ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1197, 28 February 1880, Page 2

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

So somebody wants to know who St. Mungo is or was. Well, he was born a.d. 516, and his name was KentigenC He was the first Christian Bishop cf (fiasco, now Glasgow, whence he v^,s driven in consequence of one of those civil wars which made the history of Scotland about that time so very interesting. Being compelled to leave Scotland, he went to Wales, where he remained for some years at Bangor, I think, the guest of Bishop David, who was afterwards canonised, and became the patron saint of Wales. The fortunes of war having resulted in the return of his friends to power in Glasco, he returned to his see, which he ruled until his death, which occurred about the end of the sixth century. He was so much loved by his people that he was surnamed " Mhungu," or " Mlmngo," which means "wellbeloved." After he died and went to heaven— bishops used to go to heaven in those days — he was canonised as St. Mungo, and became the patron saint of Glasgow. The proprietor of the property of Avhich the St. Mungo Cafe" forms a part was a " Glasgie bodie, " and hence the name. Talking of " Glasgie " reminds me of a little story I heard some time ago. A girl, who was in service at a house some distance from Glasgow, got a holiday for the purpose of going to see her cousin, who was in service in Glasgow. After trudging along for some time bhe met a man, of whom she enquired the distance to Glasgow. He pointed to a house at some distance, and said, "Do you see yonhoose? Weel, that's Glasgie." She walked on until she reached the house which had been pointed out to her ; she knocked at the door, and when it was opened, asked, "Is this Glasgie?" On being told that it was, she said, "Is Peggy in ?" There was a sad scene at the Police Court on Tuesday last. Three little boys were brought up charged with stealing a quantity of copper of the value of 6s\ One of them had admitted his guilt, and that he was induced to commit the crime by the others. He was, therefore, put in the witness-box to give evidence against his accomplices. After being sworn, lie contradicted his former statement, and declared tint the other boys had told him not to take the copper, and after he had tiken it had told him to take it back, and that he was in the act of doing so when he was caught. Of course, it was an example ot "honor among thieves," but I have grave fears for the future behaviour of a boy who can go into a witness-box cvml s-n ecu to a positive he. The boy wan .•sentenced to 48 hours' imprisonment, and to be privately whipped, while his companions escaped scatheless. Sydney Taiwhaiiga is in trouble. According to his own showing, he incurred liabilities in the belief that the Grey Government would pay them oft', but, like almost every one who trusted to the members of that very capable administration, he found that he had been leaning on a broken reed. Sydney employed a young man, named iJ cLaughlin, to teach the Maori children in his school to *peak English. McLaughlin performed his duty, but Sydney did not pay him, alleging that the payment should be made by the Government. The money not being- forthcoming-, Mc-Laup-hlin sued Sydney Taiwhang-a, and the District Judge made an order that he should pay or go to ir.iol, so he had to pay. The evidence revealed a rather curious state of affair*. Ido not refer to the fact of Taiwhanga going down to Wellington at Government expense, for that was an every day occurrence during the reign of Grey, Sheehan, &o,,but to the lessons that he teaches those placed under his care. He has been drawing Government pay, and teaching his pupilh " gum-disrginjr." It reminds me ot nothing bo much as the piactical spelling at Dothcboy'sHall. I mentioned in one of my jjapers an old man a\ ho \\ as ill and said he would go to the Hospital, as theie the doctor would tiy and get him -well, so as to get rid of him, whereas, it he called in a doctor he would keep him ill, so as to get as much as he could out of him. He went to the Ho.-pital, but did not stay there long. He returned to his own house and called in a doctor. He did not cure him immediately, so lie dismissed him and called in another, with the same result. Even if it had been possible to cure him, in the first iiibtance, no mortal man could .survive the buceebsion of different doctors, and different medicines, which he endured. Consequently, he died. Shottly before his death, Mb son u.sked him if liv wished to change his religion. He rtreplied "no, the i eligiou that "was good enough to live in was good enough to die ! in." He was then asked where he would be buried. He said, "Bury me in tlm Prcbbj terian Cemetry That Church ot England Cemetry will go rolling down into the gully one of those days, and the bones will get so mixed up that no mortal man will be able to sort them out." Poo? old man! he tried very hard to reach eighty years, out "time I ' beat him by a few months. The weather has been very hot and close during the past w eek or two, and many people in the .suburbs are anxiously hoping for rain to fill their water tank*. On one of the hottest days a lawyer met a friend, a\ ho accosted him with the lemark, " lfb very hot!' 1 "Yes," s,anl the lawyer, " but not bo hot as it will Ito where you are going." " Excuse me,"' replied the friend, " I am not one of tho devil's own.' 1 The new s that pleuro-pneumonia has broken out here will be received with general regret by the farmers ami stockoA\neis throughout the country, and deservedly so, for it is a dreadful scourge. [s it an act of friendship, a piece of ml-tapihin, or an attempt to throw dnsf, iv our eyes t Mr Maxwell, the Engineer, reported to the Hon. K. Whitaker as follows: —"! am directed by the Engineer m charge, North Island, to report to you re the supposed injury to the Auckland harbour by the railway reclamation works, that having obtained a report on the matter from Mr .1. Stewart, and having had a further examination made by me, he is convinced that the fears of the Harbour Board are unfounded, and that the evils are imaginery." This, of course, means tnat Mr Maxwell has been largely influenced by Mr Stewarts opinion, and what the people of Auckland want is the unbiassed opinion oi a duly qualified engineer.

Had Mr Maxwell seen the silt from the bottom of the harbour taken up by the dredge anywhere within a 100 yards of the reclamation works, he would have seen that it is not black as it is above the wharf, but as yellow as a guinea, an incontestable proof that the earth which has been thrown into the harbour is being washed away. I saw by the telegrams from Sydney that the Mammoth Minstrels were summoned to appear at the Newcastle Police Court, charged with desecrating the Sabbath, by giving a sacred concert. If the concert was similar to that given by them in the Choral Hall here, it was far — very far from desecration of the Sabbath, but I suppose that there as here there are men who object to other people having rational recreation on Sunday — men who preach and pray in a church, and then tell " smutty " stories as they walk home. There is a good story told about the little man, who objected so strongly to the Museum being open on Sundays. He had been preaching at a prayer meeting, and, after it was over, a gentleman said to him, " That was a very good sermon you preached." "Oh!" said he, "It was well enough, but you ought to hear me pray !" I would not like to impute motives, but it does not need veiy great penetration to see the object of both his preaching and his praying. St. Muxgo.