NOTES AND COMMENTS.

White Ribbon, Volume 8, Issue 94, 1 March 1903, Page 7

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Annual Convention. Before the present issue of the White Ribbon’s distributed,- Con/ention will have closed, and, in all probability, most of the delegates will have left, or will be about leaving, Dunedin for their respective homes. If the meetings will have proved as helpful and inspiring as we now predict, then the outcome cannot fail to give a tremendous impetus to our work.

Miss Balgarnik.— Miss Balgarnie visited Christchurch for two days last month, and tin n travelled south. She intended spending a few days in the Ashburton district, after which she purpjse:! visiting the cold lakes. Miss Balgarnie lias been touring through New Zealand since the elections, and has seen a good deal of our lovely scenery.

Mrs Clarke.— Mrs Clarke left our shores on Feb. 5 for Hobart. She will attend the Tasmanian State Convention in Launceston during the second week in March, and later will continue her journey to Melbourne, where she expects to stay until after the Triennial Australasian Convention. * World’s W.C.T.U A large number of British White Ribboners have undertaken to attend the Geneva Convention. * Australasian W.C.T.U. Triennial Convention. —The notice of the proposed gathering is on another page of this issue. The White Ribbon wishes the members a happy and useful meeting. Mrs Nicholls, President, sends a warm invitation to any N. Z. members who can attend as fraternal delegates. A Happy Suggestion. —“ One in-

terested ” writes to say : —“Could not the Unions subscribe for extia copies of the Whit* Ribbon, and post them to the mayors and civic dignitaries ot

their respective towns and boroughs? ” We think the idea a capital one, and pass it on to our members.

“But I Say Unto You.”—Recently a story came over from India of a man guilty of murder being handed over to the relatives of his victim, who forgave him and let him go free. In England, last week, we had a case of a man who pleaded guilty and was set free by Mr Justice Darling to make arrangements for compensating the widow of the man whose death he had caused.— Black and White, Dec. 27, 1902. Books Received. Baby's First x, Almost a Man, A most a Woman, and Tracking Truth, all by Mary Wood Allen, M.D., is; The House We Live In (profusely illustrated), by Vesta |. Farnsworth, 4/6. The Echo Publishing Company, Limited, Melbourne. Can also be obtained at the Sanitarium Office, Cathedral Square, Christchurch. A review of these most helpful and interesting books has been prepared, but is held over for a future issue. In the meantime we can strongly recommend th* m to all who are interested in the education of our girls and boys.

Training Ship.— The erection of the detention yard at Burnham emphasises the urgent necessity for a Gaining ship, so that boys who prove themselves not amenable to ordinary treatment may be placed under disci piine but at the same time surrounded by such conditions as shall, in some measure at least, satisfy that craving for adventure and excitement which is so powerful for weal or woe in the life of many a lad.

Woman Suffrage in Victoria.— W'e regret to note that the Victorian Legislative Council, in dealing with the Reform Bill, has struck out the pioposal to extend the franchise to women.

Union of the Churches, — The overtures towards union made by the Presbyterians of New Zealand to the Wesleyan Conference recently in session in Christchurch cannot be regarded as other than a uniting of the

forces for roo<l, and thus a matter for rejoicing to ail who value righteousness above theology, truth above creeds. • Tmf. Totalisator. Sir Robert Stout, in an article in the February number of the Rtviru' of Rtvieus, states that in a single decade the investments on the tot ablator have increased from { 506,07b a year to £1,275,813 a year surely a powerful plea for the abolition of that legalised iniquity. • ()PKN !() (io\l HNMKNT INSPECTION, The cable of the 3rd inst., anent the ill-treating of an oiphan in a convent at Nancy, once more brings Ixdore us the duty of urging that all institutions should be open to (iovernment inspection. The State has no right to delegate its oversight and guardianship to any U>dy, no matter what religious organisation it may represent; and the authorities of many institutions would only too gladly welcome such inspection as providing the public with a guaiantet of the efficiency of their work.