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

Otago Witness, Issue 2497, 22 January 1902, Page 5

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

Accoiding to a widespread superstition the German nation, at present holding us in unmeiiled odium, is pre-eminent amongst all the nations of the earth for intellectual qualities, education, general intelligence. Believe it not. The language the Geimans have inherited and are unable to escape fiom — an ugly, clumsy, heavy-footed, cart-belore-the-horse form of speech, the like whereof for awkwardness exists nowhere else amongst civilised men — supplies, in itself, a huge presumption to the contrary. Cariyle complains of (Fnedrich that never, save on compulsion, would he speak his mother-tongue, preferring to talk, write, and make bad verses, in doubtful Fiench. Yet Cariyle himself, who knew German passably well, confesses it "a frightful dia lect." He adds the qualified commendation, " Only in the hands of the gifted does it become supremely good." Possibly the gifted might make something of Choctaw and Pawnee. If language is _the instrument of thought, it is clear that thought in Germany must be heavily handicapped. Granted that the Germans possess universities by the score, and that the German univeisity has produced the German Dryasdust, a proveib of erudition — mostly inarticulate — in science, philosophy, antiquarian research, and what not; it does not follow that Diyasdust is a being of broad intelligence and general cultivation, — an expert seldom is ; still less that these qualities are an endowment of the whole nation. For the German of to-day read "Elizabeth and Her Geiman Gaiden," with its successors " A Solitary Summer," and "The Benefactress." The writer, an Englishwoman or an American, naturalised in Germany, and married to an estimable German of lank and wealth, draws from the bfe. Without any hesitation I affirm that the people she draws — the military officer, the society butterfly, the pastor and his curate, the land steward, the Frau Inspector, the provincial officials and professional men — belong to a narrow er world than our.-, and a lower civilisation. As for the peanuts, good lack' — why, in the model cottages on the estate of her husband — " the Man of Wrath,' as, in loving irony, she styles him — fathei. mother, and grown-up children sleep all in one room. If Elizabeth may be accepted as an authority — and she certainly knows her subject, — it is clear that ignorance, triumphant and invincible, is as much at home with the great German middle class and the classes below as amongst the Boers themselves.

That goes to explain much. It falls short of consoling, but it certainly explain;-. For souices of information about the war and foreign nations the German is '•hut up to Ins wretched, scrappy newspaper^, ready — nine out of ten of them — to lie for a consideration, or to official order. Dr Busch, in his volumes about Bismaick, lays bare -with conical frankness, the ■whole art and mystery of manipulating the pie*- 1 - Busch was Bismarck's '' ame damnee ' for this very business ; newspaper lying was a Government department, and Busch engineered it. What Busch did for Bismaick. Leyds does for Kruger ; irrigated and feitilised by Kruger's millions the German press biings forth this portentous crop of Angiophobe slanders. The shop windows blaze with cartoons — British troops firing from behind a line of beauteous Boer maidens, their fathers and brothers in the opposing entrenchment paralysed with horror and natuial affection: — "Incident at the Battle of Graspan" — no less! Wrought upon thus by black art and deceits of the devil, the intelligent German pastor takes fire, kindles his flock, clamours for Chamberlain's head iv a charger ; university students form mobs and march in procession ; their sapient professors, not to be thought less well-mformed, pass delirious resolutions in senatus a<;ademicus. Then it is discovered that Mr Chamberlain has " blandered the German army " ! — whereupon as one man the whole population rallies in frenzy to the vindication of the national fetich. Socialists and Radicals — whose name, In Germany, is legion — swell the patriotic roar by way of snub tQ the

Emperor for being the grandson of Queen Victoria and the nephew of King Edward. Finally the Chancellor, avid of votes and not unwilling to flout the British — as, in the posture of South African affairs, he thinks he safely may — caps all by a truculent speech in* the Chambers. This is the situation, this its natural history. The benighted German patriot, raving and foaming over our intolerable crimes, is no doubt entirely sincere. Were we ourselves not sincere in our indignation at " Bulgarian Atrocities" and "Armenian Massacres"? Have we hesitated to pillory the Sultan as "the Great Assassin"? Did not Dr Parker " God damn ! " him in set terms from the City Temple pulpit? For the honest German patriot who thinks he does well to be angry I have a certain sympathy, though I could wish him better informed. As for the black-art thaumaturgist" by whom he has been wrought upon — for them a short shrift and a long rop.e.

