THE SCHEME OF THINGS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 51, 28 August 1926, Page 17

THE SCHEME OF THINGS

(By "M.H.C.")

The editor of "Time and Tide" waxes vexy wrath over the defeat of ,the Peeresses Bill in the British House of Lords, or not perhaps so much over ; the defeat as the manner of it. Some particularly hard verbal rocks are hurl,ed at Lord Birkenhead, who is quite a new p.eer, having been, only a brief ,time ago",', a Mr. Smith, K.C. Lord Newton also;comes in for some pointed remarks. The writer says: "More disturbing -than the victory of tho backwoodsine'n was the debate which precoded it.- Whilst the fine speech of Jhose peers who spoke in favour of the admission" of Lord Astor, Lord Cecil, Duke of Atholl, Lord Haldane, and Lord Wrenbury were marked by dignity and restraint, some of the speeches of the Opposition were of a vulgarity yrhich one hoped had become unusual in English public life. Lord Newton, for instance, asked if the object of the Bill wagrto mako the House a Casino for thor-purpose of attracting young bloods who at present occupied themselves iii other ways. He did not think that these middle-aged ladies Would have a great attraction. If they wanted to attract reluctant young ■bloods to come and attend the debates, it would be more efficacious if they in.troducedra number of chorus ladies. His xemarks?AveTo received with laughter. Lord Birkenhead explained that women were made peeresses for one reason only, in the obscure and uncertain hope that they might bring males into the world. "Jn other words, the hope was jfounded'-'pii their physical fecundity. Many of them, he might say, had disappointed that hope. It is not perhaps (continues the writer) surprising that a man. so', notorious as Lord Birkenhead, or so foolish as' Lord Newton, should care to indulge in remarks of this calibre. ■•'Every country has its degenerates. -:What is both surprising and depressing to those who believe England to be civilised is to realise that a man capable Vof speaking in auch terms should bje deemed suitable for high office, and that there is still an audience, and an audience composed of a large number of leading public men, which ia prepared to listen to, and even encourage foul vulgarity. It must make us" realise, that our standards of decency! in public life are still pitiably low." The writer wonders what would be the of the peers if they found, that the trade unions, one and all, refused membership to women. There would probably bo some "righteous indignation."

Just ,a" little while ago a woman wrote to;a paper about gossip. Strange to say, ;as women have suffered so bitterly in;their time from that most cruel proceeding, this woman champions it, as "showing real interest." She ignored tne undoubted fact that gossip as usually understood is not good-nat-ured talk about people and their concerns, but bitter criticism, and often quite untrue statements about them. An cld-fashipned writer says:

" 'They say.' Ah, well, suppose they do, But can they prove the story true?

Can they the bitter wrong redress,

Or make one pang of sorrow less?" 'A very good plan, was originated by a man. onc£ He made a practice of saying to anyone who came to him with unkind stories'of people, "Who told you? Do you know it yourself to be true?""!. If there was any shuffling or.; unreadiness to come to a Straight-reply, he simply sKrugged his shoulders, and remarked that such storios should not be repeated unless there was proof of truth, and then only in the"ipresence of the people whom they concerned in order to give them a chance of explaining or refuting. JThis was a most excellent plan, and one ■which might recommend itself to those who imagine that- by gossiping- they are "sfiowing interest." The idle word is scripturally condemned, and the great saying,*,"Let him that is without sin cast the'first stone," is another powerful argument against gossip of any description. Supposing a sad story of em is true, if those who repeat it stopped to 'think, "If this were within my family, would I liko ,people to .broadcast it?" there would be a great deal less gossip and unkindness in the world. ; * * * Cicely, Hamilton, in writing about the great procession recently organised in London to express tho feeling of the women <>f England in favour of equal franchise for men and women, says that it fulfilled a useful purpose in a number of "ways. Not only did it bring forward" tho fact that tons of thousands of women thought enough of the matter to accept the invitation and "Line up on tho Embankment at 2 p.m.," but it showed 'those who had had fears that the pre-war demonstrations and cruelties against the women might recur, that there was no ground for snch apprehension. Even when they marched through Trafalgar square, in tho midst of a clubland none too friendly to their aims, there was no trouble, and they finished by packing the Albert Hall and thronged round the many platforms in the Park. She also remarks that the demonstration brought an element of pageantry, of decoration, into the life political, which hitherto has been somewhat drab. The banners, the sashes, and the-steadfastness of those who at-tended-"all made for interest in the cause which the whole thing represented. It-betokened also the fact that the political lassitude which existed for gome time after tho war, is passing, since such a demonstration of women could be arranged in order that they might not be voteless, but havo .the rights that are granted to their younger brothers.

A writer who touches on "some of Britain's musty laws" says that, strictly „all games of chance, other than backgammon, arc illegal. The Lord's Day Observance Act Charles I. is still nnrepeajed. This prohibits all meetings of- people outside their own parishes for common play, exercise, or pastimes, and the writer adds that not go long ago this old Act was invoked to prevent golfers playing over the Portruah Club course on Sundays. It is also stated that in order to bo able to arrest and try Eoger Casement, an old Act of the eleventh century had to be resuscitated in order to bring him within "the law. Cases might bo multiplied,'remarks the writer, who urges that instead of continually adding new statutes, some of the titno might be given to reorganising the old laws to bring them up to date, and expunging those which are no longer of any use.