Passing Notes.

Otago Witness, Issue 1156, 24 January 1874, Page 18

Passing Notes.

Sir James Fe-gusson evidently distinguished himself at Tokomairiro, but then what wonderful children he had to deal with ! Wasn't it Sir George Grey that adored babied, and didn't anxious mothors travel milosto have their darlings patted ? The present Excellency isn't enough of a humbiitf t" kias the little pets all round I wonder who did compose that pretty speech for the Tnkomairiro children :—: — *• We have also read and heard our fathers apeak of your own virtues, and of your manly and outspoken sentiments in your public Kpci-ches and actions, which form a marked contrast to the general tone of society in these Colonies. " That wonderful man ha* been asleep, and is awake again. How did the little ones find out the general tone of society in these Colonies? Ate they travelling specimens of _ what the country can rear, and to be exhibited through »vo y township as a native indußtry 1 They might get some idea of the general tone of society i» this way— no other. But, in all seriousness, isn't ib a pity to put such sentiments into the mouths of the children— sentiments which would sound very conceited in the mouths of men unless they had had exceptional opportunities of judging, but which from children are simply unutterable nonSQ<ti&e ? There is a good deal of the snob about many of these pretty little speeches, buttheTokomairiroonefairlyout-Heroded Herod. Their sentiments make one long for another massacre of the innocents.

Somelody stole (the medical comforts ©n board the DunnU&n. No doubt it was a very wrong thing to do, but is there any connection, I wonder, between this fact and that other— that .the Hospital was untenanted during the whole voyage? 1 don't suppose the thief stole anti'biliows pills or calomel and grey powders— a little' cod liver oil, perhaps, or a touch of quinine. I should rather suppose he confined his attention* to the arrowroot and port wine, the brandy and biscuits that pass under that name. Now, is it , possible that the distribution of these thinga staved off all sickness i If so, & would be worth while to deal more liberally with emigrants in. the matter of their diet I know they get plenty of -wholesome food in a well-found ship like j the Dunfillaa, but they don't get little | aemi-luxuriea No chaage can well be more complete than that between a shore and sea diet. It upsets the strongest stomach for a time, and, with weakly constitutions, might easily lay the seeds «al disease. A few weeks in quarantine would cost all the extra money for modi«ca,l cm-B^oris for a large cargo of emigrants f erbium saj>.

The humble p«titiwn of several oowa

Btreet, Clyde street, and the vicinity of the aforesaid roads, streets, or passages : Sheweth— That whereas Inspector Nimon has upon several occasions driven ourselves from and off our grub, and mulcted our owners on divers and several occasions in various amounts of money because "we, your petitioning cows, were found on a public thoroughfare : This is to say that we, y >ur lactiferous servants, conceive that we have been injured and no one else benefited by this, our great adversary's conduct. And we have to, and do now ask you, the directing authorities, to consider how hard our case is, and how good butter and milk are. We do. by being on those public rotuls, three good thiugs. Fnst, we keep the grass short, so that little two legged calves going to school, do not get their feet wet to their and their mothers' great comfort. Secondly, we rill our own stomachs and make much pure milk. Thirdly, we need no boys to watch us and keep us off the road to our endless comfort, the injuries we have suffered from guiding sticks and directing stones being considerable. For these and other reasons, which we cannot now particularize, as it is just milking time, your petitioners ask that directions may be given to that indefatigable inspector to let us alone, and we promise then that we will let him alone. And your petitioners will ever pray. Signed, on behalf of fourteen full grown cows, by

Crumpet. Blackbird. Sonnet.

