PASSING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1989, 10 April 1890, Page 25

PASSING NOTES.

Remembering all that the Exhibition has been to us, it is impossible to contemplate its imminent dissolution without a pang. In another week all will be ended — the music hushed, the gallery stripped, " Phryne " and "Pharaoh's Daughter" stowed ie packing cases ; the switchback and Eiffel tower will be in process of demolition ; the performing fleas will have "skipped," and the calf with two heads made tracks for fresh woods and pastures new. Mr Meyer will roll up his oocoanut matting, Dr Hocken collect his curios, and Sir James Hector sell his polyhedron for old metal ; no more assignations " under the dome " ; no more flirting in the Fernery; no more tsa at Nathan's or satisagesat Wells'. Two or three weeks of hideous wreck and confusion and then a stranger visiting the scene of so many gaieties may ask, Where stood the once famous New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition?—or, if familiar with its vanished glories, will Feel like one Who treads alone Some banquet hall deserted, Whose lights are fled, Whose garlands dead, And all but he departed. It is a melancholy prospect. Can we hope to save nothing — absolutely nothing — out of the wreck ? The pictures must go, of course; small chance is there, as it would seem, of our keeping any of them— the £9000 Art Union obstinately refusing to go off. But need the orchestra be broken up? Several of its members, it is true, were brought from over the sea, and will presently take wing for one or other of the big Australian capitals, but there are others who belong to Dunedin and who would make an admirable nucleus round which local musical talent might gather to form apermanentDunedin orchestra. I commend this suggestion to Mr Towsey, and to the ladies and gentlemen who, under his magic wand, have delighted us, excited us, and — in things pertaining to the divine art — educated us by their labours and their skill. Let the orchestra survive, and then the motto for our moribund Exhibition will be, after all, non omnis moriar.

For the last month or so the music has been by far the most vital part of the Exhibition, — witness the attendance at the free afternoon concerts, and the crowds thronging the hall during the Sa,ntley season, notwithstanding the handicap of high prices. Unquestionably the orchestra all through has been a powerful "draw." I say this, observe, whilst oherishing against the orchestra a personal grievance of the most exasperating kind. The orchestra has obstinately refused to play the right things, or at least to play them often enough. In symphony music they have given us only Beethoven's No. 5 and Haydn's " Surprise " — each once. I could name at least half a dozen others, all popular music, which they ought to have given and haven't. They have preferred to perpetrate sloppy hashes of operas by Sullivan and Lecocq. Their list of overtures is a long one, but the use they have made of it is bad — decidadly bad. Though ■ a pretty constant attendant I have heard " Coriolan " once — a grand overture, magnificently performed; "William Tell" andSemiramide " I have heard twice ; " Der Frieschutz," "Egmont," "Don Giovanni," " Zauberflote," I have not heard at all. But I have heard Mendelssohn's " Son and Stranger " and " Ruy Bias," say — to' put it moderately— five hundred times. Mr Towsey comes back to Mendelssohn as inevitably as Santley, in his encores, to " Simon the Cellarer." As a rule a Mendelssohn overture, one or two phrases excepted, is absolutely destitute of melody. You might listen to it for a century and forget it next minute. It may be deplorable taste, but, for my own part, I like music that is " tuney," which Mendelssohn's " Ruy Bias " and the like most certainly are not. However, I have no wish to quarrel. If the Exhibition orchestra will only consent to go on existing, their sins shall all be forgiven, and I will even concede that they may play Mendelssohn as often as they like.

