PASSING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2520, 2 July 1902, Page 5

PASSING NOTES.

(From Saturday's Daily Tit""=.)

There is a well-known British demerit which has often stood to us for a virtue, helping us along in the world better than qualities intrinsically more respectable. It is the dogged tenacity of purpose that takes no account of reason, holding on and holding out, right or wrong. To this trait of stubbornness, logically indefensible, we owe much. -In war it has given us many victories and saved us some merited defeats. As Napoleon complained, we never knew when we were beaten. Lacking this quality we should probably not have made ai stand at Ladysmith ; we should certainly have surrendered Mafeking ; after the heavy week that brought us Colenso, Stormberg, Magersfontein, a people less bull-headed than ourselves would have thought only of agreeing with then- adversary whiles they were in the way with him. The same characteristic is also well seen in individual instances ; for example, that of the gunnery lieutenant — Needham, I think, the name of him — who, when the Boers had ridden down Methuen's Yeomanry, stood, the last man, at his guns, refused quarter, and was shot. An example not less illustrious is that afforded by the King. The King had an important engagement at Westminster Abbey for Thursday, June 26, — important not so much to himself personally, since, crowned or uncrowned, he is equally King, but to millions of other people far and near ; important also to the maintenance unbroken of a usage rooted in the traditions of a monarchy that is the-oldest in Europe. Now/read, unrepelled by the technical details} only the revelation they make of stubborn British pluck, the following cable : — ■

The Medical Journal states that the pu3 extracted waa decomposed, showing that the King had borne with admirable courage severe suffeiing in ord< - to save his subjects disappointment. The abscess was due to inflammation, not to organic disease or a malignant giowth. Ten days ago the King was suffering from "lumbago"; — literally true, for "lumbago " means pains in the loins ; already, however, his medical experts must have recogni&ed the cause of that pain and the urgency of an operation. But, paid the King, " Operation or no operation, I must be at the Abbey " ; and thus, postponing relief, has brought himself and the Empire to the present sorrowful pas.«. Where all else is uncertain one thing stands clear — by his resolute endurance, the King, whether he live or die, has endeared himself anew to the hearts of his people.

Never before in the long history of our monarchy has outrageous fortune played us so cruel a turn as this. Indeed, the King's consciousness of the preposterous inopportunenebs of his malady must make against the chances of his recovery. Little ■wonder that we hear of omena'and oracles and prophecies ; that the Indian troops, brought over for the Coronation, see in a calamity so exquisitely ill-timed something that is more than fortuitous, and are "obviously distressed"' ; moreover, that Te Whiti, great medicine man amongst his own people and on familiar teims with the Fates, having prophesied at large for many a year past is able to furbi&h up a prediction that the King would never be crowned. We shall hear next that the proBoers scent a divine judgment, and are pharisaically comforted. Not being a student of Zodkiel I cannot s-ay whether that eminent seer has or lias not missed an opportunity that would be a fortune to him. The chances are, however, that Zadkiel comes out all right. The cast of his prophetic net is usually wide enough, the tenor of his prophetic utterances, like that of the oiacles of old, is vague enough to enHiie thao whatever happens he can't come out v«_r worn;. Occasionally* witli-

out violence to the doctrine of chances, a specific prediction may hit the mark. When Weather Almanacks were still in repute, the printer of one of them discovered at' the last moment that the weather for midsummer's day had been omitted. hang it," said he ; " put hi ' rain, hail, and snow.' " Midsummer's day arrived, and with it, sure enough, rain, hail, and snow. But a piece of luck so apt doesn't happen twice. Mother Shipton, a Welsh witch of Henry VlH's time, is credited with predicting Cardinal Wolsey's death. She might safely do that. Wolsey was bound to die some time ; I don't suppose the " wise woman "' specified time and place. Even in this enlightened community there are people who quote idiotic predictions about the King and his Coronation. Intellectually these prophecy-mongers are to be classed with Te Whiti and his ex-hauhau Maoris.

