DUNEDIN CLUB NOTES AND CRITICISMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2727, 20 June 1906, Page 74

DUNEDIN CLUB NOTES AND CRITICISMS.

"One man may speak the universal mind."

' FROM D.L.F.-DOM. Notable visitors at our monster debate. Zealin. and Maidie M. (two very prominent members of our eister club), Jessica, Darky, and Laddie (old writers of fame in D.L.F. circles), Branda (to whose untiring efforts was dus tb. success of the bay), and Indian Chi-ff (the first president of the club). Laddie (loquitur): "II must be extremely gratifying to the — ah !- office-bearers to se«> the great -number of country visitors preseni. It augurs well for the progress of tho clvb — — '' Jessica, (in a stage "aside") : "Is that one of the pleasures of hope?" "Sweet >re the uses of advertisement.'' Jessica (in her reply) : "We cannot all have memories; but we can all have 'Hope.' It is only 6d. Have you any left, Zealia?" The decision arrived at by the three judges — Lilianfels. Texa>s Jack, and Staji — was "that, according to the arguments advanced the pleasures of memory are as sweet as the pleasures of hope, therefore the Memory sidehas ■won the debate."

With the judgment itself none can :avil. Seeing that the two factors, Hope and Memory, are so indissolubly linked — seeing that the one, quite as much «a the other, is the mainspring of human existence, — it would, perhaps, be surprising if the pleasures of the one could be proved to be sweeter than the pleasures of the other.

.With the deduction made by Lilianfelb (and with which cne, at least, of the judges disagrees), . I cannot concur. To have fairly won the debate the Memory side should have proved that the pleasures of memory were sweeter than the pleasures of hope. According lo the wording of the debate (of which more later), such would '6©em to be the negative bide. The Memory side, however, were not able to prove that. All they could prove was that the pleasures of memory were A 8 sweet fie the pleasures of hope. Therefore, my contention is that the debate was what is 4 ermed in athletic '"ircles a "drawn game," neither side being able to score a victory.

Had the debate been worded, however, "Are the Pleasures of Hope as Sweet as the Pleasures of Memory," no room would have been left for doubt as to which side constituted the affirmative and which the negat ye. But with the present wordiVig I think the fairer way is to consider that the debate waa "drawn."

Below I have pleasure in presenting to readers some extracts from trie vaTKous papers read. Owing to the magnitude of the task of extracting, T have had to hold some over till a future issue.

HOPE.

Hope! The mere word is inspiring and beautiful. One of our poets has addressed it thus: "Thou hovering angel, girt with golden wings." TJV-'et 'Tis consolation in grief, a safety in ibe midst of misfortunes, and a crown of gladness always. — Maidie M. How bright and beautiful are the hopes we weave in our childhood's hours; then, in youth, wnat a kindling power it is ; and even when we. reach old age, we -.have the hope of a world beyond. Indeed, one's life is one long, sweet hope. — Maidie M.

Hope leads the child to plant the flower, The man to sow the seed ; Nor leaves fulfilment to her hour, But prompts again the deed. And ere upon the old man's dust The grass is seen to wave, We look, through fading tears, to trust Hope's sunshine on the grave. — Maidie M. Hope is indeed the one bright spot in many live*. — Maidie M.

There are very many in this world, alas! for whom fhe piut has fow pleasures — oniy bitter regrets. — Reta,

Do we not hope for sweeter pleasures in the jear that in just dawning than we have enjoyed dunn« tl<e year just closed? — Reta.

Memory s pleasured aro not all sw«et. We have drunk of tho waters of past pleasures, we have eaten the fruit thereof, and they have not always been quite sweet — a bitter tnste has often been mingled with their sweetness. But Hope's pleasures are like rosy-checked apples hanging on the tree c — they are all bweet, though as yet untaated.--Reta.

MEMORY

Just sit down and recall your school days, with ink and "tontmy-tawß" in plenty. Have you no plcasart memories of that "time? — Hiawatha.

Some of you may have had a friend who is now enly a memory — a memory of all that ig noble and grand, a memory which ever ma.kea you recall the merry chum who always stood up for you in days by. There is pleasure in that memory. — Hiawatha.

What 19 sweeter to us when lonely and tired of our present joys and sorrows than to turn the pages of Time over again by tho gentle hand of Memory. We see in our heart of hearts our old playmates, and the playground, where we more often quarrelled than agreed ; the school with its humdrum noise Gt lessons, and. oh! the holidays, and, still sweeter, tho prizes won. We do not realise how many pleasures youth gave us until we look back with fond memory through the corridors of Time — Mountain Rambler. Memory is a star shining over the great, deep, ami calm past. — Mountain Rambler. To those who love to commune with Nature the pleasures of memory are undoubtedly one of their greatest enjoyments. They leave *he busy, bustling city for a few weeks, and ?o into the quiet country. While there they wander about all day, drinking in tlis beauty by which they are surrounded, until then- minds are storehouses of knowledge.—Tikn.

