The Sketcher.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 245, 29 July 1876, Page 5

The Sketcher.

THE NEW MEMBERS. (sketched by one of themselves.) No. I.—The Membek fob Fkankxin. There rises now and again from a seat in the second row, just below the right gangway, a gentleman in whose face and person a marked struggle between juvenility and senility seems to be perpetually going on, without any apparent advantage on either side. During the first few weeks of the session he did not give way to loquacity, but he evidently now thinks that where so many new members air their eloquence his wise words should have weight, and consequently he has been, within the last few days (in committee especially), heard frequently, if not to great advantage. Mr. H. H. Lusk is typical of a class in Auckland. A comparatively young gentleman who, because his father is an old and respected colonist, and he himself has been offered certain educational advantages, was for a long time looked upon as a heaven-born genius with unlimited scope, one who could touch nothing without adorning it, and who only waited the opportunity to enter public life to show that he had in him the stuff of which statesmen are made. It is but just to Mr. Lusk to say that since his entrance on public life the circle of those who believed in him has got very much smaller, and that he owes his presence in the House to his promise to support Sir G-eorge Grey, which caused that gentleman's supporters to accept him as the best that could be got. Mr. Lusk, I believe, graduated at the Sydney University, and was called to the New South Wales Bar, subsequently being admitted to that of this colony. He has been for a long time a contributor to the Auckland Press, and was either singly, or in conjunction with some other gentleman of a classical turn of mind, the author of a novel, the scene and action of which were laid in either ancient Greece or ancient Italy. The work appeared in a magazine published by the Daily Southern Cross proprietary,*and was a somewhat vapid effort to pursue the style of magnificent fiction of which Lord Lytton's " Last Days of Pompeii " stands the deserved and solitary masterpiece. I am not aware if the novel ever came to a conclusion; the magazine, which was in many respects a creditable production, came to an end from a cause which could not be controlled : want of a population to support such a venture; but whether finished or not I am tolerably safe in saying that the novel may become one of the "lost works" in the English language without giving cause for much regret. But if Mr. Lusk has not achieved fame as a writer of novels, he is at least well known as a contributor to daily literature in the shape of leading articles for an Auckland newspaper. And in this connection I may mention an anecdote which can do no one any harm. A writer for the first evening paper started in Auckland, who was talking to the proprietor, a most amiable and worthy gentleman now dead some years, said of certain leading articles that appeared from time to time that . they were curious reading. They exactly filled a column, and managed to make '

remarks about the subject which they pretended to treat without once exciting interest and without arriving at any conclusion. At the same time they were composed in fair English without containing anything that could offend anyone. The proprietor said : " They are Lusk's, and the beauty of them is that they just fill a column and are perfectly safe." Since that time Mr. Lusk has pursued the practice of his profession, and if he is not renowned for forensic eloquence, at least has managed to make his practice a profitable one without ever coming into angry collision with judges, magistrates, or brother lawyers. At first his want of success in a few petty cases got him the sobriquet of " non-suit Lusk," but that has long since ceased to belong to him of right. He has assisted in the winding-up of several gold-mining companies, and it is pleasing to know that his abilities in this direction have not been without substantial x-e----ward.

