LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12549, 12 July 1905, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The following additional Opera House bookings have been made:—-J-ily 24.— Maori entertainment, Putiki Church Benefit. July 28.—Queen's Park School Entertainment. August 3.—Salvation Army Biorama. October 7.—Miss MacLachlan (Queen of Scottish Song).

Wo again (remind our .readers that*a concert is to be given in St. Paul's Hall to-morrow evening, under, the direction of Mr Arthur Towsey. The programme which is to bs published to-morrow, is one of the brightest and most artistic submitted for some time past. Vocal solos will be rendered by well-known artists, while some of the most gifted instrumentalists iv W'anganui are taking part.

The following members of tlio Fire Brigade Qiave been nominated for the respective offices:—Captain,, Mr. G. Spriggens; lieutenant, Mr. ,T. Sims; Foreman Ko 1, Mr. W. J. Po-rrott; Foreman No. 2, Mr. A. Halligun, Foreman No. 3, Mr. W. Sharpe: treasurer, M«r. Llloyd Jones; secretary, Mr. B. R. Price. The election will be hold at the annual meeting to be held on Friday evening next. The annasl bauuaet will not take place till the folovving Friday.

The Nelson "Evening Mail of the Ith says:—"News has beeu received that Miss. Lydia Dee, a tla-i^h'or cf Mr. Geo. Dee, of Nelson now in Berlin studying music, is making excellent, progress. Her teacher writes that in addition to getting on we'l v.ith instrumentation she is developing a fine voice, and that she would make si good singor in time." Miss. Dee is a moce of Mr. T. W. Ferry, being a daughter of his youngest sister {.Lottie) well ynown in Wanganui some years ago.

Bishop Wallis, in his-opening address to the Diocesan Synod, sa«u that the following was the text of Uio proposition to be submitted' as a plebiscite on tho Bib!e-in-Sohools question; -Are you in favour of the proposal that State schools shall be opened daily with the Lord's Prayer, and that in these schools Bible lessons shall be taught c'll'drcn during school hours, 'subject-,to a conscience clause for itjeaohtjrs aad scholars; This was, he said; the omy question that would be put, foir; warned by the'result of the referendum in Victoria, they wore determined, if a; plebiscite vere granted for this colony, there should be no ambiguity about it? significance;

There is not; a single officer in the British :wmy who understands the Japanese language. Some time ago, according to the "Phonetic Journal/ one of the assistant directors of military operations on the staff of. the Army Councilcompiled on strategy, and the Japanese" War 'Office authorities, perceiving its value, translated t!he work, andy as?ia>,usual: iin,,such cases, forwarded the. 'author some copies of the ti-ahs-lation;. The 'author, not knowing the language, turned over the leaves of the army list,' and found itihat not a single officer in the British army wjs qualified to act as interpreter in the language of our allies. '

A large deputation, representing-;.the'' Nelson province, waited, upon the Premier yesterday morning to point out the urgent necessity of exten-.ling the railway line as far a." Hop©, where it would tap the coach road t>> SJ.iller. Mr.. Seddon said that the East Coastr-Nel&pn connection/had been approved of by Parliament, and- had not the.-contractor., failed Nelson would by iVi»s tu»:o have hadrconnection with Ohrt.stohiirch. The grounds for making t'b4 conneotidn had been strengthened by -this.time ly reason of the growing! deauuids for Land, timber and coal. Mr. Saddon expressed the opinion that he would eventually 'have to look to the kelson district for" settlement. He was not prepared to ask;the colony to borrow more than cue million a year, but he agreed with the necessity for extending thi& line to a. paiywng point, and was prepared to jjjioss taiSi view npon' Ministers; tV- '' ! _ , J^asging; through,the Tuileriies gardens I; nobioea the tail new© of an old lady, in deep Mack, walking slowly, with the: aid of a stick, among tihe children and nutnse maids who throng that somewhat dreary resort. It was the Empress Eugerife, who walked there on a spot where once a palace sboiod, in which sihe had a-eigned as Sovereign, and wihere now " the children played; aaid she passed unrecognised, forgotten. Time dulls the edge of recollection; but even the 34 lon^ years tlhaifc have gone since the yells of the mob in the Rue de Rivoli, a few yaa'ds away, proclaimed the fall of ifche Second Empire, can scarcely have suffered to efface all tlhe memories\ of those other days. I turned into a side alley and watched, discreetly. The bent form, in black was standing, leaning heavily on her stick. Three Tittle girls were circling round her, absorbed m some game; one brushed . against the sombre i"obe unheeded. The Empress seemed to ;be laving in the past.—'Paris •correspondent of the "Pall Mall Gazette."

Mr. Boyle, representative in New Zealand for Mr. J. 0. Williamson, has had a busy time of late booking tours through this colony for "the firm's" attractions for the coining season. Thse> lat«st tour booked is one for the American tragedienne, Miss Nance O'Neil, who is to commence her tour of :fehe colony at Wellington on October sth a ten nights' .season. A week at Christ-, church, and a fortnight at Auckland will follow, prior to ithe return of Miss. O'Neil to America. The second tour of the Julius KnigSht-Maud Jeffries Company will commence ait Dunedin on 24th October. The Wellington season of three weeks commences on November 9th. The company will open ait CbristcTiuirch on November 30th, and ait Auckland on Boxing night. A season of musical comedy wMI be inaugurated by Mr. Williamson on Boxing Night. A tour has been booked for Messrs. Meynell and Giinn (who were interested in- the management of the last Knight-Jeffries tour), who are'bringing, out an English company to play the successful ■comedy "J.P." The tour starts in Dunedin on November" 9 th, and the company will appear in Wellington early in. .December.