A NEW ZEALAND HEROINE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXIX, Issue 11049, 11 December 1885, Page 2

A NEW ZEALAND HEROINE.

The Wellington Evening Press tells the following touohing story : — The particulars of a moot touohing case of fortitude and filial virtue— unhappily, unavailing, as far as this world's affairs go — have just been communicated to us from Canterbury. A girl of 17 has just died in the hospital, a fortnight after admission, and it has been ascartained that she had dependent on her an aged father, a helpless invalid. For a long time past this poor, good creature had earned ten shillings a week as an assist* ant photographer, and she had supported her father on that income. She paid four shillings a week for the rent of a cottage, and the pair actually lived on tho balance, six shillings a week, or less th.an 6d a clay each. Thsy puid their rout punctually, kept themselves entirely free from dabt, and never solicited or received relief. At last the girl became too ill to work, and had to go to the hospital, where she died 14 daya afterwards. Surely she shftk reoeive her reward from Him/who regards the poor and lowly, vt^io gives to them light that live in darkness and the shadow of death. /siess than sixpence a day for food aou all expenses of every Bort ; and sjKTowed no man any* thing, but " le.lt her affairs in perfect order" when' her brave spirit passed away. Think of that, you *ioh man who deny yourselves nothing, but waste money as if it was water 1 She was a | weak, fragile girl, scarcely more thin a ohild, yet she paid her rent and niain* tamed her father and herself respectably and troubled no one for assistance or charity. Think of it you strong men, who refuse to work for less than three times what she had, who fill the streets with your clamour and your agitation if yon are out of employment for a while, and who think it no shame to leave your rent and just debts unpaid I Hen shillings a week for two, —earned by an honest girl's delicate hands 1 Think of it, you who growl about the hard times and declare you cannot make both ends meet, but yet spend many pounds a week on things, which you could quite as well dq without and would never feel the want of. It is the contemplation of a case like this whioh bring us to our senses as to the realities of life.