TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8161, 19 June 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

In regard to [the supersession of Sir Robert' Hart in the control of the Chinese Maritime Customs service by Tioh Liang, President of the Board of Revenue, and 'long Shao Yih, the Ohi'na Gazette has made some severe remarks. "In plain language," it says, "the death knell of the Imperial Maritime Customs service has been rang unless the Powers take immediate action, and threaten to land troops at every strategic point along the Chinese coastline. For months we have been vainly writing and pointing out that Japan's one hope ha 9 been to stir up trouble in China—that has been the one end ever since Baron Komara visited Pekin." The paper says that the startling change m the superintendence of the Customs is the outcome of a new policy, and that the Japanese, feeling safe in the knowledge of the Anglo Japanese treaty, "extorted from a discredited British Ministry,"' will save them no matter what they do, can be counted on to play a deperate game. "We cannot help feeling that it is the beginning of the end of those days when the white man's genius prevented the yellow races from daring to place themselves on the same footingjas tbat'ocoupied by Aryan peoples," is the conclusion of the Gazette.

Professor David' has propounded an interesting theory about prehistoric climatic changes in Australia. "The oldest Australian ice-age, which dates back many millions of years," he said, "may be termed the Petersburg epooh, as there are certain proofs near the northern town of the existence of glacial conditions. The next may be described as the Hallett's Cove epooh, and the most recent as the Kosciusko. There are certain indications that Kosciusko once supported huge glaciers, and there is no possible doubt that a large portion of the centre of Tasmania was covered with snow and ice." Of the nume-ous causes whioh have been {.ut foiward for these changes Professor David inclines to the theory of Or Arrhenius. which has been taken up recently by a Chicago geologist. "They hold," said the professor, "that changes of climate whioh control the rainfall depend largely on the vnriaton of the amount of oarbondioxide present in the earth's atmosphere. This gas acts as a most efficient blanket for the retention of the earth's heat, received ohiefly from the sun. If the present amount of carbondioxide were doubled a mild climate would prevail even at the north and south poles, and the polar ice caps would probably disappear, and the temperature in other parts of the world would be raised. If, on the other hand, the quantity were reduced by a trifle less than half its present amount, conditions like those of the last great ice age would return."

Id his publication entitled "Agri oulture in Other Lands," Mr J. A. Kiosella writes amusingly on an experience be met with in Scotland. "While I was in Leitb," cays Mr Kinsella, "one of the merchants whom I interviewed caused me to tremble in my shoes by making a heated attack on the Government of New Zealand on account of the manner in which it was advertising and supplying merchants in the Old Country with information regarding our produce. He claimed that It was not fair to those who first engaged in the trade that the New Zealand Government should endeavour to get others to do likewise. He was particularly strong in bis oondemna-

tion of oar Government supplying the trade with pamphlets deaoribi >g oar methods of manufacture, grading, eto., he also objected to oar Government allowing its representative to distribute amongst the trade these important pamphlets, inoluding our yearly factory list, whloh contains the names of our factories, their total output, the addresses of their secretaries, etc. Although this gentleman complained so seriously on the lines above quoted, in answering my question he did not state that he was not pleased to get this valuable information for himself from the Government's representative."

An interesting address was delivered by the Chief Justice in connection with the opening of the museum in Palmerston North on Thursday night. Sir Robert Stout said that the function was a recognition that the people realised that "man does not live by bread alone." This 'was a thing to be impressed upon all colonists at a time when most"of them seemed to think that the great thing in life was to get dollars, and that the successful man was who got the most money. He himself did not think that this was the goal of life and humanity. Until they realised some higher ideal than mere money-getting they could not be said to nave got very far in civilisation. It had been said by an American poet that a city might have splendid buildings, and beautiful streets, and yet a collection of mere huts might be a finer plaoe. It all depended upon the breed of men and women who composed the community. Unless in these colonial towns they bad' men and women of high ideals of life and humanity they had not raised a truly great oity. What did the museum indicate? It was a portion of those institutions for culture by whloh alone a great city could b8 made. Their streets might be fine and their houseo beautiful, but they would have failed as a community unless they had provided means for uplifting the people. Therefore it was that he bad to congratulate them upon the fact that by starting the museum they had done something more in life than the mere getting of dollars. The more institutions there were whioh had for their object the uplifting of humanity, the more successful a oommunity would be.