TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLIII, Issue XLIII, 10 March 1909, Page 2

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

There is a bank on which things sweeter than even "a fly in the wild thyme grow — ointment." it is near the SaltWater Bridge-. There is a verdant elbow, in which the slush nestles snugly and ripples contentedly. How it glistens in the morning sunlight as the' green oozo bares its bosom to the open face of heaven ! How i;weet the fiir as it ri:>es from the "liquid depths'' ! Standing by the railing a man's eye may take in all the scene. Beauty enfolds him with two arms and the "roar" of passing traffic or the feet upon the pavement may be the rushing of the wind for all he knows. The "river's" lullaby mesmerises him and he glides away full of righ romance. But something strikes him ; hi' 3 olfactory nerves receive a jar. A gentle zephyr hns wafted an odour to him. It overpowers him. Ho floes white the shadows of typhoid and of all things awful follow him. And all this is in the heart of a garden ritv where "under the spreading chestnut tree" most of the people live. A "fly in the ointment" if over there was one ! How long will the suffering people permit this eyesore and danger zone? The City Council filled up most of Milton's Acr-e, but the most- important part remains undone, and this belongs to the Railway Department. It is another instance of iinf-ilnlltd pledges anil brokui pinmisee. The pcopl" undoubtedly shoul'J • bring prccsuro to bear on the Depart.- i ■ iivent and have the insanitary eyesore I removed. It has been a standing dis- j erare 10 Nelson for 0 generation, and j it is fully a quarter of .1 generation i since tho' Hallway Department promised faithfully to do its part if the City Council did its share. The latter has been performed : Why should the Department bo exempt from the laws which pursue and punish a private firm if it permitted such a nuisance to continue! Actors and actresses are complaining that their audiences T!i>: jire^si.n'G arc not playing their question-. roles : n their pans of i tho house as conrcienI ti'.-insiy as they (the professionals) are ! doing in theirs. Nowadays it is almost uncommon to see full-dress in either the dress circle or stalls, and it is broadly insinuated that such laxity is purely "provincial." In neither London nor Paris would any of the frequenter of the boxes or stalls dream of wearing anything but full evening toilette, and during a grand opera season the display of jewels is said to be unsurpassed at any other entertainment, except perhaps' a Royal tall. With" every sympathy for those engaged upon the stage, who naturally like to think their efforts deserving of every consideration, there is. much to be said on the side- of those who aro glad to take advantage of one of tho privileges conceded by the rush and hustle of the age. It must be remembered that in the colonies the wealthy, leisured class is practically non-existent, and that most of the huge audiences that nightly fill the theatres and other popular places of entertainment have to make the journey I into the city by tram or train. Then, , again, most women, it seems, like to be ( escorted by their men-folk, whether 1 they he husbands, brothers, or fiances, i while the matculins mind will in eight cases out of ten prefer sitting at home after a long day at the office, followed by a substantial dinner, to the j trouble of changing every-day clothes for an evening toilette. So it is the c men who are blamed in tho first case for tho present best-day-diess appear- ' ante of the stalls and dress-circle, for c when the man of the house decides in c favour of day dress, or not going at all, it can hardly be expected that his f women-folk will care to mako a full l toilette to be accompanied by a tweed s suit and a coloured tie. This is one £ of the reasons why the stalls of our theatres nowadays ore so often preferr- J ed to the dress-circle. 1 Now that the Freezing Works for Nolson are an established fact, it is g boficd that shecp-growera and others iviil loyally support the undertaking. 8 specially for the first two years, until" 7 its benefits are demonstrated. 1 3peechos were made showing that the works would prove of great advantage , .0 the district. The speakers, how- Z ; !ver, omitted to eaj that another im- jj portant factor in the progress and of th© place is Lock's Sreat Furnishing Emporium, from hi vnicn so many "Happy Homes" tare m jeen funrnished, and where 6ettlers e< md others can be supplied with fur- °J liture in ereat variety and at low j r )ricd9; in fact. "Lock's" value is msurpassed. With railway extension , ipnninpf the back country, harbour, reezing 'works, the wonderful Atlas . iewing Slaahines, Miner Banges, Snn 1 -ar.vf>s. supplied oy Lock, ' Kelson ' nonld iavo a prosperous future.* , !