PARS ABOUT PEOPLE

Observer, Volume XXII, Issue 30, 12 April 1902, Page 4

PARS ABOUT PEOPLE

THE resignation by the Rev. R. F. Macnicol of the active charge of

St. James's Presbyterian Church is an event that will be viewed with deep regret not only by the Presbyterians of Auckland but also by the whole community. Mr Macnicol has held this pastorate for thirty-three years, or almost from the day that the church was built, and throughout the whole of that time he has commanded the veneration and love of his own people and of everyone else who has come in contact with him. A man of mild and gentle manners, of broad and tolerant views, of sympathetic and charitable heart, and of earnest and self - denying life, he has been an exempler and teacher worthy of his Master's service.

St. James's, like many other colonial charges, has not always been a bed of roses for its pastor. Conflicts of opinion and of parties are as common in the Presbyterian church as in any other, but when these have arisen in St. James's, the tact, forbearance, and simple Christian spirit of the minister have invariably exercised a kindly and conciliating influence upon the irreconcileable elements. Though always an earnest and logical preacher, it was more as a guide, a comforter and a friend that

Mr Macnicol endeared himself to his people, and many a widow and orphan has realised, in the bitter moment of bereavement, the depth of his sympathy and his power as a comforter. It is idle, however, to attempt, by means of set conventional phrases in a secular journal, to convey any Adequate of the good work done by tlie Rev. R. F. Macnicol in Auckland during his charge of St. James's. But it is a work that has won the love of his people, the high esteem ami regard of the community, and that must entitle him to that final reward from his Master: " Well done thou good and faithful servant."

We are glad to learn that it is not the intention of St. James's congregation to allow Mr Macnieol to sever his connection with them. Though no longer burdened with the active duties of this large and trying charge, he will remain with it as pastor emeritus, enjoying a stipend during the remainder of his days. In other words, Mr Macnieol will be the revered father of the ■church in which he has laboured for so many years, assisting in the work as far as his strength enables him. And voicing the sentiments of many who grew from childhood under his teachings, we trust he may be spared to St. James's in this capacity for many a long day.

Phil May, the black and white artist, gets big prices for his sketches, as much as £60 being paid in some instances for one of his full-page efforts in simple lines, wherefore he probably saw something more than mere humour in the circular letter he received not long ago from an American business house engaged in the sale of dried fruit, inviting him to compete for a prize to be given for the best design to be used in advertising their wares. Only one prize was to be given, and ■all unsuccessful drawings were to become the property of the firm. After reading the circular, Phil sat down and wrote the following letter : — " The Manager, Dried Fruit Co. Gentlemen, — I am offering a prize of lialf-a-crown for the best specimen of dried fruit, and should be glad to have you take part in the competition. Twelve ■dozen boxes of each kind of fruit should be sent for examination, and ■all fruit that is not adjudged worthy of the prize will remain the property of the undersigned. It is also required that the charges on the fruit so forwarded be paid by the sender.— Yours, 4tc"

Lance Corporal Nation wrote to his parents only eight weeks ago, saying : 11 Our time of service will soon expire, and we shall be glad to see home once more. Sometimes I fear something may happen to spoil all." That "something" has happened, and poor young Nation is in his grave. The fortunes of war !

The Bulletin declares that there is quite a touching friendship between Premier Seddon and Governor Ranfurly in M. L. Every session now, it says, Parliament is asked to vote sums for the Governor which should come from His Ex.'s own pocket. And on Ranfurly's side there .ire, of course, compensations. When Ranfurly went away over a year ago to "annex" the Cook Islands, Stout, C.J. , became deputy-Governor, and he made things so warm for King Dink that Ran fnrly will hardly be allowed ort' the chain again before his term expires. Stout and Seddon don't drink in the same bar nowadays. This is only a figure of speech, of course, for Seddon is able to afford a private room these times, and Stout quenches liis honourable thirst at the pump.

Can anyone 1 tell us where Mr N. A. McLeod is ? A week or two ago, he was an energetic member of the Board of Education, and was supposed to be angling once more for the Liberal vote for the Bay of Islands scat. Now, he has suddenly resigned his seat on the Board of Education, and Dargaville knows him no longer. He was down at the Devon, saying "goodbye" to the Ninth Contingent, and it is suggested that he may have been carried off by mistake. But if this were so, the Devon called at Sydney, and Mr McLeod might easily have cabled to his friends.

