THE PASSING SHOW.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 223, 20 September 1938, Page 8

THE PASSING SHOW.

(By THE MEN ABOUT TOWN.)

Now that the Avondale meeting k over we ehall be spared for a 'while the agony of hearing the mispronunciation of horses' fancy names. One point, howNAMES. ever, seems to have been definitely eettled by the punters, and that is that Cheval de Volee is merely "Shovel dc Volley." Turning fro-n [racehorses (and many have decided to do this since the Avondale meeting), we are now faced I with the all-important word Sudeten. On j making inquiry. I find it ie not what I thought jit was, so to «]>eak. The .Sudeten is, of course, called all sorts of things nowadays, but I am credibly informed that in the correct pronunciation" the '"Slid" is soft (a« in soap) and the "date" is hard, as in general election, which only goes to show how small the world is.— B.C.H. A reader who expressed appreciation nf all "literary policemen." and is kind enough to include "Touchstone"' in the force, send* the following quotation ON WORDS. from Charles Dickens on the piling up of words: "In the taking of legal oatlis, for instance, deponents seem to enjoy themselves mightily when thev crmie to several good words in succession for the expression of one idea: a<» that they absolutely detest. alx>minate and abjure arid so forth: and the old anathemas were made rplishiiip on the same principle. Wo talk about the tyranny of words, but we like to tyrannise over them, too; we are fond of having a large Miperfliione establishment of words (n wait upon, on great occasions: we think it looks important and sounds well. As we are not particular about the meaning* of our liveric* on State occasions, if they Ik l Imt fine and numerous enough, so the meaning or necessity of our words is a secondary consideration if there but a great parade of them. And as individuals get into trouble by making too groat a show of liveries, or as slaves when they arc too numerous rise a gainst their masters, so T think T could mention a nation that hae got into many great difficulties, and will into many greater, from maintaining too lar:re a retinue of words." The quotation is from "David Copperfield."

I am informed that there is a general election proceeding, but I hear no sounds of riot, [>ereeive no evidence of violent conflict. From which I am forced CISSY. to conclude that, com-

pared with' the pood old days, the modern el«tor ha« become rather a decadent eort of person. A hundred and fifty years ago, when election* were elections, and parties made the fiarht really willing, there [was something to sit up and take notice of. Listen to this from the "Morning Post" on July 2f». 1788: "If we were to relate all the circumstances surrounding the Westminster election (the candidates were Lord John Townfihend and Lord Hood), it would nearly fill our paper, and the jrrcater part of it would consist of the outrages committed by parties of men in different street* about the town, with orange and blue coekadea (supporters of Lor<l John Townshend) in their hats, who or> about armwl with bludgeons and other offensive weapons, with which they assault and cruelly inan.Qle many of the peaceable inhabitants of Westminster. La*t nijrht about two hundred men of this description went in a body to the Bin- Posts in Old Bond Street where they found about twenty or thirty xadors. Avho were flitting in a peaceable manner, and the greater part of them without even a stick to defend themselves. The Townshend party iiiuiiMJiptely attacked and Wat them so unmercifully that sixteen were obliged to be sent to different hospital*, and eome aro so dangerously wounded that it is not probable they will recover- There! That ■»-«« a real election. 1 h<. spirit of our forefathers, that built our .-rent, and Horious empiah. is sadlv lacking to-day.—B.O'X.

Midnight chimed as T turned into the mysterious, nevpr-chanjrinjr East—Auckland's Chinatown. Orion hijrt, overhead winked a warning as he sloped slowly "NO SAVEE." to the west, merely show-

intf hie pre-'udice i hereby naiintinp shadows my footetepe ag'l trudjred ~p a n0 ,, 1e , tree-lined boulevard Behind allejred "dens of vice" were windows full of fundus. drie<l lizards and pulverised sharks' e-rcrs. Striding in. T stepped over J J-moh of yellow men. slit-eyed, inine and InsrWlippklMin*!. intent on repacking »„ oxhnmed fVlosfi,,, !nto a ooffin J™; « Rliipiilnff him home to China. T pave the rW 7r°om~Z T h .^- Waek bored Into me trom barred wmdows. and heavy bolts were drawn back The room within reekei of the 010 r'r+VT "'J* and indefinable flours that onlv Chinatown can venerate TotHVi K ST'*\ Fr ° m his Phonopraph n?,L?; J ?0) fl ° wM an "neponsored. 7,nexpiirprated programme of eoul-shatterino- Cliinese melody (;) tllo , mil nf a nat . on Jf,™^ to ribbons. Even as the musicians were bci.v cruelly tortured, their dyin ? shrieks shrill 'Iγ twa squeaking and pleas for mercy c aT ne in triple time as the YanjrtJ Sonatai in F proceeded to its terrible climax Then Wa Shin- took the shirt off his back and pave it to me."Me findee," he said I oxam.ned t Y M , it was that one of mine tin ff odsre on some eollare he had to deliver bought for h.mself. ] Ie handed me a cut-out ;;^; ,re ; " B, ; dd, r ? "; f« r tn . \\Z Zl cTr f 7°\?l , ''} <tC - him «««-Hin»od fliend." he oorreeted. « An<l yol] votp for h]m ~, T a ; kM r^,f ** r o P 1!Ml **<"y- reverentl.; replacing ••.\riokee" in the coffin.—^faeCluro. '

LOADED DICE. Say now ,o t« e SAy emllin * Sml,S,y - "* am ablp verv X nfoeL_ <listribuUon that rm sure !s n rn, T efen°^nt s f)^nce SIX Nat,onal - ™ d fouMn ;Lu n<lePendentS we °" ] v Intrtto flsht* think that We ™"' d ,Pt The a ß nT^ht7 itlCal remarks of Wilkinson Tha fuss rt ° f Iru,e,iender, t miq-ht create a little So Mhyis^iffU I, * tellmn that wi » 1 WtWrl , "* eVery Chance t0 **«* ' BUt an/°fai^" akerS - two to °"e «■ only right | ThU held b takes no if they i Thei Jt l ch S Voa i do;i oafcoJrmOUS0afco JrmOUS that thev ' ,] licod ' their U eVe« at Adam lo ° ms so lar!?e beff,re i Tha en"rf l ohwo U r n e C plK s T t hiS tenm wl » And w"mc e n" 8 SO " ncertain of the efforts of Th: ln h no^ n n I nt f th 1 ; e n WrV ' e,, the rifrht '" : And yot. on second thnuphta. his wisdom's open to some doubt: IMom * t n t' ,oVe a doub!e chance to talk his ''''"■■ tliouerh the nolicies are heard in varvine' , amounts. Hell find it's not the volume but the mialitv i' that counts. —SIXBAD. ' i