PASSING NOTES. (From Saturday's Daily Times.)

Otago Witness, Issue 2289, 13 January 1898, Page 3

PASSING NOTES. (From Saturday's Daily Times.)

Accoedikg to the theory of holidays usually set forth in echool breakiog-up speeches we ought novt to be coming back j to the serious side of life refreshed, iavigoraieJ, gluttonous for work. That is ] seldom the effect of a holiday with me. At this mement, Christmas and New Year being over, I feel that I have not had enough and would have more ; \ As if increase of appetite had grown, By what it fed on. Irresponsible idleneso would palJ in the end I dare cay, and in the Socialist Utopia, with nothing to do and nothing to think of, wo should all be profoundly miserable ; bus in no personal experience of my own have I ever got that length.. After a week or 10 days' junketing I come back to work like The whining school-boy, creeping like snail Unwillingly to school. At the present moment, truth to tell, I am suffering a recovery from relaxation taken too strenuously. Our distant forefathers, aacording to the Norman chronicler, took their pleasures sadly. We of to-day take them with violecce. See how we rush and crowd the tram, the train, the excursion steamer. Behold us wearily ■dragging homeward from a picnic, or returning sun-blistered and our limbs one vast ache, from a cycling tour. This is holiday bliss, no doubt ; but one needs a holiday rest after it. In some trades there is or used to be a weekJy saints-day not recognised in the calendar — Saint Monday. On Saint Monday you became slowly convalescent after Saint -Sunday. You loafed, you smoked, you yarned ; you sent out for beer, or personally went in quest of it, in twos and threes, to the nearest pub. Far be it from me to commend such a deplorable institution; all the same it affords me an illustration. The back end of New Year's week is the Saint Monday of the year.

However, as Steele aaid of the " TatUr," Bo I — magna componere parvis — may say of this weekly column :—lt: — It resembles a coach which is bound to make its journey ■whether there is anything inside it or no. Passing Notes have to be written ; if there is little in them this week it is the privilege of the silly season. Nobody yet has fairly settled down to work again. Our most Berions politicians are openly at play. Captain Eussell and his henchman Allen have left for a run to England ; Mr Ssddon is once more on the West Coast, where to be probably comes nearest to Bichard'a idea of s>, psrfect holiday. It is theie, in sight of the pit from which he was riiggi-d, that he savour* best his Triyj Goaticillorshij?, his

Oxford degree, his Jubilee expenses. London, the Jubilee, the Hotel Cecil, were well enough ; but after all he wss only a minnow sraor g-t the tiitons there. On his aboriginal W«st Coast he is a triton amongst the minnowe. John M'KeDZte, too, is in holiday reireat ; striding about his ancestral acres at BaehyPark; reflecting how much bettsr it was to bs born a demagogic land reformer than a bloaled capitalist, and how much bettor it pays. If there is anything that trcubleß John's virtuous tranquillity it is the fact that Lord Eanfurly, who also is making holiday, has-laken Sir Walter Bailer as his guest in the Government steamer to the younds. Which looks very like a gubernatorial slap in the face for John.

And lookirg at tho season in a general wsy I suppose it has been prolific as usual in good resolutions and intentions : and if the New Year, like the road to a car tain re gion which is unmentionable, ia paved with them, our journey for tbe coming twelve months should be smooth indeed. The city has achieved the discretion of presenting a clean sheet at the Police Court; but, according to the theory of the police, this may be an indication of adversity. Nothing is bo productive of sobriety as Jack of monty and want of credit. It may be, of course, that the usual file of drunks have also formed and kept good resolutions, or it may ba that the police have formed them also and have decided not to arreat anyone unless absolutely compelled. Let us hope that the immunity from drunkenness proceeds from good resolutions and not from necessity. There were no signs of any poverty during the holidays. Where do all the poor go on such occasions ? Those greasy and crapulous persons who sometimes offend more senses than one when we pass them in the etreat — Where do they luik on a general holiday ? Is there some subterranean lair where they secret themselves wbile the people are junketing, and do they only come abroad when the dim night shrouds their ofi^nsiveness ? I have nearly come to the conclusion arrived at by Mrs Gamp about the existence of Mrs Harris. I don't believe there's no sich person as a real destitute mendicant. As far as Dnnedin is concerned they are no more to be found than dead donkeys.

