THE CHANGING SCENE

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 193, 9 May 1908, Page 6

THE CHANGING SCENE

; i-[Et a Casual Chronicler.] . ■"Councillor M'Laren was no supporter of straight-laced Puritanism, but 'lie thought the lifo of the city was too fast. Municipaiisation of 'tho sources of pleasure would do away with a great many of the evils."—News . item. ■ • ■ -• •i •' ■" ' ■ Like Dave, I ain't a - bloomin',frost, ■ I ain't a Puritanic bloke, '' . • ' -To-pleasures I am far from lost; , ; I like me beer, I like nie smoke. .." But. evils alius will arise With bloomin' private henterprise.'. ' For-instance, I ami saddened w'en I sees .the .people rush ; , - .. On a giddy 'nnt for pleasure at a 'ighly dizzy I. , pace; • ' . Pomes : an'.'pictures, balls an', races of a kind ; ter.i make a bliisli ;■ ' • i , Overspread, in angry, .crimsonevery 'honest wucker's face, . • -V ' . And, a scandal oven greater - . . Is. the private-run:-thoayter... , It's :doo' ter, private hentorprise,'-this 'orrible ■ disgrace. ' ; '■. ._ ' ■ But a .'appier.day is. dawnin 1 , ,-an' me' oye,prophetic, sees A corporation by-layivot'Jl'sweep all vicoaway. , . If-yer, want ter. give a-party, if ycr want ter / . see tho gees, , ' V . '' : If yer : want. ter. ,do, some - readin', if yer warit .; ter see tho play, ••' • " 1 Yer will 'avo ter get-a peimitOr. remain, a' bloomin' ~'ermit; -, ' There'll be Licenses fer Laughin* in that better . brighter day. . ■, There'll be' rules-'an*'reggerlatiohs.-'ter-'perwido that books-an' pomes •, ■ •_". : Will be' ? ighly elevatin', unescitin',' an'\sub- • -'dood, ,' v'' ' ■ . !■' An' the corporation painter will pertcct our • 'anpy 'omes, . - v» 'E will oust the privato; henterprise wot revels .in the nood. . ' ~ ; 'nve a softer, calmer • Claps of; 'olesomo mellerdrama. Tiike . "The' Tram-conductor's Wooin', or the Joys of'Bein'-Good." - ■Thus private henterpriso will go ~ : ■ Along, with; Vcd Capital," An' life will bo, serene an' slow, ■ " An' full 'of .joys municipal, -■ An' vicious laughture will make room j Fer decent, 'ealthy, nateral gloom. , •vJohn," said wifey, ."I -want some money." "I- haven't any," said John, "but' I'll draw-some.out.of the money-box.. It has. 3s.- 6d. init." 'And he set off for the office * of: tho Undcr-Secrctary for Small Change _to obtain tho box. After ;an hour's-.waiting amongst a v crowd of anxious-looking Imenj' he was ushered in to the ofncial. ,■ • ' '. " The key of Monoy-box : . X21965Q ? " said tho secretary; " I'm afraid you can't have it.' Have you filled in tho' form M.B. 16? Well, you. must, and tho matter will thon'be - passed on' to tho ■ Minister.Get'.that form and call again." • -, ' 'V'" .-'- John called again an hour -later, 1 ,but the • Under.-Secretary had ; left-. for -.Whangarei. John - went, home to cheer up his. wife. -" Jje. brave, my doar; wo. shaH-have the box before many .days," lie said. ; After-,'a , wjeek'-; of. ■ ■ waiting, :ho - saw the, Under-Secretary:!again; and handed' in the form M.B. 16. " Are ' you'-on 'the roll? asked the, Secretary/ " No," said ,John, uneasily. : "'Ha! Then ■ you must apply Sunder Regulation : 6516 for. ■ a penhit/' said the oineial,' " arid come backin a week." •. . John went home oncomore.- "We're getting neater, dear," ho said. The permit .only ■ took , a fortnight; to , obtain, ' and ho ; ' , saw,'.the' a, week, later. : ,', 1 " Yes,- that's in order," said the Secretary;: " Sign'this form, and'the Registrar, will forward you the paper to take to, the Minister. Good-mbrning." •, - 7 " Look here," said John, " lend me 3s; 6d., tnd you can keiep tie box;": But; the Seor'e- ■ tary, only snriled. •-; Waiting until midnightj whon he could creep home unseen by the . butohdr-and baker, ; who;wero;sitting on the doorstep, John entered by the scullery window. " Courage," he whispered to his, wife. " One. moro 'is. overcome.',' • . " You have applied under the wrong -Act,'. Mr. Jones," said'.the Minister! a'wetik later. "It was a desperate-looking John by now. He ; grew-white. " Gimme, my- box I" ; he yelled. , The Minister reached for a revolver, - but '• ; John'was very Handy .with the poker, and ' ; the:. Minister • broke -tho fender as he fell. John seized the box. , "Triumphed at-last!"; . ho cried, and smote the.'b'ox, a terrific 'blow, his, braiii,on.fire;with the prospcct of seeing the 3s.'6d; once more. ■ • The box was; empty.

