LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 25, 14 September 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The If team was again victorious at the ciibhagn match last night, winning 42 games against tlie A team’s 23. The rubber has been extended to the best of five games, and the next game will probably take place next Thursday.

>. -‘There is no doubt that steamship companies are gradually whittling away every right that, passengers have had conserved to them for years past by oommon law,” said Mr. R. W. Bishop, S.M., in dealing with a : shipping case at the Christchurch Magistrate’s Court the other day. “There is a growing tendency in these days,” he added; “for shipping companies to unduly protect themselves at their passengers’ risk.”

Addressing, tlic Sydney Optimists’ Club last week, Professor Macmillan Brown, of Christcliurcli, told the story of his conversion to optimism. Ho began life with chronic indigestion, and ho had more than a decade of, chronic sleeplessness, but he got clear of both.of those and he was now completing his education. There was no better prescription to put one on the true road to optimism than to become the familiar friend of a little child. There was always a “dismal Jimmy” about the neighbourhood. He had always got a now ache or ailment or worry. Professor Brown decried the disposition to hold un the peccadilloes and foibles of one’s neighbours to the public gaze, and said that if people were only to cast their minds back over the things that worried them ten months ago they would find out of how little consequence they were. Optimism, if it had not good common sense, became sheer slovenly slouching Micawberism. The pessimists said that God was, not in The heavens and that everything was evil. He (Professor Brown) felt inclined to think that there was a pessimist in the Garden of Eden. The first recorded pessimist was he who thought that his brother had a great monopoly of the things of this world.

It was quite apparent from subsequent events that a jury who were put under lock and key for the regulation twelve hours at the Central Criminal Court recently, says the Sydney “Daily Telegraph,” had at the outset of their incarceration resolved not to agree, and a portion of the. night was evidently devoted to the framing of a letter which was presented to Mr. Acting-Justice Ferguson. In it the jury asked his Honour to bring before the proper authorities their protest against the locking up of juries who have failed to come to a verdict within a reasonable time after evidence ai d addresses have been concluded. “In the present case,” they remarked, “the hearing occupied three hours, including his Honom's summing up, and if, after having spent a like period in considering the case, we were unable to agree upon a verdict, wo do not see that any useful end was to have been served by locking us up for another twelve hours.” The letter suggested that the Crown law authorities should njake an investigation of the results of, similar detentions in the past,, an,d 'see if it were not possible ad desirable in the interests of the public and of jurymen to make, an alteration in the law. His Honour undertook to place the matter before the responsible Minister. A woman who kills a man in America—more particularly in the Western States—-runs very little risk. She is more likely to be made the object of popular adulation than punished. In fact, it is one of the safest pastimes a woman can indulge in. Not so long ago a girl in a country town in California sought out the man who had wronged her, and with a revolver killed him. She was tried for murder and acquitted. Her experiences, however, were surpassed by those of Mrs. Anna Langley, a young San Francisco woman who shot and killed , her husband, James W. Langley, to whom she had been married little niot;o than a year, becaiiso he applied a vile name to her, comparing her with the women of the halfworld ; it was also shown that Mrs. had supported her husband by working in an office, and that be had beaten her. The day after the shooting the grand jury met to consider the matter of presenting an indictment, and instead of doing so, sent several huge bouquets of flowers to Mrs. Langley and suggested to the police magistrate that she be liberated on her personal recognisances. A coroner’s jury was empanelled the same day, and, in double-quick time, returned a verdict that Mrs. Langley killed her husband while temporarily deranged in mind. In the meanwhile her cell began to fill up with flowers sent by well-wishers, following the ample of the grand jurors, and after that it was agreed it would be farcical to go through the form of a trial. The young woman was liberated after one night’s confinement, and is now with her parents. Public opinion endorses the action of the authorities in every particular, except that some oeople think it a shame that Mrs. Langley should have been locked up for one night.

In a paper road before the Australia,*! Historical [Society in [Sydney last week on tne ‘‘Australian Tress.'" Mr. H. rl. Huntington threw many interesting sidelights on the early histoiy or printing in Australia, and corrected some errors, it' "*any publications the name of George -tone is /"given as that of the hrst printer in Australia. Mr. Huntington set himself the task of proving that the honour, belongs not to George Howe, who did not arrive in Sydney till tne end of the year , 18U0, ( but to George Hughes, in the list of articles brougiA by tiic first fleet, no mention was made of a printing press; but they had it on the authority of Capt. Coffins, the first Colonial Secretary, that a printing press was brought out by Governor Philip. For nearly seven years it remained unemployed. When Governor Hunter came, however, lie was was net slow to put it to use, and Governor Hunter was in reality the father of printing in Australia. There was an entry in Capt. Collin’s diary to the effect that “ a very ingenious young man, one George Hughes.” find been found who could work the printing press. The name of George Hughes was given in the records as tiie printer between the years 1795 and i 799. Tne first printing press brought to Australia was nothing more than a small wooden screw-press, and it could only print 50 impressions an hour. Hughes made the ink out of charcoal, oil—whale oil, sometimes—and other ingredients. The earliest piece of printing done by Hughes was dated November, 1C,,-1795. It was at blv* Government printing office—attached to Sydney Government House—-that the first playbills in Sydney, were printed. Two of these playbills wore now in the Mitchell Library.

Mr. Edward Wilson, Inspector of Police in charge of this district, was in Stratford to-day on departmental business. A Paten resident had the distinction the other day of receiving a wireloss message, sent from inid-ocean. This, says the “Press, h is the first of its kind received in Patea. A musical evening under the auspices of the Women’s Christian Temperance T’nion will he held in St. Andrew’s Hall to-morrow evening at 8 o’clock. , . J Mr. W. Kiely, Inspector of Police, iu charge of the Christchurch district, at present on holiday leave, is spending a few days in Stratford, and is the guest of his daughter, Mrs. Charles Massey, of this town. Sir John Findlay is announced to deliver a political address at Eltham at an early date. In his address will be included a section under tho heading: “How the Main Local Interests of the Egmont District (town add country) can Best be Advanced.” The Stratford Egg Circle has now started operations. Members are supplying eggs to the depot. A good demand has set in. Until other .premises can he secured, the Circle’s Depot will he at Mrs. Russ’,s; Broadway South, where eggs can bo secured. The price for this week is lid per dozen. , s ’’