The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1634, 23 December 1882, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equ.il and exact justice to all men, Ot whatsoever slate or persuasion, religious or pchtir.il. Here bhnil'the l'fess the People's right maintain, Un.iwed h$ influence and unbnbcd by gain:

SA TURD AY, DEC. ,2J, 1882.

Tjlk twenty-fifth of December, from bein g a day of mark a mong certain lioathon communities, has come to bo regarded "by a largo section of the Ciiristiau Church as the anniversary of fin event the magnitude of which has never been paralleled — the birth of the founder of that religion ■« hi ch is jn'oiessed by the great majority of civilised mankind. That they are hi error admits of littlo doubt, and those Christians who are distinguished by the name of "dissenter*" attach no importance to Christmas Day in its religious aspect at all, only agreeing Avith their brethren of the Episcopal Churches in so far that they keep the day as a, social holiday. Our readers* are aAwirc i of the great difference between the manner of observing the day in England and in Scotland, and tlie result of this divergence of opinion is equally noticeable in New Zealand. In Canterbury, for instance, the day is observed with much greater decorum than is Iho case in Otago, v here it is generally appropriated for- horse racing and outdoor sports of all. kinds. The former province was 1 settled by English churchmen, while the latter, though pretty cosmopolitan in its character now, still bears the indelible impress of its founders and' earlier settlers— Scotch Presbyterians of a very pronounced type. But it seems "\ery natural that some day should havo boon Pet apart to commemorate an event which, no matter in what light it may be regarded, has exercised a most extraordinary influence upon the world. Around this clay, therefore, are clustered the holy associations 1 of Christianity, its message of peace on earth and good will toward men. At such a time it is proper to look around, and examine _ the condition of the Christian Institution, ft is not our function, as it certainly is not our desire, to follow out such a course in thpse columns. But it may be permitted to us to refer briefly to the chief events of the past year connected with: the subjoob under notice. In reviewing the, occurrences of this period of time, the observer's attention is at once arrested by the spectacle of a new and extraordinary revivalistic movement, go-, ing under the'nanie of the " Salvation Army," an organisation which has grown to vast proportions during the year, and promises to become more potent y«si. Tho avowed aim of this body, trained' and ofltceved according to miYitnvy rules, is the conversion of those whose circumstances and mode of life place them beyond the reach of the ordi^ nary instruments of the Church, and* reports continually reach us affirming the success of the " Army" in this direction. The need of such an auxiliary force has bee.n openly admitted by high dignitaries' in the Church, who thereby acknowledge their inability to supply all the aids to salvation. That the " Army' 7 is calculated to , effect any permanent good, may reasonably bo doubted, oven by the friends of Evangelical Christianity, while the tinsel and show of quasi military forms, and the free and '■ easy, and too often blasphemous phraseology indulged in by' the " officers" have sufficed to render it in the highest degree distasteful to calmer and more thoughtful minds, who regard the whole thing as a species of lunacy, fitted rather to f . bring religion into contempt than to raise it in the estimation of a people to whom, the doors of knowledge are gradually being opened. ,The good effects of .spasmodic jofforts, pi this* nature are' 'seldom or never of •, a lasting character, • while- itheir evil results; are 'only t6o obVioujs. iWe do not doubt ' the' , ' sinee 1 luty j ;of "General'' Booth and his! Mowers; but we deplore thoii' want of judgment and good taste,' % It' is haj?d fcq say which/ Quality 'has jthßj greater prominence since' jtfye, "Army" began the campaign, jthe innate 'quality 'of- rpjeren<^&ftfr{'a<--higher"p^f^ ,Avfiich' (! 'extern air hu man beings, ' or £ha blackguardism^ ,'wliidhasttfie reegul tMQiiin% genera--' tionsof.traimng^smpulderinginlthe^ that,tli^c^jra|^|lfe boon Mo. sinecure t in ; Jinjj ianclkCluriQ^

