cordance with prescribed sanitary conditions. In England, for example, every house must have received a certificate of fitness for occupancy before it can be legally considered tenantable. The authorities must be satisfied that the house is drained, that the rooms are sufficiently ventilated, that the out offices are either situated at a healthy distance from the building, or provided with the needful appliances to prevent effluvium. In this colony the law is a dead letter with regard to the sanitary condition of the house. There is a statute which proposes to have an eye to the public health in this respect, but which, owing to a piece of legislative bungling, is as open to be driven through by any landlord's coach and four as the Parramatta road. It is a statute which, while bristling with "thou shalts," rejoioes the landlords' hearts by never once saying "thou must, or else." In brief, penalties are not enforced under the act, such as it is. The result is cesspools open to the surface drainage within a yard of the dwelling-rooms, utter absence of any provision for leading off the sewage, perfect non-ventilation, in scores upon scores of houses that have been run up-to let In Sydney and the suburbs, we do not hesitate to say that there are thousands of men, women, and children whose daily breath passes to them defiled with easily preventible filth,

easily preventible if the Legislature would but recognise its duties— thousands of whom it may be said -physically at all events -

-Nequiores, mox daturos

Progeniem vitiosiorem.

Are we to wait until NEXT SBSSION for reform in this matter? Are the landlord's vested interests for ever to stand between the peopl↔ and their right?

Why cannot the Government see its way this session to introduce a complete Health Bill, seeing that Health Bills have been under pr cess of manufacture by each suceeding ministry for the last ten years. Surely there must be more than one measure in a complete state by this time. Each day's delay is dangerous. This scandalous neglect of the laws of cleanliness is daily sowing the seeds of the death of thousands, is daily striking at hundreds among the very poorest whom nineteenth century civilization (as practised in New South Wales) leaves to sicken in dens unfit for dogs. Let the Government look to this! Let them remember that no one will dare to obstruct any measure of sanitary reform openly. The obstruction to any such reform will be secret and sluggish, though perchance weighty with bank shares

Let the Government throw themselves loyally upon the people, introduce some practical reform in this direction this very session and dare the obstructionists to do

308

their worst!

Counting of noses may do all very well when party resolutions are under discussion, but when the health of a quarter of a quarter of a million of souls is at stake, it becomes men placed at the helm, and so in the position of statesmen, to assert principles and to stick to them.

The work must be done at once. A rainy season seems imminent. If the mothers of the lower orders are left to toil on drearily in homes teeming with the germs of pestilence, if their children are left to play on upon the street reeking with garbage, or in the yard saturated with the lees of house drainage and kitchen refuse-surely their lives will be required at the hands of those who having the power to remedy the evil neglect their duty, who instead of insisting upon action resign themselves to sleep a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep-careless of the consequences which must

ensue

A 'BUS PLAINT.

I.

Rocked in the bosom of a 'bus,

Tender and gentle as a nus,

Patient I contemplated thus;

Naughty I know it is to cus, Foolish and vain to make a fuss, Some kinds of trav'lling might be wus." II.

"One might be cast away at sea,

Hard up for damper, beef, and tea, Most disagreeable it would be;

Or carried madly through the air, Far from the scenes of human care, Bound for you've no conception where." III.

"If fate com pels, you know we must
In the inevitable trust,

Sore tho' we be and choked with dust."
So fighting hard with my disgust,
Calmly the matter I discussed,
Concluding that what must be must.

N. H.

HIGH SCHOOL. SYDNEY.

HOW THE BOYS GOT THEIR
ROAD.

THE morning classes are just over, and the "goat walk" of the Sydney High School is thronged with excited youth. "Roll up!" is the cry. And in a few seconds all the various groups are massed into one lively crowd beneath the grateful shelter of the figtrees.

"Now then, Mac, give tongue," roar a hundred voices.

"Let's discuss the road question," yell others.

"Dis cussed question," says a wag in the mob.

"Fire away Mac,," shriek all, as sturdy little Mac mounts the broken sun-dial that acts as rostrum on all occasions of holding the school comitia.

"Boys!" says Mac, we have met as you all know, to see if we can't hit upon a plan for getting rid of a nuisance that's becoming a trifle too monotonous. There ought to be direct communication between that there gateway and the high road. Will any one say there oughtn't?"

A universal "No," is the school response.

"How on earth," continues Mac, "the trustees are such born idiots as not to have got a road made years before this, is one of those conumdrums a fellow's bound to give up. I'll be gormed if it ain't. To think of the coach putting us down at the cross roads, and then of our having to pad the hoof for more than a mile-anda-half every blessed morning and afternoon! It's too much of a good thing. It's a coming it a trifle too strong. It's rayther too rich, like Sam Weller's pie, as was made of nothing but fat. It makes us late for school. It sows the seeds of consumption in our tender frames, 'cause whenever it rains there we are wet to the skin before we can say Jack Robertson. Now, 'twould be easy as kiss my hand to make a road. Wouldn't it, now?"

"Yes," roars the school, all aflame with Mac's eloquence.

