PASSING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1917, 13 November 1890, Page 24

PASSING NOTES.

We have the Moderator's word for it that the Presbyterian Synod began its sessions under a cloud. "It was as. if a cloud had overshadowed us," he pathetically remarked in his closing address, — •• and we feared as we entered into the cloud." Which things, of course, are an allegory, with a bearing more or less direct on the Gibb case and the Confession question. Strange to say, the Church of England Synod, now sitting, had a precisely similar experience. It, too, began under a cloud, but the cloud was of tobacco smoke. Yes ! as lam credibly informed, the fact is even so. The papers have not reported it, but the opening session took the form of a tobacco parliament, Bishop Nevill presiding. I picture the scene in my mind's eye — the president, silent, meditative — and perhaps slightly pale — over a long " churchwarden,*' — Venerable Archdeacons toying with the graceful and dreamy cigarette — Dr Belcher with cigar in cheek jauntily cocked at an angle of 45— the inferior clergy and faithful laity puffing away furiously, happy in the possession of — A short, black tube, that fumes beneath t hn nose, AsthepoetCowpersaith — other wiseapipe, — I seeitaH. An edifying scene, truly, — a scene of which, as being myself a devotee of the weed, I entirely approve. No doubt the example will be copied, and even improved on. Tobacco may be destined to exert an ameliorating and sedative influence throughout th« whole course of a synod, promoting taciturnity — or the grace of holding one's tongue, togethei with mtny kindred virtues at present remarkably scarce in that department of church life. When debate grows hot and angry passions rise, the president will intervene with the cry of " Smoke-ho I " pipes will be whipped out, matches struck, and forthwith the tempest must inevitably sink into a calm. Yes, there is virtue in the synodic p'pD. I predict a career for it as the true ecclesiastical calumet, or pipe of peace.

A baby farmer named Smith, described as " an elderly woman of small stature," whose house, or rather den, is somewhere in the North-East Valley, was last week charged before Mr Oarew" with ill-treating and neglecting five babies found in ber possession

Iby the police. The " ill-treatment and neglect," aa deposed to in court, is too horrible to describe here. Suffice it to say that the children were found fastened up in a room, the only furniture of which was a small box and a strong stench — a stench characterised by one witness as "fearful," and by another as " sickening and unbearable." Here the helpless little mortals were left to rot in sores and filth. Constable Walker, of the North-East Valley police station, who admitted that he had known for years that Mrs Smith trafficked in babies, gave some extraordinary evidence. He" had every reason to believe that had he been allowed to search the house he would have fownd other children." Apparently he considered that the finding of five in a perishing condition was enough for the present. '{ There was a burial from Mrs Smith's house about four months ago ; last year two children had died, and two others in the previous year." After these facts and others equally damning had been complacently related to him, the Magistrate remarked : — that if accused had been tried before the Supreme Court she could have been sent to gaol for two years and fined £200 ; but as she was brought before him for conviction in a summary way, be was not able to infliot a heavier punishmeut than ihrce monthb' imprison ment iv each case, either with or without a fine. Ho thought that each of the cases was onu in whioh he should inflict the full penalty of imprisonment. Accused wouM hi convicted aud , sentenced to three mouths' imprisonment, with hard lat our, on each dharge, the sentences to be concurrent, as there were no previous convictions against her. Mark the beautiful consistency of this. " The Supreme Court would send you to gaol for two years, Mrs Smith, and fine you £200, whereas I can only give you three months on each charge, with or without a fine. I feel il my duty to inflict the full penalty ; therefore you are sentenced to three months' ipprisonment in each case — sentences to be CONCUBitENT, aud we'll say nothing about the fine." Verily the life and health of babies seem to be held cheap in the Police Court."

But this is not all. Something in the story of these nefarious doings as reported in the police news seemed, as I read it, dreamily familiar to me. Mrs Smith — female ogre — baby farm — Port Chalmers road, otherwise North-east Valley — surely, I thought, I must have heard of this, nay, must have written about this, years ago. A brief search through the Witness file settled the matter. In Passing Notes of January 17, 1880, — nearly 11 years back — I had written as under : . Ghastly, ghoulish, enigmatioal, altogether horrible iv its sugpestion, is the following advertisement whioh appears at intervals in tho Star:—

. " Mra Smith's Saturday advertisement. Children adopted. Moderate premium. Mrs Smith, first house down Port Chalmers road." | Ponder this wall. We know that more Sbildren enter this world than have any legal ight to da bo,, and that children exist whom the,ir mothers and fathers — especially their fjatbers— don't care to acknowledge and, are glad to bo rid of. Hence, apparently, the need of Buch services as are tendered to Bociety by Mrs Smith.' She will disembarrass us of these' little strangers who have unlawfully interpolated themselves into the stream of events, -r-adopts them—takes them over for Rood and all. Why does,) she do it? Philanthropy, let as hope, and merejgoodnesß of .heart — aided by a ".moderate premium ! " What .happens and, what does qhe do with them when the moderate premium is exhausted ? That beats me quite. The more I dubitate, muse, and perpend, the more I can't understand it. Anyhow tho trade is brisk enough to justify a standing ',' Saturday advertisement rt Mrs Smith always has vacancies it seems, and is always "asking for more." This, and more to the same effect, I wrote in this column ten yeais and ten months ago. How many unfortunate bantlings, "adopted" into the elastic family of Mrs Smith, has she promoted to a better world in the interval ? I submit this question for the serious consideration of the mole-eyed, leaden-pated police.

