PASSING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2004, 21 July 1892, Page 25

PASSING NOTES.

According to the ingenious " specials " who make our Parliamentary bibtory for us, Mr Ballance intends to call to the Council a pure Labour representative from each of the four centres, and each centre i» to choo?e its own man. In theory this is most excellent. It recognises in the handsomest manner the "claims of labour," and it delivers the Government from tho invidious and dangerous ta?k of selecting anybody in particular and thereby infuriating everybody else. "Choose your own man," says Mr Ballance with judicious magnanimity. " Give me bis name, and leave the rest to me." In theory, I repeat, this is most excellent. But in practice some slight difficulties have presented themselves. Take Dunedin for example. Who is the Chosen One to be? That's the rub— who? Mr Bolt's name has been persistently mentioned in the papers, and a very good name too. But suddenly there appears a paragraph saying that he is not altogether approved of by the Labour potentates ; and then, 10, another, announcing that the Trades and Labour Council have resolved to ignore niin and recommend the Cabinet to call either Mr J. A. Millar or Mr R. Slater or Mr A. Judge. Thus there are four Kichmonds in the field alieady, and ! all the unions have yet to speak. And when they do speak I predict as pretty a row as ever was witnessed in No. 15 Committee Boom. In so surmising, I must not be understood to in anyway belittle the claims of the gentlemen of unionistic light and leading who have been nominated by the Trades and Labour Council. Mr Judge, I shame to say, I have never heard of — but that's my misfortune. As for Mr Millar, he created one big strike, and may be safely depended upon to create another as soon as practicable. His appointment, therefore, to the Upper House would be singularly happy and appropriate as marking the a'titude of the Government. Mr Slater, too, haß claims of his own. I gather from a letter in one of the papers that be woi ks eight hours a day at his trade, and devotes his surplus energies and overtime to the sacred cause ofnnionism at various rates of remuneration : Mr Slater is secretary of tho Trades and Labour Council at a salary of LSO per annum (monthly meetings) ; secretary of the Labour Day Committee (Lls for three months) ; secretary of the Sous aud Daughters of Temperance at Ll3 per annum. And in addition to all this his secretarial services are at the disposal of tho Tailoresseh' Union — if terms can be arranged. Such versatility is worthy of a wider sphere, and he naturally aspires to an M.L.0.-ship with its attendant emolument and railway pats. No ; my apprehension is based on my knowledge of human nature and my perusal of the letter aforesaid. It is a unionist letter, but speaks most disrespectfully of the Trades and Labour Council — even talks of "hole and corner work," "cliqueism," and^otber equally unpleasant things. From which I inter, with pain, that on this particular subject there is by no means such unanimity in the union ranks as could be wished. And I fear me that as with Dunedin so also will it be elsewhere, for your unionist has his aspirations and ambitions even as other men, and though many may be chosen few can by any possibility be called. Peace must be restored at any price — but how ? The Governor, of course, doesn't understand the position, but it may be that were it fully and faithfully explained to him he might be brought to see the expediency of calling at least 12 labour members at onee — say three from each 'centre, and this might be accepted — as an instalment at all events. I commend the idea to the labour party as one possible way out of a grave difficulty. The English elections are just over, and Mr Gladstone's troubles are just going to begin. He is a wonderful man, and has done many^i wonderful thing in his time; 1 but in taking office at his age, with such tremendous issues before him, and such a motley following behind him — and take it of course he will — he is doing the most wonderful thing of all. Few men would face it in the flower of their strength, but Mr Gladstone laughs at such bugbears as separation, disruption, and civil war, and tosses the empire on bis shoulders at 83 as lightly and easily as if it were a baby. Sir Julius Vogel predicts another election within 12 months, and there needs no ghost from the grave, or ex-Agent-general from London, to tell us that. The Irish party want their price, and Mr^Gladstone can't possibly pay it. Thus far they have supported him, not because they liked him, but because they were "agin the Guv'ment." "Is there a Guv'ment in this counthry 1 " asked an Irish immigrant of the first man he met on the wharf at New York. " I ray ther guess there is, stranger," was the reply. " Then, bedad, I'm agin it 1 " shouted Pat, as he shouldered his bundle and made track.-* for tho nearest whisky saloon. So with the Irish factions in U.e House of Commons. They hate the Guv'ment almost as cordially as they hate one another, and when Mr Gladstone becomes the Guv'ment they'll be agin him to a man. We may therefore look for a speedy and complete capsize of the Liberal apple catt. Dear Civis, — This morning (Tuesday) the St. Clair tram ran off tho line rather badly — that is to say, the fore wheels were left outside of both rails, although the car was stopped within its own length. The cause ? Not any fault of the driver's, but merely a piece of road metal on one of the rails. This was a trivial accident where it happened — opposite tho Kensington Hotel — as there is plenty of room, but if it had been in that part of the road where the tram line runs for a quarter of a mile or so along the edge of a bank, the whole caravansary must ha\e gone over into the paddock below. A dray did go over here a few weeks ago, and the driver was killed. If a two-decker tram car with its top-heavy freight comes to grief at this spot, and half a score of people are crushed to death, who will be responsible ?— I am, Sic., >St. Claik Excukmoni&t. The risk that the tramcar will mn off ths line at the exact spot wheie theie is no room Eor such an evolution to be performed in

