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Thames Star, Volume VI, Issue 1827, 10 November 1874, Page 2

The monthly mcoting, of the Thames Mechanics' Institute Committee was asjourno;i from last evening until Monday next, there not bdrg n quorum present.

A BOinlssin connection with the Star of the Thames Lodgo I. 0. G, T. was held in tho Karaka School-room last evening. The attendance was very numerous, and after tea tho Rev. J. Davis' took the chair and opened the proceedings in a brief address, after which a number of song?, duets, otc, were performed by ladies and gentlemen present. The singing of Misses Wiseman, McNeil and Jones contributed in a great degree to the efijoyrjacnt of those present, and tho general eacceßß of the soiree.

We have receired a long letter from "Edmund C. Corneß," but we must be excused for not publishing it, because it docs not contain a single item which could be said to possess a public interest. Mr. Comes is evidently a man with a grievance, which he has already ventilated pretty well. He is rather hard on us in consequence of what everybody said of his letter which appeared in last Saturday's morning paper, and as, it may afford Mr. Comes a momentary gratification to see hit opinion ef us in print, and in order to display our own magnanimity, we publish the paragraph. Mr. Comes says .:—" You should be the last person to pass any remarks about slang when your paper iB so remarkable for its elegant and choice diction. Some of the effusions that I have seen in it are so full of scurrility and abusa, not to say blasphemy, that lam inclined to think it may be the source from whenco I have drawn such comparatively harmless expressions as ' blathering ' and ' blowing.'"

The German Government has been interfering in rather a curious manner with the girls' school in Strosburg. There, there are naturally schools where the instrucsion is given wholly in French, and others where it is wholly in German. The Government has now, in a paternal manner, introduced an Act of Uniformity, by which German must be ueed always in teaching certain branches and French in others. For example : arithmetic must always be taught ia French. This is curious, and we are inclined to ask ia what language the young ladies of Strasburg are allowed to say their prayers. Another ordinance respecting education in Strasburg has just been put forth by the Government. All the Bchool brethren and sisters, engaged there in the work of teaching, who are members of religious orders subjected to superiors outside the empire, are dismissed from their posts at the Ist of October. These will comprite about one-fourth of all tha teachers in the city, and they include those who ara the most hostile to Germany.

The Naval Brigade evening party and dance took place last night in the Hall of the Company, and was a great success. There were about twelve or thirteen couples present, and dancing was kept tip until an early hour this morning with great spirit.

The last number of tb» Provincial Gazette contains the " Bcheme foriCjistributiou of the Bead Board Grant allott^pto the Province of Auckland, for the year ending 30fch Juno, 1875, having been approved by his Excellency; tho Governor." The following amounts are allocated to the Highway District* comprised within the goldfield district:—Waiotahi, £611 10b ; Kauaeranga, £239 15§ j Parawoi, £10849.

At a meeting of the Kauaernnga District School Committee held on Saturday evening the Eev. Mr. Brown, who has for some time past h«ld the position of teacher of the Waiotahi Creek School, was appointed to the care of the Kauaeranga Boys Schoal. This "action of the Kauaeranga Committee has caused the Waiotahi Committee, or some members of it, to take offence. It is stated, however, that what afc first sight might appear to be a piece of rather sharp practice on the part of the Kauaeranga Committee has been entered upon solely with the view of retaining the services of an efficient teacher on the Thames. We are informed that it was not Mr. Brown's intention to remain in the district after Christmas, owing to the small" remuneration attaching to his school; the Kauaeratiga Committee therefore appointed 1 him'teacher of perhaps the largest echool %i the district—that conducted in the Volunteer Hall—which it is proposed to make a superior school. In connection with this, it has been proposed to amalgamate the various school districts, and form one or two instead of four—as at prosent ; under which arrangement a superior school could be local ed in the most convenient place without respsct to the boundaries of the present districts. The Kauaeranga Committee think they are justified in the action they have taken by these circumstances, especially as Mr Brown is not expected to assume the duties of his new office until after the Christmas holidays —a time when he would have been away from the Creek School under any circumstances. We have been requested to make this explanation for the information of the Waiotahi District Committee and the public. [The above wns inadvertently left out of yesterday's issue. It will be seen from another paragraph that the Waiotahi School Committee have taken further action in the matter of Mr. Brown's appointment.]

