THE BYSTANDER.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVII, Issue 2543, 22 June 1895, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE BYSTANDER.

“ When found make a note of.” —Cart. Cottle,

There are some very interesting articles in the English magazines and reviews for May. In the Nineteenth Century Mr T. C. Down gives “ An Object Lesson in Prohibition," which wo commend to the attention of Mr Isitt’s friends. Mr Down describes how the North-West Territory tried Prohibition, and found the experiment a dead failure. Mr Down says;—“ Smuggling was reduced to a fine art. ... As to the

public in general, not a single festivity or gathering of any description was thought to bo complete without a liberal supply of whisky ; dances, picnics, public entertainments, concerts, agricultural dinners and farmers’ meetings, election speeches and the humble Methodist tea party—none of these was considered satisfactory by the men unless the necessary libations were to bo had. It was not always an easy matter to got spirits on the spot, but I never know a case where perseverance did not meet with its reward. When all other plans failed and everyone solemnly assured the enquirer that there was ‘ not a drop in the town,’ a doctor was an unfailing resource. But the smuggling of liquor and a general contempt for the law wore mere sentimental evils in comparison with the direct inducements to drunkenness which were fostered by the law, whether the liquor was obtained in accordance with its provisions or in direct defiance of them. . . . When everything else tailed, a quack medicine called ‘Pain-killer,’ which contained a quantity of alcohol, would bo resorted to ; or bottles of preserved ginger, and anything else from which alcohol could bo obtained, would bo made use of, and a horrible drink concocted out of these. Such are the devices to which men are driven when they are prevented from obtaining liquor in the usual manner. As a’ matter of fact, I never saw so much drunkenness, and that of an aggravated sort, as I encountered in those territories under the prohibitive law, and I have known many men to bo absolutely ruined by the habits contracted or encouraged under its regime.”

In Good Words the Eev Professor Blaikie gives amusing illustrations of the mistaking of the late “ Professor Blaokie and his ' Doppel-Giinger’” (Dr Blaikie himself) for each other; and Dr Macleod, the editor, adds a touching anecdote explaining why Blaokie wore a plaid:—“ Professor Blaokie frequently stayed at my house when lecturing in Glasgow. Ho was always at his best when one had him alone. One night when we wore sitting up together he said, in his brusque way,' Whatever other faults I have, I am free from vanity.’ An incredulous smile on my face roused him. ‘You don’t believe that give me an instance.’ Being thus challenged, I said, ‘ Why do you walk about flourishing a plaid continually?’ ‘l’ll give you the history of that, sir. When I was a poor man, and when ray wife and I had our difficulties, she one day drew my attention to the threadbare character of my surtout, and asked mo to order a new one. I told her I could not afford it just then; when she went, like a noble woman, and put her own plaid-shawl on ray shoulders, and I have worn a plaid ever since in memory of her loving deed!’ ”

The Century, the best of the American illustrated monthlies, has an interesting article on African exploration, in which Mr E. J. Glave, who was one of Mr Stanley’s junior officers on the Congo, and who returned to Africa on a mission for the Century in 1893, reports that ho has re-discovered Dr Divingstone’s tree. Near the site of the deserted village of Chitambo, on the south shore of Lake Bangweolo, Mr Glave found the tree at the base of which the heart of the great missionary was buried by his devoted followers, and on which Jacob Wainwright the Nassiok boy, who read the burial service—chiselled the words:—“Dr Livingstone, May 4, 1873. —Yazuza, Mmasere, Vchopere,” . . . The tree is the largest

in the neighbourhood, is of very hard grain, and by the natives is called mpandu. Mr Glave writes that Mrs Bruce—the daughter of Livingstone—and her husband sent out a tablet commemorative of the explorer’s death, which the Belgian officers to whom it was consigned put up about eight miles from the tree. Eighteen months before Mr Glare’s visit the tablet was carried off by the chief of a slave caravan. Three years before Mr Glare’s visit an English explorer visited the region, and at a point supposed to bo 20 miles from the tree despatched a “ trusted follower,” with native guides, to visit it. He returned with a strip of bark, in which an inscription had been cut; but when and where and not quite clear, since the lettering on the tree found by Mr Glave was clearly cut in the wood after the bark had been removed from a space about two feet square.

