PASSING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2253, 6 May 1897, Page 3

PASSING NOTES.

(From Saturday's Daily Times.)

NATUEis and education have endowed the ] Hon. John M'Keuzie with many accomplish- j ments, but polite letter-writing is. not one of i them. His forte does not lie in" "epistolary satire; his forte lies in administering lsnds not wisely but too well. When a critic of his administration preHents himsslf wanting to know something more about the interesting fact that there are now M^Kenzies at Bashy Park, and when the Hon. Johp, by neglect of Providence and the abserce of Mr SeddoD, " left to his-sel'," replies in tropes and metaphors meant to be sarcastic and ironic, he does it with the grace of a Highland bull attempting the skirt dance. 'Ware heels and hornß ! The be3t-intentioned friend must clear out and keep at a safe distance. I am myself a friend with good intentions — a candid friend, — yet I hardly venture to point oat what a very pretty putting of bis foot in it this literary performance of the Hon. John's has revealed. It is not for me to say that he has made himself morally and constructively guilty of homicide. People may find that out for themselves by reading his letter. My own view is more merciful ; I make allowances. Here is a land transaction which, though doubtless of the most honourable kind, has the singular disadvantage of wearing a questionable look. It is a land transaction which gets itself transacted in a manner that to an unfriendly world eeems secret, silent, surreptitious ; it results in the passing of a certain piece of public property known as Bashy Park into the possession of the family of the Minister for Lands. Asked to explain, the Minister, strong in his innocence, resorts to what be supposes to be polite banter and good-natured irony, recommending to the inquirer that he »hould inquire at Bushy Park, and to his representative there that he should shoot him when he arrives. Bat there is really nothing in it. All that it amounts to is that we have got a Mrs Malaprop at the Land» Office — a Mrs Malaprop in kilts.

Between Turkey and the great military empires north and west is a ring of semiIndependent buffer States whosa only hope of.

Dunedia exceuding over a fortnight, and J their attendance would involve an absence from 7 till 10 every evening.- This solicitous regard for the welfare of their souls on the part of these eight seems to imply either that they have a lot of arrears to make up, or that they account themselves exceedingly tough subjects who may cost the worthy missioners no end of trouble. The difficulty in the way of granting the request was that 9 o'clock is the retiring hour in the institution, and the chairman was in some doubt whether he should imperil thesa men's souls or break the rule?. Mr Solomon felt himself unequal to the task of deciding, and referred the matter to his fellow trustees. They dnly sat npon the case, and gave a Solomonic decision to the effect that the men should be permitted to go, but on condition that they returned before <9 o'clock, and then they must be psrfectly sober. Consequently these poor j men will have to run away bafore 9 o'clock ] with their souls only partly saved-— brands, I in fact;, only half plucked from the burning, — j because ths trustees suspect that the ] mission ?b to ba held in tbe vicinity of j Ogg's corner. This is a very unsatisfactory ] compromise. The worst of it is that I can : suggest no Taetter unless it be that the chair- j man personally guard his lambs from wayside \ \ dangers. i

