PERSONALITY OF THE WEEK.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 260, 2 November 1929, Page 8

PERSONALITY OF THE WEEK.

Mr. James McCombs, M.P. for Lyttelton, is a social democrat and is often heard expounding principles of comparative equality and universal . bi"otherMR. J. McCOMBS. hood. He was but a little , fellow when he left Leitrim, in Ireland, and has been in New Zealand for fifty4hree years. In his early years he intended to become an Anglican clergyman, but went into the drapery trade, at the same time deeply interesting himself in social and prohibition Work. He become president of the Canterbury Drapers Assistants' Union and assisted to inaugurate the Christchurck Burr gesses' Association. He first entered Parliament in 1913.

The citizen came into an office and asked, "Is Mr. B. in?" He was facetiously informed that Mr. B. was not in, merely because now the tftani fares had gone UNTOLD MISERY, up Mr. B. would walk and would be late. The inquirer countered laughingly with, "By Jove, a good idea; I'll walk in future!" and told a story. A lady, meeting another in a tram car yesterday, poured forth her troubles. "Nothing seems to go right with me lately," she said. "Only a few weeks ago I lost i bus ticket with eleven snips on it, and now the train fares are going up. I'll go back to Wellington!" This story of unbearable sorrows recalls the classic tale of the immortal Irishman. "Misfortunes," said he, "niver come single. 'Tis only six wakes since Oi lost mc poor woife, and now Oi've bruk me new clay poipe." '~.:.«• .'-■"•

Dear M.A.T.,—What's wrong with the opposition re the daylight saving half-hour ? Not a letter of protest. Listen! A pal of mine has just returned COW TIME. from two months' holiday on his brother's dairy farm. My pal Bill believes in daylight saving; his brother Fred is dead against it, so they had some very heated arguments. This is what happened on the Sunday before the summer time came into force. Bill put the clock on five minutes each day till the Friday. So on Saturday Fred was already working to the new time, but, of course, he didn't know it. On Saturday night, after a few more growls, Fred put the clock on the half-hour and retired. Bill put the clock back again. On Sunday morning after Fred had finished milking, etc., he came in to his

breakfast. Bill asked him if the half-hour made any difference. "Everything is upset," said Fred. "The cows had not finished chewing their cud, the dog wouldn't work. It made a difference of uinteen gallons of milk." Then Bill told what happened to the clock. Oh, dear, you should have heard the names Fred called Bill. However, Bill and Fred made it up. They both hope Mr. Sidey will get the hour next yeai\

It is the commendable intention of the modern educationist to insist that the child is not a mere human parrot but understands the meaning of the matROUGE ET NOIR. ter he memorises. Only yesterday an Auckland schoolmaster recited the following lines, and presumably the class wrote it down: There's rest from wheels of whirring And cares that chafe and fret. "Give me," said he to the class, "an illustration of what is meant by 'wheels of whirring'," hoping, maybe, that some bright youths would suggest factory wheels, aeroplanes, buses, trams, motor bikes, etc. No one spoke for fifteen seconds. Then up rose a small boy's fist. "Well 1" asked the schoolmaster. "Monte Carlo,.sir!" piped tie owner of the fist.

When Eckener's Graf Zeppelin landed safely in America, Los Angeles papers naturally said nothing about anything else in issues of twenty-two or forty-EGG-SHAPED EGG. four pages. M.A.T. be- • lieves every word the L.A. papers say, especially about Mrs. A. B. Pajot's hen. Mrs. Pajot rushed into the "Evening Herald" office the morning after the Zepp. landed, laying an egg on the editor's desk. It was the exact shape of the Zepp., except that it had no undercarriages, gondolas or things of that sort. Experts are of opinion that the hen, which was a highly intelligent hen, saw the Zepp. just prior to her matutinal ovarian effort and deliberately imitated it. THOUGHTS FOR TO-DAY. Weak and irresolute is man; The purpose of to-day, Woven with pains into his plan, To-morrow rends away. —Cowper. *.» • . • To know'Oui-selves to come of human birth, These sad afflictions cross us here on earth, A task imposed by heaven's eternal law, To keep our rude rebellions well in awe. —Drayton.

It is the glistening and softly-spoken lie . . . the patriotic lie of the historian, the provident lie of the politican, the zealous lie of the partisan, the merciful lie of the friend, and the careless lie of each man to himself, that cast that black mystery over humanity, through which we thank any man who pierces, as we would thank one who had dug a well in [the desert. —John Ruskin.