SOCIALISM-AND A GARDEN.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1192, 29 July 1911, Page 10

SOCIALISM-AND A GARDEN.

AND SUNDRY OTHER MATTERS.

(By-Jen-si- Wren.)

Mrs. O'Ratterty was dominated by an immense and unquestionable enthusiasm for' gnrdening-an enthusiasm which disaster after disaster, and disappointment after disappointment, had no power to sU ßeing of a practical turn of mind, vegetable gardening appealed to her more than any other, and whenever she.had a little spare lime-ami being Irit-h there was always spare time-she was to be found zealously disturbing the peace and happiness ot her tomatoes, cabbages, and turnips, or whatever c so there happened lo be. by energetically their roots "just to make it soft and aisy for thim to grow in." , It' was not an uncommon experience for parsnips or turnips to appear where she expected peas or beans, and lor the slugs and snails to devour far more of the lettuces and cabbages than ever the. family did. Then thero would bo a torrent of rage and maledictions, and a huge massacre, of the devastating hoard by tho light , of a lantern—and then another optimistic planting and watching of seeds. This morning she was very busy preparing the ground for future operations and, for a moment, she stopped lo survey with some amount of justifiable pride all she had done and all she intended doing. Suddenly a voice from tho other side of the fence assailed her.

"Good mornin' Mary. What aro ye afther growin' this time? Tomatoes, grapes, or asparagus to supply all the city wirl?"

,: Och, none or , .your noiisinse, Bridfjpr. I'm not in the state ov pacn and good timper for it this mornin . It's furiou* I am an' uothin' less—more like growiri' carrots for a lot' ov silly, donkeys than

anythin' else. 'It's workin' off stcant that 1 am." "Glory bo to God, an' what's wrong wid the woman thinF" asked Bridget in huge astonishment. "Well thin, to till ye all about it, and aise mo mind. La*' night' 1 thought 1 would like to go to a mcctiu' got up by some folks that has a grudge against compulsory military Ihrainin', jus , yo underslan' to see what the silly craters had lo say. 1 wint, on' before it was over I eamo away in a towerin' rage. I niver thought, Bridget, that Mich foollsliness, an' worse, could be spoken in thiseity. They began by talkin' about bein turned into murtherers l>o compulsion. By that same token, they've got to - learn to shoot, before they can do it, an by tho looks ov thim,, they've as much as they can do an' more, to learn to shoot rabbits an' poor unforlunit birds. Pat was waiist for talkin , that foolishness, but X up an' tould him t'hat it was downright invitin' another people to an' nuirthcr us alt in our beds by playin' our games, goin' to the, thayalor nn' just livirt' as though everyone— Germans and . Chinamen, and the little Japan follow, an' iis wore all Sunday school childer jus' ready to become singm' eherubims t'hro' lovin' one anotner. At school, for sure, a little boy has to laru to fight, or else he is bullied by the other fellows. A'man in business'has to look affher hisatfnirs an' that right smartly, or else- somebody else kindly fakes the throublo an' thin, where is heP An it's tho same wid. nations. They're all bhoys on a bigger scale, every Jac£ ono ov thim, an' each one must know, how to iight or else.go undher." A wicked glint appeared in Bridget's eyo as Mary ceased speaking. "My man Dinis says it is an' awful bad thing for the chilner an' the young bhoys, tho goin , into camp. They get demoralised an' so on, an' anyway, says he, New Zealand is gran' an' grate an' glorious enuff lo go on her own swate wayvwidout botherin* about' the Old Country,- or any other. It's quite eniilf to have the Priuiier, bless his mighty sowl, spakin' licry rod-hot pol'hriolism ha tho columns witliout doin' anythin' else. Ife enuff to put the fear o' death into tho very sqwls of the other nations." . ■

Speechlessly Mary O'RaiTorty gazed at her neighbour Bridget for a ■ few moments, and then recovering herself, broko forth vehemently.

"Palhriotism an' that man. Don't mintion thim in the- snme breath. Don't talk ov him at all Bridget, or I won't kapo calm at. all. Will ye tell. Dinis from mo that 1 thought ho had more rinse- than to talk (hat way about camps bein' bad for bhoys? It's about (ho only taste ov discipline that any ov thim aro likely to get in their lives, an' they'll hiivo to work hard the whole time, so I don't see where tho mischief can come in. Pity they don't have a longer time in camp—Miat's all." "That: Socialist bhoy who wint to gaol thinks he's a hayro," said Bridget. "An* to listen to his friends yo'd think they did too.

"Why don't the Socialists here take a lesson from their German brothers?" excitedly nsked Mrs. O'Hafferty. ."At a big international mcetin' of Socialists hold recently tho German wans wint nginst tho motion brought forward by tho others —l'rench and British—in favour of disarmament. Says they. 'Socialism might be international, but it is not anti-na-tional, an', says they, they blew better. It was the duty of every citizen lo bear arms for the 'deiinso of his counthry.' llicro yo are—that , s German Socialism, If the Chinese or the Japanese or tho Germans came here, would tho Socialise allow them to take this counthry without raisin' a ban'? Thin it's no compliment lo tho wives, .tho childer, or tho homes, an' we wouldn't thank them for their altitude, that's all; nn' it's because wo women know moro thnn men what war costs that! tho women cv tho connthry are so injfnvour of compulsory military thrainin'. It's the only way to kapo it pfl, an these wily people can't a?o an inch in front of thim, nor larn auvthin'."

ho carried away was Mrs. O'Bafforlv by the heat ot the moment that she vigorously waved her spado in the air, forBetting how near she was to the window. Thoro was a, shattering sound—n collection of her favourite pot-plants went flying to the ground, and shrieks of wild alarm burst from tho three-yenr-old babv who had been all unnoticed, blissfully playing with tho treacle, and tho floor and ('he butter in the cupboard, 13y tho time that all was remedied tho Socialists and their foolishness had lost their inter, est for her—tho hens had got into tho garden aud rooted up all her seeds