TOPICS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 22, 26 January 1924, Page 15

TOPICS OF THE DAY

(By "M.H-.C.")

When addressing the Society of Authors, Playwrights, and Composers, Sir Auckland Geddes , spoke somewhat urgently on the'dangers of caricature. In particular he mentioned those conventional types which were commonly used to represent different countries and peoples, both in their own and other nations. . He mentioned that there was a type of comic Englishman who appealed -on ■ the ~ stage of foreign lands, and in the writings of foreign authors, which was a terrible enemy of England at the present time. It was almost impossible to get past him, though he had no real' existence at all.. He also referred to books in which "the eternal triangle" represented the life of the English people as something quite different to, what.it really is in the main—simple, and marked by toil and sorrow, love and ;laughter. Those who art acquainted with the early drawings of Leech, in England, and others of the same period in France and other countries, will remember the typical Frenchman with tight waist, and weird hirsute facial appendages, which misrepresented, the -cout. teoiis foreigners. On the other hand, -there, was the, fat, grumpy, stupid Englishman and his womenfolk, with hideous clothes, flat figures, and prominent teeth, which stood for the British women. These types have been followed ad infiniCiim in other countries and parts of the world, and never is the type a flattering, or even a pleasant one. Sir Auckland Geddes is probably perfectly right when making, ramonstrance concerning' caricatures of the representatives of different How often, too, is heard the 'expression, ''the typical. Englishman," the " typical colonial," and so on, the latter being considered as; an overgrown, clumsy person with a terrible twang in his speech. Such things are. calculated ; to lower the self-respect, of individuals and nations, and are therefore to be avoided by those who have the general welfare at heart.

In a casual reading »f reports oi ; Magistrate's Court proceedings, it is .'inevitable for women to feel surprised at ■the sentences given, and. this is a co■gent. reason why women should take more, interest in the Courts, and to attend on the days when cases in which ■women, and children are concerned are takfei. One of Wellington's most re,spected Magistrates'called this "agony day," : and urged that women should come along at times and see if they cpuld not give a helping hand to those girls; and young ones who appeared for ths first time. The " casual reading" above referred to was;that of the Court page in the Adelaide "Observer," where ,two cases in particular made the reader wonder at the sentences given. One was J,hai;of a seaman who had .assaulted his •wffe; in tbe street. She had not long ( been. ta him, and' had left him .on the grounds that he had deceived her .in three directions. He had been married before; he was much older than he, represented ...to her ;■ he had left -another woman ( . undejf : : distressing circumstances. The seigffiri^wifViad^taken' service.; ahd" was earning; for.; herself. ■ The'man followed her, knocked her about when she. got out of a tram, and snatched away her handbag;-and to6ktwo~p<sunds out of it. For this he was convicted and fined one pound, with no imprisonment. The.second case,was that of.a man;who used insulting language1 'to■ two constables when he was arrested on a charge. He kicked, them, one in the abdomen, and the other, in the ,ankle. The. sentences for these offences were imprisonment for two months without the option for the language, and four months for the assault, the sentences to be cumulative. Without having been at the Court, and being able to guess at the- reasons which actuated the Magistrate in being so lenient with the one man, and so severe with the other, the one attacking and knocking a woman about, and robbing her of two pounds of her earnings; the other using ' "language " to two constables, and kicking them; it looks as though there was an extraordinary lack of proportion and of proper regard for the safety of women, as against that of the police. Such cases, many of which used - to, be reported in the English papers, and which were collected and published in parallel 'columns in_ a weekly journal which- had a large circulation, caused some' sensation among women, but the matter was not followed up. There appears to be a necessity for women to take more interest in the sentences given at that Antipodean end of the world. .

•; ■ A story -'comes from Wanganui of a ': man who was desirous of testing the true \ Christianity of congregations. He was ■ staying in Auckland, and, dressing up as a swagger, wandered into.the porch ol a highly respectable church just as the service was about to begin. He was not received with any enthusiasm by' the dignified folk who were giving out ' hymn-books •or showing people into seats, nor was there any offer .to find him a place. : After watching the welldressed ,and': "-unco quid " taking their - places, he, ventured in, and asked a lady to let" him share her book, but she was not sharing anything with a swagger, and retreated to the other end of the seat. When staying at Sydney, the ; gentleman adopted the same tactics, but i. there was welcomed into the church, and treated with courtesy; in addition, when the service was over, he was shaken hands with, and pleasure was ex- ', pressed that a " sundowner " should ? have taken occasion to. attend church. i'.'jV? a fact that a terrible lack of cor-' * diahty to .strangers is exhibited at many churches. Some denominations consider it is not " good form "' to welcome strangers to the church the first time they appear. The churchwarden, or whoever ii. may be who is on duty, usually knows the members of congrega- . tian by sight, but it appears incumbent on him to present a stony countenance to all who enter, and kindly or courteous recognition, or an inquiry to a stranger ,_ is thought not " comme il faut "; in fact, it isn't done; and so such stories as the above are told, and truly. It is impossible to say what timid, groping soul, looking for some sort of guidance, might come along, and hesitatingly enter a church ;■ then, when, meeting with (no reception, and a complete lock of interest; go -somewhere else, or resolve that the churches are not the places to seek Almighty God.