils, especially when swimming on the chest and against a head wind.

A- ND, while on the subject of swimming, when, oh when is Wellington, the capital city, of the colony; Wellington the most prosperous, progressive and all the rest of it, to be possessed of decent public baths ? Strangers who visit Wellington during the summer are simply astounded when they find we are so badly off in this respect, and they make remarks as tb the apathy, the old f ogeyness, the lack of enterprise of our City Fathers, which ought to bring the blush of shame to the faces of those sleepy local Solons. Now, Mr Luke, you are the new Mayor, you have a record to make —the records of other Mayors to break—let us see what you can do in this matter ? If instead of spending a large sum of money on additions to municipal offices, which to the average citizen’s eye are already large and commodious enough for all the business ever transacted therein, the Council were to construct a really first-class public swimming bath; the use of which could be obtained at a merely nominal charge, they would be doing the city a real service and one for which all health-loving citizens ought, and I have no doubt would, feel deeply grateful. Now, Mr Luke, Tm waiting to hear from you on this subject.

THE REV. JOHN MCNEILL, a travelling 1 evangelist who has been “awakening” our southern friends and who will soon be here in Wellington has, I hear, been much irritated during his mission by what was to him the inexplicable behaviour of some of his audience. The reverend gentleman doesn’t like his hearers to show any signs of restlessness, and should any of them dare to rise before the oration or discourse is over, they are “ talked at ” by Mr McNeill in a way which’l should feel inclined to openly resent by some very plain speaking to the evangelist himself. In Christchurch, however, where the ..mission is being held at one of the local theatres the restlessness of the audience is due to a cause which Wellington theatre-goers (especially those who patronise the Theatre Royal) will recognise as by no means peculiar to the Cathedral City. Christchurch Truth puts the matter very delicately, but there is no mistaking its meaning. Truth says': —-“We venture to say, however, that Mr McNeill, with all his knowledge of human nature, was wide of the mark in many cases in his conclusions as to the cause of the apparent discomfort of his hearers. The goadings of conscience or the desire to be elsewhere may have caused some to move uneasily in their seats, but the tickling, creeping sensation aroused by the movements of an obnoxious little insect accounted, we believe, for a good deal of the trouble. When there are many of them about, neither the frowns nor the admonitions of a McNeill are likely to prove effective in restoring peace and quietness.”

THE “obnoxious little insect" is, of course, our old friend, the pulex irritans, in other words the giddy little flea. Should the present hot weather continue I quite expect to find Mr McNeill as much annoyed at the restlessness of his Wellington audiences as he seems to have been with those in Christchurch, and those who “ run ” liis mission here would do well to make liberal scatterings of the useful Keating or similar flea destructor before the initial discourse is given. Otherwise the Rev. John will be moved to wrath at the seeming indifference with which his orations are received,

MANY of you will remember Colonel John Hay’s grand poem, “Jim Bludso,” the Mississippi steamer engineer. A keerless man in his talk was Jim, ~ And an awkward man in a row—who, when his boat got on fire, stuck to his ppst like a hero, drove her on the bank and saved goodness knows how many lives. Just two verses recur as I write

Through the hot, black breath of the burnin’ boat Jim Bludso’s voice was heard, And they all had trust in his cussednoss, And knowed he’d keep his word, And, sure’s you’re born, they all got off Afore the smoke stacks fell — And Bludso’s ghost went up alone In the smoke of the Prairie Belle. He weren’t no saint —but at judgment I’d run my chance with Jim, ’Longside of some pious gentlemen That wouldn’t shook hands with him. He’d seen his dooty, a.dead sure thing—• And went for it thar and then : And Christ ain’t a-going to be too hard On a man that died for men.

