PASSING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3030, 10 April 1912, Page 11

PASSING NOTES.

(From Saturday's JXiily Tim.'S.)

The Storming of Badajos, April 6 1812 a hundred years to-day. We are divided for the moment between Easter holidays and Chapman-Alexander, not to mention the distractions of labour-polities and the sublimated selfishness that calls itself "anti-militarism." The story of the Peninsular War as its centenaries come round can hardlv get a hearing. Tell the New Zealand Socialist that on Easter Sunday a hundred years ago his countrymen in arms English, Irish. Scotch were gathered under the belching guns ot a fortress in Spain and giving their lives to capture it, his contemptuous comment is —"The more fools they!" Yet to those same fools he owes the very air that he breathes. But for the men who fought at Badajos there would have been no Britisn New Zealand, no British anything the doctrines of to-day carried a hundred years back would have left the New Zealand Socialist of to-day a Trench conscript. Carried forward a few years and allowed their hopeful development, the same doctrines will introduce our anti-mi itary New Zealand** to the German drill sergeant, or, as an alternative, qualify him for citizenship under the new Chinese republic.

The story of Badajos may be read in many authors. For my own part I nnd dear old Archibald Alison, friend of my boyhood, as good as any, spite of Ins lullblooded stvle that never spares you a word. What they all have to tell is that Wellino-ton snatched the frontier fortresses of Ciudad Rodri-o and Badajos—strong places well manned, well armed, well provisioned—from beneath the. eyes of two French covering armies stronger than his own. The thing had to be done quickly or not at all: and at any cost or not at all. The snatching of Ciudad by siege and storm occupied eleven days, and cost us over a thousand men. Napoleon and his marshals had barely ceased gasping in amaze when Badnios followed. Tins, a 20 days' affair—from March 17, St. Patrick's Day, to April 6, Easter Sunday—cost us over five thousand men and came to be a near tiling in the end. It is the supremo example of Wellington's iron will and the devotion of his soldiers. Let me quote a few sentences from Alison. The rushing stormers on the night of the 6th found as they expected the main breach an inferno "of exploding mines, bombs, and powder barrels, but were brought to a stop by other defences which the diabolical ingenuity of the French commandant had improvised. In thia awful situation the gallantry of the officers and the devotion of the men prompted them to the most heroic endeavours; the loud shouts of defiance from the enemy were answered by vehement cheers even from dying lips and roused tho British to maddened efforts; again and again bands of daring leaders followed by- the bravest of their men rushed up the breaches, and. despite every obstacle, reached the summit. Vain attempt! Tho ponderous beams thickly studded _ with sword blades barred any further progress; tho numerous spikes scattered amongst the ruins transfixed their feet; discharges of grape and musketry within pistoi shot on either flank tore down their ranks; and even the desperation of the rear, who strove to force the front forward in order to make a bridge of their writhing bodies, failed in shaking the steady girdle of steel. Some even strove to make their way under it, and having forced their heads through had their brains beaten out by the butt-ends of the enemy's muskets. Never sinco the invention of firearms had such a slaughter taken place within so narrow a space. For two hours the men continued in that living grave, disdaining to retreat, unable to advance; and it was not until 2000 had fallen in this scene of horror that by Wellington's orders they retired to re-form for a second assault. But at this juncture sang out above the tumult a bugle note that Wellington recognised. "Ihere is an English bugler m that tower!" he exclaimed; and almost at the word came news that Picton and Leith Hay with the 3rd and sth divisions had got into the town from behind by escalade. Badajos was won. ''Enthusiastic joy immediately took possession of all present," says Alison; " but when at a subsequent period- of tho night Wellington learned tho full extent of tho havoc made

among his brave men, his wonted firmness, gave way, and he yielded to a passionate . burst of grief." J For the benefit of our anti-military ' patriots I was about to bring in here an analysis of what Professor Oman calls " the psychology of the stormers of Cmdad RodVigo and Badajoa " by Grattan of the 88th Connaught Hangers, an actor in these scenes. But that may stand for next week. Meanwhile there are two Badajos incidents still to note. Among tin officers who fell in the breach was Lieutenant-colonel Grey, of the 30th Boot. Eight days later, on April 14, his young wife who had followed him to the wars and was living in Lisbon,, gave birth to a eon. In later years the child born in , these tragic circumstances was known to j fame in Australia, South Africa, _ New | Zealand, and throughout the Empire as Sir George Grey. It seems but a short time since Sir "George Grey an active part in our politics. PI is " Ml- | born millions" often figured in Passing Notes. Yet if alive to-day, Sir George Grey would be in his hundredth year. The" other incident is of a romantic turn. As usually happens to fortified towns taken bv storm after obstinate resistance, j Badajos was given up to plunder. For j two davs the troops got out of hand, and there were scandalous excesses. One of I the fugitives from the town, a well-born Spanish girl of fourteen years, sought refuge in the British camp. There fol- ! lowed a love match, Juana becoming the wife of a brigade major of the mature age of twenty-four, and with him campaigning till the end of the war at Waterloo. 0 Later, her husband, whom fate had , tried to conceal under the name of Smith, j held high command in India, won the ( battle of Aliwal against the Sikhs, and . was made a baronet. Later still, as Sir j Harry Smith, he was Governor and Com- j mander-in-Chief- at the Cape ; where his Juana had such popularity that a town : was named after her;—to wit, Ladismith, I destined in the history of sieges to_ a fame not inferior to that of Badajos i itself.

