ROUND ABOUT MELBOURNE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2210, 9 July 1896, Page 44

ROUND ABOUT MELBOURNE.

By Cigarette.

The depression that has existed for so long in Melbourne seems to be lifting at last, and business people all declare that trade is gradually improving. Still there is plenty of room for improvement, and nowhere in the colonies is living so cheap at present as in Melbourne. House rent is very low j so is food, and as for clothing it is marvellous where the profit can be made when goods are sold so cheap as they are at present. Although free trade exists in Sydney, yet in Melbourne a pound seems to go much farther, and with the exception of shoe leather things can be bought cheaper in Melbourne than in Sydney.

After pioturesqne Tasmania, with it* sleepy towns and hospitable inhabitants, it is a great change to find oneself In buy Melbourne, where everyone is intent on making money ; where the rash and roar of trams and trains goes on all day and halt the night ; where aores of grey roofs taka the plaoe of aoreß of smiling meadows ; and where everyone seems in a hurry either to catch a train or keep an appointment. After a stormy passage from Launoeston in the U.B.S. Pateena, we glided slowly np I the Yarra one fine May morning,' and 'having ! indulged in one day's rest, started off th« next to see all that was to be seen in Marvellous Melbourne. ' We began with the Doll Show, and ended with the Working Men's College. There had been a theatrical carnival the day before, and the prize dolls whioh were part of tho show were all on view in a Collins street draper's. At first. if; was impossible to get near the window, but after a while wo managed to work our way through the crowd y of men, women, and^i children, who were all lost in admiration' gazing at these wonderful doll*. The first priza doll was a debutante, most gorgeously dressed in white satin, with opera cloak trimmed with real ostrich feathers, and fan to match. Then ,thare was another doll which shared the honours with the debutante 1 , and this was Svengali, the very facsimile of the original, nose and all ! There was Trilby and Ma Mie Rosette and Roaalind^ and a great many more besides. Tbere was a wedding party, with the bride and bridegrcom all complete, with bouquet, gloves, &3,, not even the prayer book being fori gotten. The group whioh won the first prize, however, was' one representing Australian aboriginals, with Queen Victoria in their midst. After having gaz9d our fill at the Doll Show my companion suggested that we should visit the Victorian Artists' Exhibition ; so jumping into a tram we soon found ourselves at the Eaßtern\Hill, where the Victorian artists have built for themselves a beautiful gallery. The small sum of sixpence admitted as to the exhibition, and a glance round the rooms showed as at once that Victorian artists had been making' rapid strides during the past two years. M'Oubbin heads the list with two large paintings, one oE them, " A Bosh Camp," beiog thoroughly Australian in character. Mather- ghowi a magnificent picture, " Cape Sohank," 'which has bsen purchased by Lord Brassey, who, by the way, is a great art patron. LongstaS exhibits a portrait of his wile, a capital bit of painting, and free from those mannerisms wbioh spoil the work of some of the other exhibitors who have made portrait painting their study. Messrs Tucker and Fox, whose studio I hope to introduce you to next week,, show some excellent work both in landscape and figures. Ford Patterson and George' Withers are also well represented, and tbere is fortunately a noticeable absence of thosesubjects " never eeen on «ea or land, I .' whioh are generally olaisod by their perpetrators as "impressions." .By the time we had gone tho round of ths piotures there was bareiy time to see the Working' Men's College. - However, * Bhort walk soon brought us there, «nd my only regret was that our time was too short to see all we wished to. This mrguifioent bnildlcg was instituted by the late t Hon.' Francia Ormond, and was opened iri 4 1887.' In the first quarter 640 students joined, and, since then they have been stesulily increasing. In faot, in one quarter as many as 2600 ( students were attending classes at the same time. In this college ia taught every subject whioh is likely to be of use to men or women. The fees are so low, that almost anyone oan join and study the. subject for which he has a bent. Everything almost is taught, from ooachbuilding to, photography, and all sorts and conditions of men and women attend. We met children' of 14 oarrying their violins up the staircass to their mueio lesson ; on the lower floor were plumbers and fitters hammering away, learn* ing, their respective trades ; -in one room dressmaking was going on, in ■ another bootmaking. Higher up art olasses were being held, and wo watohed the students busy painting from models or struggling away at freehand drawing. Then we paid a visit to the room devoted to sculpture, and as there was no class going on we inspected the. broken noses and failures in feet, which were all piled np in a barrel ready to be converted once more into clay and- used un. again in fresh attempts. People oome from all parts of> the oountry, to study at the Working Man's Colhge. We heard of a/ struggling laundress who paid for her daughter's board and lodgings in Melbourne so that she might attend the, olaßsea for drawing and painting. It iB to be hoped" the young student will turn out agenws. My companion was anxious herself to leafn wood carving, which has lately been added to the curriculum, but on inquiry we found that these classes were only held at night, so she was unable to join. We were loth to leave the splendid building with its busy hive of worker?, but the short afternoon was drawing to a close, so we retraced our steps, and catohing a car we were soon on our way home to St. Kilda and well-earned dinner.

'.' The expression "under the rose," or siih rosa, to indicate seoreoy, originates in the Greek mythological story that Cupid gave Harpoorates, the god of silence, a golden rose, desiring him at the same time not to betray the amour of Venus. According to another account, the traitors against the Greek States during the invasion of Xerxes held their meetings in an Athenian arbor formed of rose bushes. At Greek and Roman banquets the guests ware always crowned with roses, and a olußterof these, hungabova the banqueting table, was a sign that what was said in that place should not be repeated elsewhere. * ,