LETTERING lines they are and they ring in my memory as I read the story of another American hero, also an engineer—a loco, not a steamboat man—one James Root, who during those awful forest fires in the Western States in September saved a train load of over 200 passengers by bravely sticking to his post, and, putting full steam ahead, driving right through an inferno of fire and smoke. Like Jim Bludso he “ saw his duty a dead sure thing—and went for it tbar and then.” Boot was presented with a magnificent testimonial by the citizens of Minneapolis, but the money reward which accompanied, it I notice, he handed over to the Fire Relief Fund in the name of the American, Railway Engineers’ Brotherhood, of which the fine fellow is a member. Worthy member. indeed lie is of any brotherhood, and although to his dying day his face will be covered with awful scars, an ever present reminder of his fight with the flames, they will be held by his fellow workers just as honourable and truly ennobling as those of the bravest soldier whb was ever disfigured on the battle-field. THE Hinckley Tragedy,,, through which James Root emerged half dead but covered in glory, had its humorous side — many tragedies have—and not inappropriately the honours herein fall to an Irishman. This worthy fellow, also a driver, named MeFaddeh, was ordered to run his engine back to Hinckley, the nearest point to the burning forest, before the full extent of the fire was appreciated at.head quarters. His engine was in a crippled state, but with McFadden to receive an order was to obey. Reaching the ‘fire belt,’ he quickly realised that he could do nothing, and so decided to go back ; but now he discovered his retreat was cut off ,by fire. At the point where he stood, however, the track of a rival railway line crossed the St. Paul and Duluth Railway, so changing the points without asking permission, he pulled on to the Eastern Minnesota line, and got away as fast as possible. Haltingsome miles down the line to fill his boiler, the pompous old station agent rushed out and said, “ What does this mean ? You have no right here. Do you know this is the Eastern Minnesota line ?” To which the engine-driver calmly retorted, “ I don’t, care, a d whose line it is. I wanted to get where the Weather was cooler, and be gorry I have.”

WITH reference to the remarks made in this column last week concerning the “ popular ” services at St. Paul’s; the editor of the New Zealand Mail has received two letters which he has handed over to me, and which appear below. The first correspondent, S.R.S., writes as follows : I was very much pleased with the utterances of “ Scrutator ” last week on the services in our Anglican churches, for there is no doubt that in most of the churches the music is arranged to suit and please the choir, without any care as to whether that music is such as the congregation can join in, and the heartiness and earnestness of the services are sacrificed to the love of display. One hears it said by organists that the choir will not attend, will not practise, unless they have something worth (as they put it) practising. Such a choir should be told that if they will not take up their proper place and lead the. congregation in music suitable for their singing they had better go. Ido maintain that our services should be congregational, that no music should be used, no florid setting of the canticles, for instance, in which the congregation cannot join. Our church intended her services to be within the reach of all her members, to be understood and entered into and joined in by all. From “ Scrutator’s ” description of the Mission service at St.. Paul’s on the 25th November .(I was- out of town or should have been there), I should gather that it was far more like what our services should be than any we ■ have had in th-it church for many a day. As he says, we must be thankful for small mercies, one such service in a month is better than none at all, but I do hope Mr. Sprott will soon see the. value and advantage of hearty congregational services and that we shall not longer continue %> be dominated by the organist and choir.v- Tam sure that our clergy would find i that a really hearty, natural way of conducting,the services, would induce many-mpre. .to attend the churches, would tend to promote earnestness among their people and so would be productive of immense good. The Cliureh of England is often blamed for hot being able to reach the ‘ masses,’ a phrase used I believe to indicate the classes such as labourers and mechanics who have not had the advantage of much education. Is it likely she will reach them by cold, soulless performances of her services P masses are the majority; the majority of the services should be made to suit them, and if the few who are fond of so-called high class music in church are not satisfied let them, have the one Sunday a month.

THE letter of f S.R.S.’ so accurately voices my own views on the question of church music that I may let it pass without any f urther comment, but with the second epistle the case is very different : on this I must certainly have something' to say. First for the letter in question. It reads as follows :

In the last issue of the Mail “ Scrutator,” I see, takes it upon himself to criticise the “new departure” at St. Paul’s. As he always j)oses as a fierce Democrat, I am surprised to find that he makes a personal allusion tr the fact of the Governor having been present at a service at St. Paul’s, and that Lord Glasgow joined in the ‘'lid Hundredth “without the book.” This savours of the snobbery “ Scrutator” is so often

