ECHOES OF THE WEEK.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1265, 28 May 1896, Page 23

ECHOES OF THE WEEK.

Satire's my weapon, but I’m too discreet To run amuck and tilt at all I meet. Pope. BY SCRUTATOR. I wonder what the advocates of unrestricted Chinese immigration think of this horrible case reported from Dunedin. It is bad enough that the “patient, lawabiding, industrious, courteous Chinese ” (see a recent speech at tho WOman’s Convention) should bo cutting the throats (commercially, of course) of a large number of European traders in our large centres of population, but his unfair competition with European labour is as nothing to the disgusting consequences of his immorality. Seeing that not one Chinese in a hundred brings a wife with him from the Celestial Empire, it stands to reason that a large proportion of them will be viciously inclined, hut when, as a result of those inclinations, ho lays himself out to debauch young European girls the evil consequences of his presence amongst us becomes doubly evident. It is perfectly notorious that in Sydney and Alclbourno hundreds of young girls are annually corrupted and ruined in body and soul by tho smooth-spoken oily “John,” and to a less extent the same evil prevails in New Zealand. The evidence in the Dunedin case was, 1 hear privately from a Southern journalist, of tho most, revolting description.

But although of course the main responsibility for this debauching of young (/■iris must rest with tho Chinese, what are wo to think of the parents who allow t heir children to run wild about the streets at night and knowingly permit them to haunt the Chinese dens ? Such people as the fathers and mothers of these wretched girls deserve th s most severe punishment that can be devised. The plea that the children cannot bo controlled by their parents is the most nauseous cant and humbug.

Wo are frequently told that democracy has worked wonders for these colonies and that our workers are miles ahead of those in the Old Country in intelligence, morality and in pride in and care for their offspring, but one cm see more boys and girls wantonly allowed to go to tho devil in tlie streets of our colonial towns than ever you will sue in England. Tho fact is that a certain proportion of our colonial parents display the most criminal apathy as to what their children do in their spare time. The rod of correction, which is found, and used, too, in nearly every family in the Old Country, is practically unknown here. Even in Wellington, where, there are not, to our credit bo it said, so many children on tho streets at night as in other centres, one has only to go out at night to have practical evidence that parents are shamefully neglecting their duty, for you shall see young boys and girls about at hours long after they ought to have been in bod.

From what is at first only harmless frivolity the descent to the Avornus of vice and crime is only too easy and too swift, and yet no notice of this growing evil of child vagrancy appears to bo taken by our churches and religious societies. Depend upon it, until parents possess a keener sense of their duties and responsibilities, the larrikin evil will go oil unchecked and increasing, and the vicious Chinese will spread the leprosy of his immorality, and sow widespread the seeds of moral and physical ruin.

Kudyard Kipling has succeeded in scoring heavily over the New York World. Few men could refuse an oiler of a thousand dollars (£200) so effectively as he has just done. The World editor, it appears, proposed to give Air Kipling tho above-mentioned sum for an article of 1000 words on the text “ Why America could not conquer England.” “It is impossible,” wrote Air Kipling ill reply, “that I should accept the commission, as it would involve discussing tho armed strength of the Empire—a question on which no British subject has any information for sale.” There is another cause for satisfaction in the reply: that Air Kipling is still, in spite of his American home, a British subject. It would come as a disappointment to his thousands of admirers were so essentially British and patriotic a writer to become a naturalised American.

Some hard things have been said and written about tho Undesirable Immigrants Bill, and especially with regard to tho proposed exclusion of consumptives. But one English paper at least takes a sensible view of the question, and this is The Rialto, a weekly London paper devoted to finance and insurance. Tlie Rialto editor refers at some length and in favourable terms to the business and conduct of the Now Zea-

land Life Assurance Department, and then proceeds as follows :

The New Zealand Government is about to prohibit tho importation of consumptives, and is to logislato with tho view of maintaining purity of race in the islands, excluding lower types, both physical and moral. It docs not follow that there is any connection between tho two things, but it is tolerably certain that if such legislation were successfully carried out there would be a substantial improvement in tho death rate. It may well bo that the patient sent from here may attain a modified measure of health in the Colony, but he is not thereby made a desirable founder of a new race. Air Bellamy will bo glad to see promise of even a short step in the direction of his “ Looking Backward,” and we have urgent need here of some definite action of the kind. Increasing population is only a strength to a nation if the newcomers have a strong vitality, and a vast proportion of those who enter our roll of citizenship by way of the Registrar-General’s books are a very feeble folk. No man can enter the membership of a life office without a medical certificate, and it would he very useful if a similar document had to ba produced along with the other papers at every marriage ceremony.

With reference to the question raised by The Rialto that medical certificates should be required from tlioso about to enter into the marriage bond, I welcome it as a confirmation, in an unexpected quarter, ot views I have long bold on the subject. It seems to me that the foulest wrong Society can perpetrate upon itself is to allow marriages between persons one or both of whom may be suffering from some chronic disease, hereditary or otherwise, and thus permit and encourage the bringing into the world children who are doomed to weakness and disease from their very birth. No doubt it isa terrible tiling, that the sins of the fathers*should bo visited on the children, but such is tho inexorable law of Nature, and any doctor will tell you, if he so chooses, of dozens of cases where people marry who have no right to marry, and who inflict a hideous wrong upon those who are nearest and dearest to them. There can bo no purification of the race until this question is faced and sternly dealt with. It is a delicate question to deal with, but no mock modesty should stand in tlie way of its full discussion.

