THE EXHIBITION CHOIR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8557, 27 July 1889, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE EXHIBITION CHOIR.

To .this the chairman pertinently remarked i that telegraphing cost money and wasted i time; and this meeting of working men tne'n } solemnly resolved to sne Mr Fish for balance of wages 1 Could the force oi ingratitude go farther ? Apparently it could. Mr Nash suggested that they should accept Mr Fish's telegram in good faith if Mr Fish would discharge the boys and replace them by men.—(Laughter.) A Voice: You do not know him.—(Renewed laughter.) Mr Watson remarked that Mr Fish ignored the boys in his telegram; there was no mention of them. Mr tfash: if you return good for evil, it is all right, is it not?—(Laughter.) Mr Lears: He is not the sort for that.— (More laughter). From all which it would appeal' that the working man is ready to rend his friend, and tho reason is not far to seek. The working man is not squeamish. He can swallow a good deal that is coarse and a good deal that is distasteful. But don't touch his wages or his work. On these points he stands no nonsense from anybody. From his friend .rio more than from a stranger will he endure that boys should be employed instead of men. The eloquence of 20 years is forgotten in a moment if a journeyman's wages are cut dowii a penny. These are sins for which there is no forgiveness, and if an election were at hand Mr Fish would probably Jind it out. It would be a ourious instance of the irony of fate if, after all lie has done and suffered for the working man, the working man should turn again and rend him. Here is a thumb-nail criticism of " Robert Elsmere "—rather late, to be sure, but interesting, nevertheless: — Dear Civis, —In the course of some remarks last week on the proposal (which must irately be a joke) to found a " Robert filsmere Church " in London, you refer to Mrs Humffray Ward as " a olever woman. " Deficient in humour," you say, but undoubtedly " clever." Well, I won't contradict you; a woman who writes a big book that geta a big sale may be allowed some cleverness. But Mrs Ward is clover only in epots. For example—she intends to make the reader sympathise with Elsmere as an enlightened Agnostic, lecturiog to London roughs, Yet so badly has she contrived matters-, that sympathy inevitably goes to Elsmere whilst still a benighted Christian and a country parson teaching orthodoxy to the villagers. Then, it could hardly have been her intention to make every one of Elsmere's Agnostic friends, advisers, aiders, and abettors, hateful or contemptible. Yet she has done it. The Squire is an ogre ; Grey, the college tutor, is a prig; Langham, Elsmere's college chum, is a mean skunk; Elsmere himself, towards the end, is an imbecile in-a consumption. Oh yes I —Mrs Humffray Ward is a clever woman—but with limitations. This remarkably plain-spoken critic should elaborate his theory of Mrs Ward and her "limitations'.' into a review article for the next number of "Zealandia." He would thus be affording nutriment to a literary nurseling of frail constitution, and at the same time promoting the cause of true religion. Not that any amount of criticism will explain away the solid fact of Mrs Ward's popularity. How the case stands in England may be gathered from the joke in Punch, stale now, but not too stale to be quotable: — "In the conservatory. —He : ' May I ask you the oldi old question I' — She: 'Oh, Walter!—this is so sudden I'— He: ' Urn—ah !—what I mean is, Have you read " Robert Elsmere " 1'" In America the book has made more noise than even in Eng- J land. Bostongrocersadvertisethatwithevery pound of tea they give away " a copy of ' Robert Elsmere'" (pirated edition, of course). Popularity, it is true, is no proof of merit. Do we not read in the last number of tho "Quarterly"—most sober-sided and impartial of literary censors—that Fergus Hume'a " Hansom Cab" has had a sale exceeding that of any other work of fiction, and that nevertheless it is tho most insufferable trash ever put into print 1

on the water, always & source of danger in coral seas. -After bumping a good deal the vessel was got off; what followed is described -by the Bishop's ohaplain: " Now came the difficulty; the ship showed no sign of serious injury; but how were we to know that her bottom, after all the bumping that had gone on (and very hard bumping, too), was fit for the voyage to New Zealand F There was no dock, no patent slip, nor even a' hard' on which to lay the vessel* and no divers were obtainable. The bishop was equal to the occasion. He caused the ship to be heeled over as far as was safe; and then, having stripped himself to his tweed trousers and jersey, in the presence of the captain of the French corvette and some of his officers, and amid their exclamations of admiration, made a succession of dives, during which he felt over the whole of' the keel and forward part of the vessel, much to the detriment of his hands, which were cut to pieces with the jngged copper; and ascertained the exact condition of her bottom and the nature of the injuries sustained. No wonder that the next day* after dining on board the Frenchman, he was sent away with a salute of ii guns !" In all Selwyn's many voyagings amongst the archipelagoes of the Pacific—some of them not charted—he seems to have met with no more serious accident than this. His only experience of shipwreck was when a passenger in the steamer Taranaki, lost in Tory Channel in 1868. On board his mission vessels he was always "skipper," and for smartness in that capacity attained a reputation known, all over the South Seas. An AuSkland trading captain is reported as sSying that "it almost made him a Christian and a Churchman to see the bishop bring his schooner into harbour." Along with this nautical skill he had acquired most of the other practical arts necessary to a colonist and a pioneer missionary. When he finally retired to England and the English Episcopal bench, Palmerston's joke on the versatility of Johnny Russell might havebean transferred to Selwyn without any trace of irony. He was equally competent to cut for the stone or take command of the Channel Fleet. Of Bishop Selwyn's successful labours as nn ecclesiastical organiser both in New Zealand and at Lichfield, we have no space to speak. We commend his " Life" by Canon Curteis as an effective portraiture of one of the most remarkable figures in early New Zealand history.

