CURRENT TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2363, 8 June 1899, Page 33

CURRENT TOPICS.

" St. Paul " is the nickname which has bean applied to " Dr " Edwards, a A ' mystic healer, hailing from the irrSTic Australian colonies, who ' has healbh. been prosecuted by the Parisian

police for imposing upon" the credulous. His long white hair tumbles in disorder over his back, he wears a dressing gown on which shines at the waist a silver cross, and on his bare feet are sandals. This, garb is supposed to give him a close resemblance to the great apostle, and to that cause is due the name that has been bestowed on him. Edwards glories -in this title, and, in fact, justifies it on other grounds. "I wac ' raised ' in Rome," he has said, " and am by religion a Catholic. My mother, who was an Ei-glish woman, spent some days before my birth in great devotion before the statue of St.. Paul, and christened me Paul. Doubtless that is why I resemble St. Paul, and that ray body is marked with the stigmata of the cross. The toes and fingers corresponding to those of Christ through which the nails were driven are missing in my feet and hands." As a matter of fact, Edwards is minus two fingers and two toes. Moreover, he pretends that his "gift" is from God. "I first discovered the remarkable powers with which I am endowed," he asserts, " when in Australia. I was sleeping in the same room with a young Government official who was dying of consun.ption. I got up and cured him instantly. I have never made such a marvellous cure *ince." With his divine "gift" Edwards seems to combine some worldly wiadom. His marvellous cure was accomplished in a place so remote from Paris as to preclude any possibility of his statement being disputed.' He was asked what he thought of Lourdcs. '"'As a means to influence the psychic state of sick pcrf-ons,"' he replied, somewhat vaguely, "all revelations of a religious nature have conteiderable importance- I believe that in man ]iea the power to cure every malady with -which moi.kind is afflicted." He takes no fee 3, but he- accepts whatever grateful patients are willing to give him, and is accumulating a large fortune. Men of his kind always thrive amazir.gly.

New York lias lately rejoiced in the celebra* tion of a marriage of millionmarriage aires. William K. Vanderbilt, OF jun., and " Birdie " Fair were million- both somewhat unfortunate in aibes. their parentage. The father

and mother of the former, have separated, and the mother is now the wife of arother man. The parents of Miss Fair also quarrelled and were divorced. Matrimonial disagreements are", however, thought nothing of in America. A woman secures a divorce from her husband and marries again on- tho aaine day — a remarriage within an hour or two of the pronouncement of the decree of divorce was lately proclaimed throughout the world by means of tho electric cable, — and there are many girls in the Slates who, barely out of their teens, have been married -and divorced, and are not notorious. The almighty dollar is king in America, and with it W. K. Ypnderbilt, jun., and his bride are both well provided. Miss Fair's private fortune is est£ mated at £2,000,000 "sterling ; her husband* fortune is probably 10 times that amount. Mi.s Fair's father was a miner ; he died -worth £8,000,000 sterling. Mr Vanderbilfs ancestor, three generations back, 'was a ferryman ; his present day representatives are worth not less than £50,000,000. How "Jim ""Fair, th« bride's father, <made his money reads like a romance. He was born of humble and poor parentage in Ireland, and his family emigrated to America. He was put to work on a farm in Central Illinois, but ran away, and worked in the docks on the Atlantic coast. "When ihb ICalifornian gold discoveries were made in 1843, iJI caught the fever. He had £8 saved up from his wages on the docks, and, getting a job on a Panama vessel, he set out for California by the Isthmus route, reaching San Francisco in February, 1850. For 15 years Fair worked in the gold mines with little success. He joined the Fraser River stampede in 1858. and nearly lont his life by exposure in British Columbia. In 1865 he struck a good ledge in Nevada County. His hunger and he&rtaches were forgotten when he blasted away the rocky surface and opened the Hopewell mine. When he sold his interest for £1800 he felt rich, and took unto himself a vife, with whom he started with a mule team aid waggon over the Placerville and Red Dog trail for Virginia City — then a mining 'camp of about 3000 men and 400 women. He invested his tiny fortune in the Hale and Norcross mine, iMid John W. Maekay, James C. Flood, and William O'Brien joined him in it and the California and Virginia" mines. In 1569 the mining world began to hear of their operations; in 1872 and 1873 the " Big Four"" rr.ade over £600,000 each ; but it was in 1874thai the most wonderful discovery was made, the pocket of sulphurets now known as the Bonanza ledge being brought to view. They continued mining until 1879, and then they retired. When James G. Fair ended his mining career he was supposed to be worth from £7,500,000 to £9,000,000. John W. Maekay was in all probability worth a few millions

