PASSING EVENTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4939, 1 May 1894, Page 2

PASSING EVENTS.

- — ■*» . ■ — (Lyttelton Times.) Mr Gastrell, the British *Avoin_inj* Vice - Cohbul at Buenoß | coLomsATio-. Ayreß, has supplied to the : foreign Office a very inter- ! ssting report on the Jewish colonies : founded in the Argentine Bepublio by j Baron Hirsch. Theae colonies, it will be : remembered, were established less than ; two years ago as places of refuge for the ; victims of Bußsian persecution. They are managed by an Association with a ; oapital of £2,000,000— 0 f which all but £14,000 was subscribed by Baron Hiricb— ; and seem destined to solve the problem of ' settling" a town population on the land. ' The Jewish immigrant to South America ,' is, as the Vice-Consul observes, in an en- • viable position. The field of his labours ' is prepared for him in advance by a liberal ; outlay, and he goes out to the society of '. kith and kin, and to almost assured pros- \ perity. The Association works for a profit, i but all its dividends, instead of going to the shareholders, are added to the '■ original capital, to increase the fund. • Its object is to place the Jewish immigrant, as quickly as possible, in the position of a Belf-snpporting producer of marketable agricultural produce, instead of . compelling him to exhaust his best , energies in attaining that position by hiß own unaided efforts. Each family receives about 190 acres of laud, from eight ' to twelve oxen, two ploughs, two harrows, and a house, and food until the land yields '. a crop. After a colony has been properly organised, local self-government is introduced. A council of several members is appointed, some of the members being chosen by election from among the oolonißta themselves, and one, who is a resident comptroller, being named by the Association. The council meets every day, and determines the work that eaoh colonist has to perform, when all havo to take a. part for the common welfare. None of the colonists, with the exception of a few from Bessarabia; knew anything of agriculture on their arrival at Buenos Ayres. The Bussian Government is favourably disposed, as well it might be, towards the soheme, and the Argentine Bepublio, now that certain objections have been removed, gives a cordial welcome to the exiles. So far there are no conclusive results to record ; but it is hardly possible that under Buch exceptional conditions the experiment can fail to be a success. A Euß-ian traveller proa stbangb fesses to have discovered in stoet. a monastery of Thibet a new Life of Christ, whioh has just been translated into French. 'The book, we are told, is held in no less reverence by certain Buddhists than the BigVeda by the Brahmins, and the Paris correspondent of the Daily News supplies that journal with a brief summary of its contents. The prophet Isea, whom the "discoverer" believes to be identical with Christ, was born in Israel. His parents were poor people belonging by birth "to a family of exalted piety whioh forgot its former greatness on earth to magnify the Creator and thank Him for the misfortunes with whioh He was pleased to try them." From his childhood he preached the one God) On coming of age at thirteen, instead of marrying, according to custom, he fled from his father's house and went with merchants to Sindh. At fourteen he was living among the Aryas. He visited Juggernaut, Bejagriha and Benares, where he learnt to read and understand the Vedas. But one day he broke away from the Brahmins. He denied the divine origin of the Vedaß and the incarnation of Para Brahma. In Visbma the white prieats threatened his Ufe. He took refuge with the Gowfcamides, learnt Pali, and in six months was initiated into the mysteries of pure Buddhism. Then he went westward preaching against idols. In Persia he opposed the religion of Zoroaster, but he was persecuted by magicians, and fled. He was twenty-nine years of age when he returned to Judea. He at once began to preach, but his popularity alarmed Pontius Pilate. The latter summoned priests and learned men to try' lssa. This tribunal examined Issa, and pronounced him to be. innocent. Isrsa continued to speak to the people, inculcating obedience to C-ssar aud respect for womankind; but spies which Pilate had set to watch him sent disquieting reports on the enthusiasm of the multitude, and the Governor, fearing a mutiny, caused Issa to be imprisoned, tortured and tried be fore the Sanhedrim with two thieves. Issa, according to this chronicle, was ultimately crucified, bnt " on the third day his sepulchre was found open and empty." French critics do not share the Buddhists' reverence for this book ; in faot, one or two of their number have suggested that the whole thing is a hoax ; but it is not the first time we have received strange confirmation of the Bible Biory from the far East. The "naval scare," of : the which we heard so much bbitish through our cable me^ages navy. ' a few weeks ago, seems to have existed rather in the imagination of the Press Association agent than in the mind of the British public. Even Lord George Hamilton, who was of course, particularly anxious to harasß the Government and display his own knowledge of the business of the Admiralty, did not claim that the augmentation of the navy had excited any particular . enthusiasm in the country. There was, however, an animated debate in the House of Commons on the naval estimates, and some of the speeches, if we may judge from the condensed reports, were both entertaining and instructive. First of all the estimates themselves recorded the fact— telegraphed to this colony— that* the Admiralty had wisely determined to follow the example of the War Office by introducing a day of eight hours and a week of forty-eight hourß, among tho labourers in its employment. The success which had attended the " eight hours' day " in one department of the public service ensured its adoption in the other. Then there was a highly technical discussion on the proper length of ships. One authority, ' Sir Edward Harland, declared that a very long and an extremely narrow vessel would be the most valuable and effective in time of war. Another authority, Sir Edward Beid, formerly Chief Constructor of the Navy, differed entirely from this opinion; He had no faith in longitudinal developments, and preferred the designs whioh now find favour at Whitehall. Sir Edward Harland proposed the construction of a wonderful ram, which woulc^ go through the hardest known substance like a bullet through a keg of butter. Sir Edward Beed retorted that the Admiralty would be only too delighted to adopt thia marvellous weapon it it were brought under its notice in some Bhape more tangible than a speech. And co the debate went on, the doctors differ-.

immmmMmmmmmmmmmTammamV 1 " «>'"'-* lj>B-_-S--. ing on almost every important poitil* There waa no attempt to reduce the votes or to divide against them, bnt no one, after listening to the lonfiioting opinions of the expert., oan havo felt much confi. dence in predicting the- result of the expenditure. -_ p.————— ————— ———___ ___i