PASSING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1031, 2 September 1871, Page 9

PASSING NOTES.

Church meetings are proverbial for the acrimony displayed by the speakers if the slightest difference should arise between them, and that of the First Church Congregation on Thursday evening was no exception in this respect. lam not going to rake up all the mud thrown on that occasion, but shall confine myself to one or two points of the discussion. The first of these is Mr Begg's theory that those who sign a call to a minister are bound to stick to him, whether they like him or not. It seems to me that the congregation are the minister's employers ; they pay him his wages, or stipend as he calls it, and if they are in any way dissatisfied with him, they have as much right to call upon him to resign as any other emj>loycrs have, or as electors have to call upon their representative in the legislature to resign. As for the proposal to increase the minister's salary, 1 must confess I cannot see on what ground it was put forward. AYas it on account of the decrease in the church revenue, and the increase of discontent among the congregation ''. Or was it, as Mr Sutherland himself would seem to argue, because they had the money, notwithstanding the falliug oft' in the revenue? If the last is the reason, there are plenty of uses to which it might be put. For instance, calls are every now and then being made on the benevolent in Dunedin for money for the New Hebrides mission, the Dayppring, &c. Let them give their surplus to those or similar objects. Before leaving this very nauseous subject, however, I would express my entire concurrence with Mr Begg's remarks, that the dissentients in this matter should take action in the recognised way — whatever that may be. B\;t as for his argument, that if the congregation were to obtain another minister, they might be worse off than before, it is simply equivalent to saying that they are called upon to choose one of two evils.

In contrast to this talk about additions to liberal incomes is a statement contained in a paragraph published in Saturday's paper, to the effect that the female telegraphists in Glasgow get only Ss a week. For this starvation pittance they have to find lodging, food, and raiment, and the latter, by necessity of their occupation, must be respectable. How they manage to live on it, I don't know ; perhaps they don't do so. Yet for such an occupation as this women of some education are required ; and this fact speaks volumes as to the distress that must prevail among those who have been truly, but unkindly, called the shabby genteel. AThy, the labourers in Fiji, over whom such a virtuous howl of indignation is raised by many who cannot tell where Fiji is, are better off, for they get their food and lodging (their clothing is not a source of much expense), and two or three pounds a year besides. No pinching and starving, no shivering in tireless garrets for them, and yet thej- are more pitied than the white slaves at home. In this case, at least, charity does not begin at home.

Law and justice, as everybody knows, are by no means synonymous. This fact received an additional illustration on Friday, when the Government witnesses in the telegram libel case learned that they had no chance of getting paid for their attendance. The reason of this appears to be that Crown witnesses in public prosecutions are not legally entitled to their expenses. I suppose the reason for this law is that the witnesses are required to give their services gratis for the benefit of the .State. Without raising the question as to whether in this particular case the State was benefited by the evidence given by the witnesses, I may be permitted to remark that on the same principle the jurors in State trials, nay, the Magistrates and Judges themselves, ought to lie compelled to give their services gratis. Why should the unfortunate witnesses! be the only sufferers ''. 1 hope, when this matter comes up in Parliament, members will look at the moral ns well as the legal aspect of the case. Let them ask themselves how they would like to be kept sitting in a Court all day and have to work all night afterwards, for scveuteon days, and I think they will not be able to deny that hardship has been inflicted.

Mr AVaterhouse seems desirous that New Zealand should follow in the footsteps of South Australia by passing a Bill for legalising marriage with a deceased wifo's si3ter. It is very doubtful if he will succeed this year, and probably he does not expect to do iso. If, however, this measure should become law in England, as is not unlikely to be the case lief ore many years have elapsed, it is probable that public opinion here may become more favourable to it. "Why the Bill should be opposed I do not know, but that it will be opposed is certain. Some of those persons who are so horrified at the idea of alliances of this sort might turn thenattention with advantage to the subject of the marriage of first cousins. It is a fact well established by science that the continued marriage of such near relations is highly injurious, both mentally and physically. Yet no one says a word against it— not even those who oppose the marriage of persons in no way related to each other. This ia a subject that requires ventilation.

The announcement that Dr Jenner has withdrawn from the threatened contest for the see of Puueclin will, I am sure, be re.

ccived with sincere rejoicing by all here, whether English Churchmen or not. AAV have had quite enough about the matter, ai d it is a blessing it is at length buried. The reporters, cspeuuly, will rejoice, for to t'leui the Jenner contrcneisy has almost as many horr tiv. as the Hundreds question or the Honorarium to Provincial Councillors!.