fiiore. James C. Flood retired with about £3,500,000, and William S. O'Brien with over £2,500,000.

J*' Oh, Republican Simplicity, there are many many humbugs in the world,

the nos- but none to which you need 'jpONFOitiiiNG take off your hat!" "In these BWAILOW- words Mark Twain apostrotail. phises his country in the March

number of " The Forum." His '.complaint Is that while the Americans are the lavishest" and showiest and most luxuryliving people on earth, the pay they give ,their public servants standing for the power and dignity of the Republic in other lands is shabby, and that the clothes in which the diplomatio representatives of the States are fcor.demned to exhibit themselves officially are 'not only without grace or dignity, but are a pretty loud and pious rebuke to the vain and 'frivolous costumes worn by the other officials. ,The representative of America at the Court of Queen Victoria must wear his swallow tail 'ccat — the non-conforming swallow-tail — on all official occasions. "Even at official breakfasts at seven in the morning " — Mark Twain can never have been at an official breakfast or he would know they are never held so early as that — Mr Choate must wear " that same old funny swallow-tail," although all the world over the swallow-tail is recognised as not wearable in the day time: "it is night dress, . and a night dress only — a night-shirt is not more so." The representative of the United States appearing "in his undertaker outfit, with its dismal Bmudge," in the midst of the butterfly splendours of a Continental court resembles, Mark Twain protests, " a mislaid Presbyterian in perdition," and when paying an official visit in the morning he is obliged to go in the night dress, which is his official costume, "it makes the very cab horse 3 laugh." Moreover, the efficiency of the American ambassadors is crippled by the meagreness of their salaries, and it is impossible for them to adequately return the hospitalities shown ihem: "In return for champagne they furnished lemonade; in return for game they furnished ham ; in return for whale they furnished sardines; in return for liquors they furnished condensed milk; in return for the battalion of liveried and powdered flunkeys they furnished the hired girl; in return for the fairy -wilderness of sumptuous decorations they draped the stove with the American flag; in return for the orchestra they furnished zither and ballads by the family; in return for the ball— but they didn't return the ball, except in cases where the United States lived on the roof and had room." Mark Twain argues that the Great Republic, 'I like a girl just turned eighteen," having "lengthened her skirts last year, balled up her hair, and entered the world's society," ought to realise, now that she ha? " roraa out," that this is a "right and proper time to change a part of her style."

Exception was taken by some members of the

Acclimatitation Society at the WHOLESALE annual meeting of that body on kassacke Friday afternoon last to the OF bikds. statement contained in the re-

