CURRENT TOPICS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4593, 15 March 1893, Page 2

CURRENT TOPICS.

'■ . ■ '■.:■■ -•— - — ■—'.'■■. ■ '■ Those "maidens of Vienna," whom flfacaulay apostrophised, are not quite so well accustomed as their English sisters to the existence of Bachelors' Clubs. A Club of that kind was lately formed in Vienna, to the great indignation of the ladiea, who regard it as their mission to prevent celibacy becoming too popular. The unlucky members were threatened with all manner of boycots by their fair friends, and to such a condition of terror were they reduced that not a man could be found to accept the Presidency of the Club. Not satisfied with this victory, the young . persons of Vienna have gone in for a counterblast in the form of a Spinsters' Club. But this Verein will not be so selfishly exclusive as that : formed, by the V men. Gentlemen are to be admitted to it, 1 upon occasion ; for, as the lady President candidly admitted at the very first meeting, the object of the Club ia to rt bring about the speedy and happy marriage of ' its members." Bat suppose the men prefer to keep to their own Club? In , vain is the net spread in the sight of any [• bird.

! The flood of " recollections " and " remi- ' niaoences" of Carlyle will probably not come to an end until his contemporaries 1 j are all extinct. It is almost exactly a I dozen years since the saga's death, and i there have been at least a couple of ' volumes a year written about him and his wife since then. The rector' of Chelsea, the Bey Gerald Blunt, has juafc added ' some farther goesip about : the Carlyles to the quantity we already possess. It la , impossible not to be interested in it, ' although it does not amount to much. ' The story of the horee which helped in the writing of "Frederick" is perhaps, the beßt» Carlyle used to ride out on that • noble beast to think over the eternal book " which so terribly tortured him. The " \ horse had his own way, and frequently {'people would see him grazing at the side ' j of the road with a tall figure sitting all t unconeoioua on his back thinking about > ' Frederick the Great. Naturally, therefore, 1 . when the book was. finished and Carlyle ' . presented the steed to Mr Blunt, he could 1j do nothing with the animal. He was a | good horse spoiled by his master. In that j respeofc, indeed, he was somewhat in the ! position of poor Mrs Carlyle.

There are limits even to the American passion for vaatneßS. At the late : gathering in the largest of the noble : buildings appropriated to the forthcoming ; Exhibition in Chicago, at least onenun- | dred thousand—some reckon the number 1 as nearer one hundred and fifty thousand i — persons were present; but, unfortn- : nately, no human voice can reach, more than a small proportion of such a multitude. The military bands; moreover, played, and an orchestra and chorus, .■ numbering five thousand musicians, per- : formed a new composition ; bat, according to Mr D. 0. Oilman's account in "The ' Century/ the notes were only faintly heard on the speaker's stand halfway .across the building. As to the prsfyers i offered up by a Methodist Bishop and : a Boman Catholic Cardinal, a hope • is expressed that they were heard in Heaven, since they certainly were not heard by a majority of those present. Mr Oilman has a practical suggestion to make for next May. It is that since it is impossible to reach the ear the authorities should be content to appeal to the eye. This is to be done by decorations, representative groups of persona bearing emblems and symbols, and ceremonials such as the bestowal of medals, wreaths, and flags full in the view of the vast mass of spectators. Oratory, poetry, and song Mr Oilman is prepared to welcome in suitable places. In this enormous buildingon Buoh occasions he is of opinion that a sentence from the mouth of some high official, a collect, and a Doxology would