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That interesting person, Mr Payne, of Grey Lynn, still keeps well to the fore. Of pledge-breaking we now say nothing; that is an old story. But, if we may believe the newspapers (which, for my own part, I seldom do), Mr Payne, consistent in inconsistency, will bow vote against the Mackenzie Government, which a fortnight back he helped to caucus into existence- In fact, he will vote for Mr Massev. and as a pledge of good faith has issued a writ against Mr Massey for £3003 damages in a libel action. This development has great promise. If only Mr Payne can remain in the same mind long enough to get to court, we may expect proceedings of the liveliest. Meanwhile it will delight him that his earlier exuberances have attracted notice in England. The following paragraph from the Westminster Gazette is worth quoting unabridged : Modesty must henceforth be considered a negligible virtue in colonial politics if we may judge from a statement made recently by Mr John Payne, one of the newly-elected members of tho New Zealand House of Representatives. This gentleman is one of four uibour members; and in dealing with the somewhat delicate situation brought about at the recent general election—the parties led respectively by Sir Joseph Ward and Mr Massey being almost equally balanced —he sums up quite seriously in this way: AVe can, as it wore, present an ultimatum to the Prime Minister requiring him to abdicate in favour of a Labour Prime Minister in constructing a Labour Cabinet, taking in the oilier three Labour members. In this connection I would support any of the other three Labour, members being chosen as- Prime Minister, provided that the portfolios of Finance, Education, Public Works, Health, and Customs were allotted to Labour members. It is sometimes an advantage for tho ship of State to launch away with " Youth' on the prow,' but with tho addition of Payne " at. tin- helm " the voyage should prove not less exciting than brief. in fairness the Westminster should have seen in Mr Payne merely a parody of Mr Redmond. Taken by itself, the Redmond party in Parliament is an impotent (some would say an impudent) minority. But the other two parties cancel each other out. being equal; thus the Redmond minority is left to rule the House and the country—the one and only party " in power." Actually it is on the Payne principle that the British ship of State is being navigated. Tlie " extraordinary position " of Chalmers Church, Dunethn, as described to the Presbytery read.-; like a page from some satirical novel. Chalmers Church is settled on title deeds that bind the congregation to pray standing, sing sitting, and sing only the Psalms and paraphrases. But not even these Jet r a! bars and locks can keep out the spirit of innovation. According to the Kev. Mr M'lntyre, moderator of the congregation, " one member had dared to stand to sing and sit to pray ;" whereupon tho other mem-bers-—2O in all, so grievously are the faithful minished and brought low—have been threatened with proceedings in the law courts and the loss of their building. At Inst night's meeting one old member (a lady) rose and said: "Will this end tho title deeds?'' On his replying '" Yes," she heaved a great sigh. Then one member had suggested that thev sing the Doxoioajy. His reply was: "You can't do that; according to tho title deeds you must ring only tho psalms and paraphrases, and the doxology is in neither." The one hope for this suffering remnant is a peaceful exit in the course of nature. If only a sympathetic Presbytery could contrive it. Supposing the status quo ante restored, there would still bo a possibility that some other member, Satan entering into him, would rise to sin<j and

sit to pray. But I think not. By this time they must be winnowed down to the pure grain. That they are but a handful tioubles them not at all. " There's only me an' Donald the noo " —runs the typical story; " an' whiles I hae doots o' Donald." Noting the death of the Rev. Dr Fairbairn—Principal Fairbairn—a theological .and ecclesiastical celebrity, the Home papers mention that " his father (the miller) was a member of the Burgher and his mother of the anti-Burgher kirk. Although a more laving couple could not have been found anywhere, the one was never known to enter or speak about the other's place of worship." Only in Scotland are these things possible: but such things as those have helped to make Scotland what it is. Quoting Bishop Crossley, of Auckland (as reported in the newspapers) for the opinion that " our system of criminal punishment is a system of revenge," whereas " no right exists to punish any criminal unless it be to improve him ;" and that therefore " it is an abominable thing to put a human being to death;" a correspondent asks : Has this bishop forgotten what. _ St. Paul said? Or doesn't he believe in St. Paul? What St. Paul said was that the civil magistrate " V>eareth not the sword in vain," but i* divinely appointed as "a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil." Then where do the bishop's opinions come in? It is not my business to verify " what St. Paul said," or to judge between him and his modern successor. Were it not for one thing, I should take this bishop to be a bewildered humanitarian unconsciously qualifying for membership in the W.C.T.U. There are old ladies of both sexet*, as we know. The one thing to the contrary is that he appears to hold sound notions about national defence and the need of compulsory military training. For which see a telegram in Thursday's Daily Times. So we may forgive him the rest. In the querulous comments of two other correspondents on the fascination that the Chapman-Alexander mission has for women the authority of St. Paul is appealed to again. Says one satirically : " Why not let domestic duties go hang for the time being?" Says the other: " Has not St. Paul a, text directing that women should be ' keepers at home' ? Pei haps Dr Chapman will kindly look it up and preach about it." Perhan.s he kindly won't, rather. However, it is not for me to say ; I offer no definite opinion. Apropos : fragment of .a tram-car conversation —'' Mr Alexander sadd thaft there was a man present who had been a Christian just 24 hours." " What was he before'" " A Presbyterian." Civis.