The Hawera Star. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1924. WHAT ARE TRIFLES?

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 27 November 1924, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1924. WHAT ARE TRIFLES?

Delivered every evening by S o’cioiifc m Hawera Manaia, N-ormanby, Okaiawa, Eltham Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awatuna, Opunake. Otakeho, Manutahi, Alton, Ilurleyville, Patea, Waverley, * Mokoia, Whakamara, Ohangai, Meremere, Fraser Road, and Ararata.

What are trifles? It depends lupon the individual point of view. Peopl« may say of any apparently small: happening that it is onh r a trifle. Long centuries :ago a dispute among his brothers led to Joseph being sold to a wandering band going into Egypt. Joseph was a “dreamer,” and for that annoyance to his brothers he was sold. The incident itself was a trifle for. those times, but it resulted years later in Joseph being in a position to help hi? brothers and his father. Again the sting of a gnat —ordinarily a trifling annoyance—sent Nebuchadnezzar mad and led to the downfall of his empire ,So one might pick out from history hundreds of events whicli in themseWes were trifles, but in their effects became enormous. The mad act of a misguided student in 1914, in killing the Crown. Prince of Austria, was not regarded at the time as of special significance, and it was not anticipated that it would lead to war that would seriously disturb the wh ’e world and cause the loss of millions of lives and to destruction without precedent. Austria regarded the Serbian student’s act as far more serious than did nations not closely concerned in it at the time. On the other hand Germany regarded Belgium ’s sovereignty as a trifle and refused to regard the “scrap of paper,” which Britain looked upon as most important. Germany’s refusal to recog-nise-the “trifle’’ brought about her downfall and ruin'. So one may turn to civil life and there find daily happenings which are regarded variously as trifles or matters of great importance according to the point of view. The speech and written words of human beings are often found to contain tremendous trifles. The cackling of geese,, it is recorded, saved Rome; the cackling of another anserine

species, having two legs but no feathers, has caused the majority of the woes which have afflicted the world. A careless word, a look or a tiny action —each regarded as a trine at the time has resulted in many a human disaster, because to someone else it has been considered by ho means a trifle. One recalls reading somewhere that “trifles are the orange peel upon the roadwaj r of Pate, which those who walk thereon may safely miss or, tmidmg on, skid swiftly to disaster.” We suppose that it is one of the peculiarities of human nature lo assume the air of superiority expressed in the oft-heard statement, “Oh, that is only a trifL.” ■ Some cutting remark; pain caused to the innocent without thought of the results; some action which brings no good to the one who does it, but much anxiety, suffering and loss to another person—only trifles, many people in a matter of fact world may say. Again, it depends upon the point of view and upon the result. The truth is that every incident in human life is linked so closely with a thousand others that no one of them can be lightly regarded. Chemists, bacteriologists, doctors and engineers know that in the intricate sciences of which they are humble students there are no such things as trifles. A comparatively slight mistake- (from the layman’s viewpoint) might easily mean the deaths of many people, perhaps of the scientist himself. Well may we all in this age,)of “big things” think over the very great importance of those things which we are too apt to regard as trifles, and remember the truth of the axiom of childhood’s days— Little drops of water, little grains of sand, Make the mighty ouan and the* pleasant land.