THE CHANGING SCENE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1037, 28 January 1911, Page 6

THE CHANGING SCENE.

V A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW. •'.."; '■'.':; ;','. (8y.m.c.k..):~.. ..: ; "No," said tho harbor, "I can't say ■&B: Sir-Joseph- was 'as -,'appy as usual when, ho said tho chap<that wrote the leader wouldn't ,bo. worth a pound a week., at > any. other .job. .For' the chap that"wrOte'tho; leader might say. Sir Joseph wouldn't- -bo ■■' worth 'arf-a-sovereign a : month -as• a ■ reporter. .If I was; to shavo Sir 'Joseph , and mako ..BOmo..friendly arid accurate criticisms about-.him from my point of .view, I -wouldn't foel:'umiliated if heWere U say I" couldn't earn I :my--keep as -'if . private . secretary. ;.I ■ would just say ;to him, quiet liko,:.that,-'it; was no uso .arguin': about, our.skill ,in our respective jobs,' but that, if hb- liked; I'd take him •on: at .some-, neutral job,'; Bay- cab-drivin',. or '■ wharf-lumpin'. '-.;'No, ; Sir.., Joseph oughter, keep to. 'is woll-tried methods .of repartee!- Ho. onghtcr just'said the chap that wrote the leader.was a traitor and a'back-stabbcr. Come" to think-of ;'it,-most; of us .is pretty'lucky.. If wo .'all changed, our jobs, there'd bo- an unholy mess. If Sir Joseph swapped with me, what • 'ud' happen ? • Tho country would'bo full of blokes with ■ courtVplaster .on .their chins' ma'rehin' up and down 'pwlihg- : about the ruin of tho' country' owin' to tho stoppin' of the grand borrowin' policy., that keeps things movin'. Or if the' chap that-wrote tho- leader:.swapped chairs; with; the Prime-Minister, the paper. Would print its.- leader •as -.a sixteen-. pag6.insot,\and,,would i have to. sell-.all, its full stops (not being 'wanted any' more), in; order to lay in ;>' stock; of commas. No, Sir Joseph would have a rough; turio 'if lie was to try and 'earn a ponnd>a week in theordinary.avenues of-employment.■ I can't see 'im makin' wages at/any ordinary job except making speeches at the door of the place where the only -genuine l petrified gazabo is'on exhibition-for.-tho small sum'of threo pence. - Noj-I think- he oughter stuck to his ,old rule, and called -the,. chap that wrote the leader a:skunk.'" You're nextj'.'sir." -' ' •'•

' Bimpson,- the. footballer.' has transferred. to the Blachburti'Rovers Club. Ho receives £1800 for tho■ soason.-Ca.blc -item.. , . . ..

: r The;.following is from tho'.up-to-date heart-throb feuillcton ; of -.the. "Daily Jlail"'-0M960:— '■'■'- ;-■'•>' r ./

V -"Sit down, sir," ' said tho stern old ;man; . - "We-.-shall .havo.;, this; matter settled onco and : for all; • First, however, .will you . say-' whether' you ' still persist in your'mad folly ?".

■:-. "I am,sqnry,,.father;'',was..the. reply, "but.my mind is irrevocably 1 mado up. I must go into .business."' ':' .

-■"Very well., -I; am not; going to .appeal to your respect' for-.tho traditions of -jour; family and. tho customs of de.cent''society, since you- evidently 'havo •'no'.respect .for anything,. I should, perhaps,-hare minded loss'had.not your' two .elder-brothers; loyally-'accepted tho. tradition I ;that'has doho.'so.much,; not' , merely .for.."the preservation ...'of .the : honour of ..old ■' houses, like.' yours - and mine, but for -tho preservation. of. Erigr land. -I hadhoped, when.' : John ■ wentinto tho ring, and ;James adopted--tho. profession 'that Wootton .and • Maker jdid hfltj disdain, ttat you. woujd; do -your' -part as-.a'■ Christian English' gentle'raaii,' and as the,'third son. of a house,, hitherto faithful 4u its main-. tenanco. 'of. tho rules .of. our,;class,'.." by Centering", the : : ;ranks, of soccer-dom. However, .yoih havo chbsenV.But'why?." arid a : pathetic, break shook tho calm, voico : of-i the old. man... ; ".Why, -my idear .boy,-havo'.you disappointed mo? What' has put tins' wild passion, into' your; head? in your' 'life '-'hasbeen a' preparation■ foiyand'.inspiration ■t0,.-, the : career : . that is natural" to your position. ■■„• Have .1 spared.'ei.th.or- 'career, money- in :your training? • You' have; only had tq; ask, for new-punching bulls ■and' exercisers'and trainers ;to receive; :thom;i,-Your Sixteen .years at . our. greatest. Soccer Institute was- a privilege that :few•boys'.have ever enjoyed.','; "Father," said thp'young riiarij with; affectionate sadness;""l-,;suppose L am a waster',/and'T'a'm '."grateful tbV'youy but; "dear' old dad, J I' feel that! I; must go into business.;.. Call mo improvident, unpractical, ;if you.-will,, but 1" cannot ; help it.'.'. .; ' • ' ,

