CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 56, 15 June 1910, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

'*"« QJ COMMITTEE." The words "public body" explain themselves. One never hears a hospital hoard or a town council describing itself as aj "private body" or a "star chamber. If it did so the public would probably desire to interview its representatives. Much of the value of the work done by a so-called "public body" lies m its publicity. No public man should be ashamed of 'letting the -public know what he has to say. With few exceptions there is no business done by -public bodies in oommittee that should not be done publicly. If the business of the public is done behind closed doors and in secret, the pub-' lie are not getting a "fair deal. it public bodies repeatedly go into committee, there is something the body wants to withhold from those whom they represent. It is quite obvious that much of the work done in committee by public bodies is done in good faith with the people. The solemn nature of most meetings of -puiljilic bodies makes them unattractive to the people, who depend therefore on newspapers for a record. Naturally, the press and the people are excluded' from committee meetings, so the people are never allowed to know what has happened. If there is anything to conceal the public invariably find out all about it in the long run, and probably get a distorted idea of it, unci the public is ever opposed to Star Chambers. THOSE HATS. All the humorous illustrated papers which are so useful in showing at a glance the prevailing national weaknesses and foibles are at present gay with pictorial satires on the feminine passion for bird hats. And Lord Crewel and others are going to try to (put a stop to the slaughter 'of -plumage birds. Logically, Lord Crewe cannot be defended. The fox and its tail are very beautiful natural objects, but Lord Crewo *;h« several millions of other people chase it and get dogs to tear its wearer to .pieces. In reality it is no wickeder to wear a bird on the hat than leather'on the feet. Both the bullock and the bird had to be killed to supply the desired articles. Most people accuse women of cruelty for wearing plumase birds on their headgear, but _ no one •would think of alleging cruelty in a woman who wore an ermine stole, or a civet boa, or a seal muff. The woman' probably never for a moment thinks 011 the death scene in the forest or the bush j any more than the man who shoots a great many unnecessary grouse or part-; ridges worries himself about it afterwards. But, in regard to the destruction of plumage birds, there is this to be remembered. The man who makes a liv-' ing; slaying animals, will in time wipe' out anything (barring rabbits). Man ■has killed out most of the native birds in New Zealand, the buffaloes in America, the timers in South Africa,, and the wolves in England. Man when his pocket is concerned is ruthless, ana n -Is absurd to believe that women will_ cease buying the result of his ruth, if she imagines that a paradise bird, or a frilled iguana, or a. baby crocodile looks rather" nice in her hat. There is no more chance of Lord Crewe putting a stop to the slaughter of birds than there is of chopping down a kauri-tree with a fruit- j knife. The most, beautiful birds come' from lone lands where the policeman is scarcer than the moa and a local authority never existed. The wild desire to have dead birds in the feminine hat will, die a natural death when "Chantecler" j is past and gone. And, if you carefully; examine the next bird hat you see, you ( will probably find that the gorgeous fea-i thered .aristocrat from Borneo or Brazil | is a. composite beauty -which owes its feathers and its joyous tints to the. fowlyard, the artist, and the artisan. THE RUSSIAN BEAR. j Russia is vast. It is impossible to rea-' lise its vastness unless one clips it out of a proportional map and places it alongside the entire British Empire. It is hard to understand the villainies that appear to prevail in Russia, for as a general thing the individual Russian is a simple, unaffected, kindly personage, who loves bis country, his family and his czar. Eminent persons have sought to prove that Russia owes its extraordinary social condition and its wierd administration to widely diffused' mad-i ness. If the events that are chronicled I as being the common everyday occur-1 rences of Russian life are real, madnessi is the only word that describes tliel condition existing. Russia is apparently one of the most debased countries on earth, but it is also a country of extraordinary intellects, genius and culture. More organisations exist for the benefits of the poor than elsewhere, the tenure of land is excellent, and tens <Jf millions of peasants thrive and are happy. Hut in some matters of administration it is inconceivable to us. who enjoy some benefits unknown in Russia, that human beings can act as Russian rulers do. Russia's treatment of its archduchy Fin-i land is curious. The Finns are exemplary people, fclieir institutions are model,! their religion real, and' their habits'

thrifty ancT lawabiding. - And they have governed themselves adequately. But Russia has suddenly decided to interfere and to practically destroy the Finnish institutions by Russianising them. All great powers are tyrannous, and Russia is as tyrannous as the other great powers, 'there is a suggestion that the nations that believe in nationalisation for the subject people of other empires ought to interfere on behalf of Finland. T'ie reasons for doing so are no better than the reasons for the nterferenre of Hhe powers in regard to Egypt or any I other subject State. Russia is regarded diplomatically as one .of the cleverest nations in the world, and in the matter of the Russification of Finland, she has probably moved with specific intention. She wishes westward irresistiblv, just as Britain pushes north, south, east and west, any time and e.ll the time. Put it is Russia which pushes the Finns, and not Britain. And Russia is very wieked. The wrong in using the mailed -fist k patent to every man in the British Empire, if the mailed fist belong to some other empire. Which is only human nature after all.