MAYORAL RECEPTIONS.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 13145, 29 November 1906, Page 7

MAYORAL RECEPTIONS.

To the Editor of the "Timaru Herald."

Sir it tos a celebrated Viceroy of Ireland, also a military celebrity, that " the Irish in the battlefield rushed on with equal vim to death or victory."- Your correspondent " Shamrock,", who . must be"BLirish in every hineh of his marrow,", has enlisted *" Cosmopolitan v to fight his? battles -and has periormed the un-Hirish trick of letting another man do so. 1 I -cannot understand how lie fizzled out, *o ingleriously ._. (They, say.,-the ciamrock .on foreign soils- goes ;back .te the cosmopolitan clover.) "Cosmopolitan" (I hope I don'ti write " Shamrock" by mistake) says thatti:e men who replied to "Shamrock's" letter " lose sight of the fact that Shamrock did not object - ; Jo Marie Na regie's visit- bat merely the principle of travelling .show people being officially welcomed by the Mayor on behalf of the burgesses." .Now, although you could not afford me -space to diagnose " Shamrock's" logic about the green spectacles and the sweet spring time, I think he slightly errs in classing an artist like Marie Narelle under. the heading of travelling show ; people,' which includes anything from a. punch and Judy show upwards. .' Vulgarity is not argument. Now let us not lose sight of the fact •Cosmopolitan (or Shamrock) says we are losing—Was it right of the Mayor to do so In " Shamrock's" judgment it was not. Yet " Shamrock " has so much judgment to spare that he writes a letter to you and you have to delete--a- part of it as presumably traversing the rules of propriety, and forsooth this is the gentleman to sit in judgment on the Mayor while he is hhnseiff condemned by yon for lack of the ordinary judgment to write , a letter without being offensive. Shamrock's wail (Cosmopolitan's I mean) about j being subjected to insinuations of religious or national bias stands on the same logical : basis as his other arguments. He reminds me of Max O'Reli's query about the whereabouts of '' John Bull" when he took his periodical trip to Earis—(where was he!) Surely Shamrock and Co., (for ■shortness) are not mushroom residents of Timaru sprung up in a night. Where was Shamrock when the Mayor welcomed Ada Crossley, where was he when he welcomed Jessie McLachlan, and where was he when he welcomed the travelling band of the Salvation Aimy in the noon day in the Main''street and that on market day— SatTirday?'. Why did he reserve his righteous indignation till an Irish national balladEt came the living star in that. Kne of tj(e present day and then suddenly find outj. the monstrosity of the Mayor's actios..; Wofld any man of common sense expect, after such a course of action, that he was liable to the insinuations mentioned? No other Mayor in New Zealand did it, says " Cosmopolitan." Did any other* Mayor in-J itiate the shield and funds for. the battleship New Zealand? How many Mayors in New Zealand established municipal tea rooms, the free library, etc.? The Mayor hasimown himself a lover of ballad music. He has lectured on Bobby Burns, he is an admire£ l pf Tommy Moore and as the leading citizen of Timaru and as one who can look back on all his innovations and initia-. tive steps with pride and satisfaction, he saw nothng wrong in welcoming the interpreter of the Irish melodies to Timaru. In parting I say that no matter what national artist comes here you will find no Irishman, will question the action of the Mayor in welcoming her, except some Hirishman that borrow the name of Shamrock. I am, etc., ° .

DEAR LITTLE SHAMROCK. Sir,—Having made a. partial recovery' from the trouncing administered, to me T»y Q._ Chsey in this morning's paper, for having ventured to address a few .remarks to you on the above_subject, id all contriteness of; heart (note the changerrr-no longer "miserable") I now haste to relieve myself of tie sad burden, which it seems I have been labouring under; I withdraw unreservedly anything in my first letter which might have conveyed the impression that' Miss' Narelfe is not regarded by me as the very brightest luminary of the vocalistic firmament.. Any\ lady who. by her rendering of a Scottish' ballad could so warm the heart of G-. Casey as to lead him to imagine that ''Lough." Lomond had been transferred to Ireland, and to cause him to launch out into a vindication of the deeds of Paddy on the battlefield and the scrap heap, must certainly take first place. Ido not know of any other artist who has sufficient " power" of expression to be able, by the mere rendering. of a love song, to caiuse the removal of a , lake from one country to another, and to rouse in the breast of an Irishman feelings which lead him to "rush into print" with talk of "booming of guns" and danger to the Empire. Mr Casey is evidently a great admirer of the Mayor, _ and credits "him with converting Timaru from a. pigstye into a park. I have lived in Timaru a good many years now, and I cannot: say that I ever saw much resemblance to : a pig-stye in the appearance of the town,; and as for its present park-like appear-.

ance, I can only conclude that Mr Casey "has been led by Miss Narelle's concerts to view the town through green-coloured glasses. I had an impression that most -of the improvement in the sanitary condition of the town had been worked by a scheme initiated by a Mayor named Grandi, and that fhe improved appearance of most of our waste spaces was due to a certain "Beautifying Association. I quite appreciate Mr Craigie's energy and munificence as evidences at Caroline Bay and the; Belt, and quite agree with Mr Casey that he is a very good Mayor; but if anyone takes the trouble to look at a certain section opposite the Post? Office with which Mr Craigie has saddled the town, "he will see that it is just as much like a pig-stye as a park. But.l am inclined to think that Mr_ Craigie has only been appreciated at" his proper worth by Mr Casey since he •extended the hand of welcome to our late " illustrious" visitor.; I have a recollection of a gentleman of the name of Casey giving Mr Oraigie a rather rough time at a meeting of a' certain company not so 'long ago, and if it is the same gentleman who chastises me in your columns this morning, I can only hope that in due course I may effect as great a change rin : Mr Casey's feelings towards me as Mr Craigie has done.

"F. X. "Qumn" lias evidently come tethe conclusion that "Shamrock" and "Cosmopolitan "'jure one, Tmt he is barking up the -wrong tree. I am pleased to see that since anonymous. writers have come iorward on "his. side he now is willing to -respect a man who writes over an assumed -name as much as one wno signs his own. But in their ardour I»th. these gentletnen have overlooked 1 the main" point of my letter. What I object to is the principle of the Mayor " officially" welcoming people who visit ns with the object of ■matrTng money. If a great singer is wel- - corned, then a parens nas a perfect right to ask for the same patronage. For it is -certain that the eminent performer will re--ceive something more tangible than the nand of the. Mayor in .tie/snape of & larger -cheque, and'l maintain this should be the onlv distinction made between a good show and a mediocre one. With what the Mayor may do in his capacity as a private citizen, I have nothing to do; but I decidely object to his lending himself in his capacity as -Mayor to cheap advertising of professional people. In conclusion, I can assure Mi- Casey

and your other correspondents that they are quits mistaken in ascribing to me rancour against everything Irish. If Mr Casey had -written what was in his mind he would have'drawn a finer distmction—that between orange and green. He zs Evidently under the impression that my -protest against the Mayor's action was inspired by religious bias, but he may rest assured that I have no more sympathy than he has with anything 'yellow. Trusting that in any further discussion of this question, all national and religious feeling may be eliminated, and leaving "Shamrock" to take care of himself, I am, etc., COSMOPOLITAN. •' [We think enough has now been written on each side of this question. —Ed. T.H.]