; Here is a real hard case. We have in Dunedin an evening print called the Globequite respectable, very earnest, laudably devoted to the defence of Labour against the oppressions of Capital, and — as a consequence of its principles— cruelly persecuted. Yes, most cruelly ! Tnus, last Saturday the Globe had to apologise to its subscribers for curtailing the size of its supplement. For what reason was the size of that supplement curtailed ? Because, says the editor, "we were unable to obtain supplies of paper oi the right size." And why was the Globe unable to obtain those supplies 1 Because those supplies are in the possession of the Capitalist, and the Capitalist won't let the Globe have 'em! Why he won't is left unexplained, perhaps as not needing explanation. The editor merely goes on to remark, with exquisite naiveti, "The general public can have but a very small conception of the obstacles placed in our. way by the Capitalist party." Very likely, yet my own experience assists me to some faint conception of it. I have met with members of the Capitalist party who are unreasonably pernickety on the subject of cash payments, and stupidly impracticable on the subject of " tick." But of course this con have no bearing on the case of the Globe. The ecitor goes on to say — " The Otago Daily Times has kindly helped us to what paper they can spare " — which was certainly very good of the Otago Diily Times — " but our evening contemporary declines to part with any oE its stores to help us meet our steadily increasing demands." Now mark the selfishness of this 1 The circulation of " our evening contemporary " (who is also of necessity our natural enemy) may be assumed to be decreasing as ours expands; consequently, just in proportion as we want more paper he wants less. Yet he won't give it to us ! Could anything be more unreasonable? Needless to say, " cur evening contemporary " is one of the organs of the Capitalist party. Of course that explains everything.

The political pot is simmering, but seems as far off the boil as ever. Do what I will, I can't get excited. In vain Mr fish plies the bellows and abuses his editor for not puffing enough. In vain Mr Hutchison pours oil on the troubled flames and soothingly preashes death to capital aud revenge to labour. In vain Mr Lee Smith promises "everything to everybody" and Mr Allen

" nothing to nobody." Somehow the pot won't boil. Even the great Ministerial niani* j festo seems to have missed fire. The only damage so far is from the recoil — if like Mr Pearson I may mix up my figures a little. Further retrenchment impossible— local loans imperative— so says Sir Harry, the apostle of economy and non-borrowing — to the confusion of his friends. Why this deadly dullness ? Mainly, I think, because we have now three members for the whole oitv instead of one for each subdivision. Not the least of the sins that lie at the door of the Ministry is that it has robbed us of 4 legitimate amusement. An election under the old dispensation was as good as a do# light. Our men were pitted face to face — Stout \. Allen, (Jargill v. Fitchett. Every hit told and was intended to tell. It was a gladiatorial combat, and the intelligent electors made a ring, saw fair play, and enjoyed all the exhilarating fun of a prizefight. Nowadays it is little better than a sort of scramble ; and if there is any competition at all, it is as to who can shout the lbudest. I have thought the matter out, and am satisfied that this is why the pot won't boil.

The all-prevailing dulness is driving electors to "puns and other objectionable devices in order to wile away the time and keep up the circulation. A correspondent, for example, writes to tell me that " whilst brooding beside a comfortable fire a conundrum came into his head." Of course — just so —what else could you expect in the circumstances, little though he knows the reason why. Here it is, in all its naked deformity :— " Why have we had so maty cold winds in Dunedin lately? Because there has been so much Snow in the Taierl." Thus bad begins, but worse remains behind. "lam a moderate man," continues the victim, " and dislike extremes. I like Snow as little as I do anything that Burns. More than this I cannot say, for spite of all my efforts my imagination becorres suddenly Barron." To what base uses may we not return, Horatio 1 Why may not imagination trace the noble dust of Alexander till he find it stopping a bunghole 1 Why, indeed, when such political pundits as Messrs Snow, Burns, and Barron are prostituted to the base uses of the punster. And all this, I repeat, may be traced to the reduction of members and the amalgamation of the city constituencies.

And not only bad puns, but bad temper displayed in bad English may be traced to this same/bras etorigo inali. Another correspondent writhing under the irritation of a vague itch for fighting, attacks my inoffensive Eelf as though I were the cause of his discomfort. Behold him — or bits of him — in his native Doric—