Christians ars* being enorm'ousl|» swelled/ Mttugfimt 1 "there V ai||j rumours of w,urs. Scarcply^duj.^c the ' Pyramids of ! E<*yijt ceasyT to v echo bat'k the, ro+ir of the. cuimdu,^ 'than tliero/* arq idi&la|it u|u tarings *ot war a'rju'nduhe taoasß Jflxoiof Europe, and the fay off island of Madagascar is witnessing a little play which might at any moment resolve, itsiilf intOftf.bJoprly tragedy. The ; Wit' preacher- *6f^ AMi&rieh; Henry Ward Beecher, has seen tit to T openly confc'ls a' "change ofTJcliFf,"" involving |Uie abandonment, of sou us ( cardinal of orthb'd'oxy ; ll</has' -been >jusbi tied*- by those -tor whom^hw l)as ministered, and it is hard to say to what length the influence of such a man, imbued ;,with new ideas, andwitk a * -chert's l zeal, may extend. . r JLVcome,/lo wh to our own little colony, we find much confusion, much discontent 1 , and not a Jittle bigotry ; the last named happily' of a very impotent sort. We find one church harrassed by the. most .pitiful bickerings, the hearts of its teachers burning with envy, hatred. A *Hlal ice and all uncharitablpness, where' the dove of peace should alone find a resting-place. On such subjects as education our clerical friends aru hopelessly at variance' one with another, while their best energies are directed, not so much to spread the light of the Gospel o\or the dark places, as in quibbling with their fellow theologians over tufting points of doctrine and discipline, of no earthly consequence except as convenient pegs upon which to hang their acrimonious contiove'nsies. What these hoterogen'eous elements, taken in conjunction with the nationalistic congregation at the Dunedin Lyceum and the conditional immortality sect In this province, will eventually produce it is hard to say ; but we ha\ c the materials for keeping alive the strife which some affirm it if> the object of Christianity to promote. ' Perhaps it ib all for the best: without this element of aggre^iveneto religion might sink into -i mere negation, a lifeless aggregation of formulas. And yet the, bounder is not represented as a mail-clad warrior, but as a man of sorrows, meek and lowly, and acquainted with grief, who in a certain sermon preached on a mount said, " Blessed arc the peacemakers : for they shall be called the children of God."' Lot us leau* the subject j with these words. It has been vi\>- \ tomary from time immemorial j among Knglish speaking people, of j all creeds, to exchange a (liirihtin.ih i greeting, and as before another issue of this paper appears Ohrist'ius ' Day will have parsed, we i-oriialhj extend to our readers that murk ,of j courtesy which we feel sure they j will in their turn oiler to us.

With this issue the propr&fcrffs of Tic IFuihuto Times ha\ o much pleasure 111 presenting to their subscriber^ t,n the first, ti \ie since the establishment ot tjie paper —now some ten years ago — au illustrated four-page Christmas supplement, containing tales from the pens ot well-known authois. In July last the proprietary determined upon issuing a tourteen-colunm supplement with the Saturday's issue,, and tho anticipated increase in the circulation attending this step has been fully realised. The publication of a (Saturday's supplement was decided on to meet tho requirements ot the times, and the propi ietary have eveiy reason to be satisfied with the amount ot encouragement that their exoitioin to cater for the public have met with, and trust that the progress of the district will be such as will warrant them in still fmtber extending tl|e paper before meeting them again at tho amj of th'j coming year. The tale, "Slow Degrees,'* will be continued in" next Saturday's issue.

There will -^be no issue ofr'rKi^ 'Waikato Times "' on Tuesday ljexf.

"Echoes from the' Cafe" wii™ found on the fourth page.

The result of the New South' Wales elections &ho\v that the Parlcus Ministry mio ni n hopeless unuoiity. They will probably rpsign before Pt\vhainenfc reassembles

' We' ate' iiiformtfd that Mr Sutton and Mi; (j. X, JoUuson luivc come to an 'ftf&iigemenlfc )fsi?eby tlieflovmer haiuli -,oKei%tQ tl l.he,lalitei' ithc Kagta«^J%l oon-

The Rightfßev. -Df' i Liiick;'E lomai) I omai) Catholic Bishoplof A^dclafrd, retained to Auckland yesterday.' '"Buiini; liib htay in Waikato he visited the piiiK-ipul clistriots.'and oxprosbes hiniselt iv tenu& ot admiiation cbiiccnjing M^uvtlio hasa^eii.