port that a consequence of the opening of the shooting season for native game a month earlier than usual had been that many of the bags contained a large number of " flappers." It was inevitable tlj.it they would resent such a comment upon the result of their successful agitation to include the Easter holidays in the open season. They had ridiculed the suggestion that if the season was opened on the Ist April there would be a heavy destruction of " flappers," and it was not to be expected that they would acquiesce in a statement which gave the contradiction lo their confident assertions that all fears on ihis score were groundless. The objectionable paragraph in the report was not, however, inserted without authority. Not only were a large number of young ducks shot in the early part or April, but Mr A. O. Begg, who occupied the chair at the annual meeting of the society, stated that pigeons had been ruthlessly destroyed in many parts— shot in some cases by people by the sackful with the object of sale. Mr Begg has excellent sources of information throughout the province, and we have no hesitation in accepting the statement made by him as one that is absolutely reliable. We regret to have to express our belief, also, that Mr Begg's assertion— in con6rmation of the complaint contained in the report— that the shooting of ducks on the Ist April had amounted to a wholesale slaughter and that the stock of these birds had in consequence been materially diminished, iB altogether too well founded. When we know that at the opening of the season one party of three license-holders— we hesitate to call them sportsmen— secured a bag of 260 ducks at Temuka, and that another party of fivelfciot 256 in two days at Mataura, arfd were not only not ashamed of the massacre in which they had been engaged, but actually boasted of it as a feat that merited approval, we feel that no other words than those used by Mr Begg fitly apply. It would be an erroneous ■application of terms to say that such a proceeding as this was sport; it was wholesale Slaughter. The so-called sportsmen who covet large bags are probably not so shortsighted as not to see that one effect of their indiscriminate killing of birds will be the lessening of their own opportunities in future, but, in any case, it ia to be hoped tliat, with this year's lesson before their eyes, the council of the Acclimatisation Society will stand their ground next year, and that the Government in power will be strong enough to resist any clamour for an early opening of the season for native game.

Almost on the eve of the meeting of Parliament for this year, returns rAYMEXi- ordered by the Legislature last TO year are still coining to hand. HOSPITALS. Included in the most recent batch is a return showing the amount paid to each hospital in the colony annually since "The Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act, 1885," came into force, by way of voluntary contributions, payments for the maintenance of patients, and contribujMoos by tiu» Government, tfrom. this return

•it appears that from the year 1866 to the 31st March, 1898, the voluntary contributions to the hospitals in the colony have totalled £73,096 12s 9d, the payments for the maintenance of patients have amounted to £113,078 12s 3d, and the Government subsidies have reached the large sum of £399,082 12s sd. As was to be expected, since the maintenance of the hospitals was made a charge upon the local bodies, the amount of the voluntary contributions has shrunk considerably. All ratepayers contribute through the local taxation to the maintenance of these institutions, and the natural consequence has been that the number of voluntary subscribers has been largely reduced. The voluntary contributions are also a distinctly fluctuating quantity. In Palmerston North, for instance, they amounted to £1071 in 1892-3, in which year the hospital was established there. In 1896-7 in the same place they totalled £33, and in the following year £65. Wanganui supplies a more striking illustration still of how the voluntary contributions may fluctuate. Between 1889 and 1696 they were never higher than £4-6 in a year, and they had come as low as £5, but in 1596-7 they sprang to £2456 and in 1897-8 came down again to £20. It may be that the sudden jump in 1596-7 was due to some special effort, but it is to be observed, if that is so, that no credit is given in the return for the large sums of money that were raised by public subscription in Dunedin and Invercargill in 1897-98 for the commemoration of the Diamond Jubilee by improvements in the hospitals. In Christchurch there was voluntarily subscribed in 1894-5 the sum of £1712. In the previous year the voluntary contributions there came to £100, and in the year following to £58; in the year after that they sprang to £523, and in 1E97-3 declined to £34. There is no doubt some explanation for such sharp fluctuations. In Dunedin the voluntary subscriptions amounted in 1887 to £482. With that exception they have never in the dozen years under review exceeded £30.0, and only once fallen below £200. Auckland has, however, f-übscribed as little as £65 in a year, and Wellington as little as £63. On the other hand, in 1886, Wellington contributed £1078 voluntarily. Some of the West Coast districts show up very creditablj' in this record. In five years Greymouth topped the colony in the matter of voluntary contributions, its totals ranging from £367 to £932, which was the amount contributed in 1C97-8, and Reefton has never in the period under notice contributed Icfs than £307, and has given as much as £899. On the other hand the amounts received at the Greymouth and Reefton Hospitals for the maintenance of patients are insignificant, being £105 and £79 respectively for 1897-8. In that year there was received from this source in Auckland (with (1438 patients) £2686, in Wellington (1732 patients) £2041, in Dunedin (1137 patients) £1163, and in Christchurch (1325 patients) only £555. The Dunedin Hospital, it would seem, is, of the large institutions in the colony, that in AYhich the greatest care is taken to exact payment from those inmates who can afford to pay for treatment. The Christchurch Hospital, on the other hand, would seem to be that in which payment is most easily evaded by patients. Perhaps it is as the direct outcome of this that the Christchurch Hospital makes the heaviest demands on the Government funds. In 1897-8 it received from the Government £5506, while Wellington got £4335, Auckland £3085, and Dunedin £2972.

