Some Tooleries.

Observer, Volume X, Issue 622, 29 November 1890, Page 9

Some Tooleries.

A corbespondent says he heard the following conversation in Queen-street the other day, and he asks me.to make it the subject of observation in this column : — Brown: See J. L. Toole is here ! Jones : Yes ; did you ever notice that all the leading men of the present day have • J. L.' as their initials ? Eobinson : No ; is it really so ? Brown : Well, of course, there's Johnny L. Toole to begin with — tne greatest comedian of the century. Jones : Then there's John L. Sullivan, the bravest boxer of the age. Robinson : And what about J. L. Wilson, the boss newspaper proprietor of New Zealand ? Jones : And J. L. Kelly, the champion poet-editor o Auckland 1 Brown : Hear, hear. But do you know the greatest ' J. L.' of the lot ? Jones and Robinson : No ; tell us. Brown : Why, the great heroine who killed a general — the J. L. of Scripture, you know. Jones and tiobinson : J. L. who ? Brown : Oh, just Jael— nothing more ! Jones and Eobinson : Done Brown ! 1

* * # My blushes hardly allow me to write on the above subject ; but I would simply remark that Messrs B. J. and E. nave made out a very plausible case, though it is not impossible to make out an equal number of celebrated men with other coincident initials. For example, taking J. M. Dargaville as a type of all that is grandest and noblest in political life, we have besides him got J. M. Lennox, J. M. Verrall, and J. AI. Twomey now before the electors of the colony, and all in favour of a State Bank. J. M. Shera is another politician of note; J. M. Clark was once a name to conjure with; and in journalism there is J. M. Geddis, who is now editing J. M. Dargaville's paper. I shall ask the permission of the J. L.'s to retire in favour of the J. M.'s * # *

Another jocular correspondent is to the front with a Toole conundrum, as follows : — Why are the implements used by the students — geological and others- under the charge of Mr Be tou in Mt. Eden 'stone jug,' not lawfully the property of the Prisons Department ? Because they are J. l. Too(e'a (gaol tools.) I hope the veteran comedian, wheu ho reads this, will not conclude that Auckiaodera are a race of inveterate punsters, upon whom his refiued witticisms will be thrown away. It would be deplorable if Tools should be out-Tooled in the land of the Maori ; bac I don't think the danger is imminent.