I hold that the Sydney Morning Herald was right, and that the native feud at Otago is still unsettled. Verily, there are several native feuds. Item. — The " old identity" cannot and never will forgive the newcomers. Item. — The Scotch and English elements are not at peace. Item.— The Irish are not at one with the other two. Item. — The larrikins and the police are at open war. Well done_ the Sydney Morning Herald, enterprising paper, that it has got its gaze — its penetrating gaze — fixed on the vitals of the republic. 'Tis probably the case that some faint distorted rumour concerning the money for the Princes street reserve has found its way to New S >uth Wales. I should imagine the Sydney public conceiving of cbe poor Pnnedinites buying off their savage foe with the red red gold in order to save their coffers, households, and scalps. The enemy is already at the Kaik ; there is a to'ich of savagery a-bout that, and they will think it a sort of cross-bred " pah." The enemy is at the Kaik, and a commission has been given to the Resident Magistrate to offor them half a million to stay there. 'Tis lvp-d this will have a salutary effect. Steps have also been taken to station a number of settlers at South Dunedin, near the neck of the Peninsula, upon the only line connecting it with the main laud. 'Tis hoped these precautions will have a salutary effect. Huw blessed are we who have no savage enemy at our gate. I expect the Sydney papers will contain something like that, founded on confounded telegrams. Anyhow, we have seen nearly as great rubbish here sent down from the North.

The head master of the Middle District Schnol wrote urging the necessity of immediate repairs to some of the school "attributes." JVine people out of ten reading this sentence will say, what a peculiar use of words. The use is, however, right — but unusual. If he hadn't called them attributes, he must have spoken of the belongings, appurtenances, et ceteras, or some equally objectionable phrase. >: Attributes" is not generally employed in reference to any impersonal thing. It only shows how possible it is to use decent language in a variety of ways. There is absolutely no end to the flexibility of the English language, or what Mr Stobo would, I imagine, call the British language. An American head would have spoken of the repairs required by some of the school fixings.

And talking of the School Committee re the North Dunedin School, I don't think the proposition of pacing some one ji.n the play-ground to supervise the conduct fit the boys during the recessis a wise on*. Much better let them a little alone. No doub|; they will do some mischief ; 'tis better to make it a matter of school discipline. Let the boya alone as much as possible, and endeavour to instil into their minds high principles on the subject of good behaviour. J f misbehave punish them, but don't do anything jlika spying.

Those who had forgotten the impotent anathemas with which Bominia Sampson assailed the far-famed Meg Meryilees will have had their memory refreshed of late by reading the "gossip upon temperance in tbe Presbyteri&a Synotf. of Otago. It was perhaps not to he supposed that those rev.eyend divines woui<J agree with those who think Good Templarism a mistake. " Perhaps you ware right to refuse me your hand, but why ahottld yow kiak me down Btiur» ?"— -Something life* that, inn t it? B»vi»g htf nw oflpurtwjtwi «*

I reading the London Times, I must take leave to differ from those who say that its views are undergoing a change. It has always upheld, and still upholds, the doctrine that drinking habits are a great curse to the country — perhaps the greatest. Concerning the cure to be applied, the London Times has always just exactly expressed the opinion of most of us, viz., that Teetotalism is not the best remedy to be applied. It has ever been the fault of religious bodies to look askance at all methods except their own. Oh, the unwisdom of it ! Everybody agrees with the Fynod that excess in drink is a frightful evil; concerning the cure there is a marked diversity of opinion. But why curse so bitterly ? Sceleratissima iniquissima, £c, £c, exorciso te, is the language of outraged old women. Some such proposition as increasing the number of legitimate amusements, and going in heart and soul to make people merry without gin, seems to be the obvious cure, The motive, not the outcome, is the real root of the matter. Dock the sprouts as you will, 'tis no good. Cut at the root if you want to destroy the branches. No wise medico contents himself with purely local applications when the body is covered with boila.

When they elect a Mayor at Christchurch, they certainly make fuss enough. That key of the seal of the city. Humbug must certainly be rampant when people condescend to such a trick as that. Just because , when marauding barons and hungry, ill-disciplined troops rendered gates necessary, English towns had gates, Christchurch must have a city key — heaven save the mark — of its seal ! They must bo a people not used to invention in Christchurch, bub bent upon carrying out their mediaeval propensities to the full. I might suggest a fool's cap for the chief dignitary instead of a chain. Instead of adding links for each new functionary as he consented to become town fool, I would have a dear little jingling bell added to the cap. The absurdities of imitation have run great lengths, but this loally beats all.