Many of the public, probably, wonder what i» the meaning of the strike among the Hansard printers in AA'ellington, and those who are unacquainted with such matters no doubt think the action of the printers highly reprehensible. If the reason I have heard for their conduct is the correct one, however, the fault by no means lies with the - n. This reason — and T do not say it is correct, though it is not unlikely to be so — is that the printers are required each to correct, free of charge, his own proof after it lias been revised by the member whose speech it contains. For the benefit of the uninitiated I may explain that in many cases this is equivalent in time and trouble to re-setting the matter altogether, and in all cases the losb to the printer is very large. In fact on such terms as this a man could on an average make no more than Od a thousand- -often less — and this is a starvation wage. Now, assuming that the leason I have mentioned is correct, the question naturally arises, why has it been attempted to impose such hard terms upon the men ? Not being behind the scenes I cannot say, but the answer, as it appears to outsiders, is this : There is a growl in the House every year about the great cost of Hansard, which is owing chiefly to the large number of so-called •'corrections" (" alter.. ti ms " would be nearer the mark) made by members in their speeches ; and possibly in order to prevent this in future, the reported plan of making the printers correct their proofs without charge has been hit upon. At all events, whatever the cause, the Hansard is still imprinted, and the Luna has been rushing about the coast, burning coal, and incurring wear and tear, Sec, so that the expense in the end is likely to lie nearly as great as over, even if the printers have given in. There is one simple remedy for this matter, and that is not to allow members to alter and "cook" their speeches. They have no right to attempt to palm off on their constituents and the country at large as pait of their speeches things which they never said, or to exclude tilings that they did say, but wish unsaid. "When this evil practice is abolished, the cost of Hansard will be greatly reduced, and public confidence hi it will largely increase.

"It was a glorious victory," sajs old Caspar in South ey's well known little poem, and those who read the telegram in yesterday's Daily Times regarding "the surprise of TeKooti's camp will doubtless re-echo the remark. The spoils appear to be of the usual character, and even the capture of a waistcoat pocketful of percussion caps is chronicled. But the greatest trophy of the day is Te Ivooti's bullet-pierced blanket ; only it is not stated whether the hole was in i the blanket before it was captured, or whether it was made afterwards. The telegraphists are beginning to display a little discrimination. Te Kooti'simgersand toes had all been shot away twice over, his diary and books of devotion, his favourite bird, in fact all his Lares and Penates had been captured, so that nothing was left him but his clothing, and now he has lost that. The public will be curious to know what the next trophy will be, for of course no one expects that Te Kooti himself will be captured. That would be killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Tt is gratifying to see that the movement for the establishment of a Scott Scholarship is not to he allowed to drop, and that there is some prospect of a more lasting memorial than a sore head or a disordered digestion being obtained of the late celebration. 1 cannot agree with Mr Cargill, however, that -£•24 a year is enough for such a scholarship. If that is the result of the canvassing, 1 think we shall not have much ground for boastiiu*. And even if the £1)00 w Inch Mr < 'argill seems to despair of should be obtained, I think it would be had policy to split it into two. To do so would be to imitate the Scotch Universities, where bursaries of even £3 or £4 are not uncommon. The object of such a scholarship as that proposed should, 1 think, be to render vital not merely nominal assistance to students. Much scholarships as the Snell Exhibitions at the Glasgow University have done incalculably more good than the dozens of twopenny-halfpenny bursaries to which I have referred. The chance of obtaining a scholarship of £50 a year would be a much more powerful incentive to young men of small means to attend the University clashes than two of half that amount, which would not rind their possessors in broad and cheese. Even the larger amount ia small enough. If, however, Mr Cargill's view of the matter is adopted, let us adopt a more modest term than scholarship, which implies a, liberal sum, and call it a bursary, for that is all it will be.

