Passing Notes.

Otago Witness, Issue 1101, 4 January 1873, Page 13

Passing Notes.

Since I last wrote, 1872 has passed away, and we are now fairly entered upon ! 1873. I therefore devote a few lines to a. cursory glance at the 'defunct year. Taken as a whole, it was not (I am speaking of it as it concerns New Zealand only) a remarkable one ; not one that is likely to be remembered with any degree of vividness when a few more years have passed away. The fierce party fights in the Assembly will, happily,? be forgotten, or nearly so, before many more years have expired. Happily, also, no great disaster has marked the year, which has been one of fair prosperity on the whole. The harvest, it is true, was rather short, but as a counterpoise to this, the wool clip and the yield of gold were unusually valuable. Of other events, the most noteworthy to us in Otago are the passing of the new Waste Lands Act, and the opening of the Port Chalmers Bailway. Whether both events will in time to come be viewed as blessings, it is yet too early to say, but in spite of inevitable shortcomings there is ground for belief that they may be regarded as steps forward. Death has been fairly merciful to us in sparing our public men, though he has taken from us Mr George Brodie and the Rev. John Williams. Honours have been poured in upon us in the elevation of two Otago men to seats in the Ministry, and the knighting of a third. The prospect for the year just begun, too, is a bright one. The harvest promises to be one of unprecedented abundance. Gold mining, though temporarily impeded by scarcity of water, is yet flourishing on the whole. The wool clip is a large one, and the | prices likely to be obtained for it are high. Work generally is abundant, all 1 who can and will work being steadily employed. There are those, indeed, who tell us that this prosperity is transient, and that bad days are in store. It may \ be so, and the warning should not be disregarded. Still, while prudently mindful of the.' future, there is no reason why we should not be thankful for the bright present. The sun of prosperity has been shining on us, and we ought to be grateful for the opportunity it has afforded us of making hay ; the more so if gloomy weather is coming. 1872 has been a good year for Otago ; let us gratefully acknowledge the fact, and hope that the Province may yet see many more years like it.

The verdict of the jury on the late fatal coach accident cannot be regardedas a satisfactory one. It displays evidence of doubt and misgivings on the part of the jury, which makes it almost as unsatisfactory as no verdict at all. I am speaking, of course, of the verdict and riders collectively. The latter contain expressions lof opinion which, however much they maybe shared in by the public, completely nullify the effect of the foregoing verdict. >If the jury were of opinion that the driver of the coach "is to some extent an incompetent driver," they can hardly say that the accident was purely an accident. Their second recommendation displays a creditable desire to have an important point settled ; the third would seem to show that they had in their minds an idea to which they would like to have given expression, if the evidence would have warranted their doing so. Altogether, most people will think that the jury has virtually passed a vote of censure on the persons connected with the coach. Some, perhaps, will, by the jury's finding, be reminded of that famous verdict reported' to have been given by an American jury — " We find the prisoner not guilty, but warn him he had better not do it again." I did not comment upon Mr William's death last week, for fear I might inadvertently say something to prejudice the result of the inquest. Now, however, though rather late in the day, I cannot refrain from putting on record my respect for him, both as a man and as a minister. The universal sorrow felt at his sudden death speaks the more highly in his favour, in view of the comparatively short time he had been in Dunedin. His manliness and breadth of view were especially refreshing, from the only too marked j absence of those qualities in the Otago ministry, as a whole. It was a fitting | tribute to his catholicity, that ministers of all the Protestant denominations repre-

sented in Dunedin took part in paying the last marks of respect to the deceased. If they will imitate his example, and aim at being liberal and tolerant as he was, John Williams will not have lived and laboured among us in vain,

