AFTER THE ORDEAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20898, 13 June 1931, Page 10

AFTER THE ORDEAL.

HAWKE'S BAY NORMAL. THE INFLUENCE OF SPORT. OLD HABITS AND INTERESTS. HEALTHY MENTAL ATTITUDE. [IIY TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL REPORTER.] NAPIER. Friday. The capacity of tho human race to survive ordeal was demonstrated during and after the Great War. On the homo front "business as usual" was the slogan that carried a tonic for the times; at the battle front the soldier fought and endured and promised himself all sorts of diversions when his leave came. It is not so surprising, therefore, to find that the people of liawkc's Bay who went through the fearful ordeal of devastating earthquake should so soon be back in their old groove. Some have suffered bereavement, all have suffered loss and few have escaped tho effects of the blow to the nervous system. But the inherent qualities of the race have come to their aid and in tho automatic return to old habits, old interests, they obey Nature's law. Nature covers tho scar on the bark of the tree, she clothes the face of the landslide with growth, and she deals with her human family in like manner, Tho Football Crowd. One felt that Nature was at her work of restoration when one went to the football match between "Bay" and Wairarapa. Some 6000 people were present and they shouted their partisan emotions apparently without a thought of the ruins so near at hand. It was not quite possible for them to forget the earthquake. At least they were reminded early in the match that a portion of tho ground is not yet stable, because a mild shake occurred —mild by comparison, but probably strong enough to have emptied the stands had it been an isolated movement of the kind. . What wiis tho reaction ? Nothing except a general laugn. Why expression took tho form of a laugh may be explained by tho psychologists seeing that they havo a chance to judge the question calmly. One doubts if the psychologists had the capacity to observe and think clearly when tho great shakes occurred. However, it is comforting to know that now tiiey will be able to tell us tho meaning of tho reactions. Hawke's Bay is "cockahoop" because Cook is now in thoir back division, and on that Wednesday most people thought more .about tho possibilities of Cook helping their side to victory than about tho state of their bank account. A great balm is sport to tho British community. One recalls tho fact that several officers in tho war led their men "over tho top" into bayonet advances by kicking out a football. One doubts if sritiio other . races understand the psychology of this sort of thing. Race Cards on the Ruins. .And that same day there was a trotting meeting at Hastings. A lot of people were there also. And in that, connection a curious sight was seen in Napier the day before. It was a man with a bag ot race books crying his wares in a street among tho ruins. Exactly 120 days before that street was practically blocked by fallen debris and gangs of sailors wero grimly digging into"piles of broken bricks. On sunny afternoons, both in Napier and Hastings, the ladies "go down town" for a look •at "tho shops even if they are in tho kind of building that springs up on a new goldfield or around a public works camp. They go to tea even if tho tearoom is "tempbrary" and chatter about everything from the prico of woollens to tho latest baby. And how smartly dressed they are! _ . Of course, there aro some housewives who find it convenient to attend tho auction mart and pick up cheap needs for their homes, but in tho main the shopping crowd of Napier or Hastings is as loyal to tho vogue in dress as tho Queen Street parade. Bars in Tin Sheds. All tho demolished .hotels have small tin sheds on tho old sites, and if most of tho customers havo a. tendency to. call for "handles of draught" it is not a thing peculiar to Napier in these hard times. The bar-room parties gossip and "argufy" in tho ancient manner and aro highly delighted when tho man with tho latest joke makes it common property. One man, for instance, put over the one about Napier agreeing to tho 10 per cent, cut being shifted to Hastings. Only those who know how strong is tho competition of the tewns and how resentful Napier is of the so-callod aggression of Hastings, can fully appreciate the reception accorded to this joke. And when Saturday comes, out como tho plus fours and the wearers soon after noon aro off to the golf course to got tho early start which enables so many golf players to neglect their gardens. But tho gardens are not generally neglected. Sorno of the golfers still find tho necessary shillings for tho employment of a gardener once a week as well as the prtco of a peg or two to give a nice bland finish to tlio day's contest. The mail who never playod any game, but devoted his Saturday afternoons to his garden still does so, provided, that is, that the broken mortar of tho old chimney has boon got rid of and tho crumpled garago is restored. The nurserymen see to it that the shops havo plenty of boxes of flower plants and thero are loads of cabbage and cauliflower plants to stimulate household husbandry. Motor Driving Licences. One wandered into tho municipal building in Napier and was surprised to see a queue of men and women of all ages with money in their hands. Thoy wore there either to pay rates or to secure -their mots~ driving licences. They may not be burning as much petrol as I ormeily, but one gathers that the car is not likely to rust out. The wireless shops havo full windows and the inferenco is that the stricken area is not "disposed to miss what tho air. has to tell them. Ono went to a building one evening to sae what a mooting of propertyowtiors were talking about. People were pouring into a little hall on the ground floor and one felt that Napier had a tremendous number of owners of both sexes. But it was the wrong room. These people wore "orphans" or "savages," or something of tho kind. It was upstairs that the property-owners were meeting and in tho room thoro was only a score or so qf them. They have dances in plenty in the Hawke's Bay towns and hamlets, Th'ey go shooting. They play billiards. They go to church and prayer meetings. They want to know what the latest cables have said about the cricket match and they unstable their hobby-horses at every opportunity. And tho young men and maidens go walking in the moonlight. In a word, the folk of the earthquake zone behave as perfoctly normal people.