'-'■".It was;alittle 1 disappointing,'pe'rhipsj" iaid the Mayor,..." to have.' to.:'undertake. a fight for the Mayoralty. • It was not at all a nico-recreation every year to havo to devote' bo much time to tho; vindication of one's action and tho policy of the Council." This : timely • protest should remind tho public that they; oxpect far :too much .from tho men who are elected'to, tho offices of government. It is this kind' of thing. that keeps' good men out of ■ public life. The. public, ought, to.,ponder'upon the number of peoplo who are. debarred from • standing for the Mayoralty by the certainty that' the ungrateful 'citizens would' not allow . them- to vbe . returned unopposed. It is bad enough to be dragged out, ; like Mr. Hislop, protesting violently and. •pleading pitifully to be let '&>.■"■: It is bad enough to force a shy and retiring man into Btanding, and to turn deaf ears ■to his'entreaties to be left in that quiet seclusion, in which ho can best preparo for a Parliamentary ..candidature. .How much'' worse 'is : it, then, to call upon him to give an account.of. his : administration?: The public elect'a man as Mayor., Do they give him a free hand? Do they atone for the wrong they have done him by letting him alone and re-electing him unchallenged?.- No; they poster him with impertinent questions. Having refused to allow him a walk-over, tho least they might do is to mind their own business. And, of course, it is no business of theirs to inquire what the Mayor has done. What is a Mayor for if .it is to get elected unopposed,, and to bo left free from insulting questions? As Mr. Seddon used tosay'.wheri'he was-travel-ling: round asking everybody to vote for his nominees, : it is this sort of thing that keeps good inen out of public life. •

At the 'Law dinner,' Mr. Justice Williams observed that " as one' got, older one got milder; the,end> of one's life was like tho coffee.and;cigars,at tho end of a,dinner—the .most satisfactory part of it." , His, Honour's fancy is a pleasant one, and if ;his object was to make tho,■ metaphor fit the .meal, ■he succeeded admirablybut—.... Even in verse thoinevitable- consequences of' his figuro force themselves upon you. ..... X abhor the gloomy doctrine of the pessiinistic sages V. That our life a pilgrimage is In a desert dork and chill, That Man is' the- descendant ;of' the' Sisyphus who rolled a \ . >. 'Very large" and awkward boulder, : Up a really rasty hill. .

Bo.; not damp our youthful ardour with the .song of driven cattle, . And the. bivouac and battle That the olden poet sang: Paint mo Lifo as one long progress from the " rocks" to the Havana . Subtly managed in the manner Of old BrillafcSa^aarjn,.

An infant at the oysters, with the turtle . growing older, 1 j Youth-is budding, brighter, bolder, When the : fish is sent 'away—' So the merry courses follow: What can possibly be better for ' ■ The heart thnn such a metaphor As this of Williams J. ? The' courses all surmounted, and tho shaded caudles dimmer; ■' On your hair a silver glimmor— You have travelled long. and far. Is it cause.for, vain regrettings? On the contrary ' it's' pleasant . ; . . ~ When to : you,' at last senescent, , Coines' the coff.ee, and cigar; But a fatal flaw is' lurking in the Judge's <• pleasant fancies';'" '!'• , Man tho little .sport ,of Chance is . On. a; Sisyphean hill; For behind, tl.e .'curling, siroke-ivrciith, a. cord ing to his practice > (This a most distressing fact is) Looms the waiter with tho bill.