NOTES FROM THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 1853, 27 May 1887, Page 16

NOTES FROM THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT.

BY PEARL PEN.

Wellington, May 18. -, Last week the reception at Government House was an exceptionally crowded one, owing in part to the fact that several previous Tuesdays had been pouring wet days. Lines of carriages were drawn up at the main entrance, and towards the close of the one short hour (from 4 to 5 o'clock), during which time Lady Jervois receives, the two large drawing-rooms were crowded, quite an unusual number of gentlemen being present on the occasion. The arrangement and decoration of these rooms have undergone a marked change for the better of late years. Evidences of taste and refinement appear in the way of books, flowers, elegant trifles of all sorts scattered about the tables, and large pots of lovely ferns also help to brighten these apartments, which I can' remember in old times as looking so extremely cold and stately that one involuntarily shivered and felt chilled on entering them.

I wonder whether our New Zealand poet has prepared a song wherewith to entertain his fellow members this session ? Be that as it may, he was at any rate most warmly welcomed back to his seat in the " Poet's Corner " in the House of Representatives, and I doubt not that with the keen and penetrating intelligence known to be a leading characteristic of this gentleman, there will be a good account to give of his performance during the present session. It will be remembered, I dare say, that at the last general election Mr Bracken lost his seat by only a very few votes, and that was partly due to the over-confidence of his friends, and partly to his own sturdy independence of oharacter. However, the member who replaced him (Mr Bradshaw) having passed away, the constituency of Dunedin Central was eitabled to restore again to Parliament a gentleman whose absence frdm the House was always matter for regret.

I should say now that Mr Vincent Pyke is unquestionably the most distinctively humorous of all our parliamentary orators, and his crisp and well-turned sentences, full of sprightly witticisms, are at all times a delight to the House. We all know that good hearty laughter is the very best of medicines, and therefore it seems to me that a man of such genial vivacity and infectious humour ought to have a seat in the House as a matter of right and justice to the community at large, and not merely by favour of a capricious constituency ; though it is true that the hoa. member for Duastan cannot complain of the electorate he represents in that respect, for they have been faithful to him this many a year.

The student of physiognomy may find much to engage attention, and even to interest and amuse, in the variety of forms in which the human face is presented to his notice, not only in the galleries but also in the body of the .Chamber of Representatives. Now here, for example, is a face that well repays personal perusal — standing out, as it certainly does, in salient relief from the long and dreary succession of weak, uncharacteristic, and very commonplace faces that one may note, the owners thereof filling many a row in the gallery as well as some few of the benches down below in the chamber. But the face to which I refer, and which has but now caught my attention, is a strong and resolute one ; the mouth firm, the whole air self-confident, and the expression one of unmistakable power. I should therefore say, judging from appearance at least, that Mr J. Mills, the new member for Port Chalmers, is a man of sterling ability, and not by any means after the manner of man whom Jean Paul Richter compares to a lighthouse, " high, farshining, empty" — men of showy talents, in fact, but comparatively without any real force of character. But, unless I am greatly mistaken, Mr Mills is quite a different stamp of man ; however, time will tell.

The packed audience at the Opera House last night reminded one very forcibly of the story about Pat and his boat. When a party of tourists arrived at a certain lake, Pat was interviewed relative to the carrying capacity of his boat.

•*• How many will the boat hold, Pat ? " asked the leader of the expedition. " How many do you want her to, sir ? " answers the accomodating Fat. •• How many will it hold ? " reiterates the inquirer.

Pat, forced to give a decisive answer, says gravely : " Well, sir, I may just say seven, if they sit adjacent, but 10 if they sit familiar-like." It is* certain that a number of visitors were compelled to sit " familiar-like "on the occasion to which I refer, but all the same they did notseem to mind it a bit. It is pleasant to know that New

Zealand is taking honours on the' lyric stage/ with"Pomafe" a success, who shall say wn»t latent talent may be developed "in the near future. And yet how many toilers there* are in the various walks of art and literature who go on struggling through many and many a weary " year,,meeting only with failure or at best but a partial success, until, in some cases at least, the turning point is reached at last, and one ,fine morning the all but worn-out worker awakes to ' find himself or herself' famous. Thus it was, for instance, with Sir Charles Young; the success" of whose play, " Jim the Penman," •wwars r almost the first break in a life of many disappointments. It is a well-known fact that at the moment when the literary baronet was fortunate enough to obtain his success he was absolutely at his wits' end through financial difficulties. ' Curiously, too, the play of " Jim the Penman " was not one which was regarded favourably.at first. It was indeed rejected by several managers, and . it would never in all probability have been produced at all were it not for' the indomitable spirit and enterprise of Lady Mbncktori, who from the first was a firm believer in its ultimate success. It was this that raised the money for the matinee at the Haymarket, when it was first performed. And now Sir Charles Young is in receipt of at least £150 a week from the different companies by which the play is befog performed, and will probably never know what it is to be a very poor man again. His success has at all events delighted his numerous friends, for Sir Charles is universally liked, not only for his unassuming character,' but also for* the courage with which he has fought the difficulties of bis life. Apropos of stage subjects, I met Miss Alice Barnett at afternoon tea in a private' drawing-room last Friday, and was charmed with her bright pleasant manner and lively conversational powers.

The Maori members had quite a grand field night last Wednesday, when the new member, Mr Tapua, made a speech occupying threequarters of an hour in the delivery, the oration being anent the Native Land Bill, upon which measure there was a very warm discussion indeed. Mr Tapua, by the way, is by no means as intelligent-looking as was poor Hakuene, who was a great favourite with many; yet, although Tapua has a rather heavy face, it has at least the redeeming qualification of an ever-beaming, good-natured smile spreading constantly all over it. I'm sure he might very appropriately be named" The Smiter." * ** * J

On Thursday night, when Sir Julius Vogel introduced the Women's Suffrage Bill, Mr Wi Pere sent the House into roars of laughter by making a most amusing speech. As you were informed by telegraph, he cited arguments against it commencing with Bye at the Creation right down to the present time, when he declared that it would be only possible to have " plain women " as members in the House, for if " beautiful ladies " were to be admitted amongst them then he was quite sure the attention of male members, more especially the older- ones, would be distracted by them, and the affaire of the country would suffer in consequence. But on this same matter I confess that I cannot think what we of the gentler sex have done that we should have been made the subject of such an avalanche of sense and silliness combined as that outpoured upon our unfortunate heads by hon. members of the House of Representatives in their speeches on this question. Such an outburst of eloquence was enough to overwhelm the whole population the feminine part I mean — of New Zealand. They all freely grant that women are the real power behind the throne. Well, why not permit them quietly to remain there ? I feel quite sure the majority of women would infinitely prefer to do so. And of another thing lam equally certain— namely, that if the bill was carried no right-minded woman would, ever dream of entering the House, although Borne might use the vote if they had the power. It was conceded in the House that, as it is, women exercise a strong influence in the matter of voting, as well as in many other ways'; but all that was recognised before, and therefore did not require such a waste of eloquence in attesting the fact. I myself honestly believe that women would be better without the franchise,' for many reasons ; at the same time I think it would obviously be unfair to deny to any woman the right of using any talent or ability of an exceptional nature with which she may be gifted. In truth Ido not think that any sensible man would do so, but on the contrary would be far more likely to treat her fairly and aid her, if possible — always providing, of course, that her gifts were exercised hi a legitimate manner.

Thenext social event of importance here, and to which dancing people are looking forward with eagerness, is the Birthday Ball at Government Bouse on the 24th inst., and for which invitations were issued last Friday.