LAKE COUNTRY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2394, 18 January 1900, Page 33

LAKE COUNTRY.

January 13. — Rain showers that have fallen since yesterday are 311 st sufficient to Ireep greea crops growing without check. Grain ot all kmds is now coming into ear, and with another shower or two at night time an average ciop may be looked forward 10, although anything more than that need not be expected. Potatoes are promising well ; turnips, lucerne, and other fodder als:> coming into good fo:m, and all round things agricixltuiral look healthy.

War, War, Glorious War! — The Queeustown patriotic fund has now reached £16i, and will perhaps not be very much increased. Arrowtown made a move la&t Saturday with a grand demonstration and concert, at which .£59 odd was netted, and it is expected that the total will touch .£9O, if not £100. These sums at this time of year, when spare cash has been dispensed with a prodigal hand, speak woll for the district, showing at once a generous liberality, a depth of patriotic feeling, and the material well-being of the residents. For all this, the fund gives food for curious reflection. First, it is plain that it takes a lot of money to kill in lot of men and destroy a lot of property ; next, it takes a good deal of money to keep alive those who have not been killed in the war. War presents a strange state of affairs when looked at in this way, but the strangest thing is that it takes a great deal more money to kill a man in battle than it would take to feed him on the richest food imaginabl'a till lie died. Then, it is generally held that the man who is killed in battle goes straight to Heaven. In a great many religions of tho world this belief is an article of faith. But where do those go who- do the killing when they themselves are killed, or die in any other way? Theology is silent on this point. However, it is not to be supposed that a man who is the means of sending to Heaven a fellow-man who, perhaps, would not have got there in any other way, should, for so good a service, go to tho other place when his turn comes. This is rather hard on the fellow-man, for in some cases he might not only feel himself strangely out of place in good company, but he might even have preferred to have done the killing rather than to be killed. It's all very strange. But as these reflections must stop somewhere, it is as well that they stop right here.

Not Up to Date. — An influenza convalesceiit, detailing his suffering and cure from that disease, mentioned that he took nine swigs of rum. " And did that kill the microbes " ? asked one of the listeners. " I don't know nothing about your 'crobes; but it cured my influenza," was the reply s Neither recipe nor " goak " (if any) may be very new or edifying, but it shows that there are people who will be behind the £>ge. A Loss. — llr John Scoles met with rather a bad loss this week. Mr Scoles is the owner of the racehorse Sara Jones, -which had a selling value of £50, and according to the entries for the Frankton races, run yesterday and the day before, stood to win an equal sum. Whilst the horse was being trained he broke one of his hind legs, and had to be destroyed a few days before the ioces.

Tourist Season. — The season, now about its height, is more than an overage one, the Aiistralian colonies being well represented; Europe, too, having sent its contributions to swell the number. The weather, when not too windy, has been all that could be desired.

Lake .Jockey Club Races. — These events came off on Thursday and Fiiday last, and were favoured with the best of weather. Early in the day it was showery, but the clouds cleared off about 9 a.m., and the day was all the better for the rain, the air being cool and balmy. The racing was a great improvement upon that of former years, as more famous blood was introduced. The totalisator collected £2118 for the two day ?, which is faiore than £400 over the amount handled last year. The meet throughout must be pronounced an unqualified success.