THE SMUG COMPLACENCY OF GIBB.

NZ Truth, Issue 82, 12 January 1907, Page 4

THE SMUG COMPLACENCY OF GIBB.

Wellington is blessed, or cursed, with a Calvinistic clerical rejoicing m the unpoebical name of Gibb. The proud and haughty Gabb, or Gibb, it doesn't matter which, professes to be a follower of the humble Carpenter of Nazareth ; but m the words of a one time popular ditty "he's got a long way to go" before he gets within "cooee" of the Master he professes to follow. Now OHbb has got a grievance, also a son; m fact -the grievance concerns the said son. The paternal heart of this parsonical parasite is pained on account of the awful manner m which kis son murders the King's English. And, worse still, it seems that we are to blame, By "We" is meant the New Zealanders whose money, with lordly condescension, Gibb accepts m payment for his alleged services to the community. It really does seem a pity that the young scion of the lordly house of Gibb should te compelled to associate with common colonials, and "corrupted," .to use .the,

beautiful expression of the elder Gibb,, by their speech. Had this ■bumptious parson elected to confine bis correction of his son's atrocious speech— and if the examples given are true, the precious kid talks a low Cockney— to his own fireside, nobody would, have the right to object, but instead of keeping his family affairs within the privacy of his own home, gab Ding Gibb informs all and sundry of them per medium of a smellful, sordid sheet, devoted to sowing seeds of sectarian savagery, published by his church.

Young Gibb should ask his dad wh a t he means by it, anyhow. Infernally rough on the youngster to be held up to public gaze as an Awful Example. We were young once, and the old man would have been respectiuily, but firmly, requested to furnish an explanation of his conduct, had he done what Gibb senior has been guilty of. It's up to the public who find the sinshifter's salary to request an explanation of the gratuitous insult flung m. their teeth. If our kids are not fit to mix with, but contaminate and corrupt their associates— in the opinion of this mealy-mouthed mugwumpthen he should be told m unmistakeable language to get, the sooner the better. Gf course, those allies and support of the church, the curious and contemptible crowd of cronk capitalists, who conform to conventionality, while m reality worshijyjins the Golden Calf, will sympathise with this sniyeiyns Scotchfcyterian saint. Tihattifey %ilt subscribe to send , GiM>!^ Young hopeful to Oxford, or some other centre of British "culchaw," so that he might acquire the correct wav of, saying "haw," we don't think. Decent people can afford to laufjh at the vote of censure passed on New Zealanders m general, by this posturing pragmatical parson with a passion for publicity. Let the dear Doctor take comfort. If his son only continues to attend the Unitarian Church, and take notes of TudorJones' lectures, he is bound to improve bis English, even though his orthodoxy may not survive the shock of listening to the earnest exhortations of that rare bird, an honest parson.