ALL SORTS

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 42, 22 December 1911, Page 3

ALL SORTS

A healthy spirit of powerful resistance is as essential for the good government of nations as the- capacity to command. All government tends to become an . abomination unless among the governed there is both the will and the-: power to hurl the whole administration into the abyss if they presume too far upon the long-suf-fering of man. —Herbert Spencer.

The American Federation of Labor, in special session, branded the brothers McJN'amafa, convicted, on their own admission, of being connected in the bomb outrages at Los Angeles, as apostates recreant to the good name and ideals of Labor. Investigation i,s welcomed by the Federation.

WOMEN'S TEARS. Trust not woman when she cries, For she'll pump,water from her eyes With a wet finger, and in faster shuw-

• ers, Than April when he rains down flowers / . —Thomas Dekker.

Archbishop Kelly says that America is doomed, morally .-and'commercially. He argued, in the course of an address at Pymble, that Australia should not follow America in educational matters. What, he asked, was the position in the United States. In the first nlace, the old race was dying out, race suicide having set in, and millions of foreigners were pouring into the country every year. The almighty dollar was their god. Of the American population, of 100,000,000, something like 60,000,000 were avowe datheists, having no religion. • What about the family life? Archbishop. Kelly asked. They bought and sold one another, and in some of the States divorce was to bo , had for the asking. It was a nation that was morally dopmed, and a nation that was morally domed was going to be commercially doomed also.

Until the workers know 'Socialism, they are the hopeless victims of Capitalism. Spread the light !:•■.

William Ward, a Melbourne builder, isc stated to be on his way to England to establish his claim to the estates of Lord Dudley. Another claim of «. similar kind is now being put forward by Charles Ward and his brother, who live in New Zealand.

Another case of petticoat government. Queen Mary has decided against elephant riding' as part of the Delhi Durbar programme, and states that she would not ride one nor would she allow King George.

This year the Socialists of the United States celebrate the tenth anniversary of the birth of the Socialist Party.' On the 29th day of July, 1901. representatives of practically all Socialist organisations, with the exception of the Socialist Labor Part,y, met in Indianapolis, resolved to sink their differences and lay the foundation of a ■unified and harmonious Socialist movement in America.

Glasgow, the last stronghold of Scotch Sabbatarianism, is beginning to compromise on the Sunday .excursion question. This year for the first time the excursion steamers have run as -usual on Sunday. The change is deplored by many who spend the summer dn one of the holiday resorts near Glasgow. 'The quiet Sunday is associated with all their earliest recollections. They cannot bear to break habits which have become" second nature. However, they agree that such a feeling is a selfish one, and admit the right of the toiling masses to breathe fresh air on their day of rest. .

Socialists of Finland turned the Boy Scout movement in that country to goo daocount by inculcating workirigclas sideas into the minds of the youthful militant. That made the Czar of Russia, who is stepfather in Finland," quite angry, and he issued orders that the Finnish Boy Scouts be abandoned. • ■ ■ » *

English suffragettes are planning the organisation of a military force of women.

THE COMING CITY

- O jovotis, active community, idea) comnmiiity of reasonable and humane selection, where the old prejudice against manual labor no longer exists. where one can behold a great poet becoming a carpenter and a locksmith a great sage I Ah J blessed. city, triumphant city, toward which mankind has been marching for so many centuries —city whose white walls glitter yonder, in the light of happiness, in the radiant light of the sun. —Enaile Zola.

An incident which slightly upset the equanimity <A the congregation in one of the .New York churches occurred during the morning service :oii Sunday. The collection was in progress, when Mr. J. Pk-rpont Morgan, one of the' sidesmen by whom it was being made, tripped and f<ll. The well-known millionaire went sprawling along the aisle, and the contents of the plate were scattered all over the floor. It was a rather serious fall for the aged , fina'ji-

cier, who, however, was able to resume the collection after the lost offerings had boen returned to his plate. A local writer, coinutenting on the incident, says; it is tlie first time in Mr. Morgan's history that he has ever let money £o.

. "I'm not denying the women are foolish. God Almighty made 'em to match the men." —Mrs. Poyser in George Eliot's ''Adam Bede."

