November. 1912. 



History of the Month. 



Ixxxv. 



That Bin! Day slioiild have been 



League of so widely observed on October q 



Bird-Lov.rs. ' ^ 



was a good sign. The idea appeals 



to the best side of the child nature, 

 and it is ]ileasing to find that already the Gould 

 I.«ague of Bird Lovers has hundreds of branches all 

 ovor the ( "onimonwealth, with many thousands of 

 nit-mlxTs, who have promised to protect all birds, ex- 

 cept thoso that are noxious, and to refrain from 

 thf unnecessary collection of wild birds' eggs. 

 Apart from developing the attributes of mercy and 

 kindness towards dumb animals and birds, and the 

 value of promoting in children the fascinating study 

 of natural history, there is a crying need that some- 

 thing should be done to prevent the ruthless destruc- 

 tion of the beautiful bird life of Australia. There 

 is a .small army of boys and youths obsessed by the 

 idea that pea-rifles and Winchesters were only in- 

 tended to kill birds. These spend their holidays 

 and often their Sundays in tramping through the 

 country and shooting anything that can fly, and 

 without any regard to utility or wanton destruction. 

 In this way the bush and mountainous country is 

 being rapidly depleted of its bird life. Bird Day 

 has not come any too soon if it can help to educate 

 these marauders of the countryside, and check them 

 in their thoughtless acts of mischief and devastation. 



.Another of the pioneers who, in 

 Passing o( a liieir particular way, have helped 

 * "' "' to make history, has passed away in 



the person of Mr. William South, 

 wiio held tiie distinction of being the oldest fireman in 

 .Australia. His long span of years covered an in- 

 teresting career. He came to Australia from the 

 motherland with Sir William a'Beckett, afterwards 

 (2hief Justice of Victoria, and was for some years 

 in his «'mii!<iy. It was as a lad of 14 years that 

 South had his first baptism of lin'. The (xjcasiiHi 

 was the burning of the Royal Hotel and Theatre 

 in Sydney, and South took part in the .salvage ojx-ra- 

 tioiis. Ten years later he gave u]) his calling as a 

 sadiller, .iiiil l>ecame a fireman. He joined tiic 

 Sydney I'irf Brigade in 1850, when it was first 

 formed. .\t that time the brigade was maintained 

 by the insurano; comi>anies. It was a very primi- 

 tive affair. There was only one fire engine. This 

 was ix>|)ularly known as "The S'lnirl " It was 

 liou,s<-d in a shop, trom which the front had been 

 removed. South continued in service after the con- 



trol of the brigadt' hail pas.sod from the insurance 

 companies to a board, hut in 1884 he was relieve<l 

 from the arduous work of fire-fighting and appointed 

 as mes.senger to the Fire Brigades' Board. His ser- 

 vices were recognised by Sir John See when Premier 

 of New South Wales, and the veteran fire-fighter 

 was presented with a medal of honour. Two years 

 ,igo South was retired from active service. He died 

 on OctolxT 15 in his 89th year. 



The curtain lias been rung down on 



Evan}<elical uie projwsals for the reunion of the 



Reunion. ,, i- i ,-.1 1 • , .. i- 



Kvangelical Churches in Australia, 



and the negotiations are declared to 

 be virtualK at an end. .\n authority on the sub- 

 ject, in the jierson of the Rev. J. E. Carruthers. a 

 leading minister of the Methodist Church, has been 

 reviewing the position in the Sydney .^/nrnint; 

 Herald, and his information is to the effect that 

 the fairly general concensus of opinion in sympa- 

 thetic quarters inclines to the view that the cause 

 of union " will eventually lx» best served by the ter- 

 miixation of negotiations that, up to the preser^t, 

 have proved absolutely futile, leaving an open path- 

 wav for wiser and more statesmanlike proposals 

 when the man and the hour arrive to make them." 

 Mr. Carruthers, who has followed the movement 

 closely from the commencement of the negotiations, 

 which have been practically confined to the Presby- 

 terian, Methodist and Congregational Churches, 

 affirms that the reunion cause has failed through 

 lack of leadership, and what is even more essential, 

 lack of authority. "It is no reflection for any- 

 one," he claims, " to say that there has been no 

 outstanding leadershij), nor was tlxTc either at the 

 beginning or at any stage of the movement, any- 

 thing" like a general desirr on the part of thi- 

 churches concern<-d for the success of the effort to 

 sink tht'ir denoininati'inal sep.ir.iteness. ... IT 

 it has failed, it has not failed iK'caiise of a lack of 

 merit in its intrinsic principle. It has rather lieen 

 by reason of its having been started without any 

 sufficient warrant. . . . The lea<lership has 

 In.vn academical .md ecclesiastical, and has contented 

 itself with the gathering of a few cho.sen representa- 

 tives around a table, thri'shing out si:hcmes that 

 h.ive not s.itislicd those who jiroduced them and 

 have utterly f.iiled to aw.ik.-n interest, much less 

 to enkindle elilliusiasni in the rank ,ind file of those 

 whom they were siipjKJsed to repre.sent." 



