Current Topics AT HOME AND ABROAD.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 17, 25 August 1893, Page 1

Current Topics AT HOME AND ABROAD.

" Ulysses," who writes to tbe Dunedin Star from HOBK BOBBISH Keokuk, gives our contemporary an anti-Catholic FBOM THE bigot's view of the Bchool question in America. KEOKT7K DUST- The presumption of tbe writer, in undertaking to CABT. Bpeak on behalf of American Catholics, or to interpret tbeir minds, is flagrant and requires no comment. An anonymous correspondent pandering to the prejudices cf his employers, with whose names and dispositions, severally and in combination, we are perfectly well acquainted, is all we have. The value of the matter may equal, for example, that of a rotten straw. We may add that, were we not perfectly well aware of the lines on which our contemporary is ran, we should be surprised at finding a convicted slanderer still permitted to contribute to its columns. Any ons, however, who can string together a few scurrilous sentences against tbe Catholic Church ia sure of finding for them an honoured place there. This correspondent, moreover, adds to his offence by supplementing the lame apology that exposure obliges him to make for his falsehood respecting the Archbishop of San Francisco, which we exposed a few months ago, by telling a falsehood still more impudent, in which also be has the " cheek," — we suit onr language to our subject — to give tbe lie to tbe Archbishop. " Tbe Catholic Church," he says, "has no parochial school equal to tbe public school." Thia is the still more impudent falsehood of which we have spoken. An anonymous correspondent, however, hired to do the dirty work of an anti-Catholic employer, must be in some degree excused. He might lobo his "billet," perhaps, by not writing up to the mark prescribed for him. This correspondent concludes his rigmarole by quoting an impertinent jargon addressed by some anob of a Methodist preacher to the Pope, but which, no doubt, as an exceptionally brilliant effort of the Evangelical stump, has beea received, in our contemporary's sanctum, with extreme edification. Bat fancy acute Yankee edition of Stiggins belching out his drunken denunciations of fault and failure across the threshold of a portal through which tbe chief scholars of the world and the rulera of States and their envoys pass in and out with humility and admiration, whose dost still retains the impression of the German Emperor's reverent footsteps. The whole production, however, including this Methodist Bpouler's farrago of " rot," of ignorance, and impudeuce, is eminently worthy of onr contemporary the Evening Star. We have to congratulate our contemporary ou the services of so congenial a correspondent. We shall be anxious to see by next mail whether tbe Keokuk dust-cart contains anything mere as well suited to our contemporary's tastes and requirements. Of what authoritative opinion decides as to the the TBUE meaning of the Pope's letter on the American state ©X the school quotation, we learn from certain utterances case. reported of members of the American hierarchy. Bishop Keane rector of the Catholic University of Washington, for inßtance, was interviewed at JJew Yoik last moßtb by a representative of the World. We quote as follows from the report :—": — " ' What is the legal force and practical significance of tbe letter 1 ' 'To set all controversies at rest the Pope declares tbat the decrees of tbe mi st recent Council (the Conncil of Baltimore) are the general rule for ordinary circumstances. Schools mast be built and perfected wherever the conditions are favourable. The decrees are not set aside by the propositions, but supplemented. We hays taken a step forward to meet new circumstances. When schools cannot be built according to tha mind of the Council, then instead of remaining in enforced idlenes°, pastors must exert them selves for the religious training of the children in the public schools.' " The Archbishop of Philadelphia also has given his opinion, in an Interview with a correspondent of the Catholic Standard :— "The Holy Father's letter (remarked His Grace), is a most important &ni opportune communication, and will have tbe (fleet, it is to be hoped, afl was its evident intention, of putting an end to the unfortunate ■Chool controversy, which baa been the cause of so much misunder-

•tandinj and bad feeling among men who had only one object fa Tiew. la dealing with tbe question at issue the Holy Father simply reaffirms what he bad already confirmed as the law of the Oharoh la tbe matter of Catholic education. He pays a high compliment to tbe Apostolic Delegate, for wnose learning and zeal he evidently dm' a great admiration, and alludes to the fact, so frequently insisted upon by Mgr. Satolli himself, that his position on the school qaes* tion is in entire harmony with the decrees of the Council of Haiti* more. It is not surprising, therefore, (con inued His Grace) that the Pope's letter has given such general satisfaction, for it has enabled all parties to view the question in its true light. No prelate in the country has spoken more highly of parochial schools than did Mgr, Satolli a few weeks ago in this city ; so that there is now entire harmony among the authorities of the Church on the eohool question, at least as regards practical ac ion. Since this vexed question if now definitely settled by tbe action of the Holy See, it may be well to recall just what the Council declared, and what is now the law of the Church, binding with renewed force upon all Catholics, Here an tbe decrees referred to : ' 1. That attached to each and every ohnreh, where such does not yet exist, within two years from the promnlga* tion of this Council, a parochial school shall be erected and perpetually maintained, unless the Bishop, on account of grays difficulties, should judge it necessary to defer tbe erection. 