The Exhibition Choir being now complete, wo have received from Mr G. C. Israel, secretary of tho Music Committee, an alphabetical list of the ladies and gentlemen who have volunteered their services for the production of the oratorios at tho forthcoming exhibition: — Soprani. — Miss A Alexander, Miss Armstrong, Miss J M Altken. Mrs Ashcroft, Misi Bachelor, Miss X Bell, Mls4 Benjamin, Mf«« Blakelv, Miss R Busb. Miss L Borthwick, MI» A M Black, Mist Bateman, Mhi M Beadle, Ml»i J Bell, Miss Bliickadder. Miss Baxter, Miti Butts, Miis J O Christie, Miss P Campbell. Mi« Colville Mrs Cross, Miss A Cooper, Ml»s M Cooper, Miss M Christie, Mrs Canon, Miss 3 CoutU Miss Cralgie. Miss Itose Corrigan, Miss E Curr, Mil. H Crawford, Misa Eyre, Mi«s O Kdmond, Mrs Fyfe, Mrs Kcnwick Miss Ferguson, Miss h Parr*, Mrs F Kuller, Mi»s M Frederick, Miss M ForsTtb, Mils H Foriytb, Misi Martha Frederick, MKs Jeisie Flih Miss J Farnie, Miis X Godfrey. Miss Gflklnson, Mls» M Greig, Mias A Grey, Mi»B J Grey, Miai J Quthrle, Miss X Gunning, Miss O Gibb. Miss M Graham. Miss a Gresham, Mies Lucy Howorth, Mrs W Hislop, Misa Halg, Mis Hooper, Miss Hinlz, Mrs J llird. Misi HowHbmi, Mrs Harrington, Mies Hepburn. Mi«> A Hankin, MissK Ilendry, Miss Hooper, Miss S HorJcr, Mis Howorth, Miss I) Heran, Mrs Iveraey, Mrs Israel, Misa M Johnion, Miss A J Jewitt, Mie» Johnston, Miss King, Miss M King. Mrs Kitchen, Mii« B Larking. Mils Xiichtenst«in,Mlts B Liehten.teln Miss Low, Miss E Little, Misa H Lawrie, Miss A J Lawion, Miss A Logic, MUs M Lane, Miss Mary Leo, Mißs E Leech, MUs A Landells, Miss Luscombe, Misa L Moss, Miss "I Matheaou, Miss A Mullin. Miss 3 Malcolm, Miss A Maloney, Mlaa I Milllgan, Miss V G Miliigan, Miss B Murlson, Miss C Mulr Miss N M'Lenn, Miss B M'Lauchlan. Mfsa A Morton, Miss B M'Doiigall, Mlts 11 Mills. Mlaa M Mills. Mrs M'Ghie, Miss Maxwell, Mrs Oaaton Miss Peake, Miss Ituoda Patton. Mi«B Hainaford MiBB Maud Ko6B, Misa 8 Hoss, Mlbb h Ross, Miss Hachel lieyuolda, Miss J Held. Mies Barbara Hoss Mln E Scott, Misa Sears, Mias It Sorgel, Miss J Soedding, Mrs Stevens, Miss G O Stewart, Miss Stonebridne, Mrs .Strange, Miss A Swanßon, Mrß Stonebridge, Miss J Samson, Miss J Smart, Miss Jj Stabb, Miss X Sutherland, Misi G Starlt, Miss B M Stewart, Miss M Smith, Miss Sutton, Mi-8 Tully, Miss E Taylor, Mrs Todd, Misi A •Tnmktiison. Miss B Walls, Miss White, ML. A Williams, Miss A Walls, MUs M Wiseman, Mies A Woods, Mis. B Wallace, Mis. X Williams, Miss B Weltb, Miss A West, Miss Wnddell, Mils Bertlia Wilson. Miss Whltburn, Miss S Young. Cantralti — -Mrß Angus. Miss M E Adams, Misa H Alexander, Miss C Anderson, Miss D Aslioroft, Mifs A Briasco, MiBB G Briasco, Miss E Bevcridge, Mrs Branson, Miss Dremarr, Mi-s O Cantwell, Miss S Cohan, Miss B Campbell, Mies [, Campbell, Miss J Coote, Mies V Campbell, Miss