LOCAL GOSSIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8538, 11 April 1891, Page 1 (Supplement)

LOCAL GOSSIP.

"liCt me have audience for a word or two." — Shakctpert. < Everybody in Auckland who is anybody is JUst now fully occupied in his or her mind by balls, given to the Governor, or by tho Governor, or "at homes" on the Orlando. But I must say something by way of moralising, and improving tho occasion. I sometimes reflect upon how much benefit tho residence of a Governor might be to a community, And particularly in the way of correcting errors into which we, as a people, are prone to fall. The political functions of a Governor in holding the balance even between political parties, in exercising the Crown's prerogative of mercy, and in many other duties, are of great importance, and demand a person of prudence and ability. But I am not going to say anything about that branch of the subject. It is about the social functions that I desire to speak. I picture to myself a gentleman of a cultivated mind, with ample means at his disposal, setting an example of how persons in easy circumstances ought to live. The pursuit of wealth is the prevalent vice in tho colonies, and yet, as a general rule, when men acquire money they do not know what to do with it. It often becomes a curse to them and to tho community. And the desire to acquire wealth in many cases 'defeats itself. Many of the sad reverses we now seo in the community have arisen from men who were already well to do speculating rashly in the eager desire to grow rich. All this evil might be much diminished by the example of a man of culture desirous to do good, interesting himself in what is of an ennobling tendency, taking every opportunity that came in his way to show kindliness and courtesy to all around him. This example cannot be offered when the Governor is a needy man, trying to save every farthing he can from his salary, and getting an obsequious Premier to charge household expenses on the colonial exchequer.

Now, I believe that Lord Onslow is an example of a Governor who will fulfil all the requirements of a Governor in both departments of his duties. The fault is not in him ; the fault is in ourselves. To begin with, I doubt very much whether a ball is the best way in which the citizens of Auckland could welcome a Governor. Only a few can take part in it, so that it is not so much a welcome by the citizens as by the few who can afford to go to a ball, or who think they can afford to go. Then, even the citizens of Auckland become divided into two classes. There are "citizens of Auckland" and " members of the Northern Club." There is a division, and some heartburning about it. We have had no doubt brilliant displays at the Choral Hall and at the great building in Princess-street; but, in connection with these, we have had bad displays of some very ignoble qualities, of some pitiable littlenesses. Getting information from behind the scenes, I have known something of these, and I must say that what I have heard has made me think less than I did before of some of my fellowcitizens—if they •will permit me to call them so. In London there is a world of fashion and of style quite apart from the world of everyday life, but in the colonies I fancy that people are somewhat intolerant of any attempt to create a division in society of the same nature. It may seem ungallant to say so, but I fear that a good deal of the heartburning has its root in the bosoms of the fair sex, who do not as a rule inspire their husbands in such matters with magnanimous notions. Do let us all feel as one in showing our pleasure at the presence of His Excellency and Lady Onslow, who, I feel sure, are on their parts anxious that their influence shall only be for good to everybody who is really a citizen of Auckland.

The Convention to draw up a Constitution for the Federation of Australia, or of Australasia, has now come to a close, and by-and-by, in connection therewith, we shall have some very ticklish questions to put to ourselves. Leaving these, however, in the meantime, what about the name chosen, " The Commonwealth of Australia?" The name "Commonwealth" is awkward because of its length. That is against it to begin with. The Times objects to it because it recalls disagreeable reminiscences, these being, I suppose, of Cromwell and the execution of " the blessed martyr" Charles I. That is just where the Times and I differ. I look upon the English Commonwealth as the most glorious period of our history. I have sometimes, when in the Houso of Representatives at Wellington, wished that a Crornwe.il would come in and send the members all about their businesses, those who had any. But then, according to the dictionaries, a Commonwealth means "a government in which the supreme power is lodged in the people ; a republic." Australia is not a republic, and the federation movement is supposed to be a means of more firmly uniting the empire under the sovereign. But then we have a Dominion of Canada, and it will be curious for the federations under the English Crown to have different names. The Times suggests that Australia should adopt the title " Realm," but then that means etymologically "a King's dominion." Federation has a great many difficulties still to overcome, but I think it is a safe thing to predict that it will be brought about, and that New Zealand will be a member of the Common wealth.

For some occasions past the census papers have been perpetrating an injustice to Ireland which this time has been removed. In the model schedule sketched out an example of a domestic servant was wanted, and was set forth thus : " Bridget Maloney — domestic servant — Ireland — Roman Catholic—cannot read or write." There was always a great row about this, but we shall now have peace. Bridget is banished, and we have in her place, "Susan Smith — servant — England — "VVcsleyan Methodist — read and write." There is, however, still room for grumbling. The farm servant still stands thus : — "Thomas Henderson — farm labourer—ScotlandPresbyterian Church of New Zealand." The visitor "is put down as " Salvation Army " in his religious belief, but then theaucientChurch of Rome is banished altogether, and vanishes out of existence with Bridget who could not read or write. I suppose that the Minister for Education thinks that the education system has been so long in operation that everybody cau now read or write.