Sir Robert Stout has been falling foul of the Argus again and, as the result, has been "catching it" a second time. Proceeding bold but unwise. I have a sense of responsibility in the matter which impels me to take up the cudgels for Sir Robert. I am afraid I may be said to have spoiled him. Several times in the days of yore has he attacked me, and I have reciprocated in fashion so gentle and loving as to warrant him in the belief that a newspaper was easy game. Hence his rashness in the present case. The Melbourne Thunderer has completed the work the Dunedin newspapers began, and has left Sir Robert more squarely, perhaps, on the broad of his back than ever he has been before. An undignified position for a knight, doubtless, but happily involving no other consequences than such as may be remedied by a stimulant — if Sir Robert could be induced to abandon his principles and take one. In his last letter to the Argus Sir Robert is concerned about his consistency in accepting a title, and justifies himself by quoting the authority of Mr A. Patchett Martin. But why quote Mr Patchett Martin ? Wouldn't it have been both more simple and more effective to quote " Oivis " 1 Have I not pronounced finally on the subject of Sir Robert Stout's getting be(k)nighted and given him full absolution ? Sir Robert, it is true, did at one time denounce titles, just as Mr Gladstone when in office denounced boycotting. But circumstances alter cases. Mr Gladstone out of office holds boycotting to be merely "exclusive dealing." Similarly, Sir Robert Stout's views on titles underwent qualification when for the iirst time a title came within his own reach. Moreover, it is worth noting that only those attack Sir Robert for taking a title who haven't "got one themselves.

The public may or may not be interested to know that I absolve myself from the well known and perhaps convenient rule of editors not to notice anonymous communications. To me it matters nothing whether

these are signed or unsigned so long as they yield me, through the predominance eithe of sense or nonsense (the latter as a rule preferred) a "Passing Note." Hence is it that I notice now a flippant, rather sarcastio, but unauthenticated letter from a correspondent suggesting that, as I am apparently able to disclose the secrets of the Cabinets of Europe and the colonies, I may as well reveal the •' inner policy " of # the unfortunate Czar and his enemies. It is a little hard that I should be expected to put into a "paragraph what would be matter for a book, but lam ready to oblige. First, then, let me say, disclaiming paradox, that the man who wants to understand the position of Russia must read the history of England, a task which I fear no very great number of Englishmen set themselves to do. Having done this he will then choose a period when the position and circumstances of the English people were similar to those of the Russians of the present hour. He will thus, according to my computation, have to go back 250 years or more— in other words, the English of to-day are politically about 250 years ahead of the Russians. Travelling back then 250 years we find the English people demanding liberty (which with them had been but temporarily lost, whereas the Russians have never possessed it) as their right, and a king claiming absolute power as his right. It would have been cowardly of the people to abandon their right to liberty, for it was their inheritance. But Charles I. thought it would have been cowardly to abandon the various prerogatives which he considered his inheritance. It may seem odd, but it is true that men are loth to give up an inheritance, whether it consists of prerogatives or of land. When the prerogatives claimed by Charles were rolled up together they amounted to autocracy, like that of the Czar. Now when there are two opposing forces in a State and neither will give in, it must end sooner or later in an explosion. It did so in England fortunately for us. It will in Russia unfortunately for the Czar.

Looking over the above I find that I have omitted to explain what liberty is. If I had written either of these notes 250 years ago there would have been no Notes at all the following week. The reason is obvious but painful. I should have been occupying a damp and uncomfortable room in the Fleet, with both my ears gone, my nose slit, my cheeks inartistically but indelibly branded, and still far from recovered from a whipping at the cart's tail all the way from Westminster to the prison. Liberty may, therefore, be defined ,as the right to write Passing Notes without losing your ears, having your nose slit, and your cheeks branded. In the Russia of to-day it might be the knout and a residence in Siberia; but the difference is trifling. If there were any room for preference I think I should prefer the method of Laud and Stratford. Naturally, therefore, the Russians want their liberty as the English wanted theirs, and as every nation sooner or later must do. Their methods, I think, are extremely barbarous, and as a man of peace I am shocked at them. But before I proceed to wholesale condemnation I should like to know from someone what other method the Russians are to adopt, for at this stage the parallelism with our own country ceases. In 1640 English liberty was only lost for the time. There was a Parliament in abeyance. When the unfortunate King could wring no more " benevolences," fines and ship money, out of his subjects, he had to call Parliament together. And when it was called it supplied a terrible weapon for the redress of grievances, and, unhappily, for vengeance as well. But the Russians never had a Parliament. There is no channel through which a Russian can convey to his Emperor a Grand Remonstrance or a Petition of Right — except, indeed, the channel that leads straight to Siberia. He cannot request his liberty in letters to the newspapers, or write a book about it, or present a petition. Admitting at once that he shouldn't take to dynamite or to bombs — what is he to do ?

