PASSING NOTES

Otago Witness, Issue 2299, 24 March 1898, Page 3

PASSING NOTES

From Saturday's Daily Times.)

The Jubilee nrtmber of the Witness is a veritable tinpeopliDg of the cemeteries. Tuafc there should be a fierce demand for copies is nothing surprising. The fascination of the thing — this general resurrection of " old identity" Qizgo to keep Otago's fiffcielb birthday — has extended even to me, who am a mere modern and an outsider ; over this strange panorama of names and faces, its revelations', suggestions, confessions, I am tempted to pore by the hour. Mine is not at all a family or personal interest. I am not an old identity, nor even an " additional old identity," whatever that may be, — I use the phrase because I see it every other day in the papers. I am no relation to the first white child born in Ofcago, or anything of that sort. I shall not walk in Wednesday's procession carrying a banner inscribed " Pasbicg Notes," or with a card on my back " This is Civis." I did not come out in the first four ships. By the way, why were the first ships four, neither more nor less 1 In an obituary notice this week I see that Canterbury also had its " first four ships." This is very curious. There are analogies, no doubt, — the four quarters of the globe, the four points of the compass, the four evangelists and four gospels, the foa rivers of Paradise. All the same, I don'r feel satisfied; the point wants scient tifically clearieg up. But, to resume my autobiography — and to conclude it — I neither discovered Otago, founded Duaedin, nor came to it in that mystic quaternily, the first four ship?. Zoologically, biologically, and ethnologically considered, I am a belated shoot of the " new iniquity." And yet for me the interest of this teeming portrait gallery is exceedingly great.

I will explain how aad why. Fhai, ■ : -he founders and makers of Otago tt'oiw '-. an Extraordinary distinctness of tyw 'In see what I meat), look at the poi trails of Dr Burns and Captain Oargill. 11. the.-: any possibility oj raistakicg their nation AUtr 1

They are coy msreiy Scotch, but Scotch c>t ; the Scotch, dyed in the woo], aiad a' ac 'oo' ! Look also at the group '• Ministers and elders of the first Presbyterian Conference ! : held in Dunedin," most of them Otago men. It is an extraordinary picture, the faces being so similar in type, and not merely Scotch but fo very Scotch ! It would b<s j impossible to got together such a group of faces now. The iypa has chaogad. In the two series "Firsf. Church" acd "Kaox Church " wo may observe the transition in its steps and stages. There are five figures in the one — Burne, Sutherland, Mackie, Gualter, Gibb ; there are three in the other — Stuart, Davidson, Hswitson. Mark them wpil. There must ba some key to charges so definite, so uniform, so consistently in oDe direction ; ia it theological, or what ? Collectively the Scotch miaistera o£ the old type as shown here are serious, stern, severe, not to say dour. On the other hand 'the Anglicans and Eoraan Catholics wear almost unanimously a smirk, as though th« view they took of life and its destinies was distinctly humorous. This also needs explaining, badly. Passing from the parsons, look at the early poitrt-i -,s of Vincent Pyke, Captain Baldwin, H. S. Fish, W. P. Street, H. G-ourley, Dr Belcher. One seems to get an entirely new suggestion of character in each case, — whether for better or wors3 I won't say ; you may decide for yourself. Tha moss remarkable example is that of Vincent Pyke, and, I speaking for myself, I feel ss though I had never properly understood the genial V. P for want of knowing thi3 early photograph I of -him. i IC there is anything in the cynical saying j ! that life would be tolerable t.ut for its j amusements, the life of a colonial Governor j may be c r mmiterated. Other people can do ! as they like, may accspt an amusement or I decline it ; not bo her M? jesty's representai live. Choica has he none; in the ethical ' code of Government Hous« pleasure is the , (list of duties. As a people we are not; 1 particularly gay ; y«t a Puritan Governor ' who Bhoald go to chtirch but not to race3 s j should conduct prayer meetings but eschew the festive dapce, wouldn't suic us at all ; 1 public opinion would refuee to tolerate him. : Lord Eanfurly at a country township leading ! out the chief local lady for the lancers ! lia merely discharging his coustitiifcioual j duties ; pra&idkig at a meeting of the Execu- , tive he is doing no mere. It is a hard life, J and I have never hankered after the elective Governor scheme. I should never put up for the position. One of the most dismal of I the Goveraor's pleasures is the receiving of I addresses ; also the replying to the same. I Reform is desirable, as I hinted at last week, 1 and if delayed may take the shape of revolt ! and insurrection, as in the following report j of proceedings (mythical I suspect) ac a ! vice-regal reception during the Governor's ' recent scamper through Central Otago : — ! To his Excellency. Uchter John Mark • Kuos:, &" , &c\, &c. — Ws, the mayor [ I and councillor!', &o , &«., representing, &c.» i i &3., beg to point out that the practice j of presenting your Excellency with addresses 1 has increased, is increasing, and ought Ito be diminished. You must see your- | self that there is nothing in these addresses ; \ and there isn't much in your Excellency's I replies. The tbiog is a nuisance ou both sides. ; Then -why keep it up? Of course we are glad to see your Excellency, and always shall be ; also the wile, if she takes us as she finds us. God S&ve the Queen. » By order of the Council. His Excellency's private opinion is that among the bushels of addresses that have gone to the Vice-regal dust bin since his advent to New Zaaland he would have to look a long time for one containing more solid sensa than this. We have boen the victims during the last j I few days of a recrudescence of the abattoirs j j question, which we all supposed was done ■ with and quietly interred at Burnside. j But it now appears that a number j (and an unlucky number at that) of j butchers are very apprehensive lest the 1 meat at Burnside should bs tainted by I the smells from the chemical workp, and ] in their desire to conserve the public health ' have entered into a compact with the Roslyn ' Borough Council and each other, so that they may continue to kill their animals at one ;of the existing yards. Well, it is a free 1 country, and if a butcher wiil not use the abattoirs there seems to be no law to compel him. But, also because it is a free country, : customers can please themselves, and I for . ' ona have given strict instructions that no ; ' mr<ai shall be bought which has not passed ■ through the regular channel. Let the 1 butcher therefore please himself. I said the ' other day that we were a loijg-sufiering