A candidate for whom I certainly should not vote at tho general election, wore it my fortune to find myself on the roll for Auckland city is a Air Eugene Eugster, who, I read, is to contest that constituency as an “Independent” candidate. Mr Eugster, to my mind, has managed to got together a collection of “ planks ’’for his political platform which, with one exception, appear to mo mischievous in the extreme, lie supports, so I read, the Referendum, an Elective Ministry, Railway Reform, Scrip-ture-reading in Schools, introduction of the Gothenburg system for public houses, State lire insurance, reduction of honorarium to .£l5O, retrenchment and cessation of borrowing.

With the exception of State lire insurance—and even this is of doubtful benefit —I would not vote for one of Air Eugstor’s panaceas. The Referendum is a fad, pure and simple, which, if carried into force, would mean that this unhappy country would bo kept in a state of political excitement, and would moreover sap all independence of thought, speech and action on the part of <mr parliamentary representatives; the Elective Ministry would lead to wholesale corruption, just as it does in tho States; railway “reform ” means, nine times out of ten—and I have no doubt does so in this case—that the would-be “ reformer ” knows i nothing at all about the subject and wishes I to play political hanky-panky with the | management of tlie railways, instead of running them on sound commercial lines; Scripture-reading in schools would simply spell the ruin and destruction of our present national system. Tho Gothenburg “pub” has been proved to be a veritable | delu.iion and a snare, and even in Norway a strong agitation is on foot for its discontinuance on the ground that it is a rank failure; the reduction of the honorarium to .£l5O would mean that only wealthy men could stand for I’arliameul, and that such men would pass laws which would favour the rich, relieving them of taxation and placing more burdens on the workers. As for “ retrenchment,” (and “ cessation of borrowing,” the first is merely tho cant of the snuiile-busting kind of politician of the Stout class, who if they got into power would be just as extravagant as anyone else; and tho second is admitted by both sides to bo impossible of continuance very much longer, and indeed unwise in view of tho necessity for completing certain linos to paying point, and of our sound position on the London money market, and the cheap rate at which, owing to the careful finance of tho past few years wo could now borrow, Air Eugster lias not, I should say, a million to one chance of getting into the Houso, and it is well that this is so, for his platform ia based on sheer claptrap.

There is gradually coming into use in local business circles a system of using, for the purpose of crossing cheques, the inks ordinarily employed for rubber stamps. These inks, so a correspondent points out, are readily soluble—which is more than some cheques are—and a cheque so crossed caD bo completely cleared of the crossing and then cashed without passing through any bank.

Some weeks ago wo were reading in tho cablegrams of a frightful outbreak of smallpox at Gloucester. In this picturesque but sleepy old English city the antivaccinationists have for some years been very strong and an English paper points out how conspicuously the irony of fate is displayed in tho outbreak, for Jeuncr, the great pioneer of vaccination, was born and died in Gloucestershire, and lie now “looks down from his pedestal in the cathedral, serfine and unconscious of the ignorance and stupidity which ignores tho saving help of his great discovery.”

’Truly of Jenner and Gloucestershire may it bo said, that here is a prophet without honour in his own county! But tho neglect of Jennor’s teachings by the Gloucester folk has been terribly revenged, for amongst the unvaccinated the awful diseaso made a hideous slaughter. When the last mail left the membership of tho local anti-vaccination society was rapidly thinning. It’s all very well t<> bo an anti-vaccinationist in theory, but when the dread plague comes along tho rush for lymph is something extraordinary.

I don’t remember seeing in the cablegram obituary lately any mention of the death of Arthur Cecil, who passed away in tho second week of April. I am aware I am poaching on my confrere “Lorgnette’s” preserves, but as that lynx-eyed collector of theatrical gossip has missed this particular item, I may deal with it here. To thousands of colonists who como from tho Old Country the name of Arthur Cecil will bo familiar as that of one of the best comedians and actors of “ character ” parts that ever trod tho London stage. When “Scrutator” was a lad and first went up to London town Air Cecil was a leading member of tlie German Reed Company, which for many years gave performances at the old Gallery of Illustrations somewhere off Regent street, if I remember rightly. Good provincials in those days always took tho “ kiddies ” to the Polytechnic, to Aladamo Tussaud’s and to tho Gorman Reeds’. And a very bright, clever littlo entertainment tho Reeds’ was. Cornoy Grain, who died a couplo of years ago, was one star, but Arthur Cecil ran him very close. Air Cecil afterwards left the German Reeds and 1 remember him in later years as a member of Air John Clayton’s Company at the little Court Theatre, near Sloatio street station. He played, too, 1 believo, for somo timo with tho St. James’ and Ilaymarkot companies. lie was a splendid character actor and a great favourite with tho theatre-going public.