i'.'.The old.man hardened; "Very-,we11," he. said. -;'"I suppose..'.that I .cannot nnderstaprLtho, what do you call it.?— the;artistic temperament..' If you must sink," I ,-suppose, -you. 'must. - Go: to the dorice- in yorir;',own,'way. Go!'*-. .. ..'>

'.- When ho - mot ■ Gwendoline he told her of the _ quarrel. "Never mind, dear." sho. said,..drawing his face down .to' hers, "I would rather bo tho wife cf a- poor-millionaire", whom, I--loved, than, •the-; wife of'tho'richest', footballer' or pugilist or"jockey' whorii .1 didn't." .-

Bnt'rin the. greatrdark.mansion.that he had left for ever; an old; man sat "with his .herid'.sunk' upon his'; breast, while the bull-pup worried the unopened copy of "Sporting.' Life"- that had slipped unheeded- from ;tho fingers of broken ,old-a£;e.. ",,

'_A Bill;lias been,introduced;into, and will probably pass the Wisconsin Legislature, prohibiting women; from wearing hobble -skirts,' but permittine; them to wear tronserettes similar to those of Turkish women.—Cable item.

I read the .news with . pleasure.; How I lovo the lively temper ■ Of tho' country whero prevails the .lex : hysterical . , ;?This.i3 splcndidl' -You can always trust the land of Itoosavclt—'Semper : \Kovi "i aliquid,' " 1,. chortled, '"ex America/"- ■ • ■ ■

It's not'that" I am'partial to a statutory fashion :••'.-■ ( That .policy, I'm very certain, sounder is Which gives the Indies freedom, if they wish, to. cut. a dash in Skirts restricted to . tho narrowest of ,'. boundaries. ■ ..' '

Eather fear I that tho movement may extend to ALL her' clothes, ALL- the captivating, modes that now ' distinguish her— First tho hobble, then the bag,, tho furs, : tho, palpitating hose, ; And (the ultimate disaster) • her extinguisher. ;

Nor is it that, although our land is furiously faddist, Making ' "progress" , with tho speed -.of electricity, ' > Tho news is a 'reminder that our rulers at. their maddest Haven't reached tho absolute of eccentricity. / - • ~ . Uo, tho reason.why I'm.very inconsistently enchanted. . ' ' " -At,tho law to ~ put 'the 'ladles',.;into .. tfouserettes,. , •■.',■ ts—the fact, that it supplies mo with a .' word-I long havo wanted: . . in absolutely perfect rhyme, .for. -wowserettcs. .- ,

Although most'decent people hate the archaeologists who drag into • the glare of the: electric lamps .the private concerns of-people who died thousands.of years ago, the publication 1 of .the literary remains of King Ahab has some usefulness. ' Ho bad to write, poor chap, on bricks—a great hardship. Have you, who, when you were courting your wife, could send her twenty-four closely

written pages for .a penny stamp, over considered • that... every lo.ve-lcttcr of Shah's cost him £1040 10s. Oil., 'freight on three truck-loads : of .bricks? That by tho way. One of the tablets, it was' mentioned in tho cablo message-, was a communication from an unknown 'Assyrian'-: King.v.. So thoro is nothing modern in the nasty letter you sometimes get signed "A Friend!" And.the' bailiff flourished along with tho anonymous letter-writer, for. another of tho tablets that Ahab, with lamentable carelessness, left lying about, contained an inventory "of. his palace, furniture. Perhaps, howevci, this had something to 'do with insuranco; '• It is a very good thing that bricks havo been superseded by paper. Wo might put up with tho clunisinoss and inconvenient durability of bricks; but then there are Sir Joseph Ward's speeches to consider. A careful calculation shows that to. print an average speech of .the Primo Minister's would .require nine-tenths of. all tho bricks that could be made out of a heap of clay as largo as Mount Victoria. The country simply couldn't stand that for moro; than a week or two. Of course, Sir; Joseph could havo tho bricks stored, and every time he wanted fo make a new speech, merely have them shuffled up and:given out in a different order. But he wouldn't be so economical; so wo should bo particularly glad that wo'.vo progressed since the days of Ahab.