Tko actual pleasures of the holidays au

ovrr, but the memory of that enjoyment is ever present. It cheers them when 'mid&t the stress of business they can snatch a few minutes to dream of those bygone days. — Tika.

When we look forward to anything with graat anticipation, with enthusiasm, and with ccr.fidence, we are often vexed with the results. That which we have obtained is far different from what we had expected, and wo ata dissatisfied with the realisation of our brightest expectations. — C. C. M.

Those who are always hoping and expecting are never content with their present lot Their hopes are indefinite, often deferred, and, in many cases, disappointing. — C. C. M.

Sometimes we are tried almost beyond endurance, and we are inclined to look upon our future with "despair and hopelessness. If v/e would, however, look back and remember fhe lough paths before crossed, the temptations and trials that we had overcome, we would be comforted and Remember in that perilous hour, When most afflicted and oppressed, Ftoiii memory there shall come forth rest.

— C. C. M.

There is a memory which will always be d«ar to me. Have any of you thought of the sweet pleasures we enjoy through D.L.F.dom? First of all is the enjoyment oi writing to our Queen Dot through tho medium of the page; then the many pleasant evenings spent at our clubs, besides the jolly times we have had together at picnics, parties, and socials. We must all surely realise the privileges that D.L.F.-dom has brought us, and none of us are likely to forget that we were D.L.F. Do you not all think that in after years, when we are men and women, we will look back upon the days we spent in D.L.F.-dom with the greatest and the sweetest of pleasure, and the memory shall always be with us. — C. C. M.

Hope builds airy catties. Like fleecy clouds they are— things unreal, things which never come to pass, and fade away as time moves onwards, like the clouds. — Paparoa.

Memory's pleasures are true, happy thoughts of things that have been. — Paparoa.

It is ever ours to reflect when we choose, to recall all the happy tiniss, and live again the cherished days of yore on sweet memories as the years glide on. — Paparoa.

Hope is to be ; memory is what has been. — Paparoa.

All our hopes ultimately become memories. All that we most eagerly look forward to, most fondly anticipate — whether realised, or destined never to be realised, — becomes in the end. » memory. — Black Watch.

Hopes, even when realised, often last Tor but a brief interval, and then would he lost to us if we had no memories in which to embalm them. Perhaps this explains Dr Waddell's theory that "Our finest hope is finest memory " — Black Watch. Hopes are "fairy images." Memories are substantial edifices, "filled with sweet recollections of the days that "cometh not back again.*' These recollections arise within us every day of our lives, and "Youth's smiling joys from their windows

look down. To greet the wayfarers in Memory Town."

—Black Watch

Memories never change. Might we not say, with Whittier, of some dear departed one: "Aud yet, dear heart, remembering thee,

Am I not richer than of old? Safe in thy immortality, What change can reach the wealth I hold?" None! For memories are faithful, and will not change. — Black Watch.

Our lives are composed of a series of memories, and hopes cherished by us now will in time become memories to live and be cherished for ever. — Black Watch.

By drawing on our imagination we may, perhaps, build fair castles in the air — we may live, for the time being, in a world of enchantment, — we may map out our future as one glorious shining path through life — we may hope for impossible things; but is the pleasure to be derived from that source comparable to the pleasure of the remembrance of some deed of kindness done, etc — Gullyite.

Tie sky which to-day appears bright and beautiful] the 'horizon which appears not to be distorted by so much as a single cloud, may to-morrow be a dark, lowering, threatening mass. This, then, is the great drawback to h«ppy dreams of the future — there is too much uncertainty therein. — Gullyite.

When W9 review our past, the pictures conjured up are those associated with our early years; and where can we turn for more pleasurable thoughts than to the days of childhood? These thoughts are dear to us now. They will grow doubly dear as we grow older, and fully recognise the responsibilities and tha whirl of life. When we are weighed down with cares and troubles where shall we turn for comfort? Surely not to the uncertain future, which holds no allurements for us, but to childhood's reminiscences. The thoughts of a happy innocent childhood appeal to all— even the most hardened. At the best the future can only be a haphazard guess of things which may happen, but which may not. — Gullyife.

ON DIT

— That thu3 Cyclo on the monster debate, and Harry's paper in particular (he having only Iff minutes wherein to hold forth) . "Expressive expressions expressed at express speed." — That Harry was acting the part of a veritable old Civis — he was continally passing notes. — That there were, approximately. 32 country membars present at the debate, hailing from all parts of the district. — That Don Q. waa co bashful that he would not read nloud his paper before the assembly. Was the meeting so august, Don Q., or were you (now confess) just a trifle 100 bashful? — That "still there's more to follow." QUAGO.