The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1880-01-27 00:00:00

BRIDPOST.

MELAKCHOLT DRATIL—A startling instance of the
uncertain tenure nu which we hold the threat of life
occurred on Saturday. Miss Emma Patten, of East-
street, eldest daughter of the late Mr. James Patten,
expired after remaining in a comatose state for a few
hours. Deceased, who had been in good health and
spirit., retired to one of the upper rooms, and, failing
to make her appearance at her usual time, her brother,
Mr. T. Patten, went to look for her. He was alarmed
to discover her lying on the fl 'or unconscious. Drs.
Hey and Evans promptly arrived, but found nothing
could be done for her. Deceased, who was about 40
years of age, was amiable and kind to all who knew
he_,_r, and the grief of the family is intense.
Miss Mammies FARNINGILIM. - The talented
authoress of "Leave. from Elite and "Echoes from
the Valley," delivered an excellent practical lecture at
the Town-hall on Friday evening last. The Mayor, .J.
T. Stephens, Esq., presided, and, although the
weather was inauspicious, the hall was crowded, by,
for the most part, an intellectual audience. Being
introduced by the Chairman, the able lecturer prefaced
her address by some appropriate remarks. The subject
was "Women of to-day," the syllabus being.. follow.—
Woman', place and woman % work, modern women,
gentlemanly young ladies, women with • mission,
billy bodies, lonely women, strong-minded women,
home life of women, daughters. sisters, wives, mothers,
and grandmothers, characteristics and qualifications
of !rood women, heroines and the lessons of their lives.
Mies Farnineham hoped at the outset that none of the
nobler sex present would feel alighted if on that occasion
she addressed no epecial remarks to them. She did not
appear as a women's might. advocate, although there
had been a great outcry concerning it. Her ideas of
women's rights were the right to, succour the
afflicted and distressed, to labour and pray,agid to lead
precious souls to Gel. She considered her sex of to-
day had fallen on very good times. The throne of
their country was occupied by • woman, who she
trusted would long live the mother of her people.
Those gentlemanly modern ladies, the speaker severely
censured. She failed to appreciate their habits when
had acquired of parting their hair at the side, flourished
walking sticks, indulged in slan3, whistled, ordered
their j icketa of the tailor and termed them costa,
smoked cigarettes, &c., &c. These habits, to say the
lea-t of them, are unbecoming, and certainly did not
assist them in becoming beautiful and useful orna-
ment. of their sex. As to women with omission, there
was certainly no woman without one. Their aptness and
tact in teaching might be brought into action at the
Sun lay school, at the rick bed, for to assist the sick
and bel ideal was woman's noble mission. No woman
could find an excuse for being lonely in the world, yet
there were many who had only their misfortunes and
griefs to expatiate upon. They could certainly find
something to I is were it hut a cat. Yet she could
not see the necessity of women whom elle had noticed
kissing • cat. It was certainly a waste of • good
commodity, for how many orphans would wear •
bright smile and have their hearts cheered by • kiss.
She wished every orphan could find • home in such
women's hearts. The lecturer then in a forcible
manner pointed out the proper duties of women in
their homes,andithe blessings which would accrue from
the influence shed upon them. Touching heroic
women, she related the loving labours of Florence
Nightingale amid the horrors of war; Elizabeth Fry,
whose labours among the most abandoned of her sex
had been doubly blessed; Grace Darling, by her un-
precedented heroism, was the means of saving life in
it storm, showing such bravery as few men have ever
done. Miss Farningham firmly believed that the work
ef women was like Mary's of old, "to do what they
cou1.1" with whole heart and soul, so to work, labour,
and wait that posterity might be the better for their
sojourn in the world. The lecturer during her delight-
ful discourse. which was listened to with rapt atten-
tion, introduced tome sublime poetry, the majority of
which were her own compositions. A vote of thanks
was er irmly accorded to her, and to the Mayor fur
presiding on the occasion.

WIRING FOR THE TELBGRAM.
I'm not a nervous man, and I very often think it's a
fortunate circumstance. I thought so one night
recently, when coming from Bridr)ort harbour, in the
direction of the town, I saw a light resembling that of
a carriage lamp coining towards me, apparently at
some considerable speed ; but on stopping to listen I
could hear no sound. It was not one of those pitchy
dark nights, but sufficiently so to hide the serpentine
bend of the road from view, and I made up my mind
that I was being favoured by a sight of the ignit fatuus
from the adjoining marshes, and I stopped, determined
to watch its motions. But the light approached nearer
and nearer, and at length I discovered it to be a small
lamp, carried cautiously along by a well-known and
venerable champion of teetotalism, residing at the
Harbour. I was puzzled to know what he wanted it
for, but not caring to be inquisitive, I plumed by on
the other side. However, if Ws a hobby of his to carry
it, as I am informed it is, he ought to be required also
to carry a horn or sound a whistle, in order to give due
notice if his approach—because everybody's nerves are
not strong, and it's rather bewildering to say the least
it, to see a glaring light moving rapidly towards one
with apparently no accompanying sound. The old
gentleman may have been enjoying himself, huts joke
of this sort cannot be swallowed by everyone, and our
friend ought to have a little consideration for those
whose nerves are not so strong as his own—not being
strict water-drinkers.

The acting-chaplain of the let D.R.V. preached a
decent sermon to his comrades on the day of their
annual church parade. The rev. gentleman was in
better luck this year than he was a year ago, when I
remember he uofortunately lost an elaborate discourse
which he had prepared for the occasion, and was
constrained to preach extempore, which is not his
forte.

I should imagine the gas company to be a very
flourishing one, to judge from the very pretty
dividends. If the company received an order to erect
half-a-dozen lamps and look after their being lighted,
in the Harbour-road from Sea-view corner to the
port itaelf, why the lights were conveyed as far as
Sea-view and no farther I can't imagine; but a few
luminaries to lighten the darkness of that much.
frequented road would be hailed with delight I am
nue.

A comfortable, cheering, hospitable gathering was
that at the Greyhound last week. The viands were
excellent and the catering left nothing to be desired.
Perhaps the only thing left the host to desire on that
occasion was to have seen a few more of his agricul-
tural friends and supporters around him.
As 1 said, the dinner went off in prime style, as did
the speeches; but one little episode did not prove over
vatifying to one who participated In the conviviality.
That individual, like Stephen of old, seems to be a
perfect martyr. He ham an awkward habit id getting
into the most alarming scrapes, and as quickly to get
out of them—but not on this occasion unscathed.
Eleven bells had struck, and of course the landlord
intimated that time was up. Like the others our hero
left as a good citizen should, but he had no sooner
sniffed the frosty air than he conceived the atmosphere
of the supper room to be more congenial to his taste,
and he determined to retrace his steps. This was
impracticable; the door was shut, and he was left in
the outerdarkness. Nothing daunted he tried the excise
room window, and succeeded in moving, rather
awkwardly, the top sash. The triumphant hero
bestrode the sash with a view of alighting, or rather
tumbling, inside. Either he was too far gone (into the
room I mean), or lost his balance, I don't know; but
his knuckles somehow got mixed up with the two
sashes, sad there hir mat, with his devoted knuckles
in the woodwork, whilst the ponderous weight
wedgedoffi body was inflicting terrible bruises. The report
that the unfortunate man was admitted to the Cottage
Hospital on the following morning is contradicted.