Town and Country Topics

Southland Times, Issue 10996, 27 July 1907, Page 2 (Supplement)

Town and Country Topics

(By “ Traveller.’’) JAU’ communications relating in any way to this column should be addressed to *’ Traveller,” 'limes Udice, lf.sk street.) There are ether thing- ! eside- imtrrving that e\er. a careful icr-cn Inis sometimes occasion to regent at leisure. No Olio realise- this mere c. early than Iho man who scribbles lor the press. theie is something irie^eeaide about the pirnteel word, and mo.-t newspaper writing is done with stun ha-lv in the press of the day's work that now and again something must escape the vigilance of supervision and pass into the printed pags that the writer w,-aki aiterwaids gbc a great deal to recall. ’1 here are few leniences that are not capable of more than one construction, and sometimes the full meaning and effect of vqorc.s is not appreciated at the timo oi writing. Sometimes, again, readers put au interpretation upon words that was not contemplated by the author of them. This moralising is merely a preface to mi expression of regret that CcKuicillor Roche should ha\e been familiarly referred to as “ Daddy “ in this place. It is true that Councillor Ruche is ?. City Pathol, and a City Father must be a Daddy, gut at the same time the expression was one that it would have been heller not to use- Councillor Ruche is an estimable citizen and a veteran in the public tervice, and 1 would not do anything to wound his feelings tr ridicule his Wurth. I muy not always admire what Councillor Roche says, or the way in' which he gays it (and Councillor Kocne would probably be the lust to Deject to harmless banter or impartial criticism), hut that is no reason for using harsh terms or epithets that may he considered offensive. Had it been possible by any means to blot out the printed word 1 would have done it, for i am bound to say that 1 rc,fretted the use of the terms “ daddy, ’ “ puerile," “ secoiul-childish-ness " fts sovn a? 1 read ih-am in prim, and of course there is nothing for u man to do but make the amende honorable. That stun.lv “ chid ” Councillor Martin administered a public reproof to me at last meeting of the Council which my conscience told me was not altogether undeserved, and with that and this Councillor Koche can have no reason to complain that 1 am not properly penitent and adequately punished.

Four fires withiu HI hours I “ To gods ami little fishes." And yel it is EOb n record. Ihe oldest ir.habitunt remembers the day v.h-.-u, some lo (ears ago, there occurred seven tires within a remarkably short space ci time. 1 bi'u was yo'-ng Invercargill christened the City of Biases ' alter ,-j, wry real baptism oi Pro. Truly, it never rains but it pours,” also ” history repeals itself. ’ I cannot discover wno bestowed the appropriate ” City oi Blares ” on our young town—probably lie insurance folk. Them has been a petfecl epid-mic oi fires aii over tha colony--! its pardon, Dominion—lau-ly. Oh. Councillor Martin, what a naughty man you are to call Ibis up-to-dale and enlightened journal a ” rag.” I could not have believed it. Had it been your bellicose brother Bain, one could have vmierstood the outrageous expression, for it is annoying in the extreme to hat® to climb down ii two-storey brick house in T arrow street—hut you, Councillor Martin .' .Never mind, I bear no ill will and shall still get my coal and wood from your ” ree,” For the measure is good, if net c. endowing, and the 1-ul first-class. 1 love to renirii I '-good for evil —hence this free adv ertis. m .-nt. Ibe office might, however, s-md you in n. little bill at the rate of -is 'id an inch. « ■* - * * * .Southland is tne cynosure of every envious eye now, and a moving population of no mean dimensions is scouring the countiy for land—and finding a good deal. Last week m the country 1 met a great many of Ui-’se capitalists met them coming south and going north —m a t them all over the place. From Canter-1-uiy and Otago most oi them hail, from the land of drought, and they seek, needless to say. to participate in our present, and future, prosperity. That it is an ill wind which mow s nobody any good is her# exemplified, for a great many properties arc (hanging hands hereabouts, and Soutidaiui-.-rs have done well. One I have in mind who bought for A 7 about four }e«rs ago has just sold for ATT. Value* have risen already, of course, but will go much higher yet, unless J mu greatly mistaken.