2. That tbe priest who, by bis grave neglect, prevents, within that time, the erection or eupport of such school, or who, after repeated admonitions from the Bishop, does not provide for the erection and support of such school, attached to such church, deserves to be removed from that church. 3. That the mission or parish which faill to assist the priest in erecting and maintaining such school, so that, on account of its supine neglect, the school cannot exist, is to be reproved by the Bishop, and to be induced, by tbe most prudent and efficacious means at his disposal, to contribute tbe necessary fond*. 4. That all Catholic parents are bound to send their children to parochial schools, unless, either at home or io other Catholic schools, the Christian education of the same is sufficiently and evidently pro* videi for ; or unless, for sufficient reasons, approved by the Bishop, and with laudable precautions and remedies for tbe preservation of faith and morals, they are permitted to send them to other schools,'— Tbe words of the Sovereign Pontiff in regard to the fourth of tbew decrees (observed his Grace) are drawn from the decrees of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, and especially declare that Catbollo schools are io be sedulously promoted, and that it is to bo left to the judgment of tbe ordinary to decide, according to the circumstances, when it is lawful and when unlawful to attend the public schools. As to the children who attend the public schools, and the care that should be taken to guard them against the dangers to which a purely secular education exposes them, the Archbishops of the country, after consultations with their suffragans, adopted such measures at their conference in New York in November last as they thought necessary for that purpose. All this was prior to tbe consideration of Mgr Satolli's propositions. The propo^i ions adopted by the assembled prelates will be found to be in strict acord with the instructions oon» tamed in the Holy Father's letter, and off ord a striking illustration of the complete union of thought and purpose tbat exist* between the Holy Bee and tbe Amencin hierarchy." Those quotations place tbe matter in its true light before our readers. They will perceive that, with regard to NW Zealand, with which we are especially concerned, though, after all, we are not bound hare by any particular regulations obtaining in America, the matter remains exactly as it has been from the first. When tbere is no Catholic school within a reasonable distance our children have never been forbidden to attend the Government eohools. The necessity of providing Catholic schools wherever it is possible, and of sending Catholic children there, remains as binding as heretofore, The Woodville JExamUier denies that his coires* compliments pondent to whom we allude is an Orangeman. He from says be is of a " Catholic family, brought up in woodville. Catholic surroundings, aud is one of tbe moat respected, honourable, and esteemad settlers in the district." The heroes of Sandy Bow, then, have been cheated by fortune ont of a bright ornament of their rowdiest mob, and a

Catholic family, somewhere or another, is to be condoled wi'h on the puiiiemiion of a rotten member, an egregious example of the ill bird that fools its owo nest. We may conclude that it was in order to remain one of the "most respected, (ostensibly) honourable, and esteemed settlers " in the Wbodville district that this corre§pondent made hia vile, slanderous, and scurrilous attack on Catholic schools, under the shelter of a cowardly anonymity. For himself, also, the Ex&mifoer denies the imputation of Orangeism. On the contrary, be •ays he is a Home Baler to the backbone. More shame for him, then, aince he onght to know better, to give way to the promptings of a furious religious bigotry, Still, let us admit that he may not be without some slight excuse. He certainly showa a capacity for being imposed upon, in the authority he cites for the string of bogus quotations made by him. He tells us " they were publicly made and widely published in Oakland last y«ar as a OOQQterblaat to Dt McGlynn." If our contemporary has been taken in by the enterprise of Yankee editors— editors, moreover, of the Know-nothing type — there is no bogie too clumsily constructed to frighten him. Hia bigotry may possibly be more his misfortune than his fault. Oar contemporary says again that he ia as good as any other man and better. " I am a most superior person." '•We consider that the Examiner is quite as respectable," he Bays, **M the Tablet, and a great deal more so." Let him prove his respectability, therefore, by fair argument, and abjure the quotation of garbled extracts got together by disreputable Know-nothings, and the publication of the slanderous letters of anonymous cowards. For onr- own part, we have not, aa oar contemporary declares, been ** wounded by a telling shot," but we have been disgusted and angered by the throwing of a stink-pot. Finally we make onr contemporary welcome to all his defence of the secular system. He has every right to the courage of his opinions. No man, however, has a right to be false and calumnious, even at second