OPINIONS.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 186, 23 August 1888, Page 3

OPINIONS.

« Opinions mav be worn on both sides like a leather jerkin.” ADVANCE OF RUSSIA. Still southward, ever southward, and now the Russ has entered Samarcand, the capital of the great Emir Samerlane, who 500 years ago reigned in that celebrated city of Central Asia; a city situated at the foot of a mountain range in a plain of exuberant fertility, which seen from a distance, its glittering minarets, lofty domes, and prominent edifices and massive ruins, relieved by the brilliant green of the closely-planted gardens interspersed within the walls, present to the European eye an imposing effect; while to the wild Turksman, familiarised with the dreary expanse of the pathless deserts, Samarcand seems the very image of paradise. What an agreeable change it must prove to the snow and icefettered Russian to be able to take a railway trip down there occasionally ’ At the insignificant outlay of six and a-half millions English money a thousand miles of railway have been laid down, completed, and ready at notice to place at least one hundred thousand men on the frontier of India : and all this without fuss or noise of diplomacy. Surely Russia is the most go-a-head of nations to-day. SHALL I LOSE MY PARSON ? NO, HE GIVES ME THE PROVERBS AND THE NOVERBS. At a General Assembly meeting held in Edinburgh the other day, the query as to the extent of non-churchgoing came up for discussion. Committees had been appointed some

time before to report on the matter. The ref port stated that intemperance largely entered V into the cause of non-church-attendance. ’ Football came in for a share of censure, although the game was held on Saturdays. One, mark this, one, only one amongst so many, suggested mildly among other causes, pulpit weakness; that was a straight shot, well aimed : other wise-acres said, cheap and unhealthy literature ; others seat-rents, and other reasons were given. Remedies were proposed, some good, some weakly enough: but amongst the sensible ones was that of plainer dressing on the part of those who did go to church; also, an improved style of service. One went so far as to say that the minister must not be a lump of wood or a piece of ice, but a man in symputhy with the people. This is surely a discovery, and only made at this time of day ! These Scotch divines are a remarkable set of men ; reminding one of the old saw;—good wine will make a cat talk. One of the members of the Assembly, a Professor Story, is likely to have a hard time of it: he said that one-fourth of the people of Glasgow lived in one-roomed houses; and this fact, said he, must be remembered, the landlords of these one-roomed dwellings were probably douce members of the Church, and were pocketing the rents from these dens of infamy. He would also open every public museum and public library in the town, on the Sunday (cries, frantic cries of “No 1 No!”), for the take of those who had no place to go to, where men could read and rest and trace the hand of God in the wonders of his work. Professor Story had better emigate after that. PADDY AT HOME. Baron de Mandat-Grancy is kind enough to give his views of Ireland and the Irish people in comparison wita his own countrymen. In contrasting ths condition of the French peasantry with that of the Irish tenants, the Baron said that there were some countries which produced too much food and others too little. There were different methods of meeting this state of affairs—either the people must be taken to the food, or the food must be taken to the people. If the people of a country in need of food possessed money wherewith to buy it, there was no need impelling them to go to the food. In Ireland the want of food was pressing, but the want of money to buy food was as great a necessity; hence the natural remedy—emigrate. To this off-hand method of pointing a remedy, one might ask the Baron are the conditions of ownership similar to the tame classes in both countries ? We trow not. The soil of Ireland is far richer than that of France. r.~EF NOT GOOD FOR THE WIT. So it »eems, as one reads, after dinner speeches:—“ What is the first and highest qualification of an English statesman ?” asked a knight a few weeks since at a banquet; “It is not intelligence, for we know with what little wisdom the world is governed. It-is not industry or eloquence, which is generally a snare in which are caught the feet of the unwary. It is courage. This is the first thing, and there is no other.” Whatever could be wrong with this model speaker ? He too, we must perforce admit, has made a discovery ’ The last sentence was greeted with cheers, but whether drunken or not the report omits to state. AUSTRALIA’S WHITE ELEPHANT. To work the ruby mines, several large vessels sailing under the Chinese flag were to have been despatched from Chinese ports, each vessel bringing full cargoes of the Chinkies. In by the back door of Australia—north—the Chinese have long been accustomed to find ] easy and welcome entrance. This northern colony does not pay, nor make any headway, owing to its semi-tropical climate. The country is rich in minerals, but the European miner after a short trial makes tracks elsewhere. Hence the Government has welcomed the little yellow man. Although John be limited to a one thousand mile radius; will he remain there? In San Francisco John worked in large numbers in the factories there; in Australia John works successfully on his own account. In gardening they have taught us a great deal, in furniture making they have learnt a good deal from us. The drollery of the affair in one aspect at least is this: John’s principal customers are the working classes, who buy John’s goods while they curse most heartily poor John himself. If we could mix socially and politically with John, all might come right pretty soon. But that cannot be hoped for—at present at least. ■A neat trick that of the naturalisation document : a large increase in the number of letters of naturalising John in his new home was observed to be immediately followed by a corresponding increase of fresh arrivals. The letters had been transmitted to friends in China to be presented by others on arrival. The similarity of the Chinese to each other in personal appearance renders detection, by the European eye, almost impossible. In short, Australia is' in imminent danger of a peaceful invasion; one, the current of which, a few years hence may—it is very probable—be found impossible to turn aside, much more to dam up within its breeding grounds. THS CARDS ABE MIXED. Italy, in its devotion to ransacking old rnins, stands foremost amongst European nations ; for the mere love of unearthing bits of broken crockery, mutilated trunks of mythological heroes and heroines, defaced and almost unintelligible inscriptions on blocks of Stone, opening of burial barrows, to find an old shapeless urn containing a spoonful of brown ashes, or a cat’s tooth; or delving into a well-tomb or corridor-tomb, and all for what use or purpose ? And when the women of Italy ask for the liberty of voting for public measures of importance to themselves and their fair land, they are refused. Yes, the cards are mixed. Bl THEREBY MAKIS HIS CABBAGES FAT. Who? Why, the German, by working liven days per week. As a rule—so it is found by factory inspector, in Germany : neither factories nor business houses are open the whole day (Sunday), but many do use the whole of Sunday. The result is that a very considerable part of the German working Cople get little rest on Sundays. Ah ! this very cheery, very. Only think of compelling some of our young people here in this country to play lawn-tennis on Sunday for so many hours: what an outcry one wonld hear of the barbarism, the injustice; aye, and the ungodliness of the whole thing, But what may be seen on almost any Sunday morn or eve? Why, th. lawn-tennis player plying his game, when, for sake of decency, he might be more becomingly employed.