safety is, I suppose, & Bmall one, bat why should there be any such spot 1 The road at the dangerous point is broad enough, but the tram company choose— or are compelled by the Caversham Corporation — to run their cars on the very edge of it. Undoubtedly tho Dunedin public, who stream out to St. Clair in thousands on every fine weather holiday, have a right to be assured that the tram line they use on these occasions is at leatt a safe as any other in the city and suburbs. I have called attention to this matter before, but nothing has been done. When at last an accident has happened and the responsible persons, whoever they may be, are put in the dock, I only*hope that I may be in the jury box 1 My remarks on musical quackery apropos of Mr Jude and his organ playing have been somewhat deeply taken to heart by Mr O. N. Baeyertz, whose feelings overflow in a long letter to last week's Witness. Mr Jude, as he appears to the intelligence of Mr Baeyertz, is " a great musical genius," whilst " Civis,'" unhappily, when brought to the same test, is a " musically ignorant caviller, knowing nothing whatever about the subject." This is pretty well, but the following ia even better : — 1. "Civis" sums up his feelings about the music played in these words :—": — " • Descriptive organ music' forsooth! A single overture of Handel's were worth the whole lot of it." Passing the very doubtful grammatical construction, " of Handel's," let us proceed to the music. The magnanimity of Mr Baeyertz in " passing by " this " veiy doubtful grammatical construction " moves my respect, though I really can't consent to profit by it. Mr Baeyeitz, it seems, would say " an overture of Handel," not "an overture of Handel's." Well, it is a free country ; Mr Baeyertz is at liberty to talk in any form of broken English that may be agreeable to him; whore he becomes absurd is in wanting to set up the Baeyertz dialect as the standaid of grammatical" propriety. To make this absurdity of his— or, as Mr Baeyertz himself would say, this absurdity of him, or perhaps, of ho— qutto plain, I will condescend fcj an illustration. What ia the difference of meaning in the two expressions, " a portrait of Handel," and a " portrait of Handel's " 1 or, again, between "a portrait of me," and 'a portrait of mine"? Even Mr Baeyertz, despite his imperfect knowledge of English, will feel that there is a difference, and with due consideration will discover what it is. As for his " overture of Handel," if one were compelled to find a meaning for the expression, il. would be necessary to remember the etymology of " overture," and then wo should have "an opening o£ Handel,"— ln fact, a surgical post mortem on the composer's body. However, leaving these doubtful questions of grammatical propriety, let us, under Mr Baej.cn z' guidance, ."proceed to the music" — with such confidence as we may. "The one unfortunate thing," he says, " about the preference of ' Civis ' for an overture of Handel (tie) is that Handel never wrote an overture for the organ." Quite true; — it is also equally true that " Civis " never said that he did. Handel, like other composers, I suppose, wrote overtures for the orchestra, not ior the orgau. All the same they make excellent organ music, and Mr Jude, in recognition of my criticism, played Handel's " Occasional Overture " at his very next recital. Handel's choiuses, again, wero not written for the organ, but for voices; yet it was Handel's own practice to play them as organ solos, and, in particular, tho fugal chorus " He trusted in God " from the "Mesdah" was a favourite with him for this purpose. But wo have changed al that I Handerwitb his old-fashioned fugues would cut a poor figure nowadays by the side of Mr Baeyertz' "great musical genius," who can do a thunderstorm on the organ so naturally as to deceive the very frogs and set them croaking. The Bishop of Melbourne recently refused to allow his cathedral {organ to be used for " recitals," and the Argus, through seldom in agreement with bishops, justified his decision "jn view of the aggressive and the comic spirit which are sometimes shown by organists." Probably the editor had been present at a " recital" by Mr Jude. Dear Civis,- — Let me give you a good story. Some nondescript revivalists have been going about the country preaching in a big tent which they carry about with them. They are not disciples of Mr Grubb, but some other sort. What their special secret may bo I don't know, but some idea may be got about it from the following conversation between the minister of the district on his rounds and one of these new lights. "So you don't belong to any church, you say ? " "No, indeed ; why should I ? The dying thief didn't belong to any church, and he went to heaven." " I suppose, however, you have been baptised ? " " No, I haven't, and don't mean to be. The dying thief was never baptised, and I'm as safe as ho was." " Well, at anyrate you sympathise with other Christians in their work, I suppose, and are willing to contribute to the Sustentation Fund according to your means ? " " Contribute ? No, sir ; nothing of the kind ! The dying thief " " Hold on, my frieud," said the minister, interrupting ; "there is a point of difference between you and the other thief that you seem to miss. He was a dying thief, and lost no time in quitting a world that could well afford to spare him. If you want to make the parallel between you complete, I should say, •Go thou and do likewise.'" — I am, &c, Country Scot. I am always willing to recehe a good story, and to cap it with another— when I can. Here is one which, like the foregoing illustrates clerical smartness in repartee and also has a bearing on the important part played by the threepenny bit in church collections. It has been going the round of the English papers, but I haven't yet seen it in any colonial.'print. A well-known church dignitary was having a friendly game of pool (Jiorresco referens /) in a country house at which he was a guest. One of his opponents was Wigsby, the barrister. The Canon lost a " lite" and took from his pocket a threepenny piece to puy for it, which he placed on the edge of the table. "Oh," said Wigsby, " I see, Canon, you have had your finger ia the plate!" The Canon recognised his opportunity, and looking the man of law full in thu face, he said, " I'm surprised that you, Mr Wigsby, in the presence of this respectable company, have the audacity to recognise your own paltry contribution!" OIYIS.