Mr Frederick Villiors, the war artist now lecturing in Australia, and who visits New Zealand shortly, in speaking of his experiences, says:—“When a man goes into a fight feeling that he is going to die, why, he generally does die. It's queer, but it’s a fact. I don’t suppose I’ll ever forget the face of a young lieutenant I used to see a good deal of in the EussoTurkish war. We were great friends, although he was a Eussian, and he used to tell me all about a girl he loved. He used to get letters from her regularly, but there came a time when these stopped suddenly. There was some delay in the mails, but the poor chap didn’t know that. Ho got very blue about it, and one day, just before the big affair in the Shipka Pass, ho said to me, ‘ I’ll never get that letter—l know I won’t.’ ‘ Why not ?’ said I, wishing to cheer him up. ‘ Because I am going to be shot.’ Next day the fighting came on—hot fighting, I can tell you—and the second day my friend was seriously wounded; the third day he was shot dead, and the fourth day the letter from his sweetheart arrived with her photograph."

It is related in the memoirs of Sir Samuel Baker, recently published by Macmillan, that the only time when Lady Baker, who was his faithful and patient travelling companion, lost her temper was when an African chief proposed an exchange of wives with Sir Samuel. Lady Baker flared up. Sir Samuel Baker drew his revolver—to the African’s intense surprise. Said the African;—“Don’t be angry. I had no intention of offending you by asking for your wife; I will give you a wife, if you want one; and I thought you had no objection to give mo yours; it is my custom to give my visitors pretty wives; and I thought you might exchange. Don’t make a fuss about it; if you don’t like it, there’s an end of it; I will never mention it again.”

According to the Strand Magazine for April, Lord Randolph Churchill had a wonderful memory;—“ He could repeat a whole page of verso or prose after having offee read it over. This being asserted at a country house where he was staying, and polite incredulity being expressed, he offered a wager that he would, after once reading it over, recite a page from any book to be selected by his doubting friend. The wager was accepted, and a volume of Gibbons’ ‘Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire’was taken down from the library shelf. The volume was opened at random. Lord Randolph read a page, and, handing the book over to the umpire, recited every word without error or hesitation/*

The land question is very much to the fore in the May Contemporary. The Rev Joseph Berry, well known in Now Zealand, writes on “ The Labour Colonies of South Australia,** saying much that colonial readers know already, and a Mr Wolff deals with the small settlements experiments made in the Old World—particularly in Prussia. Mr Wolff says:—“All the world elsewhere is pressing upon us a lesson which we steadily decline even to listen to. ‘Why has France suffered less by “ agricultural depression ” than other countries?’ asked people at the great International Agricultural Congress held at Paris in 1889. ' Because its land is so largely subdivided,* answered the official report road out by M. Benard. ‘There are our 5,672,000 comparatively small farms, about 5,000,000 of them cultivated by freeholders, 4,800,000 in holdings of less than 25 acres!* Why have Western and Southern Germany borne up so very much better

under the same great calamity than other parts of the empire ? ‘ Because they have scarcely any large properties (only about 2 per cent.),’ again reply official reports. ‘ The small proprietors thrive where large succumb.’ It is the same in Italy.”

In the Contemporary, also, the economic causes of unemployment are discussed by Mr J. A. Hobson, who says ;—“ The recognition of ‘ unemployment ’as the Labour aspect of a wider economic problem—viz., the excess of productive power over the requirements of current consumption enables us for the first time to establish a sound, practical standard for the test of proposed remedies and palliatives. No reform will bo of the least avail in securing a net increase of employment unless it can be shown to increase the proportion of the general income of the community that is applied in demand for commodities. Unemployment means under-consumption; and advocates of land reforms, bimetallism, labour colonies or other remedies for industrial distress must show how their respective schemes will operate in raising the standard of consumption before they can establish any just claim to public consideration."