The horses attached to Messrs Lewis and Simpson's \\a<r<ron made a; bolt when just on. the Hamilton Uridgo, on Thursday, and gallopo! over tliO' sirtio tun- at a terrible paw. Fortunately tin-y were pulled up in Biidge-btiuet, Kaat, without doing any injury. Tho driver deserves great credit for tho pluck ho displayed iv stickiug to Ins pos>fc. , ,

The last "Gazette" coiitaiii<rtlij 'following information :— Con^Lule X.' J. Gillies is appointed, clerk of the Resident Magistrate and Licensing Cnu-td at AlexanW IVjr IJngH ' O'anlen BetU SmitU 1b gazetted District 0 mlgo of Auok ' s land. Mr, Andrew Kay, of Kihijclii/' i* appointed assessor within the Auukhuul property, assessment district. ■ •■

j^T-he, jury infth© pase of? the Hawthpra, .(Victoria) ,I'ijiluay,, vcbiUenfc,_ have returned 'a verdict 'of 'manslaughter i against sfcUeitationniasteVof Eavvfthbpi, aiid the*guai?d \i\ -Qbarg/ of tnVsjfecia 1 . A I'ider avos also added, opudenjuatovy qf t;ho , i railway, n^anag^oii'j;, apd ' Jjeqoin» mendfng.thQ appointmaufc u of a pei'maiieut

At the annual meeting of Lodge jSonsof Ulstp, <L.O.L.;,2jTp. 9, on Jhufgday night, at tlje 'VictoWa Hall/Hamilton, J ',Bro.;-Gw / yni^ ) ;W,J(l,, j in %^air, the./fdllo.wirig officq-Jjeareiva Wet-e elefatcd for iheehsumg year r-VV.Mr, WqS J.ohk> mmte W WISPWfe ft 01 11^004

, f 4Tbe n^tiwsxwftoefousonjie , pa»b i Lh'a ) Y&./^en4^tte?icUug f Laad3<Courfc; at- eamb^dge^ j ]w;e;;.aJ4}ft3t'i | 'aince'J rthe 7 , ad joiirnment -"of -the^Cc iijfc..

eve^ng last, and °^/j^^^L^^^^Mk novelty exciti'd both uS|» ■aTsf*3firer_estt A CtMistabularjwrian n§|ibd E^^afofeeij, t(xyi IPu, uijmiaioiainetlOßri^fa i\ic& of 100 m,., liMBoi) to lJfMo||j3. fttj antffi p caiwa'Wtiighfc oM^tweenfeiglnifeen iii^^\v7^l"mi(le.^putlmfJP^'titoii' htrijjpcii, j)nd got off with a good start. The man with the '"encumbrance ran exceedingly Moll under his burden, but the iuii&h Sloo^ed^omej^hat top? stftggih'ing fvisiblyi ' Hp lost|th(| f raco by iihbut^a nise,* b'nt wa« ivai^nlj* cheered for his eft'ort. Box, the uns.nc-ce-jsful conipotitot', afterwards ran OBrien lor tliu s.nne money, yivinj; liim 3j'(ls. in tin; hundred^ The I'esuft fallowed lip •' could, havo givqn O'/iri6bGyds.,,aiul then ha 1 , o" beaten ihiti t/a&ily. ' ' ' ' ' " '

A meeting of the Hamilton West ' ScffSfil eeffffiiitfrceWaS held itirtlfe'Hafflil-* ton Auction Mart on Thursday evening, ''jit;whicli all the member^, werer present, *to consider a letter received" from the 'iboard, -requesting the- committee- .to hold an inquiry into the charges brought against the head master, Mr Murray, by the assistant 'teacher, Mr Meagher. The secretary read a' letter of explanation ft our tile head mastier, and after coinfideration it was, unanimously resolved "That this committee decline to investigate the cause of complaint made by the assistant te.ichcr, ' Mr' Measlier, against the head teacher, Mr-Murray, believing that such ,an investigation is the, duty rather of the board, and beg to forward for their perusal the whole of the documents connected therewith. That, nevertheless, fchis committee, though they are ready to admit there 1 has been a want of tact on the part of both teachers, desire to express their' deep regret at the loss of Mr Meagher's services, as they consider him a most, valuable teacher, possessing in a high 'deg! cc the power of securing the esteem' of liis pupils, with 'a special aptitude for, imparting instruction." The resolution wa& oideivd to be forwarded to the boat d. It was further decided to forward application to the Government for subsidy on £18 subscribed foy the school libr.iiy, in terms of the Libraries Act.