Cecil Rhodes' s choice of a summit among the savage Matoppo Hills as _ the . site of his grave has been noted in the English papers as a caprice quite in the vein of his eccentric genius. But 'none of them, so far as I have seen, quote the singularly appropriate lines with which Browning ends his piece, "A Grammarian's Funeral." _Ir Rhodes read Browning, of which I have my doubts, these lines might even have suggested liis choice : Here — here's his place, where meteors shoot, clouds form, '- ~

Lightnings are loosened, Stars come and go! Let joy break with tho storm, Peace let the dew send! Lofty designs must close in like effects:

Loftily lying, Leave him— still loftier than the world suspects,

Living and dying. The world has been slow te suspect any loftiness, anything worthy of Rhodes'e good name or ours, in the Jameson Raid. Two years ago, when the war set people talking again about the Raid and its consequences, I explained in this column, satisfactorily to myself if to nobody else, the true inwardness of the Raid, what it waa really meant to be and to do. Rhodes, though as a matter of fact he never authorised the Raid, undoubtedly planned it ; and he planned it, I said, not to provoke insui--rection in Johannesburg — -insurrection was to be spontaneous ; that matter would take care of itself — but to put the insurrectionists, supposing them successful, under the British flag. Left to themselves, they would have hoisted a flag of their own, framed another republic, to block British development in South Africa for ever and a day. That was my explanation of the R-aid ; — and in one of this month's -magazines Mr Rhodes, quoted by one of his few intimate friends, gives precisely the same explanation himself. I think I am entitled to note the fact with honourable mention for my own sharpness of vision. Self-praise, though no recommendation, possesses value as compensation. It compensates the lack of praise from other people. Besides, the rule always holds— lf you want a thing well done, do it yourself.

The Rev. P. B. Fraser, of Lovell's Fl.it, writes to the Daily Times in wrathful protest against the' title "Right Reverend the' Moderator" as it appeal's in a programme of \ Coronation festivities issued by the' Mayor of Dunedin.

1. Because titles which are not shams have their source in lawful authority, whether King, or Pope, or ecclesiatical court. This title .granted to or tacitly accepted by the moderator has the prescription of no lawful authority. It is, therefore, peculiarly out of place in,, a Coronation programme, as if a sham '^'colonel " or ' field-marshal," or "archbishop " seated himself on the platform.

2. Becauae the title bestowed by the Mayor, as civil magistrate, in thia way is little better than an insult to the freedom of the Presbyterian Church, which alone has the right to say what shall be tho title of its chairman of assembly. Partly right, Mr Fraser, and partly not right, by implication therefore partly wrong. The Moderator may have assumed his " Right Reverend " without permission given by the people over whom he moderates ; — he may have, I say;. I don't say that lie has. As a matter of fact I know nothing about it, and not knowing cannot say. But if he has, Mr Fraser seems entitled to his grievance. Suppose the Moderator announced himself as " His Holiness," or " His Sublimity " — the latter for choice ; suppose that possibility ; — is it not to be feared that good Presbyterians at Lovell's Flat and other unsophisticated places would rub thsir eyes, prick their ears, and gird up their loins for a lively Synod? A sham is always a .sham, and ought to pet no countenance, official or other ; &o far Mr Fraser is right. But how on earth is the Mayor of Dunedin to know that the Moderator's title of " Right Reverend " is a sham ? The Mayor, as in courtesy bound, names people as they name themselves, or permit themselves to be named. So do we all. Here, for example, is Mr P. B. Fraser, commonly known as the Reverend P. B. Fraser, of Lovell's Flat. Before thus styling him is it necessary that I satisfy myself of his being really and truly reverendus — a man worthy of reverence? That possibly were a long business ; anyhow I decline it. I take things as I find them, names as well ; so also. I fancy, does the Mayor ; whoever blames him "for it is wrong through all degre-es of wrongness. But Mr Fraser has a supplementary grievance — namely, that at civic functions " heads of denominations " are always brought to the front, and are assigned precedence according to the number of adherents they are supposed to represent. This, he says, is to " disinherit aJI the truest men in the country." So that is where the shoe pinches, is it? Then I may venture a suggestion to the Mayor. At the next great function such as that which, unhappily, has come to grief this week, let him pass over " Right Reverends" and the like to send for Mr Fraser. Not necessarily the " Reverend Mr Fraser : — possible scruples must be respected. "P. B. Fraser, Lovcll's Flat," would find buna