Mr. Bell, or ganger of the British Seamen's Union, interviewed in Sydney, said he anticipates an era of strikes in England during the next two years. British workers had tried arbitration and found it a failure, and now pinned their faith to strike action.

Socialistic street orators at Portland, Oregon, are conducting a free speech campaign, and have the police bluffed. The speakers stand on soapboxes, and hurl tirades -of abuse at .capital and the police. The authorities, fearing street riots, refuse to. stop the speakers. Merchants are greatly, disgusted with the inactivity of the-authorities.

According to the secretary of the Anti-Socialists' Union, the Socialist voters in Britain, who 3.1 years ago .numbered 10,000, are now 1,000,000 strong* It pointed out that the unsatisfactory state of the Labor party .is "iding the Socialists, and that the latter, at their present rate of increase, will control the government in 10 years' time. That's good news.

The "Standard," commenting upon the present industrial unrest, declares that it is the defenceless position of British labor that drives tlfe- workingclass to desiJeratkm.

Mr. Samuel Gonipprs. the wellknown Labor leader, hag been re-elect-ed president of the American Federation of Labor. The vice-presidents for the ensuing year are James Duncan, John Mitchell, James O'Connell. Denis Hayes, William D. Ruber/ "Joseph F. Valentine, John R. Alpine, and A. B- Perham.

The net profits of the Government's coal mines at Wonthaggi, New South Wales, for the year are £24.101. and the gross output 396,042 tons.

That the Socialists will have six representatives in Congress after the next Congressional election is the prediction of Congressman Victor. L. Berger, who has just returned from a seven weeks' lecture tour which extended from New England to", Butte, Mont. He expects to be" re-elected and he expects Columbus and Minneapolis will elect one Socialist congressman each. He also believes Nortfi Dakota and Oklahoma will send Socialists to Congress. •-He-says that wherever he lias been the 'movement is spreading rapidly. Congressman ■ Jie-r----ger also J thinks the country is Hearing another industrial crisis." He fixes 1913 as the time, and says that; somi« who never have studied political economy will be likely to blanio Tai'ci. In that .event they will b-e b3aiv;ing a blameless man. - -' -

The British Labor Party, in a message to the Socialists in tho Reichstag, state that the estrangement of. Britain and Germany wp not'due to the workers, but to. politics* 1 and econouiic internets. It was, therefore, all the more necefesary for tho»e> representing the popular mind to demonstrate uniiustnkeably the international solidarity '"'<ui Jioodwill and desire for

. Diffident Lover, (trying to feel his ground, nervously): "Did yoi know, 1 —er —actually dreamt that I proposed to you last night. Now—er—what can that mean?" Practical Girl (promptly): "Mean! 'Well, it means that you are a. lot more sensible asleep than you are awake, Freddy."

* 3, » WOMEN IN SWEDEN

i Women seem to have'played'a ' considerable part in the recent elections in Sweden. They have not got the vot-e, of course, like the women of Norway, but they have been carrying on an active campaign for the suffrage for several years, and they-seem at last to have made an impression oh the governing powers, for the Conservatives* against whom they threw all- their, energies, have been beaten (says the ""Westminster Gazette.") To assist their allies, the Liberals .and Social Democrats, the suffragettes'established a committee in every, .constituency, and held 217 meetings during the election.. One of their leaders made 35 but their campaign was not marked by any outbreaks,of violence against their opponents or. the. Government. The Swedish suffragettes seem to. have campaigned on the -lines of peaceful persuasion from the first. And perhaps that is why the mere man in Sweden seems to have listened to them.

Miss Helen M. Gould is to have a private swimming bath built for.-her at-.her-country- home,- Lyndhurst; at a cost of about £12,000. The buildhig will b« 140 ft, long ami 35ft. wide. The pool will be lined with mosaic work, and the roof will be of glass. And handsomefy-painted lounging rooms, shower batbs and dressing, rooms will make the bath the finest of its kind in the United States.

