WE DECK THE DEAD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6122, 8 March 1898, Page 2

WE DECK THE DEAD.

c. v-j. "We dock the dead with a brJ4a) wreath, With a beautiful myrtle ejjown ; We give the last kiss, these trembles a tear. As we lay the belovei o*B down. Why deck the dead with a bridal wreath, With a beautif ul myrtle crown ? Death has been busy, has whetted hia scythe, He V.as looked with his awful frown, We deck th© dead with a bridal wjea.tb, , W.ith a beamiful myrtle crown, Fpr wq >jnow that the spirit is wedded to life, That the reaper but se*m.e.d. to fXQWJW i W « «eeH tte aead with the myrtle flower. For the dear one is nearing home ; And Death is the bride's brave charioteer To beyond where our eyes can roam. LOUISA BfcAKE,

Already (a contemporary states) ail aerial cable line has wiped out of the goldseeker's reckoning all the difficulties and dangers of the dreaded Chilcoot Pass, on the road to the Klondyke goldfields, and he can have his swag transported from £yea to the other side of the pass, even if he siiOtu^ tramp it himself. The air line is of the usual eb ar »cter— a stout wire cable bearing boxea running °n hangers and hauled by a smaller rope actuated by an engine placed half-way. Although the" horrors of the past have been described and depicted in deterrent letterpress and pictures, its actual length is not formidable, the air line being barely eight miles long, The boxes carry about a ton of goods and four to six passengers. A London paper of January states that the rope was to commence running on Feb. 1. A curious controversy has arisen as to whether the illustrious Nelson was ever in Bombay, . In one of his conversations Nelson said, " I visited every port in India from Bengal to Bussorah." But still there was no definite information about Bombay. Nelson was, it seems, a mere youth on board the Seahorse, belonging to Sir E. Hughes's squadron, and sick. The books Of the Seahorse, preserved in the Eecord Office, have been referred to, and it is now definitely known that — we quote the Record Office letter — "his transfer (to the Dolphin) took place on the 15th March, 1776, and at this date the Seahorse was at Bombay." Nelson went back to England in the Dolphin.

These are Justices of the Peace enough in this community, in all conscience, and the duties that devolve upon them individually are by no means of an arduous nature; yet those whose duty compels regular attendance at the Police Court are only too well aware that vexatious delays are by no means infrequent. Yesterday morning, for example, everything was in order punctually at half -past ten. , That is to say, police, prisoners and members of the legal profession were present. There were no Justices, however. Of course those who should have been in at' tendance according to the rota had been duly " notified by the Clerk of the Court, but a vexatious wait of twenty minutes had to be experienced before business could be proceeded with. If Justices of the Peace are not prepared to be strictly conscientious and punctual in doing what little devolves upon them, why do they not adopt the honourable course of sending in their resignations ?

A correspondent drew attention .y.estecr. day to :one of the nuisances of , the tramr way system as it ;at present ' exists. Some obstinate and utterly: inooqsiderate individuaii.. who was- standing on, the platform, had insisted upon the door of the car , being kept closed, to the discomfort of the passengers inside. Of course, the crux of the matter is that persons ought not to be permitted to ride on the platforms at all. There is, in such case 3, the risk of accident, that ought not to be allowed, even if it be admitted that the risk more nearly affects those who incur it. But the blockage of the platforms affects the passengers generally, and often becomes an unmitigated .nuisance. The tramway company that first establishes a thorough reform in this regard will earn the hearty commendation, of the public.