f In the Coronation honours li&t there it an omission which, as the French say. . leaps to the eyes. The name of Mr Seddon j is not there. The name of Mr Barton is ; ; and Mr Barton, Imperially considered, ! uanks, as we all know, leagues and leagues below Mr Seddon. We are not told that Mr Seddon has declined anything. Sii William Vernon Harcourt is noted as having declined a viscountcy ; apparently, then, such acts of voluntary humility ar« mentioned when they occur. Yet Mt Seddon, who has declined nothing, dominates the whole list by his absence fronr it. . There is only one interpretation oi this absence ; Mr Seddon is reserved foi some peculiar honour, special, unique, unprecedented. He . will" appear in^ a list v by himself. I Yeject altogether the supposition that Mjt Seddon has given- a private tip to Me Chamberlain-^ot only declining, .but declining to let it be known that he had declined. That would not be in Our Richard's manner. He is by no means averse to playing the sturdy democrat ; but at least -he would - consent to the honour of having refused anuhonour. I am on .the look-out, then, for something* big, and it can't be too big for me. Palmam gui meruit, etc. Amongst colonial Premiers Richard undoubtedly has merited the palm. In domestic politics he' has often been,- me judice, as bad as bad can be. Have I ever spared him frankness on that subject? But in London he represents New Zealand, and New Zealand is to be judged in London as New Zealand was represented at the front. From that point of view they can't easily do too much fot R. J. S. Would that they could put him into the House of Lords with a pensior to match.

A correspondent invites me to rebuke judicially the Dunedin City Council fot vacillation and tergiversation in the mattei of the T7aipori water rights, whicbNrights, at one time rejected by the council as vSftreless and " not to be taken as a gift," the same council is now, in its " stupidity " and " cupidity," seeking to obtain oy application to the Warden's Court. "Cupidity" and " stupidity " are ugly words ta fasten on the City Fathers ; I should feel eaeiei with "vacillation' and "tergiversation," albeit they have more syllables. But, anyhow, I know nothing about the Waiporl water rights ; unless they can be proved to have some covert connection with prohibition, it is not my business to know. There are editors — prosaic persons and serious-minded ; - let the Waipori watei rights question' betake itself to them. Apropos, however, of the City Fathers, there is one matter within their jurisdic-, tion on which I myself have a'word to say. - What about the unspeakable condition to which they have brought the Dunedin streets and footpaths Their overcrowded tramcars are a scandal to civilisation ; but, refusing the degradation of a tram ride, one must perforce puddle on the pavements, and the pavements are -floating with filth. The City Fathers, it seems by their own confession, have chosen the months of midwinter for experiment on the pavements with a new kind of tar, a treacly abomination that refuses to set. They explain why they put this stuff on, and then dismiss the subject. They have made a sufficient apology. Now we don't want to be told why they put it on. We understand very well why they put it on. It was because they didn't know any better. What we do not understand is why they don't clean it off again. Clean it off— yes! — if necessary going down on their own bands and knees. I should see in such a cleansing of the public ways by personal and prayerful effort" nothing more than a fitting penance.

The Hon. Mr M'Gowan, Minister of Mines, paid a visit of inspection to the rock phosphate deposit fields on th* 24th, in company with the Hon. T. Y. Duncan, Minister o£ I/ands, Messrs B. R. Green (Inspector o£ Mines), J. F. M. Fraser, and R. A. Ewing. The party drove from Clarendon to the field, and a considerable time was spent in^a thorough exploration of it. The opinion formed is that those who have secured the property in which the deposit was found would be quite justified in commencing operations to produce the deposit jn marketable form. At the same time, it i» thought that it would bo advisable to prospect the land in order to find out whethethe deposit is continuous between the different spots where it exhibit* itself on the surface, and should the prospect prove that it is continuous Mr M'Gowan expresses the opinion that, outside the benefit to thoeo directly interested, it will prove a valuable asset to tho country. The party drove back to Waihola, and came on to town by train.

The first meeting of the Marino Fish. Hatchery Advisory Board was held in the Custom House Buildings on Tuesday afternoon, when Mr G. M. Thomson was elected chairman. Mr Ayson, Inspector of Fisheries, is expected down about the end of the week, and it is then proposed to go into tho question of a marine fish hatchery station as soon as postible.

Otu- Wellington correspondent telegraphs: 1 "I havo just, received information from a reliable source to the effect that the directors of the Manawatu Railway Company hava completed the sale of lands standing in their books at the value of £13,000 for tin "very handsome sum of £43,000. The principal block gold is near Shannon, and hae been purchased by -a syndicate, at the head of which is Dr Chappie", a successful Wellington medical practifioner, who is well known in the south: This will be good news for tbe 'shareholders^ if not for the Government."

"We have received from the proprietors o_ Mellin's food for infants beautifully-finished coloured pictures of tbe King and Queen, 'neatly mounted for han_mg oil a valL