PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2661, 15 March 1905, Page 79

PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

o — Patronymics. — A correspondent, who gives his pen-name as "X.," send? me the following: — "Re big O's. Here is a list of some I took out of Caps^ll's Saturday Journal some years ago. The journal stated that the ! names were taken from French and Belgian directories, and are said to be not uncommon — O'Squar, O'Bingen, O'Pardonc, O'D.?nburgk, O'Cravaillic, O'Dan.' The last does sound more homelike than the lest. Am I right in assuming that the prefix 'Fitz'- is Noi'manV I know it has made a home and abiding place in Ireland, but I think it came over with the Normans." I intended looking up this prefix, but have neglected to do so. I think it is Norman, but perhaps some correspondent can give us exact information xipon it. —The Eureka Stockade.— It will be remembered that in January the editor published an account of the stockade, taken from the Melbourne Age, and that I wrote two chats- on the same subject. I was going to write one or two more, because, coming from Ballarat, I was specially interested ; I thought, however, that a continuation of_ the subject would not be so interesting to my readers as to myself, so "rang it ofT." A week or so later the editor received an interesting letter from one in the North Island who took part in the attack, but the letter, I am soiry to say, is not for publication. Will the writer give his permission foi the letter to be sent to a Ballarat paper for publication, or for publication in the Witness, which is taken regularly in the Mechanics' Institute there? Most accounts published are from the diggeis' s>icle_: thi« letter represents the reverse of the picture. The plan sent with the letter the writer describes as a very rough one ; as I know Ballaiat thoroughly. I cannot help saying that it is a very well-propoitioned sketch for one who has been away from Bollaiat so long. — The leaching of Geography. — Some gentleman forwarded to me, through the editor, a clipping on the graphic teaching of geography; but, unfortunately, I have mislaid it. It was taken from an American paper. The schools of the United States make a specialty of Nature study t and use pictures,

varied reading, prose and poetry etc , to a far greater extent than we do ; but Irom what I have read— and I see more American educational literatuie than most— l think there is too much straining after novelty and show. But that is no reason -nliy we should not make lessons as giaphic'as possible ; if that is done, them there is little excuse for average children who do not do a fair amount of work without undue strain. I shall have something more to say on geography later on. — Anniversary Day. — Next week, Thursday, 23rd. v. ill be the nftv-seventh anniversary of the Province of Otago, though, to be strictly accurate, it ought to be celebrated, I suppose, on the 22nd, the day, according to Dr Hocken's "Early History of Otagn," on which the John Wicklift'e airived. Now, I should like to see three maps of New Zealand in all Otago schools— Tasman's, Cook's, and a present-day one. DrHocken has outlined Tasman's and Cook's chaits of the "West Coast, and perhaps our editor will reproduce these for us ; and if Cook's couise of sailing can be added, so much the better. Then I should like, too, every school to possess a copy of Dv Hocken's work, so that -every anniversary day extiacts could be read, sidle by &ide, perhaps, with paragraphs describing the New England settlements. To round off the work, -\\ hv not have soia? one give in each school a lecturette on local history? I think that it could be made an interesting one. Suppose some try my X^lan, and let me know the results? The John Wickliffe left Gravesend, November 24, 1847, with 97 emigrants, and arrived on March 22 in the following year. These emigrants can justly claim to be the blue blood of Otago, and their descendants ought to do till they can t,o preserve all the history of the early settlement of Otago. Almost immediately afterwards the Philip La ing arrived, having left Greenock on November 27, and casting anchor on April 15. 13y December Otago boasted of about 600 inhabitants, of whom 500 were in Dunedin. which had by this time a four-paged, paper, published once a fortnight, at 6d a copy. Compaie the nearly four months' voyage of the^ John Wickliffe in time and comfort with the passages now ; and the four-paged Otago News ■with the 86 (occasionally 90) pages, finely illustrated, of the Otago Witness! Why, the Saturdayissue of the Otago Daily Times, a daily paper, price one penny, is sometimes eight times as large as its forerunner, arc 1 ' intains news from all parts of the woi.d— news but a few hours old ; while the Otago News contained little or nothing from the outside world, and weeks or months old j at that. But I have got on to one of my hobbies again, and must wind up. Try i however, to make Anniversary Day uccess in your district. And, boys and _uris, will you do as I ask you? Make it a part of your creed to have a school holiday on j that day ; but don't be too restless if your teacher or someone else gives you a lee- ! ture on the Early History of Otago the day before. Take it, and "ask for more. Here are two pieces of poetry, the second supplementing the first. Don't put off : to-day's time cannot be recalled. PUT-OFF TOWN. ! There's a town I've heard of somewhere (And I hope it's far away}, Where the people live a wretched life Every single day. The streets that lead up to it (You can tell them by the dearth Of happy faces met there — They're the gloomiest on earth) Are named — it is no secret — " Not-Now," "Oh-Can't- You- Wait," " I-Will-m-Just-a-Minute" ; And right up o'er the gate Is written in large letters ('Tv.-as not placed there for fun), "This is where are found the boys Who never get things done!" And in this city none arc glad, As you may well suppose, And you will hear the self-same tale From anyone who knows. That you may never dwell within This place of ill renown, Be prompt in ever3 T duty — And so shun this Put-off Town! — Adelbert F. Caldwell, m the Boys' World. TO-DAY. So here hath been dawning Another blue day. ; Think, wilt thou let it Slip useless away? Oiit of Eternity This new day is born ; Into Eternity At night will return. Behold it aforetime No eye ever did, So soon it forever From all eyes is hid. — Carlyle. — The oldest collection of dried f Jants in the world is in the Egyptologist Museum at Cairo, and consists of a collection of driec 1 portions of plants. They were 4 nken from wreaths and garlands in the c .finis viiih mummie-3, where they were i 'aeecS by the ancient Egyptians as death offerings, a. id from edible plants which were set in €£ithen vessels on the floor of the :-?pulchres. Many of these floral remains are so well preseried that, after being treated tvnii warm water, they can be ha icile.J like modern herbarium specimens. The colours, too. are preserved in a remark iblc w my. The- mo^t important matter in connection, with them, of course, is their age-.

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