PENDRAGON'S NOTES.

Oxford Observer, Volume 2, Issue 83, 20 June 1891, Page 3

PENDRAGON'S NOTES.

Written expressly for the "Observer." In a contribution in the March number of tb,e " Fortnightly ,Re yew. j Mr Gladstone says that " a boy or 1 girl who has access to a i library; ] whose shelvfes contain the works of "" Shakespeare, Burn3, Thackeray, Scott and GoMsmitbTlias access to . the r material for forming a moral, cultured and- -refilled membftr of society." Now, however much we may ..differ .about Mr Gladstone from a political point of view,, abr solute' uhilorrnity exists in our i opinion of him. as one of the purest scholars iof the century. By effecting the removal of. the Oxford library to a site in the immediate neighborhood of ' PearsoßfPark/ the ' ' Library Gonjurittee: have r> placed the residents 'of f.his large dig-, itrict' within easy access, of the writers named by. the. grand old inan and with- ' in easy access of 1 several otl er a works too. .To us who are in the tear and, yellbxv? feaf, thetenjoymenfiof again' reading, these, books, is t lik^ a J long lost friend ; ,wbils^ toihe" young.- ''■■• who'have yet to read them 'for t the first . tim,e there ,is the iutenae^jby 6f* and'h&kin'g trueJand'fawt friends whbse ' fidelity they know will last , a, life-time.. *• Thg inestitnable, benefit of "a. library .to i all and^ any society is' universally ad- | mitted, biittcj a society ' such as oui's ,W its benefits are enhanced; : > The ma,j- F oritjf. of thft resjdejits in ,this districtare men who by their thrift, integrity and industry have gone up a step in Ithe social 'liadaer'; %efr time, or 'most of it, has been occupied in fighting for thut ; home so^dekr Uq mankind, sin general. ( B.ut; wjth.^eir children, the case is different '; the parents haviiigwon the" goal, sbme'bre&tuing time arid' repose 'fall to the lot of the younger generation ; with- the /result that ihey ; feel a want. That want is.a craving, ipr improvement j of the mind— -such' is ilie case whether ' denned by tha possessors or not. That want can only be satisfied by such : authors as -those named by the reverod statesman, who, though fast falling into, . . ; the grave, keeps fighting manfully | for tthe, improvemen| o^ his. fellow-men. '' tnjspea.king of men'^vho'by merit have ' ■ risen,— let it never beSapposedfor one> , , m6meht : that either jibe or jeer is in, the writers, thpugbts, or emanate ,trotn tha pen of'P^ndragon. No fear. Such jij)3rs'and -jefereEs may, .go to Church and drop tlioir thre'e'permy bits into the,-, plabe, but may they never gain entrance to the columns of an honest hew.spaper. The foregoing is a faint, a very ..