The case of William Beckingham, street preacher, whom a Melbourne magistrate recently sent to prison for wife-beating, is perhaps only a concrete example of Mr Henry Varley's doctrine, so vigorously reprobated by Pastor Birch at the Auckland Holiness Convention— the doctrine, namely, that it is impossible for a Christian to live without sin. William Beckingham pulled his wife out of bed, knocked her down and kicked her. He then caught her by the hair and dragged her round the room whilst she tried to cling to the table. After undergoing this discipline Mrs Beckingham was found by|a constable sitting on a kerbstone at midnight in great pain, and next day she exhibited in court a black eye with other marks of affection received from her husband. When arrested and on his way to the station Mr Beckingham informed the constable that he was a Christian, but had his faults. Being called upon for his defence, " prisoner said that he preached the Gospel." " Yes," replied the magistrate, " and go home and kick your wife; — six months' imprisonment with hard labour." This example of a Christian who "had his faults" goes a long way towards proving Mr Varley's contention, which on other grounds seems not unreasonable. A Christian may have his faults, though they may not happen to take the form of pulling his wife out of bed and dragging her round the room by the hair. Even Pastor Birch, of the Auckland Tabernacle, though vehemently denying the Varley doctrine, was compelled to demonstrate the truth of it in his own person. Pastor Birch's temper and language in proving, as against Mr Varley, that a Christian can live without sin were of such a character that one of his own deacons rose in midst of the Holiness Convention to tell him that " he would not sit there to listen to such treatment of a servant of God by another servant of God." Other deacons followed suit, and at length, "amid applause," Mr Varley himself appeared on the scene, fetched in haste apparently by some zealous disciple. Then came the tug of war. Mr Varley "flatly denied" the imputations of Pastor Birch, and Pastor Birch essayed to drown the denials of Mr Varley by singing a hymn. Which combatant conquered in the end the report does not make clear; but at any rate we learn that the Holiness Convention was brought to "a somewhat abrupt conclusion." Pastor Biroh,

Mr Varley, and Mr Beckingham, now secluded in Melbourne gaol, seem on the whole to bear a considerable resemblance to each other. Ttiey are all alike Christians, but they have their faults.

A country settler (Scotch) writes me that desiring advice from "Ciyis," and being himself " but a fumbling cuif ," he employs his " tentie dochter " to guide the pen for him— with "thanks to the quid schulemaister." That is well. I do undoubtedly prefer my correspondence in English. Even the two or three Doric words used above are too much for me. What is a •• cuif ? " and what is " tentie ? " However, waiving these points, here is the "tentie dochter's " letter : —

Dear Sir,— There is a petition going round this district; addressed to the Hon. the Minister of Justice, asking him to appoint a rich settler a resident magistrate here. The gentleman now has the honour of writing after his name J.P. •• in and of the colony of New Zealand," but his friends it appeara are aot satisfied. Now, my father and a good many other settlers have up to the present refused to sign the petition, because they think a magistrate should be an educated gentleman, with special legal knowledge; but they are afraid if they don't sign that "it will do them no good" if ever they come before the gentleman. Please give them your advice, for they have a great opinion of you, and always read Passing Notes in the Witness first.— l am, yours affectionately, Maggie. The district in question is almost within cooey of Dunedin, in fact lies just outside the tenmile radius. What can it possibly want with a resident magistrate? Almost as reasonably it might ask for a Supreme Court Judge. The petition, according to another correspondent, is being signed by the candidate's personal friends, relatives, tradesmen, and servants, but not by the " leading residents ; with them "the whole thing is unpopular." So I should think ! There has always been a mystery about the selection of J.P.'s. Why Jones should be taken whilst Smith, Brown, and Robinson, who are just as good as Jones, should be left, is one of .those enigmas which try our faith both in Providence and. in the purity of colonial politics. A J.P.-ship, it is much to be feared, is not uncommonly payment for electioneering services, or rewards a judicious ear-wigging of the Minister. The bucolics of the district from which my correspondent writes are going a step beyond this. . They are signing a petition that Jones, J.P., be made an R.M. It is a toss up whether their petition is more remarkable for its absurdity or its indecency. CiViS.

