THE CHANGING SCENE

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 146, 14 March 1908, Page 6

THE CHANGING SCENE

A BIRD'S EYE VIEW. (BV A CASUAL Cheonioleu.) It is pleasant to bo able to stato officially, that there is no foundation whatovcr in the rumour, chronicled in . a local journal last Saturday,, that the .King of Belgium will retain Usurfruct," tlio Crowii domain. in the Congo. . .There are limits, : after all, to tho criminal avarice of Leopold. '. A Cliristclmrch''. geologist' talking of the groat. Otira .tunnel, says "that it is. rather regrettable that the core of tho. great range lies, nearly .forty miles to tho west of tho site of the tunnel, which will, pierco only the eastern'.flank of tho portion of the range'." .'Regrettable, Is .'a word. "Scandalous" is the proper term to use, and it is. to be hoped . that the Government will move the . core- without delay, although this will not remove the complaint of tho Auckland public that the Otira tunnel will not even skirt 'the-base of Mt. Eden. • Miich more .'grave', than tho.paper thinks is the Navy-JLeague's literal interpretation of Sir Josepli Ward's suggestion that by proper application , an. old .battleship might be. secured.'.as/,a/ training ship for the youth of this country:.' , Wicn a Premier talks at I&rge in an endeavour to impress, You must'give him ample margin ill the name > of pleasantness; Though hh italks as if he meant 'em, to his ' words he-isfl't pinned: You must do/liko/nien' at Trentham,' and allow a bit for: wind.'; Shall the, sparkling and tho high . and rolling phrase Mean a solemn'obligation in tho later,'cooler :. days? y Shall we hedges, spite of ' metaphor; and trope?. ■ . Shall\we treat ,as solemn pledges all his soft ' forensic'soap?'! / . We applaud; in" frenzied spasms, thrilling up- .; ward to'a.ckeer, In a Mgli enthusiasm's overheated atmosphere. But no more than, wordy'flow meant than that . 'orators may use - The • emotion' of the moment, for a moment .to ~ enthuse.' .' . Safe from misinterpretation of its bright forensic flowers, The silver 7 tongued oration rolls triumphant on for h0ur5...... , But his speech, now full of colour, will bo subject for'.fatigue If he takes thp standards duller of the literal Navy' League. In the course of an interview on his return from the North, .tho' Premier said: "The people in'the North are in. wonderfully good heart and, spirits; even tho old identities, whom , liavo . been there over 'fifty years -and,are doing well in their own way, regarding the-future with a hopefulness that -was'cheering to see."', It is' not gener- ; ally' known that the optimism of these aged men, who fare "over fifty years", past middlo age,.and..towhop''the future'is therefore a .subject of deep concern, is due' to an unreported' speech of the Premier., Sir Joseph met them .privately- and pointed out that there .was. no .occasion' whatover for' tho alarmist reports' of interested parties concerning the. Hereafter. Ho had no hesitation in saying that the' peoplo who prophesied uncomfortably' high ' temperatures for 'New Zealanders in a future state were disloyal, ; and wore attempting, to injuro the . credit of the- Dominion in the world 'beyond. The "stinking fish" party who lost no opportunity of warning tho old identities that: a ; day of reckoning would come wore guilty of gross misrepresentation'. It was singular and regrettable that these attacks should bo made , upon the spiritual condition of tho country and upon the administration'of tho Government; ;There -must,' he,said,- be some motive''behind this, cry of., "stinking /fish" and this casting; of. doubt upon the certainty that evory :New Zealander-excepting Mr.. Massey .and-his supporters would securo a. leasehold' in tho, better, land. That motive, lie'i wouldrtell-them, was due.to. a 'desire 'toget tho/ Government out of power. Muoh enthusiasm prevailed on' the conclusion of the Premier's ' speech. ' A singular result of it is that the old' identities have given- up going to church', and are eagerly, looking forward to the end, confident in tbo,'correctness of the' Premier's optimistic opinions. . Hitherto; it ' has;; been -■ an article of faith, with journalists that the general public can', help them only by; committing'suicide or by being divorced;or;by filling "your valuable journal" with lotters to tho editor.- A correspondent of tho evening paper, in a letter, appearing 'this' woek, rather upsot that ignorant prejudice.- "Sir," he; said, 1 "your able leading, article in Saturday's issue on domestic economy is. a subjcct which no one, up till'now has.had the courage to'touch or write upon!"'. . Journalists—a biddablo class —will not fail, to profit; from this valuable hint concerning 'their neglect l of many valu-~ able regions' of thought. ■ , The' domestic problem is not the only one that the newspapers .have .neglected. It -is surely time that some newspaper took up the problem of industrial arbitration—a most fruitful subject for leading articles, if the truth were known. : Equally; unaccountable is tho indifference—it would'perhaps bo unjust to say the cowardly silence—of the newspapers upon the financial .condition of tho country. Pure 1 milk also appears to bo a subject well worth tho attention of somo enterprising - journal; and fame, if not fortune as well, waits upon the editor; who will one day risk the censure of the -conventional by making Crown land tenure a subject for discussion. It is believed that, the, spirit of enterprise is already abroad in England, and it would not be surprising to'find the fiscal, question being made the text of an article in the "Spectator" and other journals ere long. • Inatead ;of ; crying ; "sticking fish," they should makb comparisons,. and then admit other countries) were ten thousand times worse off than w are.—Sir Joseph Ward at Papakura. : When the debt that keeps a-growing, and the ; money that we're owing Keeps ■ your patriotic bosom in a flutter, And the .price of hemp is falling, and the slump in wool appalling, And there's not. a gleam of comfort in our butter, ; , . ; Don't be downcast. . Fir your thoughts upon this conlforting idea: There, are countries quite ten-thousand times as badly off as wo are. For the people' who complain, I've an answer strong and plain: "Stinking; fish" j f and traitors trembled when tliey read it. Their long -reiteration of the truth about the nationIs a ruinous reflection on our, credit. I evolved my definition (and I rather like its odour)' As I smoked-a mild Havana and absorbed a : . Scotch and soda. Should the rain come down , and wet you, or the cost pf living fret you, Think of Russia, and be nonchalant and hearty; For I'brand eaoh oandid oritio as a person parasitic