hand — and that is what our contemporary the Woodville Examiner was, both in his leader on which we commented, and the letter of his anonymous correspondent. The debate last week on the second reading of the POLITICAL Cheviot Kstate Bill, was principally remarkable for ' t JOTTINGS. bringing out the fact that opposition to the purchase was more a matter of Northern jealousy than anything else. All the argument advanced that seemed to have any reason in it— and, indeed, it seemed to have vpry little — was that the money would have been better spent in acquiring native lands. People, however, who are foolish enough to believe, or selfish enough to argue, that the confinement of settlement to any particular locality would be for the advantage of the Colony, are unworthy of a bearing. A " retired commercial gentleman " is parliamentary for a " purseproud merchant." So much we learn from a brush between the Hon Mr McKenzie and Mr Duthie, which occurred with regard to the arrival the other day of a number of immigrants who intend tn form »' special settlement in Taranaki, Mr Duthie maiean attack respecting the matter on the Government, The immigrants, he said, were men who had been living in towns, and whom it was cruel to bring out here as farmers — referring especially to the Minister lor Lands. Mr 'McKenxie's reply was that it mattered little to him wbat the hon Member, wbo was a " purse-prcud merchant," said abjut him. A ■protest being made, however, the Minister withdrew the offensive Words and substituted for them the Parliamentary expression we have quoted, Ab to the immigrants, it was explained tbat they were a very deßirable class of Bettierß, owning among them a snug little capital. The grant for the public schoo cis £357,075 Mr Beeves explains besides that the vote for school buildings to be included in the public works statement will be much larger than that of last jear. — A proposal made by Mr Guinness to the effect that children educated at private schools should be admitted to the competition for Government scholarships baa brought on the hon Member an accusation of desiring to curry favour, in view of the approaching 'elections, with the Catholic votere. Our old friend Mr Meredith is to the fore in the matter, provicg that- he has lost nothing of his accustomed venom. Toe Minister for Education seems in this case also to abide by the attitude of neutrality shown by him with regard to the Bishop of Auckland's application. Here, also, he says, the whole matter rests witb the education boards. Unfortunately, the education boards— though we should be unwilling, without proof, to accuse them of the snobbish impertinence of Mr Theo Cooper and his colleagues — may be looked upon as in most instances as safe as the magnates referred to, The question of the moment, however, is the Dill for the amendment of the Licensing Act. The Bill provides that the electors of the licensing committees shall be the electors of the Parliamentary representatives, and that the lice sing districts shall be the Parliamentary electoral districts. Each committee shall consist of nine members— Done of whom tuall be in any way connected with the liquor trade,

from its highest to its lowest grade. Lord Iveagh, for example, mart have do more to do with the committee than Bill or Tom the pot-boy. No one, nevertheless, shall be prevented by any prejudice or any pledge from acting on the committee. The prohibition apouter who makes hu " pile " by denouncing the trade, or the temperance hotel keeper, who would fill his house by emptying hie neighbour's bar, is to be eligible. No woman, whether married or single, is to hold a license. No increase of licenses is to be granted until after the next census, aDd not then, unlesß the population of the district ha 9 increased by 25 per cent, of the whole population. In any case, an increase shall by granted only on a majority ol three-fifths of the votes recorded— not less than one-fourth of all the electors of the district having recorded their votes. The rate of increase shall not exceed one license for every 700 people of the increased popnlation. The most important clause, and that on which a contest seems likely, as Sir Seddon declares it has been framed after much consideration and that he is bent on carrying it, while Sir Eobert Stoat calls oat for its amendmanf, is clauße 15, dealing with the redaction and refusal of licenses. An absolute majority of votes shall decide as to the continuance or redaction of licenses ; but to the refusal to grant any licenses ft majority of three-fifths shall be necessary. The poll, moreover, shall be declared null and void, unless their votes hare been recorded by one-half of the total number of electors on the roll. A provision to enforce closiog on Sundays is that the windows of the bar room are to bt left completely uncovered, so that a view of the room may be easily obtained at all times from the streets. Clubs are to be dealt with as are other licensed premises. Sir Robert Stout proposes as amendments that a bare majority shall be sufficient to bar the granting of licenses, and that it shall not be necessary for one half the voters to record their votes. The chances of women's franchise in the Upper House are spoken of as io some degree dubious. One of their chief opponents is Sir Geerge Whitxnore, who declaims strongly against them. Sir George stigmatises the fair petitioners as chiefly tailoresses, servants, and a class be does not desire to mention. But does he apply to the fair sex the traditional saying