At an inquest on Wednesday touching the death of Carlt'on L, Fynmore, ,a verdict of •' Accidentally killed " was returned by the jury f who added a rider to the, effect that men of mature age should be employed where the work is of a dangerous nature, and that the proportion of boys to men should be decreased. We have made inquiries as to tho ages of those employed' in the Dunedin goods station, and find these to be as follow:— Shunlers: 2 of the age of 35 years, 1 of 26 years, 2 of 23 years, 1 of 21 years, and 1 of 20 years. Number-takers •. 1 of the age of 17£ years, 1 of 17, and one of 16| years. We are also informed that the youth of 20 set down as a shunter works with two others as a third hand, and is not on responsible duty, while the youth of 21 works with and under the shuuter 26 years of age.

At a meeting of the newly-formed Otago Poultry, Pigeon, Canary, and, Dog Club on Tuesday evening, Mr S. Myers was elected president. The rules of the club were read over and ordered to be printed. Members' tickets were also ordered to be printed and issued in the course of a few days. The dates of the show were fixed for the 25th and 26th July next. The committee have been working very hard, and are using their best endeavours to make the forthcoming show a success in every way. Fifty members have already been enrolled.

The March number of the " Ninteenth Century" contains, under the title of "A Battle described from the Ranks," a well-written and interesting description "of Tel-el-Kebir, by Mr Arthur V. Palmer, who took part in that engagemeut as a corporal in the 79th Highlanders. Corporal Palmer says that when the 79bh, after carryfctae first trenches, were assaulting the Becond line of works, a general check was caused by some shouts of " Retire, retire !" The corporal, continuing, Bays :— " Those cries of ' Retire 'had been treacherously raised by a couple of Glasgow Irishmen, who Bomehow evaded the pracautions that were in force since the days of Fenianism to prevent the enlistment of disloyal characters. They had been proved' cowards, or something worse, on two occasions when the regiment was before Kafr Dowar, and in virtue of instructions ooming through the captain the non-commissioned officers of the company appointed a sergeant and a corporal to watch the conduct of these two men in the battle. They were charged to use their own discretion, and if that step became necessary to put them summarily to death. When the treacherous dogs raised their shouta of • Retire,' the non-commissioned officers appointed to watch. them promptly did their duty. I saw Sergeant' kill one of them with a thrust of his Bword-l'ayonet, and also saw Corporal fire at the other ; but whether he was killed by the corporal's bullet or one from the enemy I cannot undertake to say. The regiment was unanimous that both richly deserved to die, iv which conviction every honest soldier will concur."

The committee which was appointed by the Exhibition Mining Conference to draft a constitution and rules for the proposed Ohamber of Mines have so far advanced with their task as to be able to submit: a scheme for approval. This will be considered at a meeting which is convened for Friday evening in the Art Gallery, Town Hall.

The Post states that Mr John Evans, a clerk in the Police department, has carried a leaden pill, in the shape of a bullet received in one of the engagements of the Maori war, about in his flesh for between 30 and 40 years. He has left for England to have the bullet extracted.

Mr W. Fraser, of Lovell's Flat, bad quite a field day with the big trout in the lower pools of Lovell's creek on Thursday and Friday, the 3rd and 4th April. On Thursday he killed eight trout of an average weight of 4lb each, or 321b in all. On Friday hi 3 basket of four fish weighed 161b. The fish were in grand condition, and gave very fair sport.

Tho house of Mr Bristoe, farmer, Mataura, was burnt to the ground on Monday. Nothing waß saved from the fire, and Mr Bristoe bad £70 in notes in the house at the time. Mr Hiddlesfcon, who is a lodger with Mr Bristoe, is also a loser, and neither of the parties is insured. Mr Bristoe estimates Mb lops at £130. In tho course of a sermon in the CongregaAnal Church, Wellington, the Rev. Mr Austin

atrougly advocated early closing, and said if some of the shopkeepers remained obstinate on this point the only thing for the Early Closing Association to do was to publish their names, and for the public to resolutely boycott them.

The sale of the Carterhope estate takes place at Balclutha on the 16th May, Messrs Donald Stronach and Son and Messrs Reid, Maclean, and Co. being the auctioneers. In connection therewith a lithographed plan of the estate is published as a supplement to this issue of the Witness.

The annual Bam and Ewe Fair of the Maniototo A. and P. Association is announced to be held on Wednesday, 23rd lust., entries to close on the 21st.