The intenee cariosity felfc by women tobecome acquainted with the mysteries of Freemasonry is known to everybody. When, nowever, they- are permitted to behold some of the adjuncts, they are not always thankful for the favour. An inRtance of this occurred at the late Masonic Ball in Dunedin, where a worthy Mason, whom to know is to respect, received a. rather sharp criticism upon his attire from Ms better-half. He was arrayed in all the dignity of a Knight Templar, having on him a long white cloak with a crimson cross upon it, a sword in his hand, and a velvet skull cap, with ear-pieces, upon his head. Gazing at him with unfeigned disgust, the lady exclaimed in rich Doric — " If I had kenned ye were 'gaun to dress youreel' that way, I wad'W ha'e been here." Then, looking particularly at the obnoxious skull-cap, she added in a stage whisper—'* Take that aff— take that aff !" Fortunately, the trial to her feelings was not long sustained, as the opening ceremony shortly afterwards took place, after which the good knight was able to obey the command of his spouse to " take aff " the insignia ot his Masonic rank.

A Scotchman, according to Sydney Smith, " always says what is undermost/"* The # aphorism is true enough as a rule-,, but there are times when even the habitual self-control of a Scotchman fails to hold his tongue in check. The hot weather that ! has prevailed for so long a time past has caused numerous breaches of the rule, for I have heard many Scotchmen growling greatly at the heat, while it was evident from their distressed appearance that it was anything but undermost in their thoughts. In one or two cases, indeed, I heard them using what Charles Reade calls " theological terms," and as it was not Sunday, I knew that the expressions must have escaped them unawares* Amidst all the talk about the heat, however, there was one topic which usually recurs to the mind in hot weather that was never broached in my hearing either by Scotchmen or anybody else, I refer to mad dogs. Of course lam aware that the "dog-days" are a popular fallacy, and that as many dogs go mad in cold as in hot weather. Still, as I have said, in Britain it is even yet customary to fear madness in dogs in sultry weather more than at other times. Mayors, and otherpersons who seem to be chosen for superior stupidity, still insist on dogs being muzzled, and consequently send a great many of the poor creatures mad. I daresay many of those who read these lines have noticed how very rare a thing is rabies in dogs in the Colonies. In Dunedin it appears to be wholly unknown, and the same remark applies with, almost equal force to the rest of the Colony. I think, too, that I have only twice read of mad animals in Australia — ■fche one being a dog and the other a pig. It would be curious and perhaps even of scientific value to know the cause of this immunity of the brute creation in the Colonies from a frightful malady. In Britain hydrophobia appears to be greatly on the increase ; so much so that I observe from late English papers, that it has been urged that a large reward should be offered for the discovery of a cure for the disease, and the papers every week record deaths from. it. If, therefore, it can be shown why hydrophobia does not occur — or occurs so very rarely — in the Colonies, the knowledge will in all probability help to solve the problem that is puzzling medical men in Britain. Here is a chance for some one of our own doctors to achieve a worldwide celebrity. Mr Birch can, equally with Mr Small, lay claim to the title of " The Unfortunate Man. " Nothing but ill luck seems to have attended him since he left New Zealand to become a fisher of men. First of all, he was frozen up on the Pacific Railroad. Then, when he arrived in London, he was snubbed by Dr Featherston, who didn't want him; and even when he was fairly at work, he found himself badly oft, for the fish were shy and would not let themselves be caught, so that, as he was paid by results, Mr Birch found that an immigration agency was not quite such a snug billet as he had fancied. I have said nothing about the peppering Mr Birch has received at the hands of the New Zealand Press and Parliament, but that, as he is a thin-skinned mortal, is by no means the least of his sorrows. The worst, however, has yet to be mentioned. Mr M'Kay, the well-known contractor, in a letter to the Daily Times, describes the hardships Mr Birch has had to endure in the Highlands in travelling in small and dirty steamers, and he winds up with an anecdote that is quite heart- ' rending. The gist of it is that Mr Birch has actually been charged double price for whisky ! Who . wiil not sympathise

with him after 1 this? Who will not think Dr Featherston a screw if he does not increase Mr Birch's pay? To be charged even more than Colonial price for whisky — surely this was the climax of misfortune. The miserable steamers and hovels that Mr M 'Kay writes about might have been expected ; so might the benighted people who fear a parson more than a policeman. But dear whisky in the Highlands — never ! If the people of Dunedin are not lost to all feeling for human Buffering, they will collect funds without delay to relieve the distress of so old and respected a fellow-citizen of theirs as Mr Birch, or at all events to enable him to regard with indifference the exactions of abandoned whisky sellers.

