Observations

Northern Advocate, 22 July 1939, Page 1 (Supplement)

Observations

rpHE things which interest men and women are as varied as are men and women themselves. It is just as well that this should be so, because if all were made of one mould, what a monotonous world this old (world would be.

B UT I have in mind particularly the

hobbies that people make their especial object of interest. It is said that a man is known by the companions he keeps. This applies especially to hobbies. And hobbies do not consist merely of inanimate pursuits such as, saj7 jphotograjphy, electrical experiments and similar things. A hobby may be the cultivation of the friendship of live animals, birds or. even fish, fjpHERE used to be a saying that

a man who was always dealing in horses had to be accepted warily, for he (was not particular about the bargain he drove with one who wanted to drive a horse. David Harum, beloved of an older generation, had much to say in his inimitably humorous way about this subject. To-day, in New Zealand, at any rate, a different story can be told, for , with few exceptions, horse dealers are men who can hold up their heads in any company. It seemed some time ago that they were doomed to go out of business under the competition of the internal combustion horse, but I am satis-

by “The Man on the Look-Out”

fied that this fear was groundless, for though it is a good thing that much of the hauling (which made life difficult for many horses is now handed over to motors, there is still scope for the use of the horse in many ways that are less exacting.

gHOW me a man fond of a good and beautiful horse—l am not talking of worshippers of a horse whose value is measured by the totalisator gauge—and I will show you a man to be trusted and respected.

what of dog lovers? They may

be catalogued according to the kind of dog in which they are especially interested. The dog is indeed the friend of man. It is true that many men value a dog for its working capacity and what it represents in terms of pounds, shillings and pence, but the great majority love their dogs simply because they sense a subtle bond of friendship between them —a thing which cannot be set down in plain type. J COULD not help coming to this conclusion one day when I heard a big stalwart man discoursing on the inmates of the bird loCts he owned. There was no mistaking the enthusiasm of the bird-owner, and he fascinated me as he spoke of the spirit of pluck and' determination with which a handful of feathers would face the

elements and fight through to a finish. No prize horse or dog could have given more pleasure and satisfaction to its owner than did the birds evidently give to their possessor, who, it (was clear to even the densest, loved them for their own sake and the companionship they provided. And apparently the affection was reciprocated. |

J HAVE seen dog cemeteries in various parts of the world, and, like many other people, have considered that they manifested an exaggerated expression of affection, I expect some who read of the funeral at Wellington of a terrier which was the friend and companion of men whose work takes them to the waterfront, was equally an exaggeration. But I am inclined to think more charitably about it (when I recall what the loss of a dog or a horse, or even a bird, has meant to those who have had their companionship. I am convinced that the tribute paid to the terrier was an exhibition of those finer feelings which are seldom allowed to come to the surface..

brings me back to the subject of hobbies, and strengthens my argument that the hobby of cul vating the friendship of birds and beasts is a good thing.