THE PASSING SHOW.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 302, 21 December 1937, Page 6

THE PASSING SHOW.

(By THE MEN ABOUT TOWN.)

At Titirangi Beach some email boys were caught in the act of destroying fishing dinghies. This beach, however, is not the only one that produces its l>oat vandals. ROLLICKING There appears to be some TIME, uncontrollable urge among

youths to destroy or damage boats, and woe betide the owner who leaves his craft upon the sands untended._ I liave seen children forsake half a mile of white, sandv beach in order to climb into an unoffending dingliv and rock it from port to starboard and vice "versa, until its ril>s groaned. One poor chap who had been trusting enough to leave a twelve-foot (new) rowing boat on the sands of a local beach found next day that some delightful person had rammed pieces of wood into the rollick holes and snapped same off short. The owner merely laughed and said that if he could find the young perpetrator he would gladly take him out fishing. I noticed he made no mention of bringing him back.—B.C.H.

Visitors to the beaches during the fine summer Sundays which we all hope will obtain from now on probably have not realised the good thev do their fellow BEACHCOMBERS, men. It" is the privilege

of the picnicker to cast sheets of newspapers, empty fish and fruit tins, and banana skins about the foreshore. This kindness on their part provides a full day's work for a couple of men each Monday. Incidentally it provides an attraction for those who rent baches at the beaches, and to them there is, apparently nothing more thrilling than to watch two strong, sun-tanned men stalking the l>oach picking up pieces of paper on the end of a sharp-pointed stick, or tossing empty tins into sugar bags. But at least two men who do the cleaning up at one of the beaches strongly object to giving a free show. Not only that, but with the eyes of the residents upon them they feel somewhat guilty if they knock off for smoke-o every ten minutes. On Monday the onlookers were there as usual. Tiut this time the beachcombers countered beautifully. They quickly gathered a heap of paper, cut many armfuls of grass, and started a lovely grass fire. The light breeze was blowing in the right direction, and when the thick smoke began to make its way towards the baches there was a hurried dash inside, followed by the slamming of doors and closing of windows. The beachcombers had won. — Johnny.

Five fathers of infant sons were discussing what might lie ahead of their offspring; the relative attractions of various trades and

professions out of which LOOKING AHEAD, the younf hopeful might

reasonably he expected to earn enough to keep liis [Kirents in comfort in their old a£e should the pensions scheme break down, were reviewed at length. "Well, I know what I'm going to do with my nipper as soon as he is old enough to work."' averred the stout Woke who puffed at a curved pipe. '"First. I'll apprentice him to a landscape gardener or nurseryman for six month*; then to an electrician for six months; then he can have six months learning carpentry and cabinet making; then he can do a term with a plumber; after which he'd better spend a while with a road contractor to learn concrete mixing, and he'll have to do a spell with a painter and decorator." "Oood life, what are you going to make of him?*' someone interrupted. "Dunno." the ambitions father admitted. "But when he's l»een through those few apprenticeships and picked up a bit about one or two other trades, then he'll be able to finish off most of the jobs, round the house that I've started and made a mess of. and the wife is always nagging at mc 4 to finish. And then I think I'll apprentice him to the brewery," the stout man added brkrhtly. '"He might be able then to tell me what's been wrong with my home brew lately."'—l.M.

About twelve months ago Bundaberg. Queensland, suffered one of its greatest tragedies. The distillery was burned to the

ground. A huge volume STILL WATERS, of pure spirit poured into

the Burnett River, and as a result thp fish became intoxicated. The incident was mentioned in this column at the time, but few people believed it. However, an eye-witness. Mr. Bus-;, in passing through Auckland last week, confirmed the story of the piscal intoxication. Apparently lio.itmen were able to row about the befuddled shoals scooping in handful* of drunken, giggling fish. Some of them (the fish) attempted to kiss their captors, while several large "grunting" gournard made commendable attempts to croon. It was a win for the fishermen with plaice bets thrown in. The whole incident makes a perfect boat and Buss story, thus again confounding the efforts of that hard-working but somewhat spasmodic body. t lie Auckland Harbour Bridge Company.—B.C.H.

"No Scholar" writes; "T am frequently held up in my reading by foreign phrases, and while Ido not question tlie author's right to insert the*e in dialogue FOREIGN for the sake of those who PHRASES, can read it in the original. 1 think it is a great pitv the translations are not put in parentheses. But I have a greater grievance regarding the use of occasional Latin words (I suppose tliev are mostly Latin) even in newspaper report*, and sometimes in editorial writings. To settle 3n argument, could 'Touchstone' sav whether an author or speaker is ever justified by the lack of resources in his own language in goin — to another for his words T" In the present state of tlio English language a writer is certainly not justified in employing foreigm words or phrases. There are, however, one or two exceptions to this rule. Dialogue may gain much force in an English book, or translation into English, from a phrase or a sentence in a foreign language. Some authors deliberatelv introduce forekrn phrases to give the desired foreign atmosphere to a story, but they usually take care that the meaning of the "words is indicated by the context. '"The Story of San Miehele" is freely sprinkled with French and Italian phrase* and sentence*, and it is hard to know what to say about them. Those English readers who can translate for themselves would not care to have a line altered, and yet the reader who knows nothing but English feels that he is losing a good deal, and it would he reasonable enough to provide an English translation. The excellent biooraphv of the Duke of Wellington, bv Philip Guedalla which is appearing i„ a ,-heap edition, employs a great deal of French and Spanish to wive the fullest flavour to the record, and not a great deal is lost to the English reader, but a translation would help. In considering the question it is well to remember that English has been enriched by its borrowings, particularly from the French, in things relatin" to art. just as the French language to-dav is •being enriched by the borrowing of English words, mostly sporting. The Fr~ench l<*f the fashion* in thp Middle Ages, and as thev were the rt"h. the powerful and the refined classes it was natural that the lower classes should soon begin to imitate such of the expressions of the rich as they could catch the meaninof. Dr. .Tespersen says they would adopt interjections and exclamations, like alas o erte* sure. Perhaps verray (later very) was at first introduced as an exclamation. "If " be adds, 'the English adopted so many French words because it was the fashion in everv respect to imitate their 'betters.' „- c are allowed to connect the adoption of no ntechineal words with that trait of their character which, in its exaggerated form has |in modern times, been termed snobbisiu or I todyism. —Touchstone,