RIVERTON.

Western Star, Issue 988, 7 October 1885, Page 3

RIVERTON.

[By the Unauthorised.]

No apology is necessury for the publication and br«adcast distribution of this article; the residents of Riverton will at. onco recognise the realistic truth conveyed in the description of their own town, and people who have never seen the place will probably be induced to make amends for their past, foolishness, the object of Uw article being to divert the sfeam of immigration from the shores of the American continent to the sunlit sands of Eiverton's bench, I trust that the oligarchies of the city's wealth and influence will cut it, out and paste it. inside the lining of the tall hats that, they wear on Sundays. There is an air of pre-eminent respectability bound up in a "be'l-topper," and it is tho wearing of this edifying article of head gea;- that has made the British nation what it is. Tho possessor ot a tall hat is, by the unwritten laws of human nature, compelled to live up to it, and the code of social morality so enforced is about. the strictest, on record. The possession of a tall hat necessitates the possession of good clotheß and a clean collar, nnd when so arra.ye ' a man/eefs respectable ; he it respectable, an 1 he straight way goes and negotiates an overdraft. shr.rfc time tverythi- g connetted with the man's nvde of living must conform to the dignity of his tall hat, then hereditary influence mates its presence felt, and the"bell-t<pper" has accomplished more for the succeeding generation than tho united efforts of all the disunited creeds and denominations. It is thoughts such as these that flit through my mind as I stand on the bridge—listening to the dulcet strains of the Sava tion Army's vocal band—watching the spot where the snarkling waters of tho Apaiima unite with the sombre Pnurapoun»kino before flowing forward with majestic "-oil *o do battle with the roaring billows of the boundless ocean—and ruminate on the fact that the chief pro.lmts of the district, are mutton-birds and codfish. The government of the country is essentinllv a democratic one and consists of two chambors, both eleeiire, the upper one being t'.e County Council and the lower one tho Town Council, which is preside I over bv the Mayor who hold 9 the rank of Lord Chief Justice. Both chambers work in perfrct amity and are thoroughly appreciated by the inhabitants, who especially altnire tho wisdom of the Harbor Board in erecting expensive wharfage accommodation at. a place when, at any moment, a heavy flood or huge tidal wave might make the berthing of a small craft a matter of possibility. From the view of suppressed cynicism, sometimes exhibited in the conversations on town topics, a stranger might, conclude that in some things the people were not at one with their rubers, but tho dissatisfaction dare not be openly expressed, as the staniins army, commanded by Captain Achpfon, would at once be called out, and the consequence 'o the civilians would be simply fearful. This said army in the bygone ages in /aded the Lake c iuatry disguised as " sundowners," and whilst there carried all beforo them. The news of their doings on the flats of Frankton was telegraphed to Mr Alexander Romanoff Qnd caused that gentleman to withdraw his hordes from the Afghan frontier and erect a barbed wire fence around bis winter palace. The Rivertoni ins ere proud, and justly so, of their standing army, which is composed of man of as good physique and discipline as any corps in the Australian Colonies. The metropolis of tbe country is well laid out, parks and gardens inter-dotting at regular intervals the tastefully decorated streets. The principal thoroughfare, (Palmerston •treet) is some hundreds of miles long, and connects the town of Orepuki in the west, with the pretty little suburbs of Invercargi!]. Ctore, and Dunedin, which lie in an easterly direction. At night this street is brilliantly lighted with a continuous series of elee'ric lamps, and so perfect is the imitation of day, that the songs of the birds never cease—the wail of a cat on the roof is heard not—and the gentlemen hens are exceedingly puzzled to know the exact time to crow. But to see it in its full glory, Pi'mcr.-ton s'reet must be seen when the aeti >ic rays of the aft-ernoou sun are shed upon the arouitecturnl beauties of the massife buildings and cjmmodious Government offices. It is at tnis time that the thoroughfare is resplendent with the procession of handssme equioages, and the foot-walks crowded with well-dressed ladies, whose beauty is well calculated to txcite the admiration of visitors from less favored regions. The fashions of the world here first cee the light, and from heie are sent to Paris where the fearful and wonderful constructions of "bustle" and ' Cape decolet with mauve tulle of brocaded yoiffiire w;th ermine flounces and trimmings to mitcli" nr? engraved on plates for the "Young Ladies' Journal," and ultimately become th« mode. The effect that the "Bustle" is destined to exert upon the human nice is ■ t present unknown, but the subject is under the can e t cr,n-ider»tion of the world's greatest philosopher*, and it is • even a matter ot rumor that Sir Juiius intends resigning the sphere «f pditics, in o-dir to devote the whole of his time to the soluion of this knotty problem. If the grandeur of tho gardens is a constant theme of wonderment, what is to be said of tho public baths, and above all, of the magnificent docks which were designed by ihafc prince of engineers, Sir John Coode. Au examination of these wonderful creations of man's genius will well repay tho time aud cost of a journey from the uttermost ends of • the earth. When these works were first mooted considerable fear was expressed that their perfection of outline would be defaced by the wicked acts of Gothß nnd Vandals in breaking off pieces to carry away as mementos of their visits. To avoid this, the docks, when finished, were carefully locked up in the Council's strong-room, and there they rssain to this day. By the upsettal of a bottle of ink, the marble columns that support the flood-gate havo been entirely demolished, but otherwise the works are just ■O3 good as new. In religious matters tho country will cornpare most favorably with any nation of past - or present times. The Anglican people are erecting a new cathedral, already the founda- ' tions aro laid, and it is expected that in a century or so, when the concrete I as had timoto sot, that the erection of the walls und roof will be proceeded with. The work of building cathedrals is necessarily a slow one, and instances are extant where five centuries of active work have been required before the original contract was completed. This fact ' is mentioned to show that there is no necessity for indecent hasto in the matter of church building, nnd if the congregation is content to wait, when they get a cathedral, it will be a good one. The interior of the present church is prettily decorated, tho choir is a good one, tho organist capable, the congregation devout, and tho lay-reader a gentleman, whooe education and life renders him thoroughly fitted for his work. I would have said more about tho church and its people but for the fact that they use an open salver, instead of the more convenient bag, in collecting the offering, thus compelling me to donate a sixpenco in place of the usual conrcrsation lozenge. „,,,.«, -For the nonce tl e Roman Catholic Ghurcn is without tt pastor, the eonaregation not being wicked enough to require the services of one. The lone is, however, freely expre.-sed that thi» state cf affairs «ill be remedied in about three weeks f.-oin d..te and that things will proceed as in lini-m of old. The Salvation Army is foitunate in the possession of a Captain who undoubtedly has the power of makins! his voice heard. With a voice like his the man is in poss. ss on Ot a foru-e, and could command his own price from the Rive.ton Shipping Company were he content to travel in the capacity of a »og-horn. linn the p'eusure of attei.ding Ihei' service recen lv nnd w.-s greatly pleased at the amount of lit'*, vigor and vsrre msplayid. I am hon-s.lv of the opinion that the devil himself would find little pleasure in nt'en 'ing ill"ir meeti g. The "IHV and "Ham's" jnd'opo-i and "omes" weie certainly of the jarring ordor, but a I ig t >oth saw is required fo ■ rough work. tl-e pinning machine comes a'ttfi"■wards. The Silvat'on Army ii doing 'ts owewoik, and in its • wn way; goo 1 will ultimately Come i.f it, and for tho sake of that goo.l the