The evil of our present civilisation, from the'.-artist's-point'of view, is that .be-, is compelled by the conditions to give of hie second best. —Frank Harris* ■'• ' •: ...■■""

The women of Kentucky have a mant; to-day in the United States Congress*; "Victor L. Berger, the Socialist representative, who is under instruction, from the Socialist Party to present a' petition . for woman, suffrago and to take all necessary steps to put the po-, titioii into effect/ , was the message which Caroline Lowe, representing thetwomen of the Socialist Party, dcliv-" r cred to the national women's sufTrap,* : convention at Louisville, Ky., now ia , progress. "Back of Victor BergOT is a solid organisation of 100,000 duespaying members of the Socialist Party,; every one of whom is pledged, to ; support the plank in the national party platform which saySj 'We demand unrestricted and equal suffrage for nata and women, and we pledge ourselves to, engage in an active campaign in. thafr, direction." ■'':■.

Tliough Fat doesn't how dar« i« openly disapprove of Wages Boards, , he still hates them as much as ever —- and ? turns them to unfair advantage whenever he can (says the "Bulletin"). Thus, the "Argus' 5 lately • the matter of groceries, etc;, aiid ioiiMd an all-rouiid increase varying 'from 5 to 20 per cent-, and promptly put it. tlowrt to the Wages Boards. The grocery Wages Board only made its* determina- ' tions a few months ago, and the increases given were so slight that they averaged no more than 5 per cent, on the previous wages bill, and less than 1 per cent, on the The hourg , have not been lately reduced, so th* ; extra pay doesn't account for a 5 or 20----per cent, rise in the prices of such articles as sugar, flour, rice, sago, tapioca, barley, biscuits/ etc. One canee " of the increase—which the "Argue , * carefully disremembers —is the landlord's habit of raising the rent on the "" ' slightest provocation,, or on. no jnovccation at all. Other circiim stances worth noting .are (1) that prices ha\o been going up for years;. (2) that even in Freetrade Britain the rise in tV« price of necessaries has. been so great that strikes and riots have laxt-ly ensued.. Surely even the "Argus'* doesn't imagine that Victorian Boards have shoved up, prices on the Old Kent Rowd, London, where the> late Harry Itickards knocked 'em long ago? ''■•■' t; ■■-- ■:'■"' . ' «. '• •- * The late Lord Youngj of the Scottish Bench, was responsible foi\ <pnliveiling many a dull case. Iko best, remarks that ever fell from hin lips was the reply to a counsel who urged on behalf of a plaintiff of somewhat bibiilous appearance: "My client, my lord, is a most •aarkable man, and holds a very, responsible position; he is managf-r of some waterworks. 5, . After a long look, the judge answered: "Yes, he looks like a man who cunM , be ' trusted with any amount cf wivter."

CHIMNEY SWEEP AND . LECTURER

Mr: Walter Hunt, a chimney cleaner, of Westcote road, Streatham, has be«*n - appointed lecturer on Sociology to the :. "University Extension Lectures, wJ-.» , sent him for a month to BalliolCollege, Oxford. For many yearsj Mi , . Hunt,,', who is an old navy man, has devoted ■ all .the time he could spare from the , cleaning of chimneys to the "study of ethnology, anthropology, and other abstruse subjects. He has written a bock on the question, "Are we a Declining: < Eaee?" and at the age of 53 promises to'have a great career as a lecturer. Mr. Hunt, in his time, hag seen many parts of the world. After he , left the navy he was for a time in the Fire .- Brigade, and then changed his • occn- . pation to that of a sweep. A year .or two ago he attended a course of yersity Extension Lecttires on "Kaith and Man" at the Robert Browning Settlement in Walworth road. At the same . time he attended a course of leoturee in anthropology at the Norwood. Tech- ~ nical Institute. Despite the fact thkt his calling took him out at 4 o'clock ; in the morning, Mr. Hunt managed to c pass examinations in each subject- and ■* his success led to his recent visit to i Oxford and more receiit appointment. ~■

If CapitaKsm had been invented by the single brain of a living man. that man would be the master of the world. Had Capitalism, been the product of genius nothing could stand against it?. The awful power of money to-day is not" the result of reason or talent or gen? ins, but causes that lie deep in the nature of things, which are beginning to 'be fathomed by the wage-earner, whose labor and blood and tears rears", the mighty fabric ■of modern society.. • * * ~

Clear writing can only result from clear thinking. And no man can express the thoughts of others so well "as his own. An* artificial style is always complex and confused ; a natural style, being the reflex of. the man, is plain., direct and suited to its purpose. Many writers overload their style with ornament; to conceal the poverty of their though W