Literary Extracts.

Anglo-Maori Warder, Volume 1, Issue 18, 24 August 1848, Page 3

Literary Extracts.

In England we are too apt to designate, by the general term "society," the particular class, clan, or clique in which we ourselves may happen to move, and if that little speck be sufficiently polished, people are generally quite satisfied with what they term "the present state of society ;" yet there exists a very important difference between this ideal civilization of a part or parts ofa community, and the actual civilization of the community as a whole ; and surely no country can justly claim for itself that title, until not only can its various members move separately among each other, but until, if necessary, thtjf can all meet and act to gether* Now if this assertion be admitted, I fear it cannot be deuied'hat we islanders are very far from being as highly polished as our continental neighbours, and that we but 100 often mistake odd provincial habits of our own invention, for the broad, useful current manners of the world. * * * Now, in England, as we all know, we have all sorts of manners, and u man actually scarcely dares to say which is the true idol to be worshipped. We have very noble aristocratic manners;—we have the short, stumpy manners of the old fashioned English country gentlemen j we have sick, dandified manners; —black-stock military manners ;—" Your free and easy manners" (which, by the bye, on the continent, would be translated "no manners at alt.") Vie have the ledger, calfskin manners of a steady man of business;—the last imported monkey or ultra Parisian manners ;—manners not only of a schoolboy, but of the particular school to which he belongs;—and lastly, we have the parti coloured manners of the mobility, who, until they were taught the contrary, very falsely flattered themselves that on the throne they would find the " ship a-hoy !" manners of atr ie British sailor." Now, with respect to these motley manners, these " black spirits and white, blue spirits and grey," which are about as different from each other as the manners of the various beasts collected by Noah in his ark, it may at once be observed, that (however we ourselves may admire them, that there are very few of them indeed which are suited to the Continent; and, consequently though Russians, Prussians, Austrians, French and Italians, to a certain degree, can any where assimilate together, yet, somehow, our manners—(never mind whether better or worse)—are different. Which, therefore, lam seriously disposed to ask of myself, arc the most likely I to be right 1 the manners of the " right little, tight lit- ' tie island," or those of the inhabitants of the vast continent of Europe ? Bubblesftorn the Urunnen.

A Rose.—One of the Secretaries of State for the United States struck out a good mode of getting rid of an intruder m a particular case. It appears that the door-keeper of the Secretary's office was remarkably obliging, which proved quite the tuiog for a rabid office-seeker, who managed to get in every day, and bother the secretary. When the announce had continued three or four days, the Secretary stepped up one morning to the door-keeper, and enquired whether he knew what that man came afier daily. " Yes," said tie functionary, "an office, I suppose." " True; bu> do vou know what office ?'* " No, sir.'' *' Well, thet, I'll tell you; he wants your place.'* The meeting, next morning, between the office-seeker and the puMe door-keeper is said to have been rich, from-hepecsliar manner in which the intruder was informed—"lhe Secietary is not al home." The reason why to few marriagei are happy, is, because young ladies spend their time in making nets, not iu making cages.— bean Swift. If A tells truth twice out of five timt)3, and H tells truth three times out of five, calculate the chances of wbat A asserts, and B denies being true. A Nick Country for Investment.—Where a laud!ord calling for hi* ren>, has every reason to be pleased if his tenant has not (got a tap to give Aim,