PASSING NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13984, 17 August 1907, Page 6

PASSING NOTES.

It is refreshing to know that someone can explain/ the principles of Socialism. Recent developments with. So-called Socialists—Haywood, Pottibone, and Co. to wit —would indicate that the definition would be as puzzling as the average man's Confession of Faith., Mr Tom Mann has been taking the explanatory office upon himself in Melbourne I see, and the triteness of some of his utterances rivals Dr Mason's definition of tlie duties of a hospital. For instance, "as Socialists they were not in sympathy with orthodox politics or orthodox religion." Neither vain of their superior merit nor shy of proclaiming it, tho Socialists—through Mr Tom Mann —merely desire it to be understood that "their attitude was far too much for the churches: it was because of tho churches' immorality that they, the Socialists, refused to join them." Delicious! Tlie ordinary man, not Socialist, would liavc said that- the boot was on tho other leg. It. is well that the matter is explained at. first hand. The only remaining difficulty ,is in knowing just what is Tom Mann's special blend of Socialism? There are Socialist Sunday schools in London with which, it may bo, Mr Mann sympathises. At a recent- meeting of tho London County Council tlie tenancies of these Sunday schools wove terminated in consequence of the extremely unconventional stylo of Sunday teaching carricd on. On a certain Sunday a pleasant little meeting Of nearly 150 persons—many of them adults—beguiled the dultiess of a London Sunday by singing a hymn from which the following is a quotation: — No Saviours from on higli deliver, No trust liav-9 we in prince or pear; Our own right hand tho chains must shiver, Chains of hatred, of of fear. Ere the thieves will difgorge their booty, And to all give a. happier lot, Each at his forge must dj his duty And striko tho iron when it's hot,

Another favourite form of praise and thatfksctiving was that known as "The Eed Flag" Hymn, which, after generally referring t-o the splendid efforts of France, Germany, Chicago, and a locality picturesquely known as "Moscow's Vaults" in unfurling the said sanguinary flag, concludes :

With heads Uncovered, oWesr W6 all To boat il onward till-we fall.

Some dungeon dark or gallows grim, This song- shall bo our parting liymn. Too absurd to treat seriously? Yet even such literary rubbish as this may bo rendered vital by the human passion that inspires it, The commandments of these unique Sunday School scribcs were on all fours with their praise and thanksgiving. Here is one;

Eemeinbsr -that all the good things of tho earth are produced by labour, and whoever enjoys them without working for them is stealing (ihe bread from those who produco them.

Fortunately for Australia she is not utterly at the mercy of her imported demagogues. Almost concurrently with Tom Mann's exposition of Socialism Premier Bent has been doing his heavy best to persuade English capitalists that- the Australians are not .1 socialistic people, and that there need be no graver doubts than usual about getting back the money they have invested in Australia. "Graver than usual" is my own interpolation, for it seems to me that in most cases tho only way to keep money is the sumo only way as the marriage service provides for the keeping of a have and to hold." Ohce We trifle with tho bubble reputation of tho investing game there seems to be a fatal tendency to become the odd man out. However, Mr Bent claims to have "dispelled much of the ignorance that existed on the matter"— of Australian honesty? Apparently a new candidate for socialistic suffrage may ere loiig be'in the socialistic market, for I see that Mr Campbell, of the City Temple, .has been invited to stand in the Socialist interest. Again the question arises, which kiwi of Socialist? Which particular blends, so to speak, would find Mr Campbell's theology in harmony with the too utterly utter morality of which they claim, a monopoly? Clearly t think Mr Mftnn's is the very tiling. He and his find the ordinary churches immoral. Mr Campbell's quite extraordinary "chttrcll" of Criminals and Vagabonds, working out the potential Christ in them through vies and degradation, may fill the bill, the overpowering, zeal .and strong personal magnetism of the City 'iVrrtple. pastor directed to the'construction of a new Socialism would be, judging from his new thpoloßy, a strange and fearsome thing. " Get hold of the land," as the foundation olank of a platform to be exploited by 1 mind so emancipated from conventional limitations! as Mt' Campbell's, promises, •tnrtling possibilities. How about an enwoment to come to the new- Dominion on an organising tour in the interests of our somewhat complicated " land hunger," and how wc feed it ?

