Platonic Marriages.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7542, 24 January 1896, Page 4

Platonic Marriages.

I^HpJ'go from borne to learn news of our HKi- country. The New Zealand correI^Sorident Of the Sydney Town and Journal solemnly writes the IHplowing rubbish ; — HHA ; " social departure" has been made HB-aome parts of New Zealand on the HRjch-vesod sex question in regard to A number of young people, HHteßy educated, add thoughtful men and recognising and deploring many MHFtho evils which, it is generally allowed, BHuStthrough license in the marriage tio, HBiVe- determined upon what they term Bj^Bftaternal marriage." Companionship (Hftd tnutual 'help is, what tbey seek in HBkrriage, not offspring, and therefore, BBhilst for the sake of conveniences, they BBxithroueh the marriage ceremony and HBtiQfy Mra Grundy, they live openly as and sister, not as husband and Human beings are so diversely ■Hystituted that this solution of the Sftamage problem will only commend HH^elf to the few ; therefore those who j^^fcgue that the race would suffer, need not BBute, alarm, but the number of " fraternal" BHsarriagea throughout the colony are ■Hreatly on the increase, there being over |Hjfenty during the year 1895. HH§lt Would be interesting (writes Scrutator H^p( the N.Z. Times) to know where these WR .fraternal marriages" were solemnized, ■Had more interesting to learn how long HKiis ~ purely ' platonio relationship was |H(iaintained. Also, whether the parties Hp&a xeally and truly "young people." Odessa correspondent of the Daily Hppjnrs telegraphs :— " Many captains of pH3ntlßh Bteamers arriving hero within the HTast, wesk complain of the provocative SBtttitude assumed by the Turkish authori|Biea at the Dardanelles. Captain Noble, |Kf ; the steamer Loch Rannoch, informs me HBtjiat some days ago he arrived at Chanak, HB^ the Dardanelles, four- minutes after Bfipiido'wn. He observed that the shore ■B|jQ either side was lined with troops under BB|anTcu3, and the field cannon, only partially Hjnftsked. were, placed ut clos estages along Hjiliß embankcfionts. Arrived nearly oppoHsite Ohanak, two blank shots, one from H§ach shore, were fired at the Loch Hjtannocb, but the captain thought they Kyere part of somo military manoßuyres, HEtnd ' did not haul to. He was quickly BTundeceived. ■ however. Within a few H^ecoods three shells were tired at the |w^bip. The first fell under the bows, ■Covering the fore-part of the vessel with WB^showor of spray ; the second plunged HKander the ship's stern quarter, dashing a HEyolume of water over the deck ; whilst IRthe third whizzed aoross the bridge within jfftwoor three feet of Captain Noble's head. HXhe.man at the wheel flew below, and Bpthe captain instantly had the engines Hpsvensed and signalled with the siren. KXJaptain Noble was so astonished at this

treatment that he for the moment concluded that war, had been declared between England and Turkey. Hitherto the authorities have always allowed a time margin at sundown, and in this case the pratique launch was awaiting the steamer aa usual a little way ahead. The head of the Dardanelles (adds the correspondent) is covered with torpedoes, and this fact naturally causes much anxiety to British merchantmen, who are constantly in fear of accidents when passing. About a fortnight ago one of these torpedoes exploded close under the stern of a French steamer, partly- lifting the vessel out of the water, and deluging her decks. The Bhip only j escaped destruction by a few feet." Sir Robert Rawlinson, X.C.8., is said to be the only man who has been knocked off his horse by a cannon ball without being killed. When at the Crimea he was riding out with some artillery officers, when he announced his intention to a captain hard by of nob going any further, and raised his cap, saying "Good mornng." Just at this moment a huge shot from the Russians came whizzing along in front of him, cutting the reins, the pommel of the saddle, and wodging a steel purse with terrific force against the rider's Lhip bone, making a cruel flesh wound. " Had my husband not raised his arm to take his cap off," said Lady Kawlinson, " his right arm would have been shot off ; bo you Bee that he actually saved his life by one little courteous action." The Rev. Joseph M. Koudelk*. who has just returned to Cleveland, United States, from Rome, declares that the Pope is ill and weak. " I was accorded an interview," he saya, "' at services at which some 80 persons were allowed to see him. We were standing when he was carried in in his chair, and I was shocked when he appeared, ray first thought being that they were bringing in a corpse. He was terribly thin, and so wretchedly pale that he looked as one dead. Altogether the impression left upon my mind about his physical condition was such that wero I to hear at any moment that he had died I would not be at all surprised." But Popes always look like that, and sometimes live a long time. There 13 a scheme of uniting Ceylon with India by a railway across Palk's Straits. It will necessitate a bridge of proportions hitherto undreamt of, since it will have to be 41 miles in length. The engineering difficulties are not so formidable as would at first Bight appear, for although the map shows a formidable breadth of sea between the mainland and Ceylon, the railway can be mads to traverse it on a series of stepping-stones formed by the rocks and shoals known as Adam's bridge. At the sitting, on December 2, of the Budget Committee of the Austrian Reichsrath (says a Standard correspondent) the member for Bielitz interpellated j the Government on a question which I closely affects his constituents, the manufacturers of woollen goods and their employees. It appears that the new Vali of Smyrna, none other than the ex-Vizier, | Iviiimil Pasha, has issued a decree forbidding the Faithful, on religious grounds, to wear tho usual woollen knickerbockers, and— always providing that the Rev Dr Haase, of Bialitz, is not the victim of a hoax— the police of Smyrna are running about, scissors in hand, and ripping up the offending garments. The consequence is, according to the member for Bielitz, that consignments of tens of thousands of knickerbockers are not paid for, that the cloth manufactured for them remains j unsold, and that failures are inevitable if the Austrian Government does not insist on tho repeal of the Vali's decree — at least for the next two years. It seems that the cause of South Polar exploration must suffer because of that *' undeveloped danger " which necessitates a large increase of the British navy. The l London Times is a warm friend of Antarc-< tic discovery, and in its issue of Dec. 22, last it stated : — " We learn with regret that the First Lord of the Admiralty has intimated that he would rather not receive a deputation at tho present time on the subjecc of the renewal of Antarctic exploration under Government auspices. This intimation will disappoint a wide body of representatives of scienco and of scientific societies all over the kingdom, who wore ready to wait on the First Lord as soon as it was convenient. We believe that the reaßon for not receiving a deputation is that all men and all the resources of the navy are at present required to place our fleet in a state of efficiency. Mr Goschen expresses himself as quite sympathetic towards Antarctic exploration, and this giveß hope that in more favorable times he would be prepared to consider the advisability of an Antarctic expedi- 1 tion." j W, H. Nelson, who is in the drug business j at Kingville, Mo., has bo mnoh confidence in Chamberlain's Colic, Cholera and Diarrhoea Kemedy that he warrants every bottle, and oJera to refund tho money to any customer who is not satisfied after using it. Mr Nelson takes no riak in doing this, because tbe Remedy is a certain cure for the diseases for which it is intended, and he knows it. — It is for sale by E, D. Smith, wholesale and retail agent. — Advt.