given to reproving in others! As to the “new departure,” the so-called “popularising” of Anglican services, I entirely differ with “ Scrutator’s ” contention that the evangelical, Low Church element should dominate the city services. In the country districts, where the Church has to contend with half a dozen Calvinistic conventicles whose conductors, or pastors, as they generally call themselves, to my knowledge actually “tout” for a congregation, it may be necessary that only stale old- tunes shall be used, and that the sermons shall be devoid of literary and intellectual tone; but at a church like. St. Paul’s where the congregation is mainly composed of families belonging to the upper classes, it would be the height of absurdity for the curate in charge to deliberately lower - the tone of the service' to suit such casual worshippers as may not be able to appreciate really high .class music, and that dignified ritual which should be a standard to be worked up to rather that to lower. “Scrutator” no doubt echoes the views of a few old-fashioned Low Churchmen, but he ought to know, if he does not, that, the Ritualists —the advocates for the highest standard of church music, the more ornate and dignified service—are those who are to-day doing the best work in the Anglican Church, and I, with many others, am hoping that the advent of our new bishop will tend to decrease rather than increase these so-called “popular” services. If “ Scrutator ” wants Wesleyanism in an Anglican church let him go to the Wesleyans. He evidently cannot appreciate good music or a properly constituted service. In conclusion I trust that in the future “ Scrutator ” will leave St. Paul’s and its. sei-vices alone. We don’t want his advice and we resent his interference.— Yours, etc., “ Ritualist.”

ON the above letter I must make a few remarks. First I would aSk ‘‘Ritualist ” when next he writes to the Mail to write on one side of the paper only. That is a distinct rule in journalistic “ritualism,” and if he will observe that rule he will save me considerable trouble. 'Next, as to the subject matter of his letter. Tbe intolerance, the crass stupidity of it is palpable to the most unprejudiced reader. I will take his disconnected and occasionally quite irrevelant remarks seriatim. Those who read Echoes regularly will, I feel sure, laugh at “Ritualist’s” denunciation of my ‘, snobbery,”- that sneer may be passed without further notice. “ Ritualist ” then proceeds to object to my approval of popular services. Here he has another sneer, this time at the country people whom he credits, by the way, with a narrowness which I know, by personal experience of life in a country township, they are far from possessing. I have met and had the honour of personal acquaintanceship with many conductors or pastors of the “Calvinistic conventicles” as “Ritualist,” with cheap rudeness, entitles them, and I have never yet found one of these gentlemen—equally God-fearing and’ vastly more charitably minded than “ Ritualist ” most of them are —“ touting ’’ for a congregation. Nor, in any country Anglican Churches have I met with many sermons “ devoid of literary and intellectual tone.” On the contrary many of: the country parsons are more than the equals of their city brethren in the quality of the sermons they preach, and as to the. “ stale old tunes,” I fail to see why any good old melody, hall marked with the approval of hundred of thousands of earnest worshippers, should be sneered as “ stale.” A good thing does not suffer by age but iriiproves, and despite the sneers of I, and no doubt a very large majority of those who read these lines, will continue to believe that “ the old tunes are the best.”

AS to the composition of the St: Paul’s congregation I have always believed and always shall believe, that Christianity is not for one class, but for all ; that it is precisely the non-church-goers, the illeducated, the poor, the despised masses in fact, that our Saviour desired more specially to reach. It might suit a section of the “Upper classes” —oh snobbery reproving Ritualist, here is now thy snobbery—that St. Paul’s should be accounted their special preserve, their own happy (religious) hunting-grounds, and around which “ Ritualist ” and such as he would fain erect a high fence, surmounted by boards bearing the words, “All trespassers will be prosecuted.” But this is not Mr Sprott’s opinion, neither is it, and of this I feel equally certain, the opinion of the great majority of the regular attendants at St, Paul’s. As to the curate “ deliberately lowering the tone ” of his church by having the canticles sung to melodies more easily attuned to . the ear of the majority, this is so much nonsense, and vastly impertinent nonsense at that. But really I feel ashamed of myself for taking “ Ritualist’s ” effusion so seriously. His advice to me to leave St. Paul’s and its services alone I shall certainly disregard. As to his further advice to me to go to the Wesleyans, I would that I—and he —wore as honestly and truly God-fearing and sincerely religious men as are those at whom he thus indirectly casts so mean a sneer. The chances, however, of early life education and surroundings having thrown me into the Anglican Church, I shall continue to take interest in the welfare of that church, which I heartily trust does not contain many such prejudiced and narrow-minded persons amongst its members as “Ritualist.” Believing firmly as Ido that the Anglican Church of to-day is not nearly so closely in touch with the masses as it. ought to be—and as in England it is —I hope to be spared for many a day to testify the pleasure I feel at such efforts as are now being made by Mr Sprott, and to rebuke with all the plainness, and force of which my poor pen is capable the intolerance, the sectarian bitterness, the stupendous lack of charity, and the egregious selfconceit and fatuous folly of such persons as my correspondent “ Ritualist.”

JHAVE received a letter signed “ Natural Depravity.” My space is limited today, and the letter in question and some comments thereon must-be held over until next week,