Still another good article in the Contemporary is one by an anonymous writer, entitled “The European Partners in Asia.” The writer openly advocates an idea which will be distasteful to the English Russophobes, but which has much to commend it, namely, a friendly understanding ’twixt England and Russia in the East;—“The more the now situation is contemplated from a practical point of view, the more clearly it will appear to be to our interest to postpone all vexed political questions in order to bo free to make the most of the opening of China. We need have little fear that Japan is at once going to oust us from our position of commercial ascendancy in China. That huge empire is too vast to bo dominated by Japan. What has happened is that a door has been opened through which we may pass to profit withal. But let us make no mistake. It we waste our chances in diplomatic bickerings, if wo needlessly antagonise Japan, or thrust on one side the friendly overtures of Russia, we shall find that our position in the Far East has altered for the worst. . . . With all our adroitness

and practical genius we shall bo hard put to it to hold our own against the Yellow Races, at least in their own country. All the more need, therefore, for a frank and friendly understanding ■ with Russia on certain clear and easily-defined lines which would enable the European partners to devote all their energies, undisturbed by jealous rivalries, to the maintenance and development of the position, commercial and political, of Europe in Asia.”

The United Service Magazine has a powerful article by Mr H. W. Wilson on “England and the Now Japan.” He passes in review the sea and laps forces of China, those of other Powers in the Par East, the position of Japan with regard to her neighbours, especially Russia, and her commercial outlook. As a result, Mr Wilson reaches the conclusion that the true policy of England lies on the side of friendship with Japan. “ Her interests,” says Mr Wilson, “are our interests; her enemies are our enemies. In no point do we come into collision with her. . . Is it not, then, a matter of absolute necessity tbat wo should make up our minds to back Japan? Wo shall gain an Asiatic ally, and a grateful and formidable one, a sea Power like ourselves —able, therefore, to relievo us of the need of maintaining a great squadron in the China Sea. . . .

But wo shall further have the resolute support of Japan in the Asiatic Continent, where new problems of the utmost importance will have to bo solved in the very near future.”

The Victorian Ministerial programme is certainly not wanting in quantity. The following is a list of the subjects on which legislation is promised:— Committee of Public Accounts. Locking up of Trust Funds. ’tariff. State Bank and Cheap Money. Malloo Settlement. Mildura Difficulty. Limited Companies. Referendum aud Crio Adult One Vole. New Railways. Factory Sanitation and “ Sweating.” Sugar-boot Growing.^ Consolidation of Mining Laws. Water Trusts Finance. Insolvency. Charities. Amcndihont of Purification of Rolls Act. Electric Lighting. Trade Disputes. Trustees. Municipal Overdrafts. Width of Tiros. Explosives. Powder Magazine Sites. Insect Posts. Distillation. Marino Act. Game Laws.

In the Fall Mall Magazine, which is certainly the best illustrated of the new monthlies, there is a'good article on “ The Empress of Japan,” who, says the writer, has “ made quite as great a name for herself as the Mikado. The Empress is admittedly a clover woman according to the Japanese standard. That she is amiable goes without saying; she is deeply imbued with Western ideas with regard to the status of woman, and the influence she has exercised in the State as well as the domestic circle has been worthy a woman born and reared among the most liberal ideas of the Occident. Her readers and teachers have found their seed falling into good soil. She began at once to interest herself in silk culture, lace-making and embroidery. Competent women were selected to instruct Her Majesty in the art of silk-weaving and care of the worms, &o. Lace schools are under her patronage, and she has never failed to encourage any industry and education among women. She is most benevolent, giving to charity with a free hand. It is said that she gives so freely of her private allowance that were it not for the Chancellor of the Exchequer she would be a bankrupt before the end of the first week, of the quarter. The Peeresses’ School is especially under her fostering care, as well as several of the hospitals in Tokyo. She is particularly fond of children, and often goes into the children’s wards with her arms full of gifts for the little ones. . . . She has

no children of her own, and her life is undoubtedly clouded by this fact, for a childless wife in Japan is an object of pity, and she sees the Emperor’s son, but not hers, growing up to succeed his father.

