"As Others See Us."

Horowhenua Chronicle, 5 August 1912, Page 3

"As Others See Us."

MAX A WAT U TIMES ON LEVIN.

With just a little sarcasm, and always good naturedly, the Manawatu Times on Saturday last dealt in its editorial columns with some recent happenings and discussions in Levin. Our contemporary, under the pen nam© of " Tlio Watchman," begins ais follows:— The more I read the always interesting "Chronicle." the more am I fascinated with Levin. Its air of cosmopolitanism, its blase assumption of a place with "a past," a cerulean present, and a lurid future is as a friend of mine would put it "devilish engaging." This paper told the other day of the rseriousness with which it entered last week on the attack and defence of .Mr X. Bonaparte, a gentleman who made more stir in Europe in his day than even Benjamin Til let or the bloodthirsty Mr lionar Law. ■* * * Having finished with Mr Bonaparte (who also had a cosmopolitan penchant for the ladies) Levin is now agitate dover its own precious wickedness and feels a .smug satisfaction in hearing from a local clergyman that it is a sort of compound London-New York-Paris-So-dom-Gaiuorrah-Port Said. In fact nearly as hot a shop as Foxton when the matches spill . Levin is, according to the iU<v. .Mr Itandcrson, "no less uotorious for its wickedness than any other towns," especially, of course, those above named. Said Mr Randerson at the Ivirk regarding the jeuncsso (lore of Levin : Non-eliurch-going was a fashion in Levin, especially among young men and young married people. Another characteristic of the town might be described as "going the pace." One who "went the pace" must have the bwt of everything-flash horse and equipage, fashionable garments of fancy prices, all the amusement in the round of the year, and on a limited salary. Result: tradesmen's debts. extended credit. And the divine contrasted the rigor with which the Chinese fan tan player was suppressed with the manner in which the police ignored the "grave suspicion" which existed regarding the "houses of we'l-to-do people" and "gentleman's clubs" of the Monte Carlo of the Manawatu line where apparently they have added bridge to their sins. * * * Mr Randerson is evidently no inspector of persons. He did not spare even "The Cloth" last Sabbath. for after "dealing it out" to "church officials afflicted with moral cramp," he told '"'of the part played by the ministers in contributing to the causes of non-church going" with Long rambling prayers, the technical language of old-fashion- ( ed theology, the pulpit whine, the atmosphere of settled dullness and melancholy, the fear to depart from established usages, the silence on questions intimately affecting the physical welfare and common day needs of the masses. And he bid his brother Ministers ! nof to let "the inside circle" of these respective contrregal ions claim a monopoly of their time but to go forth to those who bad "'become ent-!iH. r l('l in 'lie iec?he< of vice" into — " Spheres of |he world into I which tin l minister <I>r-nlr7 be free to go. bo!h to enrich his own experience and preaching and to ■widen his own influence for good." And in one of the Chronicle issues which contained the.-e burning words there was an intimation that Palmers ton too lias its vices, for there was an editorial seriously reflecting upon our local eontein|K>rary's habit of literary petty larceny: "This is our fourth protest within a few "ifhs against the Standard's per. sistenf acquisitiveness," the Lev'n* editor declares in a pa inod voice that wns heal'd even above the Randcrson's Raid on the Ribald Roister, ing Revellers of his town. My Levin friend should take comfort to his son] that there is humour oven in •Itv larceny. Tt was once displayed when one of this paper's editorials figured in our evening contemporary. After travelling apparenl'v. mind the w<;:M -I had fa'!"ii f'i the omniverou-. .•:■ { unsus!>,:\:iig scissors to h<><".|iie a "little tliinu' ol mine own" not inanv vards : ■ of origin." '