that makes a tailor the ninth part of a man. To divide the names of the petitioners by nine would no doubt make a difference. As to the servants, Sir George's argument is hardly bo convincing. The servant-girl would probably sign as her mistress desired. The reserve observed by Sir George Whitmore we respect. The hon aod gallant Councillor, nevertheless, betrays a slight weakness in his plea by his reference to the clergy. Women, he said, were more impressionable than men, and were under the domination of the clergy. But this is a plea of the tans-culottes that seems, in no little measure, to detract from the no* old Conservative and aristocratic tone of the speaker's argument. It is to the credit of Mr M'Cullough, one of the newly appointed labour Councillors, that, in reply, he took the clergy's part. The influence of religion he said, would ha»e a beneficial effect. With the end, tbtn, which Sir George Wbitmore had in view, wa are in sympathy, The means chosen by him seem far from unquestionable. Indeed, it would almost ieem that, fur the moment at least, the speaker had forgotten his gallantry and was playing a coward's part. Mr Fish, meantime, makes a point in his sharp remark, to the effect that it ia inconsistent of the Government in one Bill to admit women to the franchise and in another to shnt them out from trade. Sir Georgt Whitmore was more consistent in his inquiry as to whether they were fit to be trusted with the defences of the colony. Verily, no. Even the amazons of Dahomey have ceased their real war, and are now engaged as show-women performing in London for wondering spectators, Sic transit gloria mundi. Possibly we may ourselves ace the fair enfranchised one returning, hereafter, to her cradle and ber doughboard. The Wellington correspondent of the Otago Daily Times gives the proportion of public houses to the population for the principal towns of the colony. Ou June 30, 1892, it was as follows :—Auckland, one house to 404 persons ; Cbristchurch, one to 345 persons ; Dunedic, one to 298 persons ; Wellington, one to 564 persons ; Kumara, one to 60 persons ; Hokitika, one to 90 persons. If, therefore, the drinking habit& of tbe people arc influenced by the number of licensed houses it is easy to see where the greater number of drunkards should be found. Are the facts in accordance with the theory 1 Are we in Dunedin more drunken than people are in Auckland, Wellington, or Christchurch ? Do people in Hokitika outdrink us immeasurably, and in Kumara most of all? If not, what hope lies in lessening the proportional number of houses T It was tried in Edinburgh, we may add, a few years ago, but without the slightest success. The riots of the Paris students, of which the cable odds and ends, a few weeks ago brought us reports, were, it seems, a special manifestation of what the culture of the age tends to produce. Tbe whole outbreak arose from the yearnings of the high artistic spirit and an attempt to gratify tbe refined tastes that the pursuit of bigb art creates and fosters. To this end it was proposed to raise the tone and exalt the meaning of a certain ball by an exhibition of tableaux vivmts, It transpired kawever that

the proposed scenes embraced some features of an indecency so gross at to bring them under the condemnation of the authorities — who, nevertheless, are not too difficult in matters of this kind and who had, in fact, already overlooked some scenes of a Bomewhat sinoilar i nature. The dispute led to a prosecutioo, and tbe prosecution to a fine, which was remitted ua the plea of a first off«noe. But tbe art students remained dissatisfied. Had they not indeed been outraged in their dearest interests — in the ont-come of their culture and their long course of devoted study ? Hence the riots arose. The Chamber of Deputies was beset ; the Prefecture of police attacked, and the dismissal of the Prefect loudly demanded. The importance of the matter, however, was, as we have said, the manifestation of what it it that tbe refinement of the day tends towards, and the delight* proposed to themselves by the votaries of culture and high art. Of what these will produce in the man of the future we, every day, bear a great deal. Of what they actually produoe in the man of the present we have before us a striking example. The pinching of the shoe it also felt in Victoria. Queensland, as we law last week has reduced her education grant by £40,000. We take the following from the Melbourne Advocate of the 19th inst : — " Children under 6 years of age will not in future be enrolled in State schools. At present there are 24,000 children under six years of age attending schools. A child under that age may attend, provided the head master is agreeable. The new regulation will, in some cases, have tbe effect of reducing tbe classification of first class schools to the second class, and second class to third. At tbe same time, a number of fifth class schools will become "unclassified," whilst several sohools at present unclassified will pass out of existence, for the reason that they will not be able to muster 10 scholars over six years of ago. The arrangement will effect a saving of several thousands of pounds per annum." Now that European armaments have been brought to perfection, or as near perfection witb a view to destruction as possible, attention is being given to the supply of food. Tbe time, it is stated, for which each State can live on its own supplies is limited, and in most instances to a narrow period, that of England being the shortest of all.

