WITHOUT PREJUDICE

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 300, 13 September 1921, Page 4

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

NOTES AT RANDOM - (By T.D.H.) The disarmament paradox is that tho nations would be more effective at wastesqueezing if they were armless. Mr. Shidohara will be the Japanese delegate at the Disarmament Conference. — The United States has been fearing the appointment of Mr. Shidestepa. , The .Attorney-General’s opinion is that although acting members nre appointed under tho Arbitration Act to eit on the Court in cases of emergency, it is nevertheless leg-ally impossible for them to take their seats when the emergency arises.—What I can never understand is where all these powerful legal intellects in Parliament get to' when the laws are being made. As I understand it, the opinion of Mr. Williaih Perry, tho well-known sheepbreeder, seems to he that a good • many farmers instead of going in properly for wool-breeding have been woolgathering. - / / A cable message yesterday told us that at least twenty persons were drowned by a bridge collapsing in America, and “at least twenty more are known to lie at the Iwttom of a tributary of the Delaware River.” —It would be premature, of course, to say these latter have drowned until the bodies hare been brought up and examine;}. No One can eay that the cable man does not take every reasonable precaution against err Or. During the past twelve months a prisoner in Lyttelton Gaol the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. His favourite study, I am told, was the book of~Exodus. Surely there was a nice discernment on the part of the newspaper man who sent a recent Press Association telegram from Christchurch „stating that "potatoes have reoovered from their somnolent condition.” We all know that the potato Iqis eyes, hut we aro apt to forget that it sometimes goes to sleep. This intelligent reporter would never dream ■.of recording the awaken,ing of cabbages , or tho somnolence of wheat. Cabbages no doubt have hearts and wheat has ears, but the potato is the only vegetable blessed with eyes. It x is well that we should, be reminded of ’ these great truths of Nature in appropriate terms.

That storm which failed tp materialise at the earlier behests of the Weather Prophet still hangs off in spite of all the "coaxings” and invocations of- the Weather Bureau. One of ray correspondtenta breaks into verse on the subject. He heads his somewhat feeble effort "The Great Question," and asks: When will th’ inconsiderate Fates Heed the cries of D. C. Bates? - When will they favour us again ; With ample show’rs of fruitful rain? v In plain English, he” says, we are all waiting for Providence to honour thq promissory notes of our Weather Prophet? -As sporting friend suggests that Mr. Bates should not be discouraged in his present dilemma, but should stick to his fancy. Having backed Pluvius to win t , out he ought to follow him Ho is sure to get home sooner or latter. Sunshine may just now look like ft stayer, but Metamorphosis, may change the prospects at any moment. /

As we go to press a private ethergram has arrived announcing that what was believed to bo ths lost storm had been seen creeping stealthily across the China Sea, just before day break. ( ,

If Ireland is made a kingdom again, as Lord Dunraven suggests, the next .problem will be to -settle the claims to succession to the throne by the Irishmen descended, from the kings of Ireland. There is one in this office who is heir to the late King Brian Boru of Connaught, and the last census of Ireland disclosed the existence of 4,390,219 others, .each of whom’s lineage is as good as the next man’s, if not better.

As' with. most other sad events it was a woman who brought about the end of the Kingdom, or Kingdoms, of Ireland as a working proposition. It was about the year 1145 when wars in general in the country iwere so constant that tho island was described as a. "trembling sod” by a poet of the period. Tordelbach O’Connor was King of Connaught and he w.aa conducting a war with Ulster and other places. In the course or these operations he destroyed the palace of Prince Tigernan 'O’Rourke of Bretfne, burning the thatch and demolishing both rooms. IQ ng O’Connor was assisted in this operation by King Diarmalt MocMurchada, King of Leinster, and grandeon of tho famous Diarmalt Mael-na-mßo King Diarm-ait Wok a fan , cv Princess Derhforgaill O’Rourke, wife of Prince Tigernan O’Rourke, and ran away with her. Prince O’Rourke, not recognising a piece of good fortune when it befell him, secured fhe support of several more royal?persons whose names I will spare my readers, and went to war with. King Diarmait AlacAlurchada. Instead of taking his gruel like a man, Diarmait indiscreetly rushed to England ard invited the hated foreigner, in the percon of Henry 11. io stoush Hie other side. King Henry II came, and since that day there haven’t been any Kings of Ireland to speak of. So when it is all analysed out it is because of tho glad eye Princess DerbfArgaill O Rourke gave King Diarmait MacMurchada behind the back of her lawful wedded spouse Prince Tigernan O’Rourke, that Mr is going to Inverness to patch up tins ead business and get the kings and royal families started again.'

Paragraph from a contemporary. "From Trainer" Dome Leslie > th® youngest of his charges there is a spirit of esprit do crops.” The optimistic All Black team stood eager, at tho Bay, , While Dorrie Leslie panted as he rubbe their faraway. They ran, they biked, They swam, they Inked, • They walked, taey talked. Of lauglior balked, And jumped across the green tree-tops With zest of their esprit de erdps.

One of the speakers at the meeting. of the British Association scolded trade unionists for not being interested m science. The rebuke hit" nrany besides trades unionists. But there aie only 24 hours in a day If science could give us a 28-hour day wo might tad time to revel in scientific problems. Even the moneylender, who is so difficult to handle in these hard times, might to As it is to tells me that with him it is a matter of principal. From h’ B of view science, has no principal, and is therefore not entitled to He is concerned with the science of interest, not the interest of science. A SONG TO THE VALIANT.

I’ll walk on the storm-swept side of th» hill ' , In my young days, .n ray strong days. Tn tlie days of ardent pleasure. I’ll go where the v. v in<ls are fierce and chill On the storm-swept side of the daring hill—And there will I shout my song lays In a madly tumbling measure. Ililloo the., dusk. And hilloo the dark! The wind hath a tusk And I wear its mark The day’s last spark hath a valiant will: Ililloo the dark on the wind-swept hill! .From the hour of-pain Two joys we gain— The strife and the after-leisure.