A deputation, representing some of the best known breeders of draught stock south of Dunedin, waited upon us on Tuesday night to complain of the manner in which their valuable stock had been treated by the Railway department while in course of transit to Dunedin. The train timed to reach Dunedin at 7 o'clock last evening from the south brought on to Balclutlia a number of horses from such wellknown Southland owners as Messrs Cupplcs (Otautau), Cairick, Mason, G. Rupsell. and al«o from Mr J. R. Mackenzie (Glenkenich). Some of thepe animah were on the train as early as 6 o'clock yesterday morning, and* the grievance of the deputation was that the trucks in which they were being conveyed were cut off at Balclutlia and several emptier, taken on in their place, the result being that the horses did not reach Dunedin till about 11 o'clock last night, having been all day cooped up in the trucks, without food or water. Not only that, but the animals were without cover of any sort, and in the ease of some of the most \aluable it i^ alleged there is no knowing what the. effect of the exposure may be. As those in charge of the horses had to come on by the 7 p.m. train there was no one to attend to the animals, so that if a horse fell it would probably be trampled to death. The deputation thought this was not the manner in which valuable btock should be treated when being carried by rail. On communicating with the railway traffic department we were informed that it was incorrect to say that empty trucks were brought on in place of the horses. The animals were taken off at Balclutlia simply because the engine could not pull the load to Dunedin. The department points out that the animals were brought on by the first train available, and allege that the owners, when placing their slock on board, could have ascertained that the animals could not come on to Dunedin by the 7 p.m. train, but must be brought from Balclutha by the goods tram reaching here about 11 p.m.

The Catlins settlers are desirous of having the railway in their district extended, to meet the requirements of the sawmilling trade, and the matter will be brought under the notice of the Premier on his visit to Dunedin.

The greater portion of the sitting of the Dunedin Presbytery on the 6th was taken up with the eonnideration of the question of planting new churches in the city and suburbs, the Re.-. J. Gibb, who brought up a leport of a committee on the subject, speaking at some length on the matter. The committee invited the attention of the presbytery to Roslyn or Belleknowes, to the lower end o£ Maori Hill, and to Pehehet Bay as possible points at which church extension might be commenced. It was pointed out in the course of the discussion that existing congregations would be to some extent affaeted if new churches were established in the places named, and it was

eventually decided to meet a month hence to deal with the report, and to invite sessions and congregations affected by the proposals to appear for their interests.

The criminal sessions of the Supreme Court concluded on the 6th inst. The case in which Charles Dillingworth was charged with an unnatural offence occupied the court in the morning, counsel addressing the jury, and his Honor summing up. The jury, after a retirement of an hour and a-half, returned a verdict of guilty on the second and third counts. The prisoner, in answer to the registrar, said his age was 59 years, and his Honor, in passing sentence, said: "The maximum for the offence of which you have been found guilty is 10 years' imprisonment with hard labour, and flogging in addition. Looking at your age and the fact that there was no violence. I shall not order flogging, but I see no reason why the maximum term of imprisonment should not be inflicted. The sentence of the court is that you be imprisoned in Dunedin Gaol for the term of 10 years and kept to hard labour."

The Clutha Leader announces the death of two of the old identities of the district — two sisters, Mrs Isabella Henderson, of North Balclutha, and Mrs Donald Campbell, wife of Mr Donald Campbell, of Stony Creek. Both of the deceased belonged to the King family that arrived in the colony by the Robert Henderson, nearly 40 years ago. Mrs Henderson who was 62 years of age, died of cancer on Saturday. Her sister, Mrs Campbell, appeared to be in her usual health that day, but died while asleep somewhere about 2 o'clock on Sunday morning. Mrs Campbell, who was 66 years of age, is survived by her husband and a family of four sons and five daughters.