1 growing into something bigger and better Dunedia exceuding over a fortnight, and j I must lie in Turkey's break-up. Then why their attendance would involve an absenca don'b they do something to help G-reecs 1 A from 7 till 10 every evening.- This solicitous firm treading on the Turk's tail by a capable regard for the welfare of their souls on the enemy in his rear would be very seasonable part of these eight seems to imply either just now. It would prevent him from giving that they have a lot of arrears to make an undivided attention to tho unlucky up, or that they account themselves Greeks. Some slight indication that the exceedingly tough subjects who may cost buffer State 3 are not entirely asleep appears the worthy missioners no end of trouble, in this week's telegrams. One of them The difficulty in tho way of granting the demands a port on the Adriatic ; another request was that 9 o'clock is tb.B retiring wants, of all things in theoworld, five more hour in the institution, and the chairman j bishops — couldn't we spare one or two from was in some doubt whether he should im- | New Zealand? — and ia prepared to""mobi- peril thesa men's souls or break the rule?, i Use" unless she gets them. So far well; Mr Solomon felt himself unequal to the but the treading on Turkey's tail will have to task of deciding, and referred the matter to be more emphatic than this if ,it is to do his fellow trustees. They dnly sat upon the Greecs any good. The blame of the whole case, and gave a Solomonic decision to the villaiuous "situation lies with Austria and effect that the men should be permitted to j Russia, whose policy ia to let tb.B Turk remain go, but on condition that they returned ! where he is and behave as badly as he likes before -9 o'clock, and then they must be i until t|hey see the way to divide his posses- psrfectly sober. Consequently these poor i sions between them without coming by the men will have to run away bafore 9 o'clock ! ears over it. That any smaller neighbours with their souls only partly saved-—b rands, j should cat in for a share wouldn't, suit their in fact;, only half plucked from the burning, — i book at all ; consequently the buffer States because the trustees suspect that the j are not to be allowed to move. If there ia mission ?b to ba held in tbe vicinity of j to bs any diversion in Turkey's rear the Ogg's corner. This is a, very unsatisfactory \ Greeks will have' to effect it themselves. And compromise. The worst of it is that I can : i£ I might be permitted to advise, I should suggest no Taetter unless it be that the chair- i say, send the fleet up the Bosphsrus. Shell- man personally guard his lambs from wayside ing coast towns in Macedonia is merely dangers. i tickling the Sultan's extremities. Why not ■ : singe his beaid ? The war can't close too Note the difference between the Premier boou, but ib ought not to close before the of New South Waloa and our own Mr Seddon. \ Greek ironclads have had a slap at Con- When the royal invitation to visit London ' stantinople. j was received Mr Rsid promptly accepted it . ! without consulting Parliament at all. As far ; The Greek war and the Hawke's Bay flood \ as he watt concerned they migbt sit in his i appeal to our local poets, and do not appeal abaence or not, just as they chose. On ; in vain. Poet Umbers, in darkly tragic vein, the other band Mr Seddon hesitated I i tings the arrival o£ Rlcciotti Garibaldi at and stammered, acd blushed like a j j Athens with 250 Italian volunteers, bashful maiden of 16, aad declared he j j Ricciotti bad promised to arrive with would not go unless upon compulsion. ] s 100,000, a discrepancy which poet; Umbers Nothing else could have been expected from ! appears to explain thus : | Mr Ssddoo, who is, as Mosea was, much ' „ „ , „ v ! above all men ; and so the vhole colony, ! For that fa" Und^hiS iS&e'in. aaore ; «*> «?• «*»#** of a few sc^o^oUes, I Like angry hounds hard straining at the chain, promptly clapped him on the back, bade him ! Men would break loose, and rage to find it cast his bashiulness away, pack up, and ! ■ yjjt), • begone. Even then he did so with nns- „, . ' „ _„- , , .. „ sivicga, but the story of these is cow old. The other 99,700, here compared pocticaly g J ' s bg - iUSfi ba Gofc real , to "angry hounds hard straining at the gurfl faow tfae flaance3 stood but it is chain," were unable to get away, it seems j .f. f , k thafc fa f { in Other engagements prevented. They would ; % ack &J he wa3 able to wink oracnlar3y £ have broken loose, only they oouldn t ; and , representative, and assure him that, then they "raged to find xfc vain. Very h i } * b £ b he weoted . creditable to their feeling.; bat poet Umbers Thafc b . W8 breafche freßly _| lad to proceeds: "Yet one has cornel" he exclaims , that U o scrutiny will be necessary (l l lt& l^ •- Rlcc \ (^ n b , aldl the uMf Seddoa retu^ g H(W onW other 249 apparently not counting. | enjo7 hig hom&y if hi 3 co i leßgaeg wsre 1 Yet om h a s come ! Before the world he stands, i subjscb to the assaults from the Opposition | Deep-fired with spirit of that noVle sire j that Mr Reid's ars now experiencing ? Mr I Who with Italia's patriots shook hands, i Rsid may find himself a king without a And kissed the blade victorious, long, aud ; throne, a representative wifclaouc credentials, dire. j for it was not tho individual but the official Ib may have been a merit in Garibaldi pirc I who was asked. Bat- he braved thesa riska, that he shook bands with Italia's patriots, j which Mr Seddon would not do. Mr Reid many of whom— like patriots I hava known could trust his democracy, but Me Seddon i aearer home— must have belonged to the could not. We shall see whethar the sama ! " great unwashed," and also that on some I trustfulness will be displayed when those occasion unnamed he kissed a blade — a baronetcies come to be handed round. blade, observe, not a maid, which would i have been more natural ; —but what sticks 1 me up is the description of this blade. It Time waß when elections of school comwas " victorious, long, and dire." Let us ! mittees were in their way splendid battles, hope Ricci has got it with him. Aa things i b * ufc the y bav e degenerated to obscure affairs ! are going it will be wanted— allof it, how- lin which the general public-take no interest-. ' [ ever loDg and however dire. Poat Adama is I Whether the absence of controversial spirit 1 less heroic than poet Umbere, his subjscb arises from satisfaction with the working of [ being watery — as he would himself express the system, canning alterations in the method ' it and not sanguinary : or " nomination and election, or is really ~ . . .„.,,, . evidence of the decadence of the fighting i DaSS, J sm'shini To^g sneering ; ?* *<L«*T- *•« *• elections there have : Dancm? where it most could mar. bean Odl y some fcwo or tfaree where the reporter found interesting " copy," and thosa were • Here we are in a different element altogether, at small places. Now, in large communities j a " liquid war " ; but whether this or the men of different nationalities mingle, and i war with the Turka is worst were hard to say. their asperities wear off by contact ; but in E A liquid war that dashes, Bmashes, and roars small communities septs or clans gather f i 3 bad enough, but a liquid war that includes themselves in little bunches, and their . sneering and dancing is nothiDg short of characteristics remain nearly the same. Tha - demoniacal. The Muse of this poet is con- names of the North Taieri rustics who blackr sistently liquid throughout : guarded each other about an alleged loss of b Round the cottage, in ite madness, two . pounds make it quite possible that Deeper grows the liquid foe, their forefathers fought at Drumclog. It c While inhabitants in sadness s is well-known that no more disputatious B Flee his wrath for lesser woe — people ever existed than the Covenanters, a —for the leßser woe— if lesser it is-of being a ? d * f mytneory be true that perpetuation I put into the verses of poet Adams. Con- of the quality follows as a matter of coarse, 1 nected with floods and similar calamities ?? T 8 Habakkuk Gimangnnd and Smite-the-B there are some woes that no relief fund u °g odl y kangaeb would contend, and, if { can compensate, and this is one of them. necessary, fight about the exact dimensions t c and cubical contents of the widow s cruse, t so do their modern representatives call each t The Benevolent Trustees Have evidently other bad names over a matter o£ a few six- - become so much accustomed to dole out the pences. At one election up north they a necessaries of life in sparing quantities that cracked each other's heads as a result of they think all claims that corns before them partisanship about the teacher. At North should be "docked" by at least 25 per cent. Taieri their only weapons wore epithets. y They include even religious claims. It The rural educationists there fight with the - seems there are eight men in the institution weapons most familiar to them. £ who desire to attend a mission at South Oivis.