X Corrfgan, Mias X Chalmers, Mrs Cameron, Miss M Crawford, Miss X Crawford, Mrs Coean Mi.s X Cutten. Mles Urumm. Miss B Donald! Miss L Oermer. Mrs l.'c Zouelie. Mias Dull, Mrs Earland, Miss M Fitchett, MUs G Fish. Miss X Grant, Miss J Gilkinson, Miss X Haig. Miss J! Hooper. Miss M Hooper, Miss Hume, Miss Hermin, Misa I Harlow, Miss E Henry, Miss X Home Mlia M Home, «iss Huxtable. Miss Horan. Mrs Jack. Miss Ja S o Misa Jacobs, Miss J Jacobs, Miss B Joel. Mrs Harrlsnu Jones, Miss Low, Miss Alice London, Misa B Lawrie. Mlij H Matbesou, Miss Mullin, Miss L Milfs. Miss {, Manedo, Miss Phoebe Metz, Miss A Mo-Ran, Miss M'Lcan, Miaa M M'LauKhlin, Mr Jolin M'Uouiiall, Misa M M'Kenzie, Mra Morrison, JloOKlmmo, Misa Nicholson. Misa B Niramo, Mrs P Palnur, Miss A Pearson, Misa J liigg, Miss A Held, Miss It Stephen.. Miss A StouhouVe. Misa E Selby, Miss P Stewart. Miss Thomson, Mrs Thurgarland, Miss L Trfserti-r, Miss J Taylor, Miss B A Wn"? r°Ye' M' BS ° Wri *!ht> Mrs Williams, Miss Mary 7Yiiori.—Mr O Braid, Mr C Brown, Mr O Bowker Mr A E Bone, Mr M J Brookes, Mr Joseph Byrne Mr James Blenki.isop, Mr T It Christie, Mr J Craw- «» ffiK %!s£££s%££ Mr G C Israel, Mr P L Jones, Mr D S Jolly, Mr 9 W Jory, Mr G l.eiiiliton, Mr J P Lane. Mr'J Low, Mr J Lewis, Mr O H Mnrsden, Mr W Millar, Mr II II Morrison, Mr Aft Melville, MrMMendershausen, Mr I) Murray, Mr A I'alm-r, Mr I) I'earton, Mr AS Paterson. Mr A S kisk. Mr W G Kotsiter, Mr L Salmond, Mr A Saundors. Mr T M Stewart., Mr J Stephens, Mr T Slater. Mr 'I hos Sneddon, Mr James ?.■?!?• Mr J M Troup. Mr J Todd, Mr IS Towsi-y, Mr It C Torrance, Mr G M Thomson, Mr KD Torranco, Mr W J West, Mr W Wilson. Mr Andrew ■n alker. Mr John Wiugneld, Mr W J Wood, Mr W J Wratt, Mr J I Wright; Bassi.— Mr A Adam. Mr It Anderson. Mr GI! Bray, Mr H Black. Mr F D Bamiield, Mr W Bowden, Mr J U Briasco, Mr F Bf nnett, Mr T Bnrmby, Mr T Barter, Mr John Hegpr, Mr I) Hurt, Mr F Cantwell, Mr T B Oayglll, Mr John Christie, Mr James Cooper. Mr IS \ Cogan, Mr ,T II Clarke, Mr M Chen, Mr James Cleghorn, Mr Paul Corliss, Mr T it Christie, Mr \V It Don, Mr T Foreyth, Mr John Kurd, Mr G Fenwlck, MrKHuie.MrT Harlund, Mr J Herman, Mr V A Hoopor, Mr II IHikllh, Mr i' Holla's, licv h Huilsnn, Mr W flin.il.,. M r J H l!r , B l oy , Mr 11 Ivemey, Mr James J«go, Mr J W Jaj/o, Mr MA Joel, Mr John Land, Mr It IS Mar»h, Mr S II Morrison, Mr James Mulr, Mr Mr A J Morrison, Mr J F Macedo, Mr A Miller, Mr A Yon der Medeu. Mr W M'Nair. Mr W M'Kiiilay, Mr J Macarthur. Mr II M'Kinlay, Mr J M'Millan, Mr Robert Norman, Mr P J O'Meara, Mr A B A

Palmer, Mr X Reynolds, Mr W Q Eunole, Mr J Robertson, Mr H B Smith, Mr T S Searle, Mr W G Searle, Mr J C Smith, Mr J Stewart, Mr H P Snodgrans, Mr F Tyree, Mr A Todd, Mr F Thurgarland, Mr P W Treneder, Mr W Thomson, Mr T Tully, Mr WWills. ____^