If the cables are right, the German press, last week all in as roar, has suddenly, simultaneously, and unanimously fallen silent. Effect, we are told, of the firm speech made by Mr Chamberlain ; to which cause add, as co-efficient, the rising British temper in both hemispheres. Possibly also the Kaiser, in imitation of his deceased kinswoman, Queen Elizabeth, has learned howto "tune the pulpits" promptly when occasion requires. Anyhow the result is ludicrous, and all Europe must be laughing. The only historic parallel known to me is the catastrophe of the Virgihan bees — their most violent tumults quashed by the throwing of a handful of dust : Hi motus animorum atque haec certarnina tanta Pulveris exigui jactu compressa quiescunt. Forgive the Latin ; I haven't a Conington handy, and won't on the spur of the moment hazard a translation of my own — not a two-line metrical translation, anyhow. What Virgil is saying is that the whole German press, raging tempestuous, was suddenly quelled and silenced by one small speech from Mr Chamberlain. The result seems natural enough, when one codhs to think of it. Behind Mr Chamberlain's speech loomed a certain possibility — the possibility of war. If there is one thing in international relations that German statesmen know better than another, it is that war with Britain would maik a bad day for Germany. It would be a war of fleets ; Germany has a small fleet, Britain has a big fleet. There would be a possibility, of course, that the small fleet might whip the big one ; but not on a possibility of that nature would sane men stake the destiny of an empire. Their small fleet beaten, their little strip of freeboard, or seaboard, blockaded, their over-sea commeice deployed, what could the Germans do? Stew in their own grea«e. — as Bismaick said of the Parisians. Imagine the tiagi-comedy of the omnipotent German army — reduced to impotence, bottled up, unable to get at anybody, go anywhere, do anything; — no Government or dynasty could survive it. The mere absurdity of the situation would kill. So I don't think that we shall have any war with Germany. The Germans blustered as long as tliev supposed we did'nt want to fight. Well, in a sense, we don't. At the same time, lather than be blackguarded any longer, we will ; in effect we have said so. And here may come in most appositely the old disreputable jingo jingle — apposite indeed, il the quarrel be with Germany: We don't want to fight , but, by Jingo, if wp do, We've got the ships, we've got the men, and we've got the money, too.

Supposing German calumnies silenced once for all — a consummation devoutly to bp wished,— the British people may with advantage turn their gathered wrath against calumniators within then own borders. \\ hy has the British pro-Boer been tolerated so long? Mainly for narty reason=. The Biitish instinct for free speech counts, no doubt ; but the other is the main reason People may not desire a change of Government ; but they do desire a vigilant, courageous, and active Opposition. How otherwise is a Government to be kept up to the matk — ever, the best of Government-? The Bnti-h public, for reasons perfectly good, is reluctant to silence any voice l.ii-ud in cnticism of the Ministry in being. Thus, anent Mr Lloyd-George, who goes about shrieking for vengeance on the Government in regaid to " 10,000 massacred innocents," victims of the concentration camps, and Mr Bivn Robeit". who <-ay<- ditto to Mi Llo\d-(ieorge, the Spectator remaiks :

There is nothing in parliamentary life half "o attractive to the public as strong and efficient opposition. One sees this attractive force at work even in the case of men like Mr LlojdGeorge and Mr Bryn Roberts. The vast majority oi their count^'men not only have no sympathy with their views as regards the war, but actively detest those views, and rather than let them prevail wou','l carry on the war for another ten vcars Yi/\ bec.iuse the two gentlemen named are busy . a the work of •nticism and opposition, they receive a certain amount of support. This i» s-o ; and this being so, I am aghast at the asinine folly of the Liberal leaders. Once the war was begun, once the power and prestige, the very existence of the Empire had been .-Uked on the 1.-sue, it should have been with them "My country, right or wrong ! ' They should have rallied to the flag. Criticism — yes ; if it were criticism designed to help the national effort and bring it to speedier success ; of that kind of criticism the more the better. And in that way again and again might the Liberals have " trumped the Government trick ' ; it is even conceivable that at this moment they and not the Conservatives might have been in power. But denunciations of the war itself, attempts to prove the British wrong and the Boers right — what has this done for u» but pile woe upon woe, till at last it has all but brought us into collision with a Continental Power. This final experience will tend, I fancy, to a shorter tether for pro-Boers. Better suspend for a time the right of free speech than prolong for the sake of it the travail and pain of the war.

That I may not seem**unjust to my ingenuous frieß,ds the British Israelites. I

will find room for jet another letter fro^» one of them, a letter that- L: lain in. Ny drawer awaiting judgment for a fortnig' *; past. I will insert it simpliciter, and with that wash my hands of the subject, — unless, perchance, I should be tempted by the discovery in it of some new absurdity. One merit can always be pleaded for the Briti«J> Israelite — whatever his faults he is not a pro-Boer.