Under the heading “The Humour of The Times/’ a contributor to the London Realm writes as follows:—“OnTuesday The Times made a resolute effort to spoil one of the best stories I ever heard. In a leading article on the North-West Frontier, speaking of the opinions of deceased authorities, it remarked: ‘ When invited to believe that a groat man, if he had lived to-day, would havo taken this view or the other of current questions, we are reminded of the boy who was asked what Julius Caesar would have thought of Mr Gladstone had he been alive. The boy replied that Julius Cresar would have been such a very old man that he would not have thought of anything at all.* The correct version of the story runs in this fashion : One of the masters at Harrow—Mr Hallam, I think—was explaining the politics of the Roman Republic. He showed that Porapey was an aristocrat, something like a Tory, whilst Julius Ccesar might bo likened unto Mr Gladstone, because of his popular sympathies. Then he asked the class, * What part would Julius Caesar have played in politics if he had been alive now ?* The question went half-way round the class. ; At last, a small boy near the foot answered, ‘lf Julias Caesar had been alive now he would have been too old to take any part in politics/**

The drink problem occasionally crops up in the English reviews, though not so frequently just now as a few months ago. Ini the National Review for May Mr A. Shadwell gives what he calls “ the facts of the drink question/* He says : —“ The actual facts seem never to have been studied in the only way in which facts can be adequately studied, namely, by direct observation. Temperance people speak and write much of public-houses, of the manner in which they are conducted, of the habits of the working classes iu this respect, and so on; but do they ever go into the publichouses to see for themselves? It is difficult to believe that they do, for if they did they must know that a great deal of what they

say is contrary to fact. Their ideas appear to be derived mostly from fiction, from antique Blue Books, from drunkards, who are the most worthless of witnesses, whether reformed or unreformed, and from hearsay, repeated in the form of catchphrases from ono to another. Drunkards are an especially dangerous source of false information; the desire to exculpate themselves, and a shifty and untruthful habit of mind, taint their testimony,from first to last. To rely upon it is to invite deception. The exaggerated importance attached to tho factors of ‘ temptation ’ and ‘ craving,’ and the corresponding belittlement of sonal responsibility in the drinker are clearly traceable to this source. lam convinced that even a little study of the manners and customs of the public-house on the spot would greatly modify many current opinions among tho less bigoted temperance workers, and show them that the real crux lies far more on the customer’s than the publican’s side of tho bar.

Mr Moncure D. Conway, who was out in Australia lecturing some years ago, recently spoke at a conversazione of tho London Ethical Society, and told a funny story of his experiences. He was present during his tour at a great meeting convened in one of the Australian capitals to hear an address from a well-known Irish member of the House of Commons. At the conclusion of tho hon member’s eloquent speech, the chairman enquired whether there was any gentleman present who would like to ask the orator a question. One man at the back of the crowded hall immediately jumped up and intimated that he particularly wished to do so. He was accordingly invited to tho platform, to which he elbowed his way through tho crowd with some difficulty. No sooner had he mounted the rostrum, however, than an irate patriot felled him to the ground with a violent blow over tho head with a bludgeon. The unfortunate man was carried out in a state of unconsciousness. After order was restored, the chairman, a mildmannered, matter-of-fact little man, asked, with unconscious humour, “ Is there any other gentleman who would like to put a question ?’

Tho boom in the share market (writes the Johannesburg Times of March 30), which lias lasted for so many months, shows no signs of diminution. Day after day vast quantities of Witwatersrand stock change hands in Johannesburg, the Cape Colony, Natal, London, Paris and Berlin, at increasing prices, but the most careful eye fails to note any signs of a break. The brokers wax fat and prosperous, the great dealers amass fortunes, and the little dabblers make their hundreds a week. Trade is brisk in every department, and all goes as merrily as a marriage

Tho AVaipawa correspondent of a Napier paper says that an attempt is to made to graft a lamb’s tongue into tho mouth of a patient whoso tongue has been taken out on account of cancer.