Funny Joe suggests that if the trustees were to put their heads together there would be splendid material for a wooden block road.

Steve Newton deprecates insulting the authorities?

"Right you are, Steve," continues Mac, 66 we won't insult 'em, yet. Let's soft soap 'em first, and then if that won't wash, we'll try 'em on another tack. As I was a saying, owing to there being no direct communication between the school and the road, we get wet in rainy and exhausted in hot weather. Now it wouldn't cost much to secure direct communication. Besides if it does cost a little, there's money to be made out of the investment. That's why I'm so posed when

I think of the trustees' inaction. The farmers whose land the track will cross are willing to give up as much land as we want, at a reasonable valuation, and the traffic to and from the school will be considerable, I tell you. My notion is that if we lay all this before the head-master, and especially if we dwell on the profits to be made out of the plan, he will at once move in the matter. Well, lads, what do you say?"

"Well, for my part," says little Ezekiel, "I think that a deputation 'll be the correct thing. Let's form one at once. I move that Jack Luckey, Dicky Jehu, Jim Goody-Goody, rough Hughy, Dan Butcher, Bob Morpeth, Mac Hunter and myself, form a deputation to wait on the doctor toot ong sweet."

Dicky Jehu begged to be off it, as he didn't feel well. The boys sniggered at this, as it was thought that Dicky's people had an interest in the coach that stopped at the cross roads.

The meeting having duly appointed the deputation (with merry little Jem on it in lieu of Dicky Jehu) then slowly dispersed.

Directly afterwards the members of the deputation wended their way to the head master's sanctum, having first appointed Mac as their spokesman.

Doctor Mudge G. Jack, O.K., L.S.D., as jolly a fellow as ever set a pœna or wielded a birch, received the deputation with the utmost geniality, and listened to all that Mac had to say with the most profound attention.

"Dear boys," said the Doctor, "there's a prodigious amount of common sense in what you say. I shall be glad, delighted, to do anything to promote your convenience. I always am gratified to do what I can for you that you ought to know. But with regard to this road I can hardly make any definite promise for this half, as it will be necessary to have the line surveyed. Besides, there is the estimate of its probable cost to be made; and as you all know, the science master is awfully pushed just now for time. However, be assured, dear boys, that I will lay the matter before the trustees, and you may rely upon it receiving our most anxious consideration. God bless you, dear boys. Go, and don't kick up a row."

Mac, having thanked the head master for his courtesy, then led out his following-all of them madly huzzaing, and thinking "old Jack" no-end of a brick.

More than one half has passed away since the scene above described; but as yet there is NO DIRECT COMMUNICATION between the high school and the high road!

A change of head masters has, however, taken place. Dr. Mudge G. Jack has had to vacate his office in favour of that great scholar, Dr. Canterbury Parker, L. I. T., H. U. M. C. M. G., PH.D., X. Y. Z., who, as everyone knows, can speak Greek as naturally as pigs squeak, and with whom to patter Latin is no more difficult than for a blackbird to whistle.

Dr. Parker had not been long installed before the energetic Mac assembled the school together a second time to discuss the straight-cut question.

"Now," said he to the crowd, "now that we've got a new head master, don't you think we ought to see what has been done by the trustees in this

matter? Old Science has had lots of time to do his surveying. What say you, lads?"

The mass meeting endorsed Mac's view of things, and re-appointed the old deputation to wait upon Dr. Parker.

That great man received the members of the deputation with much ceremony. He was attended by old Science and young Precis with a bundle of papers neatly tied up with red tape. On the table lay in a conspicuous position a half-finished letter to Earl Russell. The medal of the Cobden Club (the doctor was a rare one to “cob") gleamed upon his breast. In his right hand he held a copy of the 107th edition of a poetical work entitled "Murmurs of the Stream." Several full-length portraits of the learned man adorned the walls of the apartment. In one he was depicted reclining gracefully on a sofa after the cares of the day, with a countenance quite childlike and bland. In another, just over the fire-place, he was to be seen in a sort of stand-at-ease position, as if expecting a visitor, his face full of care and his right hand thrust into the pocket of his nether garment.

"Well, boys," said he, "your business? Remember that a scholar's time is not to be broken in upon without sufficient cause. Proceed."

Mac bluntly put the matter before him, and asked how things stood.

"There can be no doubt," said the head master, with his most imposing manner, that the question is one of a singularly grave and important character. I fully admit this. It is one which involves many interests, Colonial, Imperial, and International. While I cannot pledge myself to carry out the proposed extension, or to take order that Mr. Science shall proceed with the necessary survey and estimate this half, I think I may promise you that no unnecessary delay is interposed between the present time and my most anxious consideration of your wishes. I shall have to

ANOTHER HALF-YEAR GONE!

Still no direct communication between the school and the high road. Another head-master though reigned in the place of Dr. Canterbury Parker. The

new pedagogue was Dr. S. Leonard Squire, who, strange to say, had no letters after his name. Some sneered at him on this account, and said he was no good. Others, for the same reason, affirmed that he was "all there."

The season was wet, and the boys were all in the doleful dumps at the lack of success of the road extension scheme.