A good deal is being said just now regarding special settlements, which Mr Macaudrew, at least, seems to think are the means by which the wilderness is to be made to biossom as the rose. Judging from the experience of Martin's Bay, however, the public may be excused if they are less sanguine. That settlement has indeed been most shamefully neglected. Five months without a mail ! Avky, the penal establishment at the Chathams was not treated so badly. Who can -wonder that the isolation and the actua* pressure of hunger cweed nearly aU the Bet-

tiers to leave ? And even if they had remained and had grown crops, what were they to do with them '! It is only an act of common humanity to warn people in the case of another such i^etlleinent being pivjeeted, as to what they have to expect, \'\/.., to be left uncared-for and cut oil" from the rest of the world to starve, and possibly to die for want of the commonest medical as-Mv-taiicc, or even for want of sufficient food. The only man in the settlement Avho seems to be well oil', is the Postmaster, whose office appears to be about as great a sinecure as that of the Minister of Justice.

Judging from his recent speech in Edinburgh, the proposed Field Naturalists' Society here will find cm active member in Professor Black. 1 say the "proposed"' Society, because, although its establishment ' has been mooted for five months, and has twice been approved of by the Otago Institute, no steps have been taken towards its I formation. The season is now sufficiently far advanced to admit of excursions being made by the members with equal pleasure and piofit, and every week that elapses without any action being taken in thib matter is a -\\ cek lost. If, therefore, the project is ever to be more than a project, i steps should be made to form the Society 1 with as little delay as possible. i As a kindred subject to the foregoing, I may say a word or two here with regard to the Provincial Museum. At present the collection it contains loses much of its interest to unscientific visitors, from the fact that no information is given regarding its contents. The unlearned visitor .sees a number of minerals, or specimens of our native woods, or fibres, with their names attached, and that is all. But the mere names do n< t afford him much information, aud he goes away with his miiul unimproved, and his appetite for further knowledge regarding the things he has. .seen, un whetted. If, however, cards were printed containing a few particulars) regarding the various exhibits, or elates of exhibits, these evils would be greatly lessened. This fact is recognised in most of the leading museums in Britain, more especially at that in South Kensington. There, a very large number of these cards, printed in clear, bold type, and conveying a fund of useful information in simple language, are to be found ; and they are read with much interest, and probable profit, by those visiting the Museum. In the Industrial Museum in Edinburgh, also, this laudable practice i.s adopted, though not to the same extent as at South Kensington. I hope to see our own Museum follow in the footsteps of these and other kindred institutions in the old country. Until it does so, its iield of usefulness is greatly lessened.

A good deal of alarm ha» been created, especially in the neighbouring colonies, by the proposed deportation of a large number of Communists to New Caledonia. The latest advices from Victoria state that instructions havo been forwarded to the AgentGeneral of that colony to protest against the step. It is not likely, however, that the French Government will pay much attention to any such protest. They will probably say, and with justice, that they have a perfect right to send their criminals to any of their own possessions if they choose to do so, and that England or her colonies have no more right to interfere with the matter than France would have to interfere with them under similar circumstances. The colonies may not like it, but nevertheless they have no right to meddle with what is entirely the business of the French Government. And, after all, it is very doubtful whether these Communists Avill be such dangerous neighbours. New Caledonia is as far from Sydney as King George's Sound is from Adelaide, yet the South Australian colonists are not afraid of our own convicts in AYestem Australia. It is not unlikely, however, that through these involuntary colonists New Caledonia may ri&e into importance, and may even compete with some of the Australian colonies in the growth of certain articles. Perhapb this, has something to do with the matter.

Mopt of ;h have at one time or other shuddered over the narrative of the ravages of the plague in London, as related either in histories or in the more highly coloured pages of Harrison Ainsworth's novel of " Old St. Paul's." Notwithstanding this, however, but little attention has been paid here to the j ravages of a pestilence nearly as deadly, that lias been raging within the last few months. I ; refer tt) the recent epidemic of yellow fever at Buenos Ayres, by which that city, containing a population about as large as that of Melbourne, has been nearly depopulated. The fuller accounts that have been received regarding this visitation are strikingly similar to those of the great plague in London. AA'e read of the same closed houses with marked doors ; the same death carts traversing the city with their ghastly burdens, or touting for custom ; the same frightful pits in whL'h the bodies were buried in thousands (20,000 in one alone) ; and the some ruffianism and robbery. As if to add to the horrors of the time, also, the policomen and grave diggers struck for higher wages, and for days no one could be obtained either to convey the bodies to the burial ground, or to bury them when convoyed thither, and the coffins were accordingly piled up in stacks. I will not dwell upon these horrors, but will only mention in conclusion the causes to which the epidemic is attributed, viz. , want of drainage and the overcrowding of the poor. The lesson should not be lost upon ns, * Sigma.