Latest Locals.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7176, 11 January 1892, Page 3

Latest Locals.

Thb "Lyttelton Times."— To-day is the forty-first anniversary of the first publication of the Lyttelton Times. On. Jan. 11, 1851, leßs than a month after the arrival of the "first four Bhips," a small sheet printed on a hand-press in Lyttelton went forth to the Pilgrim Fathers as the pioneer effort of journalism in their new home. Since then nearly all the early readers of the paper have passed away, and tbe Colony has experienced many vicissitudes, bnt the Lyttelton Times has continued its unbroken career, and is now the oldest, as well as the most widely-circulated, daily paper published in the Colony. Patents. — In a supplement to the last issue of the New Zealand Gazette is a list of eighteen applications for patents, concerning which complete specifications have beon lodged at the Patent Office. Provisional specifications have been accepted in regard to five applications. Large Bequests.— Mr William Deane, late of Enmore, Sydney, has left something more than £9000 to the British and Foreign Bible Society. A sum of £28,000 is to be equally divided between it, the Church Missionary Society, and the Church Pastoral Aid Society. Pupil Tbacheb Examination. — As the pupil-teacher examination this year takes place in the first week of the holidays, instead of during the last week of the school working year, the Sydenham School Committee has granted its pupil-teachers an extra week's holiday, to compensate for that lost in the examination. Aquatic— The New Brighton Sailing Club's contest for Mr E. C. Bishop's prize took place on Saturday afternoon. Eight boatß entered, viz. : — Bocaki 30min, Tni 25min, Truant 22min, Wallabi smin, Pukaki 4min, Spray smin, Ariadne lmin, Crest scr. After a capital contest, Truant came in first, followed by Spray and Wallabi. Nkw Zealand Shipping Company* — We bave pleasure in announcing that Mr Isaac Gibbs, who joined the New Zealand Shipping Company, Limited, sixteen years ago, and who, during the last ten years, has held the position of Secretary to the Company, has been appointed the General Manager of the Company for New Zealand and Australia. Mr Gibbs has made numerous friends by his courtesy and the ability with which he has discharged his duties, and the news of his promotion will doubtless be received with general satisfaction. A Bio Building.— The largest office j building in the world is now being constructed in Chicago. It will be known as I the Masonic Temple. It is to be twenty ■ storeys in height, and is to rise 370 ft above j the level of the street. The lower floors ■ will be used as stores, and the uppermost for j Masonic purposes, a large hall to seat four : thousand people being one of the principal j features. Numerous doors will lead from j this hall, one on to the roof, which is to be , laid out as a garden. There are to be no less than fourteen passenger elevators and two freights, mail-chutes, telephones, electrio and gas light, steam, heating, and every modern improvement.

» Nbw Zealand Fnivbbsitt.— The annual * meeting of Convocation of the New Zealand * "University takes place at noon to-morrow, in the hall of the Canterbury College. Bam FAiB.-The date of the Canterbury Ram Fair has been alteied to Friday, * March 19, to avoid clashing with the North Canterbury Caledonian sports, which are to be held on Sb Patrick's Day, the date originally fixed for the fair. Show Ground Accomhtation. — At the ' A. and P. Association's meeting to-day, a Committee was appointed to bring up a ' report on tbe question of providing seating 1 accommodation on the Showgrounds. Mr J. Anderson, junr., submitted a plan of a building capable of seating 1000 persons, which would cost about JE23O. _ Profeß*ob Lichtwabk. — Professor Lichtwark announces that he will give an exhibition of his power as a horse tamer at eight o'clock to-night in a building in tbe right-of-way opposite the Cafe de Paris, Cashel street. Tbe Professor has received a most gratifying testimonial from Mr W. Stirling, of Carleton, who was apupil of his a year ago, and has since i successfully broken in horses on the Professor's system. I Oddfellows' PiCNic.—The picnic of the f Oxford Oddfellows, which, on account of i the weather, had to be postponed until j Friday, was a great success. The procession, headed by the Oxford Brass Baud, march* d from the Oddfellows' Hall, West i Oxford,, to the hall in East Oxford. After j a quarter of an hour's stay, the party drove to Henderson's Gully. Mr Henderson went to great pains to mako the day an enjoyable one, and had about tbree aores of grass cut. Cricket waß indulged in, with plenty cf races for the children. There were fully two hundred persons present. In the evening a ball took place, and was largely attended, about seventy couples being present. The music waa supplied by Meßßrs Bluett and Pickerell. A Noxious Wked.-— Mr M. Murphy to- i day displayed a plant, known as the j Bathurst burr (Xanthium spinosum) at the j rooms of tbe A. and P. Association, on the j occasion of the monthly meeting of the : Association's Committee. Mr Murphy explained that the seeds had been sent to him last year by a settler in the North Island, who asked for information. Mr Murphy then replied to the effect tbat they were similar to the seeds of the Eathurst burr, and the plant now proves the correctness of that opinion. The burr is very troublesome in New South Wales and other parts of Australia, but it is not likely to be any nuisance here as tbe climate is not warm enough for it. It is probable that the seeds were imported to the North Island in some hay sent over during tbe time of the _uao_i war. Mr Sydney Black. — There was a large audience at the Theatre Eoyal last night, when Mr Sydney Black gave the first of his evangelistic addresses on the final triumph of unselfish love, which, he said, was the distinguishing peculiarity of the Christian religion. It revolved around a living person. Christianity was a life, and that life was love ; hence love was the greatest thing in the world. Faith was an abiding and splendid faculty. Hope was a blessed and permanent inspiration. The former was everlasting, because we could never empty the storehouse of knowledge. The latter was everlasting, because the resources of blessedness and joy were simply inexhaustible. But love was everlasting, because " God is love." Classic, cultured Greece and Borne contained within them the elements of moral suicide. They were completely ignorant of unselfish love. Plato's Bepublic never hinted at it, and never sighed after it. The ethics of the classic age were based almost exclusively upon self-asser-tion and self-indulgence, first in the State and then in the individual. Jesus Christ was the living incarnation of disinterested love. He completely annihilated the selfish doctiine of an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth ; and taught that every creature of God with a spirit, a soul, and a body, was a brother, and needed sympathy. Every kingdom reared upon force would finally crumble to the dust. The kingdoms that lasted through all eternity were those composed of such material as the Pilgrim father, tho Huguenots, and the Quakers. Men of this material would outlive the pyramids of Egypt. The speaker pleaded for an unqualified, restoration of Primitive Christianity in all its pristine simplicity and splendour. When Sectarianism had crumbled to the dust, and God's people, literally intoxicated with unselfish love for the perishing masses, should go forth in one united army to achieve victory after victory, the conversion of the world would only be a matter of a decade or two. The time was now at hand when God's people would recognise that love waß the principal thing in the world. Mr Black will deliver his second discourse in the Theatre Boyal this evening, at eight o'clock, selecting as his theme " The Great Revolution of Life."