aint, outline of the bene^t, our bene-r factors have conferred on us in fighting the good fight on behalf of the removal of the hooks. Whosoever would y be made\ wise, lut him know there 'are ■' three benefactors. And yet there.; are not three benefactors but one, benefactor. The Domain Board,, a bene- . factor ; Its honorary secretary, a,benefactor; the Library Committee, a be'ne- • factor! Arid yet ilot three benefactors, but one benefactor. 1 That one is the | honorary secretary to • the Domain Board, .MrJJohn Ingram. To, him is due the honor, of bearing the,, burden and heat of the day ; it U he >vho in ; season and out' ot season has ! Jcept . steadfastly before his view the ! greatest got >d : for ; the' greatest number. : Render : -unto Caesar the tilings that are' Caesar's. Pei\sonaliti(3S*"are generally attractive; ; : but aw not always . to , be , apprpyed. There are however „whon , . their .'introduction is a matter of mere simple justice. The removal^ of 'the Oxft'i-d LibraiT is a casein point.- ■'■ Heieis an idea- — anybody is welcome \;^ to it who chooses, to adopt it. ,;No : con- V f : sideration required^ not , even gratitude. But there is money in it Christchjirch requires more lniUkVmore milk. Let a maii who 'can riin say twenty 1 cow's on 'his land think this over; ' Twenty cow3 kept by a 'practical daiiiy farmer on •: generous: land will give quarts of „ ■ ; milk: a w,eok; A, -, readyr . sale , can be ; found for, it in.town at 2j£i a quart, realizingi^S'gross'per weekl The ,ex- ' pense's in conveying the milk' to ( town wbuld 'be',' ' roughly' :-iL ;.••.- ■. ■. \■ ? ;< ''•'•• 12 horses 1 cost^ per; week. . i £5: 0 0 2 lads .in; town per* week » , < £% 0,0 ;: Rent in tovyn ;; per week „■. £>i[ 00 1 lad to drive \o itangiora 4.1| oft ..,, l.do .do on to Ch Cb '£r 0 0 Total £10 0 o.' thus leaving a 'clear profit of £18 per ;i week: -'Naturally some chuckle head will say " the man who writes this ;is a fool." But the wise man with land iu here and a few spare pounds for niatk .* tins will try it. An income of iJlOOv) a „ ■"" -soon follow -and^Bendragon and the-Oxford Observer will be tor- l gotten. ; J r ? ,When,in.,tp\yn last, week haying at I ? chat witli th<j V>u»y emtors' 6f a popular ; ; ' ' paper^ I asked him wflethertie' tnoug^it/, advertising paid. He said, sadly foW- H ing a; bundle of, bills— " ( I cannot teH/ . but I know tb!at very of ten advertaseira " ; ; "■'do not'. ; ' '"' ;/ r •""■ '- i: ' ■'•' ' ! ' v: '' ; . ' '' : '■ ■••...-•;■ '•..i-i'v.- -„>■', ,:■(.,,.;. ,;i.,.- r :.> -^ .Several, matterg^.are craving my i at->- ; tention "to be mado note of." Butj. what can one do when 1 one 1 toll iab- iil( . 7 sorbing topic ip! being; ;difam,med into^ , ,Qm'a,*axs. y ■:■,....,> „...,.,, , .-. ' ',',' /'That Ball, r iihat ball, that bachelors '' ■ lf ' K - ■" t; bau;' !; -' !lt °'"^ i; - »■■•■ ; >■■■ * I '-> 0 ! ; here is a iubject that never ; ean •; . The girls and the ,b'6ys^ when they're " : * ; hu^banas'arid-wiv^s;^ 'v • j • Will 'spe'akof its joya for Jibe ,rest of their lives. u- 1 .> I Will talk of the happy ride home in „ J Jth'e carriage, ...,,•; , ii( ,,'i i •■■ \yith ne'er a i;egri»t that tlie sequel was marriage." ''■'■'; "'■' ; "■ kv 'Editor, pray'^fite'-'Billy Bay;.; . Bid htm , againbe happy ami ,gay ; i . 4 , , * t /Bid him up with his'pen'/'nis merry^. i; '■' ■'" 'rhyme 1 revelv llJi ' } ' ; !; ,- ; ' 'i .' ! And! send ii all i captious^, critjcs ; "with '* •. „i,,car i e.V,..to,the-f^— . } „( ,\ ; - ; ' !I! You will qbserye,"Sii', l ihat ! l have in-" if i qertydi'-^-iri'piaciß'of BtSv6rd'Afor oh^ « some previous occasion, to my! im>; : . ; measurable sorrow, you, or the devil . . . (printer' s)-inberfi.'red"Wibhiny verse and . brought dv)wn on my guiltless head the' i wrathful indignation of .that man of |V " education. /w " !> But a truce to this folly, you kind;* » 1 ; i> readers -telUi ['f ! l]'J'( »T|f "•■' • .What you think of/tbi^ball.gsnd who .. f< t was ( the f belle.'. '. f* : , 5 Talking about Jjalls, 13 ' it (not ; time,,,, that nineteenth 1 centit'y 'ci'vilisation and , t ' ' ieommon sense should \ reorgkhUd the rules 1 and regula'tibns- bf J a . . bfdl-roontf'? , ' It: is simply 1 -ridiculuus that there 1 Ji , sMouid ( be ,sucK a silly code of unwritt&nU' '< " lawai which.'ne^ertheless^ tiind wpm^nlivj in fetters that are too strong to. break, and which give discomfort and stiffness

to every social,. gathering.' Let men and women be pui on 'the" same plnne ; . let it be just via conventional for a woman to gH from .seat to seat unattended if she wishes, tojoin this or that group at her own volition, to go to supper , / with :onej of ,{li?r ,own 'sejt.j jand ,to act generally as aniinteijigent, independent being, and society would be relieved ot .its heaviest inciibus. It would not . only free the worn'ori, 1 it' 1 would greatly " reliev^ the men. * Womatfv fancies she is the queen of social iifey aadti it is a .' pretty: ; concni.t to ,cal\imsn, I b(ai' subjects ; „ . "but vthis.i^ jOnly,^fapoj^ye or , figure of speech. .In reality* she ' has 1 sibie hulna'n 'bein t g j tnan li j in" a'ny other '' 'arena.' 'She' 'la* nidr6' r tnl!iin>elled" by 11! cust6ms, ''inoreiiihauipere'dhby -jcon- ;!; ventionalities, thjin .;ey.eiiVi in business i • , ; . ior pvo^ssipnal ; life, -„ „,, „feer<', at least ...jffomenai'e uj>t Estjievs, for Ahasurus to iiolclonfliiH sceptre—. . - v With'pL^iisure ons'ckh 1 see 'that' the ! rising gentiruti.iia ninnily believes : — '■'"■■■•' 'That -difi* of a'yevy '-sort ■ i.i . ; ' 'a i- ■'iSh6uldj|)eiiiuv'rry,ifQr itis< short ; ,'-,-. ,'AndjthiSjSliQul/l be fiur* motto. • - ; { t> i : be , jol jy, .>ylaile youmav,, .' . And no attention pay, ' ■ I ; TotKog^gdoa^&mia tell "''-ybU'itbi^tr l^^ 1 ft *>■■:■:* ■ ■'' ■'■'»■■. .-l-J'Ki 'lit:''): ill P'-i(|j..|( V -.|,'.