An ominons step, therefore, to be looked for is that any particular country should be anxious to purchase provisions. This is foretold to be taken as betokening a provision for imminent war. Another instance adds to the proofs to be cited by those who maintain that Mr Gladstone bears a charmed life. This time hia escape has besn from being run over at Westminater by the carriage of the Baroness Burdett-Coatts. A policeman, it is reported, stopped the horses just in tima. We do not know whether Lady BurdettOoutts is a Primrose dame or not. We believe she ia a Unionist, but as, otherwise, she is a lady of a kindly and charitable disposition, the accidtnt do doubt, had it occurred, would cause her sincere sorrow. Her ladyship, therefor*, as well as Mr Gladstone ia to ba congratulate 1 . We hardly care to say anything tending to approve of Lynch law. But when it does not go too far, when in fact, it is preventive rather than punitive, it does not seem altogether to lack its advantages. Take for instance the following case aa reported by the Aritona Kicker. "Last Saturday the Granite Hill Saving Banks of this town failed to open its doors, and a notice was posted up to the effect that it would be reconstructed in about a week, and pay at least fifty cents on the dollar. The boys got together about 10 o'clock , and Mr Duggan, the president, was invited to explain matters. He said he hadn't time just then, but after a rope had been passed over his neck he explained that the failure had been caused by over-confi-dence in silver mine investments. The boys doubted thip, and Mr Duggan was taken to the bank and compelled to show bis books and cash. After figuring for abont two hours, a committee found there was money enough to pay every depositor 1 dollar 47 cents on the dollar, and it was accordingly passed out and the bank wound up ship-shape fashion. It was no failure, but simply going out of businew. Mr Duggao had calculated on a little scoop, but the boys got Ahead of him. He left town on foot, carrying a spare paper collar in ' his hind pocket, and he will probably look for some hayseed town in which to begin life anew. We have a failure here in trad* now and then, but we permit no bank to fail unless all depositors are firßt paid in full."

It sremi there is a dark and dreadful design on foot to blacken and distort everything connected with the Masonic Grand Lodge of New Zealand. Of the whys and the wherefores we are in oomplete ignoranoe and indeed we have no desire to endanger oar bliga by any attempt to learn them. Some one or another, it howerer appears, has been writing a series of falsehoods to American papers oa Ifca subjeot in which be rather inelegantly speaks of contending partiea asserted to exist in the Lodge under the names respectively of " youngsters " and " old fogeys." Is it, for example, a design on tht part of the Grand Orient to bring the Grand Lodge into humiliation and subjection ? Well, for ova part, we can wish them both bo worse fate than that which, as we are told, befell the Kilkenny cat*. W« are willing, nevertheless, to admit that the awallowtr of the Grand Orient might possibly feel a little more sick in Mb stomach than (hi swallower of the Grand Lodge, thongh both bodies partake in tubstance of the same nature. A case mentioned the other night at the capping ceremony in Dunedin by the Bey Dr Stuart recalls to us certain statements thai we have now and then come across in American papers. The case was one in which the Bey Chancellor said be had discovered with delight and gratnlation that a certain teacher engaged in the classic labour of guiding the studies of the children in the Industrial School was a gentleman who had lately graduated witb honours. The statements of the American papers to which we have alluded run to the effect that of the young men who annually make a brilliant display at the universities and colleges there, an infinitely small proportion ii ever afterwards heard of. It may be consistent with the kindly nature of the Bey Dr Stuart to rejoice for the children's sake at find* ing a gentleman so well qualified in charge of them. But we mast take leave to doubt as to whether his position is a matter of gratnlation and delight to the gentleman himself. A man in snob a position must necessarily support his life on the hopes of something better to come. Possibly the brilliant American graduates alao, for the moat part, " hang out " under equal conditions. As usual at the ceremony in question, there was a great lot of tilk about the glories of education. On a capping night in DuMdin,