Over one handred thousand Scotchmen have presented a petition to tbe Qaeen asking her Majesty to cause to come to an «nd the practice of usicg the word " English " ■where British is meant. Among this number are doubtless some who have iEsffectnally though repeatedly endeavoured to persuade me that " Scottish " should invariably be used instead of "Scatch." We have not been informed of the exact nature of the steps the petitioners desire her Majesty to take, hut I suppose thsy fondly imagine a signification of her wish will be sufficient. I grieve to rtfleot that they are mistaken, and must, I ana afraid, reconcile themselves to the obliteration of their national came, implied in the use of the word English, as the Welsh, the Irish, and even some provincials do. It was a Manxman who prayed for the Kicgdom of Man and the adjacent hlacds of Great Britain and Ireland, but these particalar petitioners have no need to pray for a good conceit of themselves. The law of gravitation attached Scotland to England, and the former thereupon lost its identity. No doubt in saying this I shall be deemed guilty of lese majesty against the Scotch pride of nationality, but I shall not shrink from the consequences. " Gome one, come all ; this rock shall fly from its firm base as soon as I." If one i we admit sections of the nation to chooso a name, where shall we end 1 The denizens of the ancient kingdom of Fife will demand recognition. The hardy islanders will recall the days when their chiefs were independent. Every clan will sgain struggle for recogoitioa of superiority as they hays always done in any national crisis. The usage has grown up as an antidote against that local pride which is so well illustrated by the pipers of the rival clans at the battle on the Inch of Psrth. The came has really been decided upon by those I outside the influence of petition or protest, The Queen is known abroad as her Britannic Majesty, but nevertheless the nations are always anxious to learn what "England" will do in an international emergency. Every foreign nation, savage or civilised, with whom we have come in contact terms us English. Abroad, English stands for Imperial, and when the foreigner meets tho army or navy in conflict he does not ask bimgelf what county or parish the men b^il from : to him they are all English. The 100,000 petitioners must reconcile themselves to circumstance^

The teachsr who visited the sounds in the Rotorus, and who found tho English language (thank goodness no one has yet afiked us to say British language) inadequate to convey his emotions, concludes his descriptive articles with a suggestion that tha authorities ought to take to avizandum without delay. "As a matter of expediency the Education department might well undertake an annual trip for te&chers alone. The direct benefit to them would be esaortscup, and the beneficial influence would radiate through them to every home in tba colony." No doubt. Great is Diana of the Ephesians. I prefer, however, to take my beneficial influence neat, and not diluted by radiation through a»y other person, even a teacher. In other words, why should not the Government give every toiling person a holiday and a trip to the Sounds 1 Every person would then become bis own radiator, and shed his own beneficial influence. The descriptive writer I have referred to evidently wants to imitats ths example of tha prisoners in gaol, who had become possessed of the materials for smokirg. The first one passed the smoke through a straw to the mouth of the second, and he in turn passed it on by the same means to the third, who, in consideration of its weakened condition, was permitted to swallow it. I say without fear of contradiction thafc if eveiyor.e who cannot maintain hicaself in old age is entitled to a peneioa, every osse who cannot give the time or money for a Soaads trip ought to be afforded the opportunity free. Take the teacher's argument as applied to myself, for instance. Thick of the bes^fici-al influence I should radiate in sveiy hems were I rejuvenated and refreshed by a, Sounds trip I Looked at purely as an investment, it would ba decidedly to the advantage of all my readers if they were to combine for tbe purpose. Of course I especfe no benefit for myself ; the well being of rr y readers is my sole desire. Without supeifiuons and embarrassing diffidence, then, I merely suggest that subscriptions may be addressed to me at the office of this journal.

For a flukey game— aud a flukey game it; is — cricket comes out pretty eveo when averaged. With teams not. ill-matcher! flake balances fluke. At Sydney a month ngo ths English team going i<i first set the Australians a total of 530 in one innings and finally beat them by eight wickets. At, Melbourne this week the Australians goiag in first made 520 and beat the Englishmen by an innings and 50 odd runs. Tifc for tat, and a gsin to self-respect on both sides The Australians won the toss aud Princs Raif'jUsinbji gave it as his opinion, after tho game had been lost and won, that " to win the toss was to win the match." Then all I can say is that it waa very fit and proper that we won the toss. After Sydney that bit of luck was Australia's due. I fancy, however, that the Australian bowlers bad aa much to do with the result as winning the toss had, or the crumbling wicket. Here is Pjince Itar>jit.sinhji's estimate of one of: them in his book on Cricket :

I once saw a magnificent batting side simply frightened out by the Australian bowler Jones. Tha wicket; was rather fiery and the bowling rather fa&t, bub still there was no need to go in with the intention of getting out aa soon as possible. There remains the test match afc Adelaide, which match the Eoglish team have my full consent to win. They are visitors ; they are probably the batter cricketers ; and for Australian honour enough has been done. CIVI3.