A Provincial Q-AZKiTE was issued on Saturday. Mr. &. M. O'Rerke's appointment as a member of the Provincial Executive, and the election of Mr. Joseph May to be a mem* ber of the Provincial Council are notified. A number of notices under the Highway Districts Acts are published.

Thr following humorous skit (telegraphed to the Herald by its Wellington correspondont) appeared in the Times on Saturday morning:—"Latest from Kawau. Telegram to all Superintendents, by pigeon express. Bless you, my children. Liv.e for ever! Macauley's New Zealander on London Bridge will be Superintendent. Trust in providence, and sell land, especially unreclaimed land~ cash first, reclamation afterwards. Borrow much, spend more. Greatness always draws on posterity. Draw then ! Six infant nations (see Constitution Act) depend wholly on you for nourishment. Freedom appeals to you for protection from the dagger of despotism. Farewell, progenitors of presidents ! I have just heard there are Constitution Amending Acts. Of course, if they amend they must render provincial institutions, if possible, moro secure, but I may as well look at them. Pray send copies and credible information current at the corners o* streets about Yogel. Send telegrams (collect) direct to the Throne reviewing the origin and progress of local self-government in the world, and its perfection in provincial institutions in New Zealand. Parliament will vindicate your birthright, and pay cost of telegrams. Kawau must bo relived from taxation for local and general purposes, otherwise I shall petition her most gracious majesty to constitute it an independent province, with myself as Governor and Superintendent of same."

Tub-usual monthly convocatioa. ef rile Abbotsford Royal Arch Chapter will take plaoo at the Freemasons' Hall this evening, at the usual hour, for installation of omVrs. The annual convocation of thoHtrarnlci Royal Arch Chapter will tuko place in tho vMaßonic Hall to-morrow.

At a -v eetins; of thn Wniot&hi District School Committee, held last evening, all tho members being present, the following' resolutions were passed:—Mr. Porter. /r)r.oposed> Mr. Sims seconded, " That the Chairman write to the Central Board, protesting against ] the appointment of Mr. Brown to the': Kauwaeranga School without their know-; ledge, the same being a breach! of an arrange-; ment entered into by the different committees i on the Thames." It was proposed by Mr. •; Porter, seconded by Mr. Lawlor, "That a.' loiter be written by the Chairman to the' Central Board, praying that no action be taken: for the establishment of a superior school; without consulting the various committees as' to the best situation for tho samp." ... ; , .<

i The Manchester Guardian reports a sermon,' by Dr. Jenncr, late Bishop of Dunedinj onthe so-palled Reformation, in which be referred to tho crisis in the Church of England, and said that the work of Satan was especially visible in the attacks which were now boing made upon the Catholic Church :—" There was a great deal of foolish talk about the principles of tho Reformation; but. his hearers would agree with him that if the principles of the Reformation were euch bs they wore represented to be', they de«ervfd and could receive no support from the true Catholic members of the Church of England. If tho principles of the Reformation required them to deny sacramental grace, to deny, regeneration in holy baptism, the gift of the Holy Spirit in confirmation, tho real presence of Christ in the sacrament of tho altar, to acknowledge two Christs by refusing to Mary her time-honored title of the Mother of God; if the principles of the Reformation required them to regard confession as culpable, and absolution as vain and useless and superstitious ; if they were required to repudiate the priesthood of the altar, the Eucharistic sacrifice, the power of the keys—in short, if by the principles of the Reformation they were bound to cut offtbetnselveu as much as pos>ible from the Catholic Church of Christ, past and present, all he could say was that the sooner the principles of tho Reformation were repudiated tho better for them and the Cburch. The real point in all these attacks on ceremonial was the Eucharistic presence, and on that point there could be no medium. Christ was was either present or He was absent, in the sacrament of the altar. If He wai present he (the Bishop) would liko to know nhat worship could be too splendid to do Him honor. .If He was absent, he (the Bishop) would like' to' know what worship would be justifiable '?; There could be no comprgsjiise there." , 1