THE CHANGING SCENE

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 306, 19 September 1908, Page 6

THE CHANGING SCENE

A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW. (Br M.C.K.) Replying to a question in Parliament, the Hon. R. M'Nab has issued an important definition. "People," ho'said, "are said to live in a ' fool's paradise' when they hold and act upon views which are erroneous on questions which aro vital." It is understood that sovcral difficult phrases which havo long required interpretation aro to be the subject of questions in tho House. Some of the Ministerial replies, advanco copies of which have been courtoously supplied to tho writer, are of exceptional value. " ' Stabbing in tho back,' " says Sir Joseph Ward rather ungrammatically, "is when you quote tho amount of tho public debt." "People are said to 'hail their colours to the mast,'" says Mr. M'Nab, " when they miscalculate tho views of other people on an important political issue." The Otago Education Board has passed a resolution " empowering school committees and teachers to exhibit the Ten Commandments." It is believed that when the public has grown familiar with these novel injunctions, they may bo taken up with enthusiasm. The great thing is to make a beginning. Tho gentleman who was to judge the musical competitions in Dunedin was taken ill on his way South. This is tho'first recorded instance, outside " Through tho Looking Glass," in.which the effect has preceded tho cause. . Mr. Baume: Why is there this unrest? Mr. Arnold: It is this: that tho workers believe, and rightly so, that they are passing through a period — whon they are being emancipated slowly from serfdom. Yer mightn't think, ter see me 'ere, As I'm a poro downtrodden,bloke; Yer reckon as this pot o' beer, Combined with this tobacco smoko, Is signs o' haffluenco bony fides, But, lor, theyfro just the hontward show: The 'andsomo shell wot only 'ides . Tha festerin' grief an' gloom below. Be'old in me a serf, with woo oppressed, ' An' dreams o J -freedom churnin' in me chest. At times messlf I sorter feel Things ain't too bad in this Dominion; But 'oo am I ter make appeal > ■ Agen mo leaders' firm opinion ? Thoy'vo-studied things, they 'ave. There's Dave, Mick, and T. W., and Elijah— 'Ob'll show yer plain as I'm a slave; They're alius ready ter obligo yer. I'm p'raps too dense their argymcnts ter follcr, But still, thoy trove as overythink is 'oiler. "Wuckers," they says, "awake! nriso! An' break them chains wot bind yer tight; Our 'earts is 'arrered by yer cries So bad we 'ardly sleep at night." ■Ence, though I'm chattin' quiot 'ere, Sustained by something in a tankard, I'm strugglinMn a serfdom drear: The bewckus-seemin' flowor is cankered. The 'orrid plight is ,woll described indeed in The words o J Mr. Harnold, of Dunedin. The proposal of Sir T. Adolphus Bent that England, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and .tho United States, should build a joint Pacific Navy, has caused intense irritation to Mr. Carnegie, who has given tho Kaiser a recipe for universal peace. But Mr. Carnegie's jealousy is nothing to the alarm and indignation of . the Diplomatists' Union, which will bo intensified by the following suggestions by a man who has serious' thoughts of giving up writing in order to pursue his natural tasto for diplomacy, a taste born of tho bungling of the professional diplomats, and first exercised in tho famous editorial in tho " Wliakarewarowa Globe," entitled, "Let, Nicholas Tako Heed.": First, as to Turkey. The correct method of settling ; this' question is to train 1000 12-inch guns on Constantinople, and firo them continuously for 60 .days. Whon the smoko has cleared away, the. way will be open for a fresh start. As to tho Yellow Peril. Tho suggestion is that Great Britain should denounce tiio Anglo-Japaneso treaty and shell Yokohama and Nagasaki until tho Japanese become-obsolete. Our diplomatist has boon thinking out, too, the situation in Persia. Tho way to dea'l with Persia, ho says, is to cut it up into leasehold sections of not more than'64o acres 0 f first-class land, 1000 acres of second-class land, and 3000 acres of thirdclass land. At_ the marriage of Mr. Winston Churchill to Miss Clemen tino Hozior, a dozen policemen were distributed round the church to cope with a threatened Suffragette demonstration. Although many hundreds of Suffragettes were present, tho demonstration did not tako placeCable item. Was it'womanly compassion, as thoy saw poor Winston falter, that accounted for the silenco of tho shrieking Suffragettes? Did Mrs. ■ Pankhurst whisper, as ho tottored to the,altar, "He is sufferingj we may sparo him, fellow women. Shall we ? Let's." Was it this that spared our Winston an alarming a rather crucial moment by the troops of Christabel, as ho waited, nerves a-quiver, for the tintinnabulation that would tell him Miss Moloney had attended with her boll ? As tho marriago rito proceeded he became oxtremely nervous, and ho glanced in apprehension at the Suffragist array, for ho knew there was a crisis in the middle of tho service, when tho bride —a woman, mind you—would be asked if she'd obey. " Love," sho said —the cops grew watchful—"honour" —every cop was rigid, and thoy grasped their truncheons firmly for a scufflo in the aisle; but the fateful word was uttered, and the ladies, calm and frigid, kept their silenco whilo poor Winston, for the first time, dared to smile. Was it pity? I regret it, but tho silonce of the ladies was a mark of their delight at bringing Winston into line; for —tho hand 1 that henceforth manages tho British Board of Trade is most undoubtedly a'woman's, and her namo is Clementine.

What promises to be an exciting game is the challenge hockey match to bo played to-day at Day's Bay, between the Wellington Ladies' Hockey Association and Wanganui. Special steamers in connection with tho event will run between Wellington and Day's Bay. The weekly revised list of city and suburban properties for sale by Messrs. Harcourt and Co. will bo found on the last pago. Special attention is dircctcd to a varied selection of cottage properties offered on terms of J!SO cash, balanco oil rental basis. Tho Y.M.C.A. advortiso in this issiio their popular anniversary festival, which takes place on Wednesday next. It is to be a floral festival. At 7 p.m., Mr. J. 11. Greenwood will put on his squad of gymnasts, and at 8 p.m. Mr. A. Jolly will speak on "Tho Call of tha Dominion to its Young Men." Tho anniversary of the Church of Christ. Vivian Streot, will bo celebrated by a tea and public meeting, combined with a sale of work, at tho chapel, on Wednesday uext, Soptember 23. Tho sale will be opened at 2.30 p.m. Tho tea will be on tho table at G. 30, and tho public meeting will commence at 8 p.m., when an interesting programme of anthems, addresses, and soli will bo presented. Messrs. Hartshorn and Wcllwood, of Hastings, Ilawke's Bay, advertise some cheap East Coast land. Tho country has a splendid rainfall and no drought, and the property is situated four hours' journey by boat from Napier.