' "It is the very certainty of finding tho' same sacred rubric in tho same hallowed-. precincts that draws many people-to church.,. ... Thackeray realisod this; spirit when ho .wrote .'At tho Church-Door'-:—

: leave thou, thy sister when she. prays,. '.-'■Her'caijly Heaven,,her happy views; ] ' • Nor : tlio'ii with skadow'd hint conf uso' A-life that leads, melodious days."

It is unfortunate that tho "Lyttelton lime's," in the''editorial, from which the above extract'is taken, should havo made tho . mistake .of. attributing tho verso, to Thackeray. Tho mistake arose, doubtless,.from the.fact that the metro is that of "In.Memoriam," Thackeray's greatest'poem... The verse quoted was .written, of course, by Thomas Bracken, whoso., "Maud"' and '.'ldylls of tho King" .are, still; greatly-admired.

The Mayor announced on Thursday'that .tho City' Council is importing a number of terra, cotta cinerary urns as samples. These will bo submitted to local makers, who will bo asked'to tender for their supply "VTa- .want .to- encourage local industry." tho-Mayor added—News item..

. Magistrate :'• Well," what havo' you to, say? Do you admit you have no lawful visible means of support?

Accused: Your Honour, I'm a honest worker as can't make wages at mo trade. ■•.... .

Magistrate: What-is your-trade? Accused: A sealer-down ..of cremation urns,'your Honour. • ..,".... J

In ! the meantime, when you. are buying 'your next six-guiuea suit,- please reflect that your cinerary urn can be :bought,for. six. shillings;.. : And it will not bag at tho.knees, and,will.last as long as you'll, need it. * •

''...; One';.qf-ther proposals, at .'the Lahour Leaguei Conference 'in. Sydney- this week was -that ;'the -','objeotivo" ■ should bo. "Tho development of a.higher indivi:dualityi' aricl' a .clearer to ijustice by the.socialisation of industry and tho wider diffusion of education." Sinc'o tho v fu*niishing'of trust,;,wpi;thy info'riiiatibh" vipoii ' important .questions is tho "objective" of this column,.'.'the- ; ,above : item 'of news was submitted' to-'a Labour'leader; -

;;.Ho said:';"Np, v it;';ain't; quite clear; .per'aps'i to thein»wot's not in the Labour movement. ■'•: Yer see, pallia--tives':,is no,good v Our. policy is work and -'appincss, for all, and no class dis-. tjnetiohs' ■ ■ ''dpo J - to tho .' inequitable wago'systeiri.bf capitalisiic class domination." ■: •;...; ■--'■'.' •. ■.., .'.'■'

, Wq : said':. "But: 'what, definitely,. will you propose/ What Bills?"

':'. "Yer: don't .see, Mister. It's, classkionsciousness, don't yer see?' The- wage-slaves is exploited to the cx.tont that'we must haini, not at pallia-.tives--palliatives is. usolessThrbut at approximatin' to the paralysin' of thosys.tem. Don't'yer'see now? ' Yer might put; it this way: We want ■.economic 'liberty, and' each for all."'

Wo said::"How are.you going to got whatyou want? What's tho . first step?'\;.' ;;•'.' '

.He said: "Wo start out, I tell' yer, by haimin' to destroy the system of class ...distinction,, .w'ich will, give .economic justice, and that; gives all a chance to develop 'igher. individuality. ■Yer seo now? '. Well, 'then,''avin* got our objective-as-the. socialisation of industry-—", . •

•Wo:said: "But tho 'igher individuality?. That's evidently the thing. Now, tell us about: that." ,'.

:■ He said: ':'lt will como through, and at tho same-time pordooco, the establishment of economic liberty .on tho mings of. tho wage-system and class distinctions doo to . wages. • Abolishin'.capital,- 1 —"; : ' '. '';

Wo said: "I sec, I see. Now, suppqso you wero going to.do it at 3 p.m. to-day, what, would you do?"

>■ Ho said: "That's-a;red 'erriu. , Don't yer see, mister, our hobjectvo— our hob-ject-ive itself, mind yer, - says—that all that's necessary, is economic justice, don't yer see—-"- .

You do seo, don't you?