in fact, you may hear, tbat is you rmy read next day in the newspapera — for even if you were present in the hall, it is not likely the racket would let you hear a word— as much about the glories of education as you could bear at a whole week— that is seven yean— of such ceremonies elsewnere, and, indeed, we do not recollect ever having heard, or read next day in the papera, a syllable of the kind. But here it is all we have done in the way of letters and the soitoces, and all we are going to do, and all we ought to do, regardless, of course, of expense. Take, nevertheless, a case in point. A few weeks ago there was an advertisement for a book-keeper in a Danedin paper. The salary was 25s a week, and for it there were over one hundred competitors, many of them tine, strapping young fellows, who, at the tail of the plough, might be doing good work for the Colony, and making for themselves an independent means of living and a comfortable home. A University education is all very well in its way, and a primary education is the same, but an education craze in a new country like this is a public misfortune. The roaring undergraduates in the middle of the hal), in fact, cut just aa sensible a figure as the spouting professors on the platform. The political aspect of prohibition may perhaps be doubtful. There are, however, connee'ed with it certain considerations that effect the seatimeats not unpleasantly. In these humdrum days of oure, for instance, it might afford a little relief to catch a glimpse once more of romance. Borne of the experiences of the past return* ing upon us might give a brighter colour to the life of the period. Who, for example, would not welcome Borne ihade of a personal contact with the days of Guy Mannering. Meg Mernhes we could not indeed hope to revive, but Dirk Hatterack is not altogether ao impossibility. Some rough fellow, swearing hia fionner vndblitzen, and ready to risk hia life — and the lives of every one else, perhaps, in a smugghDg adventure, could readily be found. There would be adventures by land and water ; suspicious craft lying off the coast to be run in under cover of the night to secret coves and creeks ; caves and cellars to be guarded and watched, and all kinds of interesting and mysterious characters to be Btudied. We should have, besides, a largely increased police-force, possibly a revival of the

revenue police of old times ; coast guard stations all along the coait, and the nigbt occasionally made lively by a fight with sniug•glerg. There wonld be abundant food for the novelist of the future, nay even, may bf, foT the poet who is with ns, On the whole, a» we have said, prohibition is not without its attractive suggestions. The mind at least inclining towards romance, might find in it a fruitful •source of delight. But if the need of producing a superior breed demands that New Zealand settlers shall be restricted in theii drink, is there not some danger that the plan ma; still be hindered, unless some attention is also given to what they eat. There are many kinds of food that are unwholesome, that destroy the powers of digestion, and a man cancot, at leaßt physically, be a superior person, if his stomach is out of order. Read, for example, Mo'her Seigel's Syrup, and see the kind of object he must become under the circumstances, Now, we would seriously propose to the ameliorators of society, to Sir Bober* Stout as incubator in chief, that they should take this matter into consideration. Has Sir Robert really overlooked it ? We can hardly believe that such can be the case. There, for example, ia the seller of lollies. Let Sir Robert Stout consider bow great an obstacle is placed in the way of his plans by that deponent. It may be questioned as to whether the individual, of either Bex and of tender age, who keeps sucking lollies from morning until night ia not doing 8g much, or nearly as much, to impede healthy development of tbe internal organs, as the adult who drinks to excess is doing to break down his system. While the lolly-seller, therefore, continues his destructive trade— or her destructive trade, for the nefarious trader, is sometimes a woman— thera ia an effective bar placed in Sir Robert Stout's path. We would suggest to him, then, that he should take this matter into earnest consideration — though, indeed, we can hardly believe that it has escaped his notice. It forms an "experiment " that would be most worthy of his genius — to be followed up dnly by kindred undertakings of an equal importance. Positively Sir Robert Stout mußt not spend himself altogether on liquids, while solids remain to be dealt with — and first of all the lolly-shop calls for his powerful and consistent interferenct. We await, therefore, with anxiety, Sir fiobeit Stout's Bill to provide against unwholesome edibles, especially lollypops.