LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXIII, Issue 11283, 2 June 1891, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Dorcas meeting takes place at 2.30 o'clock to-day, in St. Paul's Schoolroom. ■ A private letter from Auckland' states that the Rev. Thomas Spurgeon is; likely to again accept the pastorate "of the Baptist Tabernacle in that city. : " Mr F. N. Reeves left Wanganui yesterday by the . mid-day train to take up a position as reporter on the staff of the New Zealand Times. The members of the Wanganui County Council are reminded that the monthly meeting of- that body will be held this morning at 11.15, at the office of $he Board, at Campbelltown. • The vital statistics for the month ending May 31at are as follows : — Births : Borough, 10; country, seven; total 17. Deaths : Borough, Bix ; country, Beven ; Hospital, one ; and at sea, one ; total 15. Marriages : Presbyterian, two; Wesleyan, one ; and Roman Catholic, one ; total four. A meeting of those who have applied for shares in the proposed Wangauui Cooperative Association will be held tomerrow (Wednesday), at the office of Mr E. N. Liffiton, Rutland Chambers, commencing at 2.30, when it will be decided whether the company .is to be gone on with. The Northern Steam Shipping Company's Glenelg, Captain :Norbury, is to leave Onehunga for this port to-morrow (Wednesday), and should arrive here on the early tide of Thursday morning ; in all probability she will get away for. Onehunga the same night, or on Friday morning. A committee meeting of the Union Boat Club was held at the Albion Hotel last evening, when amongst other-busi-ness Mr W. Fiel-3, of the Star Boating Club, Wellington, was appointed to represent the Union Boat Club at the meeting of the New. Zealand A.R.A., which is ' to be held' in Wellington on Saturday ' night next. ' , General J. E. Johnston has an unparalleled record as a pall-bearer. Besides acting at the .funerals of . a number of famous confederate chieftains, ho' and General Sherman rode side by side at the funeral of General Grant, and he saw his great antagonist and Admiral Porter laid at rest. General Johnston is now 82 years. Tt appears that Inspector Byrnes felt it his duty to decline the '••decoration of-, ferred him by the King of Italy because it, is a rule of . the police force that no favors or gratuities shall be received., Even in the case of a patrolman the letis strictly observed, although on beats where there is here a saloon, there is oc-. caasionally ■ a slight infraction in the spirit. Gladstone has decided to support the Divorce Keform Bill introduced by Hunter This amazed the Liberals, who believed he would oppose any extension of divorce as a matter of religious principle. The bill entitles a wife to the-, dissolution of the marriage tie in the event of adultery or four years' desertion on the part of the husband. At a council meeting of the Wanganui Rifles held last night four new members were elected. Several others were nominated whose election will take place at the next council meeting of the corps. Members are reminded of the company's inspection parade to-night at 7.30.. The long service badges have arrived, and will be distributed after the parade to- • night to -those members. -of 1 the : e6rj>s who are entitled to them. Tenders are invited by Mr Atkins, architect, Ridgway-street.forthe erection of the nightwatchman's. tower and lookout on the Rutland Stockade. The tenders close at noon on Saturday next. From this fact of tenders being invited fdijthe new tower it may be inferred that the necessary funds- are forthcoming for its erection. • Messrs Cattell, Cummins, and Remington, who canvassed the town ! for subscriptions iftrepto toe congratulated upon the'success which has followed their I efforts in undertaking' Tvhat under any circumstances is not looked upon aa a pleasant duty. Lieutenant Field Marshal Baron yon Lowenthal, one of the oldest officers of the Austrian Army, died a few days ago in Paris; Since early manhood he has been employed as military attache at the various capitals Europe, and was noted for his political arid military insight. The Baron was a cultivated and polished man and was one of the most popular foreigners in the French capital. He was connected also with a well-known American family. His only ;daughter married Duke de Decazes, one of the Ministers of Napoleon 111. . Her 6on, Duke Elias, the present head of the family, married Miss Isabella Singer, the daughter of the inventor of the sewing machine. Mr Hylton, the librarian of the Public Library, has compiled the following statement showing the circulation of the dif* ferent classes of literature to be found on the shelves of the local library :— Fiction, 1016; history, 35; poetry, 8; general literature, 43; travels, 83; biography, 30 ; science, essays, politics, classics, etc., 27 ; Divinity, 2 ; • bound magazines, 1 ; children's books, 29; making a total of 1274, as against 1206 for the corresponding period last year. The total magazines in parts circulated during the month was 364 as against 321 for the corresponding period of lastyeav. In order of popularity, Mrs Woods ranks first, followed in the "ordernamed by Fat-jeon, Worboise,Yonge, and Lyall ; there is also a great run on Dickens works, every latest copy being out. Mrs Annie Besant, carrying her New York auditbrs through London's poverty^ stricken ■ district, brings them to thi3 scene: "You must be at the dock gates between two or three o'clock in the morning. There are 20,000 to 25,000 men gathered around the gales, for the earliest there gets the first chance. A man appears and calls out for so many. Then begins a literal fight for life. . Arms and ribs have been broken in the struggle. Tor what ? For work that until afe wmontbs ago paid four or four and a-half pence per hour. ■ Surgeons say that more, than 60 per cent of these men are injured by accidents. • The work needs strength, and many are faint from hunger. They often fall into the water on account of imperfect appliances, and are struck by the swinging bales. One third are always turned away without employment to go back to bnngry wives and children crying for lack of food." The Directors of the Wanganui Freezing Company have decided to commence operations to-morrow week (Wednesday), 10th instant. Everything has now been completed in tho way of building; oxtensive jards have been erected running from the railway line and leading into the slaughtering department, the yards have been enclosed with high stout timbered fences, and are capable of holding, a considerable quantity of Btock. They are connected with the slaughtering; shed by the usual races, through which the stock is run to the killing-house. The •management of the freezing company intend, if practicable, to have next Monday afternoon proclaimed a halfholiday, when they will throw the works open for public inspection. In the evening the buildings will be lighted throughout with the electric light, which is under the .superintendence of Mr Dawaon, tho representative of the Gulchor Electric Lighting Company. As no admittance except on business will be obtainable when freezing operations have been got under way, we expect to see a very large number of townspeoplo pay a visit to Castlecliff on Monday afternoon and evening next. The petty officers and the rank and file of the Naval Artillery have ■ decided to give their annual social and dance to their commanding officers and friends 'on Thursday evening, 25inst. The social will be held in the Fire Brigade Hall — than which, since tho extensive alterations thereto have been effected, no better room for anything of the kind could be wished for. Admission will be obtainable byinvitationonly, tickets being issued to the members of the corps for distributributiori amongßt their friends. The success which has attended the previous annual re-unions of the Wanganui Naval Artillery, is likely to be fully maintained at that to be celebrated during the present month. The first portion of. the evening's entertainment will consist of a concert, tho details of which will be ai> ranged later on, refreshments will be handed round during the progress of the concert and at its conclusion, the room will be cleared and an opportunity af. forded those who trip the light fantastic of enjoying themselves to their [heart's contont.