He was returned for the Auckland Provincial Council at the general provincial election at which the present Mr. Justice Gillies defeated the late Mr. John Williamson for the Superintendency, after one of the closest and most exciting contests known in the province, not a little of the excitement being dxxe to the spirited manner in which the contest was carried on at the Thames goldfield, an excitement which a number of high-souled electors (known popularly since, I think, as O'lSTeiU's lambs) did their best to maintain. Mr. Gillies was returned, and as he was supposed at the time to have strong anti-provincial proclivities, the Nicholson Executive with which he surrounded himself was quickly displaced by a vote of want of confidence, and gave way to one of which Mr. Sheehan, M.H.P., and Mr. Lusk, and were the head and front as representing the advanced provincial party. At the next Superintendental election Mr. Lusk came forward as a candidate for the office, and either at that time or just previously gave vent to very abolitionist tendencies. Indeed, Mr. Lusk has more than once displayed what to the common herd might seem very great inconsistencies; but as he has never any difficulty in proving to his own satisfaction that he is a model of consistency, it is plain that a good many others must be mistaken. That there may be some inconsistency about him is evident from the fact that the Auckland Evening Star has at intervals drawn parallels between himself and historical characters of rather diverse notoriety. At one time he has been compared to a political Judas Iscariot, at another time to Solon. It is but fair to say that he merited neither comparison. He was defeated for the Superintendental election, but has been consoled by his return to the House of Representatives for the present Parliament, from the causes mentioned somewhere previously. It would bo very unfair to deny to Mr. Lusk a good share of merit as a member, though that merit is rather of a negative than a positive character. In culture and in parliamentary manner he is far above gentlemen of the Pees, Stout, or Button type. He has none of the rather ignorantly offensive style of the first, his self-esteem is not so metaphysically demonstrative and airy as that of Mr. Stout, and he is not aggressively dogmatic in giving his law opinions on every point as ia Mr. Button. He speaks well-poised and wellconnected English, and should be easy to report, and when he has had time to prepare himself, can deliver a speech rather above the average,-as witness his utterance on the Local Option Bill. He has a certain priggishness of manner and delivery, which is far removed, however, from pertness, and is the priggishness rather of the man who believes in the profundity of his own information, of his research on any given subject, than of the gentleman who believes in himself, with or without information. Though, as I have said, he has of late talked more than was good for his own reputation, yet he has not the painful and tireless loquacity of Mr. Stout, and, in short, will withoxxt doubt become that in the House which he has already become in the provincial public life of Auckland, a very respectable mediocrity, one who, if he never come into the front rank, is never likely to commit political sxxicide by destroying such reputation as he may obtain. In fact, in this respect he is the antithesis of Mr. Stout, who has made a failure, inasmuch as he cannot see that an Assembly composed of for the most part plain business men, do not care for the hair-split-tings inseparable f rom debating society oratory, or the incessant special pleading of a lawyer arguing an appeal, and are impatient of the mental quibbling induced by a superficial study of metaphysics and social science. A curious proof of Mr. Lusk's character for political consistency is furnished by a recent incident. Someone of its apparently numerous correspondents telegraphed from here to the Herald that the member for Franklin was about, after all his pledges, to desert Sir George Grey and support the Government. A friend writes to me to say that directly this news was published everyone said to everyone, " Didn't 1 tell you so." THE DEPOSED SULTAN. A weekly French newspaper published a short time ago a short series of letters on the state of Turkey. The author, among other things, also speaks frequently of the omnipotence of the Sultan. The following sketch contains a few details about the private life and habits of the lately dethx-oned and imprisoned ruler of the Empire, Abdul Aziz:— " Abdul Aziz speaks no foreign language, but he writes Turkish calligraphic, which goes a deal with the Orientals. His palace consists of two divisions, separate, viz.—harem, occupied by his wives; and Solanvlik, in which the male portion of the inhabitants of the palace dwell and guests are received. The Sultan generally leaves the harem about nine or ten o'clock in the morning, and does not return before about nine or ten o'clock in the evening. He appears to the officers of his household, who wait upon him at the break of day, in the following plain outfit:— a little white cap on his head, his naked