general public should patiently bear with the voc.il vagaries of tho soldiers. From the last subject to a musical one is a wile leap, but curiously enough the one calls up the other to my recollections. Riverton is a musical (own, and taking the population into consideration, I know of no town in New Zcalsnd that can sun ass it. In the various churches the choral service is rendered with taste and precision, and in private life the dingers are numerous and good. Last week I had the pleasure of attending a private performance of the stringed orchestra, and I came away surprised and please!. It has rarely been my lot to heur classical music ' belter rendered, the time being accurate, the harmony perfect, the instruments balanced, and the execution difficult, to surpass Each , of the pluyers is a soloist, and t'e flautist, I would rank as one of the best, amateurs in Otago. The abilities of the violin and 'cello players ore of the highest order, and the evening spent with the amateurs of Riveiton will long be remembered. But above all, and before all, the Rivertonians deserve praise for their cure of the sick and needy. Many towns of greater pretensions, although they fight for and obtain a suitable railway service and all the rest of it, I are yet content to leave their sick and indigent (o the tender paternal c>re of the Government. The hospital is a model institution; I examined every ward, cross-examined every patient; and everywhere, and from all loeeived evidence of the highest order of medicd skill and attention, of attendance and clear Hi ess on the part of the wardsraan and matron, and of excellent careful management on tue part of the committee. During my visit the latter body were holding their meeting, unci on entering the room the first object that attracted my attention was a curijudy shaped bottle placed on the centre of the table. The shape was new to m», the contents unknown, but I smacked my lips and j smiled in anticipation. After s-ime lime had elapsed I secured the b ttle, but to my inexpressible horror and found that, it contained some domical substance for extinguishing fires, and was called a "hand grenade." The disappoint ment was too gro it, I beat a precipitate ntreat, and here I am to this day. Shamrock Hotel, Oct. sth, 1885.