paople. Wa endure discomforts at the bands of public officials that we should in private life resent in the strongest manner. And we meekly andare the | same tyranny from our tradesmeo. I have j observed that a collection o£ butchers and j bakers and candlestick makers have arrogated to themselves tho right to say on what day we shall be permitted to pnvohase goods. They have orclsised that Wednesday nex; shall be a whole holiday, and that on the day foliowing half-holiday shall be observed. For obis nc doubt employees will ba thankful and iioasawives will use das prevision. The fixing of holiday?, however, does not limit the coterie's aspirations. They are to pillory ihe black sheep I wbo have fallen into adversity aud do ! not pay their accounts regularly. So that if Mrs Oivia informs ths batcher that fhe will not buy his meat; unless ib passes through the abattoir?, aad that individual prefers to conii&uo bis dark practices, be quietly hints to his fellow hutch ers and bakers and casdiferslick makers tbafe Mrs Civis's last month's account; j? co!. yefc paid, and the financial cbaraerer cf my hocsahold is gor.e. In 'his emergency bo family ;s^afe, and I would snggest the formation o£ a consumers' association. An \ngeniou; corra^poudeL'.!; has gone one better than all the other?, und riding his vegetarian hobby with great vigour, suggests that all cruelty to aciaials may be obviated! by abstaining from the cjasumption of flesh ard the consequeut kili«Eg or cattls, sheep, j piga. &c. No doubt this drastic remedy ! wouli? largely uiiuiuish the drivicg of oa^lle And transporting them bj train, and cocse- ! ' quenlly would remove the necessity toi j dehorning them, bu". it seama to me to j savour rather much of the Chinese method | i of obtaining roast; pnrk as described by I Charles Lamb. Now I am nob going to be i drawn into a controversy about the merits I and demerits of vegetarianism. That which j ! is new about it is usually not true, and that. [ which is true is not new. The vegetarians give themselves away hopelessly when they prepare dishea which are composed entirely of vegetables and yefc cannot be distinguished, so they say, from viands which are j composed of flash. I don't liks such Barme- j I cide's feaste, for they remind me o£ the J j reformed toper whose nightly glass of ; ! " fcoddy " was compounded of cayence I pepper, hofc water, and sugar, as well a3 i of the cunning publican who drinks water for gin and cold tea instead of brandy. What 1 most object; to is the attempt to put; 1 a number of excellent and well-meaning j I gentlemen in a false position. This corrss- 1 j pondent entirely beg* the question. Would j lfc not ba more cruel to permit animals to ( multiply indefinitely and hark back to the j laws of nature ? If the animals are left to the operation of the law which ordains that the fittest shall survive, what cruelties must fca inflicted on the weaker I There is still another aspect of the case. Our friend the j correspondent 's evidently one of those who object to the taking of life for any purpose. Why then stop at fehe domestic animals 1 Shall we permit all ths deetructive pe&ts to multiply ? Shall we abolish cata and mouse traps and Bough on Rats 1 Let us go a little further. Shall war be waged on insect life 1 IE sot, the Hessian fl_y and his amiable friend j the bot must not be denied their morsel of food. Most of us would step aside rather than tread on a worm ; soms would even open the window that a fly should escape ; but we must stop at the ridiculou&ly absurd. Mr and Mrs Yatcs woulJ be a decided acquisition to any locality, and tho residents of Onehuaga, ought to feel extremely grateful to the railitaut couple for their condescension in consenting to honour that otherwise dull borough by their residence. Mrs Yates was formerly lady mayor — not mayoress, which i 3 entirely a different thing, — and ha 3 ever since been asserting hersslf. It was or.ly the other day that she permitted herself to be sued lor some races J on the ground that it was the duty of: someone to call and collect them, aad not hers to go to the Town Hall and pay them. A lady who takes up a position like that is worth having as a townswoman, and a gentleman who can back her up so efficiently as Captain Yates is no less estimable. I gather from the report published on Thursday that Mrs Yates wears " them," and I think all who have read it will concur that she does so metaphorically as well as literally. And why not? Are not all our lady reformers either without male 1 adjuncts or else in complete oomlcion . over them. A lady wbo ..ttuaptcd : to reform the world v=ii.heut iir c dtrrou1 1 strating that sho was 1, ..v<> oi h^r o^n ; hcssshclcl would jiot Ls lif/et--" 1 '0 as a

reformer. Ws waat women iiko that l^cly who recently told insmbers of the Auckland Women's Liberal Lgagueher opinion of thera. Curious, isn'c if, that that should ba such a frtqaent duty or lafcs among women's organisations. The public wsre edified by tbe Da«e<3in League's members* opinions of each otbtT. Ealt, salt ttsars o? rcctirnination have flowed over ths Wei-iDgioa oiectioD, und T>hnt ia iess exftlted oiroloj would have heen ■w'g3 on the green and pulling of csp3 has manifested itself ia cool sniffs of disdain and sneering allusions to early obscurity. No man depreciates another by alluding to tho lowliness of his origin ; success makes the elevation creditabl?. The women l-eaeon 5n the oppoata way. Wherefore I should like vow to hear tha candid and unbiased opinion ot leading f?maie reformers on the latest escapade of the ex-lady mayor of Onehunga. CIVIS.