I do not see how one can avoid the Conclusion that then? is a twist some■wherc in Councillor Haiti’s nature. In CO otter way can X cx'plsin his actions, or the feeling, he displays under criticism., What is the position ? Councillor Bain, lor reasons best kmoi'.'n to himself, took it upon him to obstruct llu- desire oi • private individual to put up a handsome and costlv building, which would lave improved and benefited the town, «S.-a 1 l such buildings must do. He called to his aid a bylaw which was bad on the face ot it. which he sought to enforce with a Insistence that in the circumstance* was mere perverseness. Naturally. thi* brought Mr Bain witliin the

scope of criticism, though 1 do not tlitfuk) he received mure than a very, small part of what was due to him. It is uot only the right, but the duly of every citizen to criticise councillors where criticism is called lor, and criticism is an essential pari of the work of a commentator ya public affairs in the columns of a newspaper. Well, then, I pointed out that tlie bylaw in question was bad bylaw, | in every sense, as it stood. There was j nothing else to he done —and assuredly I j hail no personal; feeling in the matter. As j ■he controversy proceeded and the com- ■ mousense of the Council and the public i made itself apparent, Councillor Bain ; found himself in a minority, and he did not take his beating well. Ju fact, ho paid so little regard to the canons pi good taste that I departed from. the ■.uaviter in'; mode method in favour oUtho fortiler in ie. Councillor Bain appeared to like this style still less, and from, his place in the Council said nasty tilings in a particularly offensive way about myself, and his statements, as well as bind m very bud taste, were unwarranted by facts. Why all this feeling should have been imported into the matter I am, u't a loss to explain. No public man Cau • xpect to get everything his own way, and if now and again he finds himself in a. minority he should be able to accept the opinion of the majority with equanimity.

I -am in a hurry to leave a subject that is unpalatable. so—will close once and for ail in a few lines. At last Council meeting Councillor Bffiin made eom# statements about me that cannot be passed over altogether unnoticed. Let me tell him that I am excessively proud of t'ut '• rejection ” that ho brought rip against me. more so than of the great victory with which I started out in the municipal career to which he referred. Furthermore. if Mr Haiti were to contest a seat on the question at issue alone, ngaiust myself even. 1 doubt if he would save h's deposit. A word is enough for Councillor lluin, whoso judgment must tell him that he would not caro to depend for success at the poll, upon a thorough investigation into the fuels and history of this matter, it is no answer to reasonable criticism (and 1 have taken care to <bo reasonable) to deplore in the Council that all an unselfish public man servng the city gels for his pains is abuse. N’or is it any defence to abuse the critic, and tal'k at largo on ail subjects but the one in hand. There are two sides to every question, and this time Mr Bain happens to hold the wrong end of the stick. The best thing he Can do is to let go as quietly and unobtrusively as oosslhle. • ••*»»

To pass on to pleasant topics, I write this paragraph on “ Arbor Day,” a Uv. imgj instance of tiie proverb that there’s not much in a name. This particular cue has absolutely no significance at all iu Southland, where half the population, more or less, makes a living by cutting down the timber. But no one thinks of replacing it. For it is easier and more profitable to destroy than to build up, simpler to bo destructive than constructive. No one looks ahead a few <feend os, when, we are assured by those who know, there will no longer bo any timber to speak of in the Dominion. It will all be cut out. To tell the truth, I ’do not ■tec how the rank and file of us can expected to look out for the unborn generations when our public men Cal'O So little. They have other fish to fry- Still 1 shall never give up hoping that some day the cry in the wilderness will be heard, listened to, ami acted upon. I tare swear that to-day not one Single tree is being planted in all Southland—more’s the pity. True, the Government is doing something Jby prlsolf work, but this should -be a labour of love for free men. This is not the first time I have referred t-o tha subject, and I hope it will not be the last. Now, let some other pen; come intd evidence. Surely somebody cares.

Apropos tho boxing championships, a, correspondent writes : "Of course I am iui idiot, an arrant fool, who would'Mvill-. ingly put down boxing, football ot USec trcntis onme in the interests of those who " patronise ’’ the sport. There ciffl bo, no doubt that the few participants arc the dehor both for the kudos and tho exercise they get, but what possible rood can come to the multitude who look, 1 on ? This senseless glorification of sport will bring a bitter reckoning. I would certainly put down boxing, foot?jail and kindred follies find substitute the rifle ard field gun in the highest place How occupied by the gloves a'nd goal posts." This is certainly one way of looking at things, but, emphatically, 3iot my way ; nor do I think many of my reader* will agree with it- It is the abuse, hot the use. which counts to the bad, and we have certainly not arrived in Non- Zealand at the former stfuge in regard tt! boxing, tit any rate —there is not nearly enough 0 f it. As to football bo ink; 'overdone. there is something in tlvat, T admit I certainly cannot see why the man who is a good athlete should bo less valuable in war than tne man who isn’t. It’s opposed to reason 1 .