The question of church-going has been much in evidence in otlicv columns than thowi of Passing Notes. As a .running commentary on-the matter, supplementing questions of my own which were, I take it, of a very practical kind, I found in a Home paper the very pertinent question, " Why do you go to Church?" propounded by the Rev, llr Cobb to tho congregation of St. Jithelbnrga's, London. Tho resultant answers were so interesting that it, is a matter for regret they are only available for casual comment, owing to the fact that the letters themselves were, uf couree, confidential, and the suggestion of entire privacy was' admirably earned out by their being placed in the "Confession box." The nou-religious reasons only were iiwde public, and fall into the following category: 1. Custom. 2. /Esthetio pleasure. X. Vanity, 4. Fear of public opinion. G. An eye to business. C. Desire for rest. They must hnV6 been confidential- communications indeed which have been so frank! Frankness in the pulpit—or out of it for that matter—is not always appreciated, as witness Father Vaughaii, A ease which io old enough to be Hew again, however, lies in a letter written by one of the great ladies of her day to the famous Countess of Huntingdon, tho preacher referred to being Whitfield: Thank your ladyship fot the information concerning ihe Methodist preaching; these doctrines' are most repulsive and strongly tinctured with impertinence and diereapect towcrds their 'superiors ill perpetually endeavouring to level a'.l ranks mid do away with all distinction; as it is monstrous to be tokl you have n heart as sinful as the common wretches tlint crawl oil the earth. This is highly offensive and insulting, and I cannot but wonder that your ladyship should relish any sentiments so much at variance -with high rank and good breeding. Much and varied, comment is bestowed in llto English papers on the new Workman's Compensation Act. To us, accustomed to much ultimate legislation (and if !L Barclay had his way, like to gird under the grandmotherly leading strings of much'more), the flutter in the Conservative dovecot seems quite unnecessary. The most amusing reference, to what was then the impending Ist of July, the date on wluch the atit came into force, is Punch's whimsical forecast. A butcher's boy lashes his horse to a furious gallop, holding himaelf in readiness to be thrown a-r the first opportunity. A "Tommy" lies prone upon the street to bo galloped over; a 'bus is in process of being overturned on the footpath; housemaids and chambermaids are seen falling from upper storey windows; in fine, the whole street presalts ot!e vista . of workers intent on- , making good their claims, to eom4>M),«ation rit'lwut delay. " Compensation Day" in

England may in future rank beside Thanksgiving Day in America and Labour Day in New Zealand. Which reminds me ot a quaint paraphrase, .evidently made in perfect good faith, heard in lJuncdin, on Arbour Day; " Oren'er is lie tlint plant-et-h a. tree than he that Uiketh a, city." To return, however, to the English Compensation Act. Mrs Civis, who has been picking over my English files, was much struck I observed by tlw following, taken from I'mth. Her expert feminine judgment proclaims it excellent. I accept her word for it, and quote. Extracts from a Servant GihL's OATECinSII. Q.: Who arc you? A.: A Domestic Servant. Q.: What are followers? A.: Anything in trmtser9 that appears at tho area door. Q.: What is a cftt? A.: Tho most useful of all domestic animals. Q.: Explain the ohiof use of the cat. A.: To commit dopredationa in the lardot. Q.: When are BUch depredations usually committed ? A.: On the evenings wheil I entertain mv followers. ■ Q.: For what purpose do glass, crockery, and other fragile artioleS exist? A.: To come to pieces in my hands. Q.: Do you ever break your mistress's old china? A.; Never, | Q.; How. is that.? A.". Because it vr»s always broken before 1 came. ' Q.: Do yon 'meet with atony accidents or injuries in domestic service? A.: Hitherto I have met with none. But after the Ist of July next I foresee overy prospect of sustaining them frequently. Q.: Why fo? A.. Because after that date niy distress will lmve tQ pay me compensation,