I am a collonist for 34 years, and I sepose I have read the Witness and Times 20 years out of that, because there is some very good reading. Out of that time I have formed my own oppinions on Passing Notes. You would do much better by writing the Week, as I presume is is the same hand that writes both —as there is nothing in Passing Notes but lies aud distourfced facts. Candid criticism that, isn't it — and a delicate compliment to the gentleman who writes The Weekl Then comes a graceful tribute to " Alice," which gallantry compels me to give in full ;— I am only acquainted by reading with one r.ealy trew honest writer for the Witness, and that is AUice. This laidey, take her writing from beginning to end, breaths of nothing but purely of honest justice, and though she is a woman, I will stake my existance she can and dos know, more of the world than all your scribs put together. Not only jhat but she will be respected wbsn yon scoffer* arc scoffed at in turn. . . . Do you not run away with the idea that people thinks you clcftVT, not; when they knows that that big liborary of your su plies your knowledge and people who has not had a little thinks it is all yours. Verily the amalgamation of the city boundaries has much to answer for. MRS A. B. AT HOME. Monday, 17th November 1890. 10.30 to 11. bl) a.m. Shampooing. ' ! , This is not a professional card, dear reader. It is the latest development in the American world of beauty and fashion. Mrs A. B is a leader of ton, and she sets aside one morning in every week to the solemn functiou of shampooing a chosen few of her friends, fhe guests are limited to eight or ten, and a couple of deft-handed shampooers are in attendance, under whose ministrations a healthful and delightful hour is passed. The idea is daringly original, but report says it is brilliantly successful, and bids fair to become the rage. Two things are in its favour — its novelty, and the growing revolt against the dreary despotism of afternoon calls. There is room for reform here in Dunedin. I venture to say that in this sober little city of ours the dear creatures in the course of an afternoon talk scandal enough to ruin the reputation of an apostle and drink tea enough to tan the stom humph, I mean the inside — of an hippopotamus. Not that they like it. Oh, dear, no ; but it is the fashion, and they must follow it. Is there no one with the moral courage to stem the torrent of tattle and tea by iesuing cards for a shampoo party ? ________________ CIV/8. On Wednesday night an elderly woman named Mrs Annie Bfll, residing at Pine Hill, was so seriously injured by her clothes catching fire that her life is despaired of. It appears that she had dropped off to sleep in a chair at the fireside, when a burning log of wood fell from the fireplace, setting fire t<j her clothes. Before sbo could obtain the assistance of her son, William Bull, sbe was very severely burned Hboufc thfl legs and hor.y. She was attended to by Dr Macpheraon, who dressed the wounds, but he holds ou 1 ; ro hopes of her recovery. The annual meeting of the National Insurance Company was- held on Wednesday afternoon, Mr J. M. Ritchie (chairman of directors) presiding. After the chairman had explained the more important items in the bilance sheet;, a lengthy discussion took place, in tho course of which two or three shareholders animadverted somewhat strongly upon the conduct of the company's business, and an amendment was submitted, the purport of which was that instead of carrying forward the balance recommeuded in the report, a hum should be appropriated to the payment of a bonus of 6d per shrre, This was resisted by the directors, and though I the voices of the meeting were in favour of the

proposal, it waa recognised that the proxies hold by th« director would turn tho acala upou J voto by shares being takeu, aud thu amend-, mout was, after some heated discu-.biou, withdrawn, the moverof')t declaring hisiutoutiou to revive the bubject at an extraordinary meeting, whinh it was intended to requisition thedireotors to convene. The retiring directors— the Hon. W. J. M. Larnach, Messrs R. Wilson and A. Burt — were re-elected, and the retiring auditors were albo reappointed.

The Land Board on Wednesday considered reports ou applications for revaluation of laudsin the following districts:— Knrow, Domett, Maerewhenua, Benger, Dunback, Hummockside, (Jjlenomaru, Naaeby, Glenkenicb, Strath- Taieri, Tuapj-ka West, Maniototo, Poolburn, Blackatone, Lauder, Waikduaiti, Moeraki, Otepopo, Highlay, Swinhuru, Tiger Hill, Button, Uimmerljurx), and Leaning Rock. It was decided that notices be sent to the various applicants to the effect that th^ board would be prepared to hear objections to the ranger's valuations on the 18th of December. , , News has 'just come iv that the Black Ball Coal ( 'ompany has btruck coal for which they have bet n driving for a long time. A tunuel was put in 30ft- when tho manager, Mr Lindop, decided to bore before going further. Coal was s'truok-after boring 40ft, almost according to the manager's calculations. He bored 4ft through the coal, which seems of grand quality. It is estimated there are 9,000,000 tons of coal which can be worked dry, being the largest area of similar coal formation known.

Mr M. Fraer if? likely to be elected mayor of Lawrence without opposition.

The Miiidl-Jinareh section of the Otago Central will be opeued for traffic at the beginning of next year.

Subscriptions are being collected in Oamaru in nid of Mrs Waterworth who, by the drowning at Waitaki Mouth of her husband and son, is left destitute. ; Thn minager of the Roxburgh Amalgamated Company reports for the week ending 10th lnst., that he has b^eu principally engaged stripping the batten stuff overlying Mm auriterous wash, and expeofs to make a fair start this week. The boxes were cleaned up on Monday, and yielded 21oz 15dwt of gold, thus ahowing that the top Btuff is nos altogether valueless. i The following telegram haß been received from the Cromwell Gold Mining Corapanv. Limited, Bendlgo : ->-" On Saturday, in crosscut at 5ZC ft, struck leader Bin widd. Ore highly mineralised, showing »iold fen head stampers at work ; water plentiful."