"EXTRACTIONS."

Otago Witness, Issue 2690, 4 October 1905, Page 84

" EXTRACTIONS."

Dear Dot, — One of the most successful and enjoyable meetings efer helcl by the Invercargill Club took placa on Wednesday evening, when "country writers' open meeting" was announced. The members were wise in their decision when they aecideel to* devote one evening in tbe month solely for the contributions of country writers, and this they were quick to realise when they found what si pleasant evening's entertainment their country cousins coiilcl give them. The first paper announced was by the club's country vicepresident (Boy), and his essay on "Books" was quite a literary treat. ' Echo; in a cleverlywritten paper, answered the question, "Are Women Over-educated?" We hope to hear from her often in the near future. Cornish joined us with a most interesting paper on "Other People's Feelings," and as this writm 1 is a regular contribittoi liis papers are eagerly looked for. Eoby's papers are universal favourites, and her contribution, "Post-bags," was written in her usual' masterly style. Jessica's paper on "The Beautiful Springtime" was U real "literary gem. Maidie M., a local writer of some reputation, read a most amusing paper on our critic, "The Spider." From the various papers I have been permitted to make a few extracts.

"Tlis field of healthy literature is a lar^e one, impossible to exhaust, and all who go there in tke right spirit will find friends untold, sympathies for their every mood, and joys impossible to recount." — Boy. "It was difficult to estimate the power of books toward the formation of national character and the perfecting of civilisation." — Boy. "To understand and thoroughly appreciate any nation one must certainly know its literature." — Boy. "What rose-tinted visions of loveliness our post-bag gives us. In it as in nothing elso do our friends reveal to us the most hidden beauties of their souls." — Eoby. "T wish to express the hope that none cf our bamd whose heart's most precious memefries are associated with post-bags — Dot's postbag, their comrades' post-bag, and their own precious post-bags — will ever be heedless of the voice of their soul when it bids them use their pen and put into somebody's postbag a. sweet little missive, simple and unimportant to themselves, but more precious than rubies and gold to somebody." — Eoby. .

""We' welcome spring with such, an imspeakably tender welcome, for sometimes winter has seemed so long and cheerless, and sottow, maybe, has taken its dwelling-place within our hearts." — Jessica.

"But there is no hint of sadness in springtime, for everything whispers to the human heart of love, of life, of hope." — Jessica. "How is it that in sprwigfcinie oi.it thoughts often run in deeper channels, our hearts aspire to higher and holier ideals, and wo more fully realise that our lives have been given it? for some great and noble purpose." — Jessica*

" 'Praise publicly, comment privately,' is an excellent motto, and one that cannot fail to give universal satisfaction."— Cornish. _ "There was a time, very recent, in the annals of our page when one's peculiarities were given publicity to, and in consequence the serenity of many a member was ruffled, amd had it not been for the intervention J oi our peace-loving Dot the harmony of our band would have been very materially depreciated." — Cornish. "Time to ma this truth lias taught — ■ 'Tis a treasure worth levealing : More offend by want oi thought Than by want of feeling." — Cornish. "You may have often heard the remark that So-and-so has had too much education for his or her position; but in such cases it is not the fault of over-education, but rather the way it is being made use of; and it is not education that should be blamed, as it so often i=, but the individual." — Echo. "The time of women being brought up as hothoxise plants, when such a tiling as studying for a profession would have been looked upon with horror, is past, and will be evon more so in the days to ccrne. The days when v.'onien ha.d to sit at home are past, and rightly so." — Echo. "Some people say that the women of former generations were more reverenced than their latter-day sisters, but such is not the cas«, and man will never cease to reverence a womanly woman; and because she has the advantages of all branches of education opened up to he., is that to make her less womanly?"— Echo. , "Some people have as much horror of spiders as if they were rats, and I think it very little wonder, if they are all like the one that lodges in the Oddfellows' Hall."— Maidie M. "Tlie tales he weaves make we D.L.F. ejaculate, 'How clever he must b*e! How can he do it ? You couldn't possibly think a spidei- could weave sc smartly ' ; but nevertheless he does, and is called the ' long-legged one.' " — Maidie M.

However, after we have succeeded in capturing him, and he has gone to join the ins-eccs above the clouds, perhaps we will for a short time feel sorry for the exit of our long-legged friend, especially the stem president, small Ceres, and bashfal Zealia; and I am certain the fun doctor would cease to be funny. But after the grief wears away how free the various members will feel. Then there will be whispering, smiling, spelling, frolicking, quick reading and slow reading, and no one to take notice of the "flaws." — Yours truly, THE DENTIST.