Several queries must, remain unanswered this week for want of Information. News-i •viper men don’t know everything, but they always know where to look Tor it. However, it sometimes happens, a* In’ this case, that the authorities tifo not on the spot. Oar respondents fjva'dly toot out’ for next week's repiiss.-

I CLAIRVOYANCE AND TILER ALEC, TIC SARCOCNOiiY.

To the Editor. Sir,—ln your supplement of doth Jult appears a paragraph by “Traveller ” on die subject of clairvoyance. The writer's appalling ignorance of tile subject is sad to contemplate. and 1 should not have deemed it worthy of reply but for tlie fact that he inserts in fid.l my advertisement which is at the present time appearing in Ihe Daily News, and ntteiy_iu'.-erting it he proceeds to tear it to pieces tin his own mind), and, not .satisfied with that, he attacks the one who inserted the advt. Now, in the first place. “Traveller ” is at a loss to uiuh-rstand the meaning of Therapeutic Sareognomy. I might just mention for ins edification the meaning of Therapeutic Sarcognomy. Therapeutic Savcogaouiy is a system of mental and magnetic healing Curt —has ‘cie.ue as the result of long and careful scientific researches into live const it.'Uiun of man. conducted by Hr .1, K. ‘Buchanan. the discoverer of ehiirvoyancy. Now that I have got Ili.it Intie bit off my chest, b t me turn to Mr “ Traveller’s ”, remarks concerning the subject. lie says : “It makes one blush to think thnC there are such fools in Clod’s Own Country. men and women who can imagine it possible to diagnose the disease of any unknown person by e. locii of hair.” If “ Traveller " will read Sir IV. (’rooke’s “ l aw of Vibrations “ or Zoilin q-’s “ Tratrccutdentnl Physics.” lie may imagine just how it can be done. 1 don’t expeot him to Itnow how it is doiu —- oh. no, that would be expecting too much altogether. The subject •>! clairvoyance needs no defence at my hands—any man or woman of aver- ■ m brain power, irilli the reasoning /acuities sound and in good working order, can invest!,-rot,, and prove for themselves the fact Ibat man has the clairvovanf faculty abmg with tmniv other powers which, tfiou.gb undeveloped, are within. Take no

nv book on occultism .worth mentionin''-. and you will find there any amount of proof to hi-nr out w-Viai I sas‘. L‘t “ Traveller ” read tile works of the following authors on the subject : IV IV. I- 1 . Kvans, IV J. H. Dewey, Dr Fnhnesiioek. .lames Coates, I’h.D., K.A.P., and hundreds of others T could mention. I doubt if “ Traveller ” every heard of such writers. T have before me a book entitled “The K-dinbiire.il Lectures on Mental Science,’’ by T. Troward (late Divisional .liid-m. I’unieub). Op page i!r>. Troward (ells us chat the sub Votive eniitv is able to diagnose the character of disease and. indicate phv siclotrical knowledge exceeding that of the most, liichly-t rain -d physician. I have just received a hdiefrom Christchurch. and 1 lie waiter is thanking me for •dir diaernosi;-’ T gave, saying that the diagnosis •riven by the. doctor a blending tinea so is word for word I hi- same as Hint riven hy myself, except "that 1 go a little find her. From lb" style of '‘Traveller's” letter and the tone, I am led to believe that lv is one of those who -d-mv the possibility of nny’thine which is oiiisid- -e his own experience. Von will h.-in-this class of people say : “ f have never seen these, tilings, am! Mn-sc who imagine (hey have mnsl eiMier bo fouls or kir'vcs.” The ine.xperieuced ant! conceited man will deny anythin"- and everything : iihe wis-r man who has studied has learned to be cautious amt will enm’.ire ami investigate for himself. 'The rest of “Traveller’s ’’ letter is noMiimv 'oat abuse and sarcasm, so 1 shall have nothincr further to say upon that, excepting that it shows very had taste on -the part of him who wrote it. In closing, I might iunt say Dial I have been practising as a metaphysician here in Invercargill for (be pafl four or five years, and I mu nlens-xl to say that I am in n posh tion to stale it hat. many sufferers have been treated by me and cured ; and loi me say here that they did not suffer from anv innuriiiavy trouble. Ob' no. Some of them had been tven up as perfectly hornless by (he medical profession. If “Trave'.ler wit] step round (o my rooms T shall be pleased to meet him and oiilie-ht-en his -dull uuricrsltiti-diuir on -the subject 0 f metaphysics.—l am, <>’(<•., ’ W. .1. AtITTTIF,. 2Mrd July Metaphysician.