Dear " Civis," — Will you allow me a few words in reply to your correspondent " Philistine " re the identifications by Edward Hine. I do not intend to make any apology on bus behalf, for when a publication has reached its 133 rd thousand it needs none, it speaks for itself, the public mind is attracted and appreciates it. " Philistine " selects two identifications — " Israel understood seamanship " and that " Israel was to be unconquerable." This 19 what the Word of God says was to happen m these latter days, and I am sure Mr Hme took all his deductions from that Book only. From a Lloyd's Register of last year some comparisons are shown of our shipping tonnage with 11 other nations. Britain, with her colonies, was 14,261,254 tons, the other nations, including Germany, United States, Norway, and France, was 12,000,000 to -s, or 2,000,000 more in favour of Britain. Mr Hine was quite right, Britannia rules the waves. " Philistine " quotes Colsnso and Spion Kop a« defeats. We cannot expect war to be all cakes and ale, but must expect some reverses, and ate liable to make mistakes, but notwithstanding this we are coming out, as we generally do, on the top. You see, we are that Stone Kingdom mentioned in Dan. 11 chap., and it js stated in Holy Writ that whosoever falls on that stone shall I>s broken, but on whosoever it falls it will grind him to powder. When the Boers invaded our colonies and laid siege to Ladysnmh, Kimbarley, and Mafeking they stumbled over the stone, and eventually go, broken and scattered, and at present the process of grinding is going on, and the Republics will be no more for ever. Now, a word about cranks. Take the most elaborate piece of machinery, or one of our largest battleships. They would not be worth the price of old iron without a crank, and in the world of discovery, invention, and reform were men who were considered cranks, but they have managed to turn the world upside down. St. Paul, Columbus, John Bunyan, and hundreds of others of that sort were cranks. The world would be at a standstill without them. We have '1000 of these cranks offering to go to Africa to fight the Boers and get the war finished. The Empire cannot do without them. Every crank has its use. Some may be better polished than others. The Israehtish crank is going to bo the means of lifting the ecclesiastical coach out of the rusty groove it has been running in — Yours, J J. S.

Another correspondent who has "no wish to resurrect a dead and buried controversy "" — namely, my little discussion with the Tablet on the dealings of Pope Calixtiib 111 with the comet of 1456 — thinks it might be useful to point out a passage in the "Quarteily Review," which bears out my side of the argument, and which he supposes I must have ovei looked at the time. All light; the quotation is harmless ; as respects the controveisy I myself will take caie that there be no resurrection.

The reigning Pontiff, Calixtus 111, treated the apparition [the comet] as a power of evil leagued with the forces of the infidel Uhe Turks, then invading Christeixloni]. To b.i/rle the baleful influences conspiring against tho Church, he boldly exorcised the comet, and in the same Bull he ordair^d that to the " Avo Maria " «hould be added the words, " Lord save us from the devil, the Turks, and th« comet." . . . It is claimed for tie Church that complete success attended the Papal ciToitq aeainst these leagued enemies of Christendom. — " Quarterly Review," July, IP9B , page 115. The authority is good enough ; but what is the use? — in controversies of this nature you never get any forrarder. Dunedin is just now being invaded by a peculiar people who call themselves Seventh Day Adven-ti-ts, and there are indications in the correspondence columns of the Daily Times that a discussion about them, spiced with a little odium iheolngicuin, i« in mine quarters desired But, auam — cni bono? For my own p.ut I .mi disposer! to look upon the Seventh Day A<lvtnti«t invasion as a phase of the labour movement. The disciple will test on Saturdays as a Seventh Day Adventist ; he will also rest on Sundays as an ordinary citizen ; result — shorter hours with no less pay. When one comes ro think of it, isn't this what we all wint?

Our Gore t <->rre-pondfnt telegraphs that at Mif quarterly meeting of the Mataiva. Pit -bvtery ition.s condemnation was expressed l>y monihcr-, of the pro-Boer nature of writings in a n cent i-uo of the Outlook-, and thn following icoliition \>ns unani-mou-ly pa«-<-d :— " That tho attention of the Pubh«hinfc Committee of the ChiUtim Outlook be diierted to the leading article on tho war m the is=ue of Jamiarj 11. a? pre-.-enting hfiitimonts of a di-loyal and antiBritish spirit, which aic opposed tr the loyalty of tho Pro-.byteii.in Church, besides presenting a fal-o nnpre-Mon rp trawling the conduct of th<> P.riti-h army and of the British Government, and being •altulatccl to wound the feelings of the great body of the members of the Church."

Residents of. Lovell's Flat and district will be pleased to heav that an additional mail service has been granted to them, enabling a reply to be obtained from Dunedin in one clay instead of three. The Rev. P. B. Fraser made application for an extra mail for the residents, and has received i repiy from the chief postmaster to the effect that an additional mail will be sent to Lovell's Flat by the train leaving Dunedin at 4.20, and that an additional return mail will also be made up at LovelVs Flat by the trail* reaching Dunedin at 10.50 a.m. Thia arrangement came into force on Monday, the 13th inst. Lovell's Flat residents will be grateful foi the boon.

It will be remembered ("ays a Manawatu paper) that a few -rnonthr back Mr T. Steward, of Waikanae, picked ur a large lump of what he con=ideied wan ambergris, on the Waikanae beach. He forwarded hig find to England through the !se\v Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency, and it is reported that he received word a few daj-3 ago from that firm to tlve effect that hi* find had realised, up to the time of leavina England, over £500.