feet stuck into a pair of commodious slippers, the body wrapped up in a gedsholik, a sort of bright-colored, flowery nightgown, under which another vestment is worn. The first secretary receives his orders with regard to the public affairs, which the Grand Vizier presents through a certain bureau, constituted for this special purpose. So comes the breakfast, always a very abundant meal, which the Sultan enjoys with an excellent appetite. He breakfasts alone, but lets the attendant, standing at a respectful distance, entertain him with tickling city gossip, chiefly about Ministers or other individuals on whom the Sultan may have a down. At these occasions a freedom of expression is used which according to our ideas is really incredible. When he afterwards gives audience or goes out, he puts on the official costume, but returns as soon as possible to the domestic dress. In his youth Abdul Aziz was a fearless horseman, fond of hunting and fishing, but now he has long ago given up every bodily exercise. He mounts on horseback at most on Fridays, to ride to the Mosque and hold prayer. For his amusement, he lias often athletic, ram, or cock fights performed before him. Occasionally he pays one of his chamberlains the compliment of playing backgammon with him. Lately he has occupied himself with painting. Now he will only buy landscapes, now only genre paintings, now only battle pictures. Of tlm latter he is best pleased at those on which the Austrians are represented as beaten by the Turks. But he only buys such as shew a good many Austrians and no Turks as dead on the field. Formerly, when he was in good humor, he liked to wrestle with his attendants, and one of these, Nevers Pasha, had that inclination to thank for his fortune. He is a man who concealed the nature of a perfect courtier under a rough outward appearance. Often he was driven away from the palace, but. always regained the favor of his master. No one understood better than he how to receive, smiling and gratefully, a poke in the ribs. On such occasions he often lost his balance, but never his head. The funny position into which he went at tumbling ovex-, delighted his master, and always rendered him some profit, be it a jewel, or money, or a new dignity. He was Minister of Commerce, of Finance, and of Public Instruction. One day, whexx the Sul-tan-was very jolly, he thx-ew him downstairs. The favorite got severe pains, and a splendid palace from it. So Nevers Pasha rose through the fitful whims of his master to honors and wealth. Among the fighting cocks every one has the name of a sovereign. Before the last war, was seen oixe Napoleon 111. in the cockyard—after Sedan he was taken away. Abdul Aziz himself gives every cock his name, and points out the one who is to represent himself in the contest ; that is of course always the one whose eyes glow most fiexy, whose bill is the most threatening, and whose legs are the strongest. GIRLS OF THE PERIOD. (From the World.) Even in these free and easy days a man is generally quite keen enough to appreciate at once the sort of a woman to whom he is talking, and there is bixt little danger of his commencing a doubtful story without some decided encouragement. The girls have caught the infection from the fast young married women, and endeavor to emulate them in freedom of conversation, jealous of the manner in which their partners are ruthlessly lured away from them ; eager to be quoted as exceptions to the dictum of the day that " gix-ls are so heavy in hand." And their mothers, who should be wiser, are weak enough to argue that it is the fashion ; that if their girls are quiet and digxiified they will be voted prudish and slow, and that it will diminish their chances of marriage. Indeed, so great ia the force of custom, that topics of conversation that once would have appalled them, now appear perfectly natural, and they " see no harm" in their girls talking like others. But evexx in purer atmosphere, where the taint of the fast set has not as yet penetrated, conversation, though free from indelicacy, is still liable to the indictment of being probably slang and certainly inane. Polo and " rinking" rinking axxd polo,—on these the changes are rung ad infinitum ; while it is surely a developmeixt peculiar to modern days to hear young men gravely discussing toilettes in all their details with the keenness of appreciation formerly believed to be peculiar to milliners. The reason of the frivolity of general discourse is not difficult to discover. Deeper subjects reqxxire to be read about and thought over, and the young people of the day would grudge an hour to what they would consider such uninteresting pursuits. Formerly a gixi who knew nothing that was going on in the wox-ld beyond her immediate circle of friends and round of amusements would have been considered exceptionally illinformed. It was expected of her that she should be able to convex'se at least on such simple subjects, for ixistance, as the loss of the Deutschland, the tragedy of the Mosel, the Malay wax', or even the resxxlt of the last election that may have taken place. Now, unless the information is imparted to her by her partners in the ballroom or the skating-rink, she knows nothing whatever of what is passing arouxxd her, save, indeed, the newest piece of scandal, or the last announced marriage. She has no time, evenif shepossessed the inclination. In London those morning hours that once afforded at least the possibility of qxxiet reading and intellectual growth have been ruthlessly swept away by the Juggernaut of fashion, and crushed beneath the wheels of the Plimpton skate ; in the country she is walking with the sportsmen, even if she herself does not shoot, riding to hounds, rowing in the nearest piece of water when the weather is warm, or skating upon it when frost confines the hunters to their loose boxes. Naturally she is too tired for any literature later thaxx a light aixd px-obably fast novel to prove attractive to her ; and, indeed, if physical fatigixe did not insure this result, the incessant excitement of the life would have much

the same effect. If the muscles of the body are long unused they become stiff and comparatively useless; at least as much may be said for the powers of the mind. If day after day and week after week girls are allowed to live in an incessant whirl of dissipation, never opening a book graver than a novel, and seldom reading even that, never speaking of any subject deeper than the last skating fall, the next polo match, or the most remarkable dress of the day, what hope is there that their brains will ever mature into the capacity for better things? Rather, will they not go on from bad to worse?