And a member of the "stinking ' groper" party. _ . . / Uneasiness is treachery—an act of low effrontery ; Let us keep things dark together for the credit of the country. "When all's said an' done," ; said Mr. Dooley, "which it 'won't be, in this counthry annyway, so long as me frind Joe Warrd is able t' sit up an" take nourishment, when all's • said an' done, th'' deepest passion iv th' ■ Englishman is his instinctivo love iv beer.'! .Whin' th': Kaiser writes a lctther,. th' gr-reat hearrt iv England stirs languidly, an' somewan says something in Parlymint. Whin Hi' fiscal quistion is ragin', th' Englishman' is onmo'veil,'' an'' a. public meetin' t' talk tariff is only attindod bo three men an' me frind Pat O'Raygan, who takes th' chair. Th' Irish problem leaves th' immemorial calnriv England onmoved, ■ an' th' aujierice of six that rolls up' t' hear th' gr-reat rally meetin' orrganised bo th' Arrchbishop iv Canterbury t' protest agin • th' Education BilMuks like a'small but selec' funeral. But'when 'tis a quistion iv beer or no beer, th' deepest chorrd in th' national heart is thrilled, an' gives out a mighty orrgan note in th' bass clef that I can best describe as soundin' liko a long and deeptoned Bung hearrd in a emp'y cask at midnight, in'a brew'ry. At a meetin' held t' protest agen th' Licensiu' Bill two thousan' publicans, th' flower iv th' nation, fought like tigers t' get into th' hall,' an' failed. Englan' is awake. If th' Navy was t' go, an' th' misthress iv th' seas wuz to be a stout' lady given t' atin' sausages,' an' emariatin' a sthrong smell iv lager, Englan' wud worry through. If Irelan' wuz t' cut th' painter,',and starrt on a.gloryous career as th' latest Raypublic, th' stately homes iv Englan' an' th' no less famous slums wud weatlier .the storrm, an" the hearrt iv Englan' wud bo ondisturrbod. Wud; ye find two thousan' excited men itbryiu' t' get ,in to a crowded hall if th' House of Lorrds wuz in danger?' Ye wud not.' But when th' glory iv Britain is threatened, when th' tiuv'mint threatens t' dhraiii' off. th' lifo-bloodiv th' nation fr'm th' hogsheads, th' soul of : Englan' rises an' says 'Thou shalt not.' I see those publicans, Jawn, an' in them I recognise tho lino at bay. Sthrugglin' in th' sthreet, blockin' th'■ thraffic,- reckless -iv what is goin' on in th'. back bar, ■ they demon T sthratb'that thoy recognise that. Englan',-'is in peril. Jawri, th' crisis is. at han'." . - .