A mild but somewhat involved excitement on .matters of health during tbe past ten .da'ys reminds me in its earlier stages of Dickens's Circumlocution Office. "How not to do it" has been so successfully solved that- it- was hardly necessary to supplement the object lesson in any way. However, what is the use of pes*, sessing experts if wo do not use them? And necordintdy Dr Jfaron's utterance of the illuminating opinion of the powers that be, that- "it is the ihitv of the Hospital authorities to provide for all the indigent sick," stands duly recorded. After this .we need not be surprised if a member of the Ministry is called from Wellington to declare that it in the business of the Oustom House t-o collect duties on imported goods, a.nd tliflt of ■ the Post Office to sell 6tamps. It- if curious t-lmt- presumably sane men like the Hospital Trustees should, need to lvivc feuch a. truism thrust upon them, but the thrusting was neosfsary. Did not tho principles of the Circumlocution Office—Hie " how not to do it".—work Out with complete success .in dealing with a recent- case of infectious illness? The doctor in attendance calls the attention of the Health Officer to -the existence of the ctwe in point, the Health Officer duly notifies the Hospital Board and the town clerk, and then, crescendo lmvintr been reached, diminuendo begins. The Hospital refuses to admit, the patient; the chairman of the Hospital Board, like the wedding guest in the Bible, exclaims, ''I pray thoa have me excused" : the town clerk with eoual resourcefulness does ditto, the Health Officer has no authority to do anything, and the unfortunate subject, of the Cirjnimlecutnon Office ends the impasse by dying. Then some public-spirited citizens put their hands in their pockets and vow such a thing shall not- occur again, telegraph for* Hi' Mason, wlio comes and makes the illuminating statement with which I this note. Its simplicity has a certain amount, of chattn. Obviously the position has been overlooked; obviously, too. it must, be accepted Or denied, and the simplicity of the issue has perhaps helped to bring about the rapid crystallisation of words into deeds. We have the reputation of being slow but steady. In this matter the slow stage is over: for our own prestige, may it be followed by a steady haste.

In tJio attraction offered by more congonial topics—the White Race League, welcome to Webb, New Zealand footballers, for example—that unsavoury person t-lw "habitual drunkard" seeiiis to have boon temporarily, shelved. His retirement from public notice is quite understood, I imagine. So far 86 my own observation goes, he continues to improve the shining hour as of old, and may b.e met with in private life, so to speak, off any of the principal thoroughfares or in public in the "'casualty" or police columns. He has boeii tTOliblihg the peace of mind of the. Auckland S.M., who points out that, thoiKrh not a Criminal, he requires to be confined somewhere separated from the public iu order to fecure t-hfi comfort, and decency of his fellow beings. It is some time since the question was thrashed out in Dtmedin, and 011 that occasion the oninion that our local supply was probably limited to 11 round dozen mnv have bad the effect of damping local enthusiasm. Yet I contend that- the evening pedestrian in the side streets and semi-suburbs of Dunwlin might very truthfully paraphrase Dr Watts with

X take my walks abroad How many drunks I see. It seems to me that this pitiable person shambling ab6ut the ill-lighted streets where the smaller public-houses pureue their trade is a waste product. Honestly speaking, we have no use for him, unless wo shut him up and make him justify his existence by some enforced duties, More, he is obviously casting good liquor, which under Norwegian Samlsg conditions might be turned to profitable account. Of cout.sc, I do not know what beneficial schemes may not be in embryo in our own prohibition 'districts, but I take it that tho achievements of the Samlag system in Norway are/just the kind of public benefactions that we eould do very well with. If roads, bridges, and well-equipped public libraries can be paid for, as it is claimed tioy can bo, out of the Sanilag system, tllCll let us have that system instead of the habitual drunkard by all means, especially as I note that it w possible under the same system to obtain, among other luxuries, a Turkish bath for a penny. The Bulletin, that merciless recorder of impleading facts, commends us to take what comfort we can frcm our cold tea, for we shan't get any from our drink' bill—and if its, figures arc right wo shan't; Cms, ;