Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-07-19
A Few Chapters on Australia.
BY REV. JOHN FRASER.
INTRODUCTION.

articles in the prophets chamber" The
supply of crockery" by our bachelor bro
ther was not by any means complete, as we
found when honored by visit from the
"Head Postmaster" of Dunedin and some
other friends. 1t led one of the party who
has an inexhaustible fund of anecdote to
tell "a little story" of a democratic presi-
dent who had an old neighbor, Dutch
man, call on him. He was shown into the
room where his Excellency and three
guests were seated at table. The president
asked him if anything new had happened
lately in his part of the country. "Noth-
ing" replied Hans, Z" but that yum cow has
five calves" All" said his excellency,
e and do they all feed at once?' NO"
was the ready rejoinder, four does, and
the other vun looks On as | does now"
The hint was sufficient. The waiter was
ordered to bring clean plate and give
Hans a chair at.the table.
Our people | may say helped us to enjoy
the home they furnished us. Young COM
munities like young people are neighborly,
| sociable and cordial. They revived the
primitive agapas. They knew nothing of
the nonsense of caste. They made good
republicans. They practiced liberty. fra
happy times before | had disposed of my
library or Mrs. f. of her piano. She thO't
it best as she was going a missionary to
take it with her. "For music has power
to charm the savage breast"
INFLUENCE OF SCENERY.
pity the person that is not open to this
influence. | still enjoy in recollection the
surroundings of my New Zealand home.
| Beautiful for situation was that dear spot.
! From the verandah and front rooms we
| looked down into the harbor and saw the
! shipping the lefty custom house, post Of
| flee and public thoroughtares. Beyond lay
| the cemetery where we could see occasion
ally a cOuntryman carried under the stars
and stripes" to his last resting place. Still
beyond rose three ranges of mountains
From our little dining room in the rear we
had a different view and could see the Du-
nedin steamer vending her way among the
islands ON her regular trips. Whilst a few
rods from our house was flagstaff Hill,
whence the Ocean was visible and vessels
were signaled before entering the Heads.
Wewere not without visitors who seldom
heightened their visits into visitations.-
There for instance was Aleck K, a
| q
tian brother should have, but carried in
his COuntenance letter of recommends
ton no christian brother should want
With his beaming face, springing steps and
CHEEKY voice, he was model man. And
50 obhglng ,withal. Can | DO anything
for you to-day, Mr. F." Yes. \. You
do more than Alexander your great name
sake could do for Diogenes. You do not
stand between me and the sun. You al
ways bring sunshine with You" Yet A
was not. perfect. Alas. who Of Us Is? \
complaint was made that he danced not
in prOm!scuous assembly, but in a seec
party of bachelor friends or some birthday
festival occasion and in his exuberauce o
JOY trod on other peoples boots.
SECONDARY MEANS OF GRACE.
Or. John Hall of New York has writer
an article lately, in the Observer, on thi:
subject and includes amongst such means
shaking hands" | hope the Who'll,
souled Irishman will warm up our phleg
matte religious people who are about a
capable of conducting his magnetic cur
rents as are the icicles that depend from
their churches | do not ascribe nv sue
cess as much to these secondary means. q
Gibbon did the spread of Christianity t.
his famous secondary causes but know
they had their influence. My right hant
man was Deacon s. pOrtly, i0yial Eng
lishman with a heart in his hand, who a.
ways gave the right hand of fellowship
He was always at his post at the door
welcoming strangers, finding out whcr
they lived; had great faith in tea meet
= ings where all might get acquainted. Hi
) face, ike his hand and purse, was a mean
OF grace. A constant smile lighted up hi
countenance. He believed in the virtu
Of a good laugh.
Missionaries enjoy themselves-as VIII
should they not? The step daughter o
l DR., Carey remarked to me, of that prime
2 of missionaries, that "he was iovial in 50
Ciety." And the readers of the Herald
o will notice that late excellent missionar-
, lady thought it indispensable in mission
airy life to be able to laugh we'll.
With us it was not all work and no PLAY
4 There were holidays and picnics Their
were regattaS, native corroborees and High
land sports to witness We remember tn
! visit of the All England Eleven" to tn
= Port. They Owed under an awning in tn
open air. Not being ourselves sportin
characters, we were not there. but tn
Y winds were. The Harpies descended sue
S denly, carried off the awning, upset the Il
bles az if 1t was rare sport, carried off som
r. of the dishes and defled the rest with dus
? leaving the guests hardly half a dinner.
= THE POSTWAR.
His visits were always welcome. II
was conspicuous at a distance by his brigi
: uniform. | do not know why he shoul
=, be clothed in the national military scarle
l have recently had an opportunity
witnessing the natural antag0nsm betwee
e the red and green.
- Having occasion to visit some part
n her Maiesty's Dominion | had as a felo
traveller seedy looking individual WI
# had been clapped into Jail only on suspi
v ion Of looking too verdant, where he r
a manned till he was done brown. | didn
wonder at the Fenian scare. The vel
season Of the year seemed reasonable
1t Every bush would readily appear an en-
n my. And one could imagine more anita
T onists than Falstaff did in Kenda
ID green" But I wondered at the red Goa
anachrOnism. They hope for peace
T. New Zealand now that the last of the
N have left that Island. An old chief ga,
IS his dying charge to his people on this wis
to MY children, be kind to the missionariC
"A They are good men. Heed them; OBJ
n them. Follow their teachings. WELDON
the English, be at peace with them, trat
with them, sell them lands. But if the
to come class Of men who neither SOW n
c, reap, who neither buy nor sell but wi
le are clothed in red: then my friends
TO strong, then my children be bold; fig
III them, drive them away, or they will ia
~ away your lands, and make of you slavr
Leaving my New Zealand home l was c
at couraged to say:
,st Should Fate command me to the farthest yer
or Ofthe green earth, to distant lands rivers
!; Unknown to song where first the rising sun
Gllds, Indian mountains or his early beams
De There on Australian isles. l could 90
Nv Where univ ersal love smiles not around"
THE ANTIPODEs.
re Australia supplies endless objects of
IN terest to the geologist, the political ecor
lot mist, and christian traveller. 1t has 10
rs. been noted for its vast domain, its une
liza plored interior and undeveloped resourc
nd There is nothing about it insular or St
ire tional, or provincial, but all is cosmopo
CT tan. It's virtues and vices its advantas
and defects are on a greater scale. WI
fauna and fora it is truly at the Antipod
F. being the land of mystery and wonder
lat Rivers run inward and not out to
an ocean; whilst instead of increasing
IS. depth and volume, they grow small by
nd grees and beautifully less" Fruits inste
,as of having the best put on the outsid
lad put it inside. Nature copies art and Ii
are the Yankees in the land of Eastwood a
or. steady habits, indulges (the jade il strar
en-, freaks of manufacturing wooden peas
nh Duck bills Waddle about on four legs F
m ing foxes, more cunning than Esop's t
the lost his tail-but how in the world did Il
red ever come to find wings ?-devastate