It is distinctly refreshing in these days of wholesale snuffle and cant to find a parson who possesses tho courago of Ins opinions. Such an one wo do find in tho Rev Alackenzic Gibson, Anglican clergyman at Waimate, South Canterbury, who is evidently an ecclesiastic of a decidedly advanced school of thought. Sunday harvesting is a question which is of some importance for tho residents of tho Waimate district and the relative wickedness or otherwise of the custom occasionally gives riso to considerable local discussion. Air Gibson’s opinion on this debatoablo subject is that under certain circumstances, that is, when necessity demands it is not wrong to harvest on tho Sabbath. Jn support of his position, he says : “ If 1 am asked, ‘ Is it wrong to harvest on Sundays?’ my reply is, if by harvesting on Sunday you moan the making a practice of so doing, then unquestionably it is wrong, because the day is set apait for other and widely different purposes. If you mean, is l it wrong when, as far as you can see, there is every probability of waste and loss if you refrain, then 1 say that tho Author and Provider of Nature’s good would never ha a parly to such waste through a superstitious regard for tho day; and lie who healed on the Sabbath day and s.iucf ioned the watering of the ox or the ass on that day said also, ‘ The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.’” Which is sound theology and common J sense. So the Cuban insurgents have their Joan of Arc ! It appears that tho young heroine who has received this appellation recently led a force of armed men and women j against tho Spanish forces. “ When tho lighting began she placed her back against i a tree, loading and firing her carbine, and ' .V i taking her cartridges from the bosom of j her dress, which was the only garment she ! wore. After the usual wild firing at long | range the combatants gradually drew i nearer to each other, when tho insurgents, following their usual tactics, took cover, ! A party of the Spaniards made a rush at the youDg Cuban girl, who bad not

sought shelter among the trees, but was standing her ground, uttering loud cries and encouraging her followers. She succeeded for some timo in keeping the Spaniards at bay, but finally her rifle became clogged. She then threw it away and drew a revolver from her belt. As the Spanish made a determined rush for her, she waited until they were within a few yards of her, when she brought down three with her revolver. The soldiers replied with a volley, and she fell with four bullets in her breast.” But the thrilling finale has yet to bo told. A Spanish officer leaned over to examine the girl, whereupon sho raised horsolf on her elbow, and, with a last shot, killed him instantly. Then sho fell back with tho shout, “ Long live free Cuba !” and died.

I grieve to say t-kat the term “cow” applied in contempt of a feminine person, and in the course of feminine wranglings in colonial city slums is by no means infrequent. It is therefore of interest to quote a recent summing up by a famous London Magistrate, Sir John Bridge, of Bow street, as to the question whether the use of such ail expression as “cow” is or is not to be held slanderous and libellous. It appears thni a woman who was presumably in a highly irritated mood had called a female neighbour a cow. The neighbour, resenting the. questionably flattering application, instituted legal proceedings, “and Sir John, after hearing the evidence tendered on either side, addressed tho litigant,thus : “ The defendant’s intention was certainly not benevolent ; but, after calm consideration of the expression employed, I am unable to discover anything injurious. On tho contrary, it is almost a compliment. The cow is an inoffensive, temperate, useful, robust animal devoted to its young. We are indebted to it for a precious beverage that is everywhere regarded as the healthiest of drinks. When dead wo turn to further account its hide, bones and hoofs by converting them into numberless useful articles. I myself keep two at my country home, and associate with them such kindly feelings that I should bo very sorry to part with thorn. It is, therefore, impossible for mo to treat the word which designates this excellent creature as lending itself to any distasteful comparison, and I must accordingly dismiss tho case.’*

The Transvaal has been boomed in London by others than Barney Barnato. A contributor to tho London Referee of recent date lias this “ A wicked young man of my acquaintance I will nob call him my friend now because I think his conduct disgraceful—had quite a grand time during the early part of the week as a Jameson troopor. Arrayed in a sombrero, a flannel shirt, buff boots, and a" rather dilapidated Norfolk jacket, bestrode tho Strand with jaunty air, (and was immediately surrounded by an enthusiastic crowd, lie made for Northumberland avenue, wliero ho was rescued from tho attention of tho mob by a wealthy visitor at tho Alotropolo, who invited him in and entertained him, and made him promise to dine with him that evening at tho Savoy. At tho Savoy a number of people were asked to meet him, and ho was feasted royally in a private room, and in his Transvaal toggery.”

Our enterprising young man was, of course, “ extremely reticent as to the details of the raid and his subsequent imprisonment. After dinner lie was taken to tho Alhambra, and there tho audience, spotting his uniform in tho rocosses of a private box, rose to their foot, and gave him a tromendous ovation. The next day ho went out again with similar success ; and on Wednesday ho was tho proud possessor of three offers of marriage—two from wealthy widows and one from a romantic young lady with fivo thousand a year. He would probably by this timo have been happily married, and Imying racehorse* and yachts, but just as he was getting out of a hansom with kis fiancee to give notice for an extra special license at the registry office ho ran up against some one who know him, and who gave the whole thing away.