All that the new Justice of the Peace in question can do is to ask witnesses and others, if he thinks fit, whether they choose to swear or to affirm, and when the election is made to administer oath or affirmation as required. There is a difference between hearing another person repeat an oath, and taking one himself. Possibly the case in question may do something towards breaking down the present irreverent an 1 distasteful system of oath-taking in Courts of Justice, and on hundreds of circumstances connected with legal matters. At the district meeting of Oddfellows held at Napier, a matter of importance to Friendly Societies generally was raised in the question of dealing with the distribution of the contributions. Nearly all the speakers expressed themselves convinced that there was demanded by the rules of the Order, and by the Friendly Societies Act, too much of j the members' contributions for the sick and | funeral funds, which were always accumu lating money, while the other funds had hard work to make ends meet. The question of separating New Zealand from the mother lodge was also discussed, and it was decided that the colony was too young to have a cen tral board offices, on account of the ex pense which would be entailed in their working. On the motion of P.M. Sidey, however, seconded by P.M. Moore, the dis trict officers were instructed to endeavor to get a meeting of delegates from the different districts in New Zf-aland held in Wellington during the Exhibition period, so as to fix a uniform scale of charges for admission and contributions, and to settle matters in con nection with clearances from one district to another, and other matters affecting the in ternal working of the Order — the district officers to have power to nominate the dele gates. The motion was discussed in all its bearings, and was finally carried unani mously. A Scolding Woman — The barbarities of the ducking-stool for the cure of scolding women though abolished by law, are now oftentimes practised by a kind of social barbarity none the less re reh^nsible. Women scold only when they are ill. Instead of blaming them we should prescribe ,3 m. Co'a Hop Bitters. The entire system will undergo a genial, pleaaant change. 