i , — We learn that the Hon W. P. Reeves, Minister for Education, has parted with his interest in the Lyttelton Times. A very severe shock of earthquake took place at 4.20 this morning, lasting fully half a minute. The shock was preceded 1 by a very heavy rumbling sound. ' ' The good citizens of Worcester, Mass., aro very much worked up over a new rule that all the pupils of the public schools be measured so that a record may ; be made of all their physical proportions. J This seems to be a case where the cry of < "measures, not men," is not popular. ( Three- fourths of the male inhabitants 1 of Hossuret,.Sar'os county, Hungary, emigrated to America, and when they made > sufficient money they sent home for their ' wives and children, but instead of using ' the money as intended the grass widows < are having a fine time with the cheap gin that is abundant in that section. ■ Archbishop Thomson, of England, it is said, once pointed, out that he had re- ' , coived. advancement in the Church for • every child born to him. "It is to be , hoped, brother'" said Dr Wilberforce,- , " your family willnot continue to enlarge, for there are only two translations more ■ possible to you — Canterbury and Heaven." The translation to Canterbury was early • barred: Archbishop Thomson had to rest the second son of the Church. It was' the ever sweet and kind Duchess : of Portland- who persuaded her' husband : to build a hospital on his -estate by the : sale of jewels with which he presented her on the-arival of their little daughter, Dorothy, a year ago. Now; in celebration of the baby^s first birthday, she has given a feast in- hep magnificent rooms to the children on the "estate, with a very substantial memento of the day to take home with them. Meissonier's vanity was' the subject of ■ of dhcussion at, a recent dinner party, in -Paris, a newspaperjetter from that city says, and one of the guests, who had known the artist well, expressed him- , self in- this ungracious manner : "He was not, only vain of being a great painter, he ( was vain not of what he was, . but what he wanted to be — a ! great politician, a great statesman — and it cut him to the;quick when, being the Mayor of Poissy, he was pronounced to be a failure as a public functionary. He would have liked to have become Minister of Fine Arts, then President of the Republic, and finally, le bon Dieu himself. And who knows if, had even that last desire been satisfied, he would have been content ? " The members of the Wanganui Musical and Literary Society assembled in large numbers last evening, when the Rev. H. R. Dewsbury gave a most interesting and succinct account of his travels 'through the most interesting portions of the Continent of Europe. The following were the principal partr which the lecturer touched upon in his discourse, which was listened to with wrapt attention throughout—"Paris" and the "Fair land of France," a description of Swiss scenery, views from the " Rigi," " Zurich," " Shaffhausen," "The Black Foresb," "The panorama of the Rhine." In Germany, the chief towns mentioned were those of Coblentz, and Ehrenbreitstein ; the Drachenfels, and a full description of the Cologne ''Cathedral were also included amongst the portions of German scenery touched upon. The reverend gentleman concluded his discourse with a few remarks on the. home of the Englishman. Of _ the various descriptions of places visited by the lecturer, perhaps that upon Cologne Cathedral was the the most interesting ; the different views obtainable from the mighty spire could no fc but awaken :ft wish amongst the audience to go and see for themselves. The lecturer stated that when the highest point was reached, In looking down upon the people beneath they looked more like ants passing to and fro than persons. Tho ornate and beautiful service ot the cathedral was done full justice at the hands of the speaker, who spoke, inthe highest-.terms^pf the solemnity lot divine service conductoa^thißre.At the conclusion of the address •Mr Meuli, in seconding the proposition of a . hearty vote of thanks tc the speaker by Mr Beaven, stated that the pourtrayal of Swiss scenery was to him so realistic as to make him feel quite homeaick, and during the progress of the reverend gentlemans remarks on his Fatherland, could almost think he was there again. Suoh a tribute of praise paid to the, lecturer is proof positive of its excellency. The evening was rendered additionally enjoyable by tho rendition of national songs by members of the Society. The following items were contributed — " The Marsellaise/'sung in French by Mr H. Parker; " Tyrolese Evening Hymn," Mis 3A. Beaven ; " Der Vachta an Rhein," Mr Meuli; "The Silver Rhine," Mr Lennard ; " Song of the Loulei," Mr Meuli ; " The Scout," Mr H. Woon ; " The Englishman," Mr Liffiton, jun. The above songs were rendered when the lecturer was -touching upon the countriea to which the songs have reference.