As to the Kakanui disaster, I see that zealous efforts are being made to show that the Government were quite justified in engaging that steamer to go down to the Macquarrie Islands. Why do they not examine Captain Fairchild ? Ho knows, better than anyone else, the seas that rage about these islands, and he knew the kind of vessel the Kakanui was. And besides, it is reported that he represented to the people in the office at Wellington that the Kakanui was nob capable of the voyage. Some of those on the island seem to have been so strongly impressed with the insufficiency of the Kakanui when she gob down, that they declined to leave in her.

I regret to learn that the remarks made by me respecting the late Mr. Greenway have been the cause of pain to the relatives and friends of that gentleman. Nothing Was further from my intention than to cause offence to any person. lb is with pleasure that I learn from those who came from England in the same ship as Mr. Greenway, and from those who knew him for the many years he was resident in Auckland, of his numerous acts of generosity and kindness to the poor, and to those dependent upon him. If Mr. Greenway accumulated a fortune by habits of economy; he did no more than many a good man has ,don 6 before him, and the example of self-

denial he has shown might well bo followed by many J in' Auckland. " Mercntio" regrets that lie has unwittingly wounded the feelings of any person in the remarks he has made, and hereby tenders his apologies to all the deceased gentleman's relatives and friends.

In last week's issue I gave an eel yarn from tho Queenscliffe Sentinel, in which an Auckland widow was the central figure. I said I thought I saw the line Roman hand of Mr. William Hodge in it, who has localised an old story but put a new face on it, which he is well able to do, being an authority on piscatorial stories. The eel story has brought out of private life a host of correspondents, who have a word to say about that eel. I cull a sample of tho sorb of thing which has been poured in upon mo by post. " Conger, " who is nothing if not fishy, says :— The eel story of the Queenscliffo Sentinel would have borne boiling down, as I heard it some three or four hundred years before the Waitemata was discovered. It ran : —the friends intimated to the widow the discovery of the body— eels—and asked for her instructions. They were: "Send me the eels, and set- him again An Epsom correspondent, whoso no7)i de plume 1 refrain from giving owing to his modesty, states that the storv was published about A.D. IS'2O. It might be later, but that does not matter, and that to the Rev. T. Barnaul the credit of tho story must be given, as it will be found in the lay of "Tho Knight and the Lady," and forms one of the beautiful " Ingoldsby Legends." Mr. John Abbott has a word to say on the matter as follows :— Your suggestive and slippery story about the eels is hoary with age. If Hodge possesses an intimate acquaintance with the back premises of the English language he certainly is innocent of this piscatorial yarn, which has wriggled through generations, and in the sublimity of the sketch demonstrates that a greater than Hodge is here. The conduet of the widow appears highly meritorious. Her depleted exchequer was replenished with coin by the sale of the eels ; her curiosity and patience were rewarded by •a glimpse of her late treasure; her philosophy was emphasized by the nouspoiling of her beauty by excessive weeping: her commonsense asserted itself in the suggestion that the body should be replaced in the water, thereby giving back to the sea its dead, and her shrewdness peeps out coquettishly in the consciousness that there are as good fish in the sea as ever were caught, while the whole episode forcibly reminds us of Mr, Pickwick's advice," Samivel, my boy, beware of the widders."

I notice that Major Goring, the new officer commanding the Auckland volunteers, is going to have field-days for the volunteers, and may possibly try encampments. If he desires to do anything for volunteers and volunteering, he will set his face like a flint against canteens, or facilities for getting drink at any of these gatherings. Let the episodes at Takapuna, Hamilton, and the Mercer "incident" be sufficient warning, and if not let the reports in the Southern press of the late Oamaru encampment be laid to heart. When one reads of "Oamaru being taken possession of for hours;" of "large numbers of volunteers being away from camp without leave ;'' of " the rushing of the guard" at night; of "an officer, so the report goes, being helped to his, tent by two of the rank ami file," one can understand why the gallant commander of H.M.s. Curacoa fired a volley over the grave of military glory, and stood away for Lyttelton. Some brewer or publican will of course offer a premium to the Volunteer Officers' Committee for the privilege of working off stale beer at an encampment, but if Major Goring is a wise man, he will put his foot squarely down and keep it there.

With the glimpses which are to be got nowadays of church life, it is not to be wondered at that thoughtful, earnest men —weary of seeing churches torn to pieces by- wretched faddists with their shibboleths —are looking anywhere and everywhere for rest and peace. They see that thero are shepherds and shepherds, and one colonial poet has thus eased his mind, in his cynical despair, a long way after Burns' " Holy Willie"— " Feed my sheep," the Master said, ' But William never crammed them; It wit-; Minself this shepherd fed. As for the lambs—he latntn'd tiieui ! A movement has been started in America called " The New Fellowship," as a remedy for this state of things, and a number of earnest men and women who believe in "Deeds, not Creed" are banding themselves together to strive after the Higher Life—not the hideous burlesque of "American holiness " —while at the same time declining to recognise any church in its corporate capacity. " The New Fellowship" puts it to men and women " whether it is ignorance or hypocrisy which allows them to go to church on Sundays, in either the pulpit or the pew, to drone out truths which they daily deny in tho market, by the hearth, and in senate-houses." Some of the literature of the new movement is finding its way into this colony, and possibly Ethical Societies will be established in due course here on the lines of the new movement in America. . Mekcutio.