NEWS AND VIEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 3648, 26 January 1899, Page 6

NEWS AND VIEWS.

“What is peace?” said the immortal Chadband. “ What is peace?” according to Russian ideas, may well be asked, when wo read of the feverish anxiety the great Northern power is displaying with regard to her army and navy. It was hui the other day that news came of her determination to entirely remodel, at vast expense, her artillery system; next came news of an enormous increase in the Naval Estimates, and now the cable reports that two new cruisers are being built, in British yards, for the Russian Volunteer Fleet, the avowed purpose of whose organisers is to paralyse, or attempt to paralyse, the British commercial marine in case of war. Well might Lqrd Roberts of Candahar, speaking at :• public meeting in December last, openly scoff at the Czar’s disarmament scheme. Deeds speak more strongly than words, and Russian deeds just now certainly do not spoil peaceful intentions.

British by-elcotions have been frequent of late. The death of Mr J. G. Holburn, M.P. for North-west Lanarkshire, creates the most recent vacancy in the House of Commons, and will probably pause a severe trial of strength between the opposing political parties, Mr Holburn was in many ways a remarkable man. A Tynemouth man by birth, he was entirely self-educated, and carried on business as a tinsmith in Edinburgh. When 18 years old, he joined the Tinplate Workers’ Union, and was a staunch unionist and advocate of the claims of labour-ever after. In the sixties, he was prominent in the Reform agitation. North-west Lanarkshire returned a Conservative at the ’BS election, the majority being very large, viz., ’1103.. In 1886. however, a Gladstonian Liberal,won the seat by a majority of 332, hut in 1892 the constituency reverted to Toryism by a majority of 81. Mr Holburn’s majoritv in 1895 was only 97, so wo may take i( for granted that the Conservatives'will now make a big effort to win the seat. The dissensions amongst the Libera 1 leaders will not tend to brighten the prospects of the party.

The enthusiastic reception of Prince George of Greece upon his assuming the Governorship of Crete is pleasant news, and it is specially gratifying !to learn that the Aloslem population appear quite reconciled to the state of affairs. Prince George is renuted to have many good qualities, and the fact that ho is a "connection of the British Royal family will tend to increase the interest taken by Britishers in the success of his rule. There were some stupid rumours afloat at one time as to the Prince’s alleged cowardice during tho Turko-Grock war. hut Mr Steevens (of the “Daily Midi”) and other British war correspondents gave frank and convincing testimonv to their lack of foundation. Whether Crete will, under his rule, a rule tempered by the watchful control of the Powers, ever retrain her ancient greatness (according. -to Homer, she had once a hundred cities) is doubtful, but the island has a fertile soil, especially in the valleys, andl under a just and firm government some, at least, of her ancient prosperity may return.

, Commandant Booth, who is shortly to revisit Wellington, was officiating at an “ Armv ’’ wedding, the other day at, Prahran (Victoria), and appears to have aniused' the wedding guests not a little by the ' quaintly humorous views which he expressed upon the all-importani subject of matrimony. He preached a short sermon from the words “Jacob said . E will .serve thee seven years for thy younger daughter.'’ The announcement of the text, we read, caused a hearty outburst of laughter, but even greater mirth succeeded when Mr Booth proceeded to “give the girls (why not ‘lasses’ P) a bit of advice.” The advice was, in view of the occasion, somewhat startling. It was to' “ beware of the boys,” “ The boy’s,” said the Commandant. wore “an awful, shifty, shallow lot.” “ When"** they come to you like this,” be continued, as he kneltv upon the platform and alternately clasped his hands, felt his heart and twirled his moustache—“ When they come to you like .this, praying for one look, one little gleam of hope or permission to just touch, your little finger, just turn round and say, ‘ Go to work you lazy Ijeggar.”” After this emphatic endorsement of the' gospel of work, Mr Booth turned to a more timely, and, to the “lasses,” no doubt, more congenial subject, for he proceeded to give a definition of “true Ipve,” and then,,turning to the blushing bride, he ad dressed , her as follows, in “a confidential manner” “If you have any reason to doubt the sincerity of the love you hold for this brother, just whisper in my ear that you would rather postpone it, and it will be! all right. You are still the unchained beauty that you are.” The “ unchained beauty ” • (this, wo trust, for the bridegroom’s sake, was not. a mere figure oft speech) was, however, as “willing’ as David Copperfield’s friend. Barkis, and i the ceremony proceeded, the soldiers striking up in what the local paper is pleased to call the appropriate anthem, “He Loves Me, and I Can’t Tell Why.” It the Commandant can only ; arrange foi an Army wedding, l on similar lines, during his forthcoming visit to Wellington, we can guarantee him a Citadel crammed to the doors, and a highly satisfactory “silver collection.” There is evidently much more fun in an Army wedding (conducted on Boothian methods) than in the ceremony as performed hy other religious organisation^,

Members of' young men’s debating societies are occasionally given to warmth of words, even when discussing such wellworn subjects as the righteousness, or. otherwise, of decapitating Charles ; the First, or the relative merits of Wellington and Napoleon. Rarely, however,' in New Zealand, at leaift, j dof wordy arguments have a bellicose sequel, ’but oyer in Sydney, the other day, one young "debater got into what threatened fto be a serious trouble, as a consequence of certain of his remarks. The Randwick Presbyterian Institute and the Summerhill Debating Club, it appears, met one evening to discuss the respective advantages of the Swiss Executive system and British responsible government. One of the Randwick youths was pleased to observe that there “ was not overmuch dignity about the average native of Switzerland,” and being reported at length by some journal (which must, by the way, have been hard up for matter), an indignant native of the Alpine land forthwith forwarded a challenge to the traducor of the Swiss nation to “a duel with swords, unless you apologise on the next meeting of the Union Parliament, in writing or in person.” The challenger having casually mentioned'that ho has “passed through all tho military schools of Switzerland”—rather a large order—the'Randwick young gentleman was probably a little scared. But in Now South Wales duelling is prohibited, and, as the “Sydney Daily Telegraph,” apparently in - a tone of disappointment, remarks, “ there is no immediate prospect of a fight.” ■ • ' r .