Mr M 'Kay's anecdote about Mr Birch reminds me of another that I have lately heard", and which, I am assured, is based on good authority, though my informant does not absolutely vouch for it. The story goes that Mr Birch, when he arrived in London, called upon the Duke of Edinburgh, to renew the acquaintance he formed, with that prinoe when he was in Dunedin, of which Mr Birch was then Mayor. I grieve to say, however, that the Prince declined to see Mr Birch, who went away not a little chagrined. The Prince no doubt thought he had been plagued enough with Colonial Mayors during his visits to this side of the globe, and did not want to have them haunting him in England. This hauteur of his deprived Mr Birch of the power of beginning many little stories with — " Wheri I called upon His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh," &c, &c. — a pleasure that would have gone far to drown the memory of his misfortunes.

Mr Stafford declared last session that instability in politics was a leading characteristic of New Zealand. His remarks went to' show that this instability was the result of the impatience of the people, who would not allow time for a policy to bring about the effect it was intended to produce. The charge is only too true, and it is equally true in regard to the details of any particular policy. Take, for example, the railway policy. Parliament fixes certain lines, which are to be made first ; contracts' are entered into for their construction, and they are commenced. But soarcely is that done before cries are heard from people in all parts of the country for railways in their respective districts. The papers are constantly publishing letters from malcontents, who eaoh urge that their district is, of all others, the one through which a railway ought to be made. They do not care for the fact that the lines that are being made must be first made, if those they want to have made are to be of any use. They do not care for the fact that all the available labour is absorbed in making the lines now in progress. These, and other equally cogent facts, they totally disregard, and simply cry in one ceaseless, unvarying strain — " We want a railway ; we must have a railway ; we must have it now." It is to be hoped the Government will turn a deaf ear to these senseless cries. We have quite enough unfinished lines in progress, and if they really are expected to pay a profit, the sooner they are finishedand earning money the better. We are constantly being told, too, that the works are impeded for want of labour, but what would be the case if a lot more of little lines were commenced ? If Mr Stafford were in office, I should have some hope of a firm stand being taken in this matter, but Mr "Vogel rather encourages the evil. It adds to his popularity, and consequently his power, to do so, and those considerations of course take precedence of such minor ones as the good of the country.

Some months ago I entered my protest against the \mreasonable length to which "ome of our preachers spin out their sermons. lam glad to find that the advisability of preaching short sermons was brought before the Church Congress held at Leeds in the beginning of October. At that Congress, Ilearn from the Times, ' c Mr E. B. Balme read a paper on preaching, in which he explained how it so frequently happened that sermons produced no effect at all upon the hearers. He suggested that written sermons should be limited to 20 minutes, and extempore to 15 or 10 minutes, the churchwarden to watch the clock, and the sexton to toll the knell of Time expired." This suggestion, the Times adds, was received with laughter. It is not more amusing, however, than one T rftmember seeing pictorially represented in London some years ago. In the latter case it was propbsed to have over the pulpit a huge extinguisher, which, by some mechanical process, descended' gradually upon the "preacher's head, coming down level on the pulpit as 1 o'clock struck. At that hour, according to the illustration, all that could be seen of the wordy preacher was his hands, spread out in agony below the extinguisher, which had completely snuffed out his eloquence. Of course such an idea is absurd, and

even Mr Balme's has not a little of the ludicrous in it, yet both of them should convey a lesson to the clerical mind. It is that it is possible to give their congregations too long a sermon — a thought which never seems to occur to some of our ministers. It would be rude in the congregation to leave while the sermon was going on ; it is no less rude in the minister to go on spouting when he sees his hearers are tired of listening to him. . And, besides, when weariness begins,* edification ends.

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