OUR MELBOURNE LETTER.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume V, Issue 667, 6 October 1891, Page 3

OUR MELBOURNE LETTER.

[By Standabd Special Cobrespondent—- “ Tblephonus”] September 22nd. There was an extraordinary reception of General Booth, the head of the Salvation Army, who has come to look after the Australian division of his forces, and to spread his influence in this part of the world, as he undoubtedly will. He is just the man to do it. He travelled by special trains and boats from Hobart to Launceston, from there to Low Heads, and from Low Heads to Williamstown, where he was met by as many of his followers as could crowd on the Wairarapa. He was transhipped to that vessel, which brought him to Queen street wharf by 8.30 on Saturday night. He was so beset by admirers in the streets that it was 10 o’clock before he reached the Exhibition Building, where six thousand people awaited him. He spoke for twenty minutes in a firm, clear voice, but in a conversational manner, and then, being very tired, suspended his exertions. On Sunday he held three services in the Exhibition Building, at each of which seven thousand people were present; that is, all that could be accommodated and at least a thousand more who were in great discomfort and some danger from crowding. The enthusiasm was tremendous, and the collections must have been exceedingly gratifying. The money literally poured into the hands of the collectors.

In person Mr Booth is tall, spare, and angular, with a big nose and a grey beard, and a quantity of grev hair. He can never have been goodlooking at his best, but in his eagle beak there is just a look of the great Sir Charles Napier, and a very good thing it is for an organiser of men. He wears a froggie coat of an oldfashioned military cut, with a red waistcoat under a cloak lined with red. He has a great deal of the angular style of Abraham Lincoln about him, and just a little of the method of Mr Montague Figg, whose history you may read in Martin Chuzzlewit. Indeed if what Mr Pecksniff called those 11 towering masses of raven hair” had turned grey and the frogged coat of Mr Fieg had been as clean and smart as that of Mr Booth, Mr Dickens’ description of the first hero might stand not inaptly for tbe second. Mr Booth speaks forcibly, but not with any special eloquence. Hie sermons are indeed disconnected and desultorv, but they are earnest and impressive, and full of popular and forcible phrases. Thus he told the people that “ most mothers’ theology was sound—it was the fathers who corrupted them.” Later on he said “ Never argue with the devil. Leave your sins or be dammed in them, and leave them at once.” The following extract on the labor movement is from a letter from Mr H. H. Champion, under date London 29th July, 1891, to Mr J. B. Sheridan, solicitor, Adelaide, which has been eent me by tbe latter gentleman for publication, and to which he adds,“ With this I heartily agree, and believe Mr Champion to be a genuine and earnest man, resolute for right and justice, and askidg for no more — ** The only chance for this country and yours is for the well intentioned and fair dealing man to go into politics notwithstanding its many drawbacks and distractions. I will not believe of my own countrymen of any class that they are not capable of seeing and hailing the truth in the long run if it is put before them properly. I am afraid at home here the decent men are inclined to leave the dusty arena of .jolitice entirely to demagogues and place hunters. Than this, no greater calamity can befall a nation. I hope you will use your influence to make your friends take my view and go into the thick of the scrimmage, win or lose it doesn’t matter so long as one is on the right side. In course of time the workman, not the schemer, but the real rank and file will see who are their real friends, and will learn that it is no use asking for impossible things and of no advantage to fall hack on any ethics which run counter to the

" eternal verities. ” It is a long and disheartening job I know, but it is worth while attempting it, Mr Munro is beset with petitions for the >laoe of Agent-General. Mr Gillies wants t badly • Colonel Smith would take it; Sir Bryan O’Loghlen would not refuse it; Mr Patterson would like it; and half the Ministerial following expect it. The latest intrigue is to get Mr Sbieh to take it and let Mr Patterson join the Cabinet as Minister of Railways, But the truth is that Mr Shiels intends to fight the railway question to the end, and to do that he must stay where he is. If any pressure should induce him to go, and Mr Patterson should become Minister of Railways, the Commissioners would be a thousand times worse off than they are since he is one of those masterly men who will have their own way let who will be pleased.

In the Napier Court on Wednesday, Sergeant Cullen said that as much as £3 ios, £2, and other large sums weekly were paid by prostitutes for the use of houses, the owners of which would not ask eight shillings per week for them from anybody else. The Bench thought the remarks perfectly just. The owners of these houses were really accessories to the evil that was being carried on within them. It would be a most desirable thing if the Legislature would interfere and punish owners of houses of ill-fame who profited in such a disgraceful manner by wrongdoing on the part of unfortunate women.

A Melbourne correspondent writesln South Australia the loss from the locust plague last year is estimated at £lOO,OOO. A party have returned to Geraldtou from Murchison goldfields, where the rich finds were recently reported, and state that S5O men are on the ground and 800 en route, but that owing to scarcity of water the field is no good ws an alluvial one, and will not support more than a score or so. Two men are reported to have an immense quantity of gold in their possesion.—A remarkable case of somnambulism is reported from Bonrke, A man walked from hio seat to the platform of a railway carriage, and jumped off while the train was going full speed. An alarm was raised, the train was pulled up, and the guard with some passengers went hack expecting to find the dead body near the track. To their suprise they discovered the man quite Uninjured and without any knowledge now he got off the train. He was perfectly sober, and asserted that he had always been a somnambulist. The Napier correspondent of the Wairoa Guardian writes:—Archdeacon Sam Williams illustrates the well-proved theory that a clergyman may be an excellent man of business, as be is doing a fair trade in cattle. He sent away nearly a thousand head of stock this week, 450 bullocks going to the Wellington province, and 450 to the Hawera district. Some people think that parsons and priests should confine their attention to spiritual things, but I think that is a theory that won’t do. If to rear fat cattle Is a good thing for anyone to do, it can’t be bad for a parson like the Rev. S. Williams to rear them ; if it is a good thing for anyone to make wine, it can’t be bad for Father Yardin to engage in the manufacture at Meanee. Besides, one may argue till all’s blue about theology, but it is impossible to dispute the existence of good works which take such tangible shape as Archdeacon Williams’ cattle and Father Yardin’e round hogsheads of wine. On the utilitarian basis, therefore, it would not be a bad job if all our spiritual advisers helped to swell the food stocks of the country. The Bruce Herald says rabbits are increasing fast in that district, Since March fully 20,000 have been trapped between the Gorge and tbe Woolshod, and at Table Hill 5000 wet? Caught on one bolding of SOO acres,