It is known that Mr McLeod was ambitious to become an officer in tfhet, Ninth, and it is suggested that King Dick may have conferred a com mission on him at the last moment. Of course, there was a hubbub about eleventh hour commissions in the Eighth, and if one weie given to Mr McLeod on the Devon, King Dick

may have kept the fact to himself. But that is no reason why Mr McLeod's friends should not have been told. However, the fact remains that the Devon has gone, and that the Liberals are casting around for a new candidate for the Bay of Islands seat- But where is Mr MeLeod ?

The Rev. J. G. Greenhough, who came out on the usual lecturing tour of the colonies about a year ago, is Home again, if his article in the London Christian World, of February 26th, is to be believed. The reverend critic gets to work in two columns of sifted praise and veiled sarcasm, and the Christian World readers, who are very many, will probably unpack their swags when they read Mr Greenhough. He thinks tluit the dictation of trades unions, without regard to the law of supply and demand, is going to hurry on the hard times. He thinks old age pensions penalise thrift, and that New Zealand will have to pass through a time of suffering before it learns wisdom, and much more on the same lines. Shortly, that we are a community of fools !

McMabon, of "Our Navy" fame, lost a great record for his moving picture show, with himself as a centrepiece. The Cambridge Inanimate Pigeon Club invited him out to shoot. He went, and after watching carefully the various antics of the performers, took a gun, and after doing all the prelinunary spreading of foot, etc., lie

j let blaze. "No break, no shot," cried Lthe official. Little Mao. didn't underI stand the custom of breaking the gun or opening the breach and closing be- ! fore shooting, but loaded up and took I his stand again.

" Break your gun," his friends cried. Not to be behindhand, he tried to /break the gun in earnest, and blew a hole six inches deep a yard in front of him, and just clear of Jack Gallagher's feet. The man who let fly the inanimate birds scooted, and so, i also, did. the crowd, and, from behind adjacent fences, etc., yelled for his friends to take the gun from him. McMahon

left the ground indignantly, and it was not until a full and complete explanation was given by at least a dozen experts that he believed that nothing but a game was being played upon him. ■

Mr Walter H. Phillips, who has been elected Mayor of Waihi after a hardly fought but fair and square contest, is a shrewd man of business and popular with everyone. He is also one of the youngestnieninthecolonyinaMayoral capacity, which seems to fit in with the youth of the borough. There is no sport going that Walter is not connected with, and his aim is to make football, athletics, horse-racing, and all other amusements as manly and clean as they ought to be. Walter's chances for the Mayoralty were not too promising. He had a very strong opponent in C. J. Saunders, a member of the local County Council, and the man who predicted a victory for either was looked on as an all too sanguine prophet. There was a third candidate in Francis H. Lees, the owner of a deal of property in the new-born borough, and who reckoned that he was fair and above board in all his business dealings. He thought these were qualities that would land him top of the poll. But the electors thought other wise, and when Francis took the floor they plied him with ticklish questions, mostly on finance. His replies showed that he was not au fait with many simple problems, and lie came a cropper.

Where Saunders seemed* to collapse svas on a question put by the miners — namely, if he would support a minimum screw of 8/- a day to Council workmen. "Charlie" hedged it for fully ten minutes, and wound up, after a power of pressing, with a halfhearted " yes." The miners put the same question to Phillips the following night, and he scored heavily. " Yes, most undoubtedly," came back the answer, in a full, clear, baritone voice, even before the question was finished. The applause was deafening, and the chances of Walter, which until then had not been rosy, went up like a rocket, and he was looked upon as Mayor. The poll on Monday told the rest.

A pleasing feature in the election was the cordiality of the candidates. They were in bon accord all through, each of them working in his own way without attacking the others. Mr Phillips holds office for a few weeks only, the Act requiring that all Mayors elected between times shall stand again at the election on April 27th. But the probability is that Walter will not be unseated, as the three candidates, in accordance with the cordiatly aforesaid, signed an agreement that the two who were unsuccessful would take the election on Monday as the verdict 6f the ratepayers, and would support the other at the election to follow.

Walter Cossar has a grievance which there appears to be something in. The grievance, according to report, is that a while ago Walter planked down a pound in an art union sanctioned by the Government. The drawing came off, and it turned out that the ticket held by Walter was the lucky one. But he didn't get the picture. It was discovered, it seems, that in some way or other, owing to the absence of a referee or someone to watch the proceedings, that the drawing was " not in due form," and it was forthwith repeated. This time the picture fell to a Ponsonby resident of very old standing. Walter is thinking of fighting it to a finish.

They tire still laughing over on the other side at the barefaced way in which the pushing advance agent for Wilson Barrett used the mayors of the leading New Zealand towns to advertise the show with receptions of Barrett. Apropos, a correspondent says this mamuuvre either struck Percy Dix, the variety show-man, as good business or else Dix has a large sense of humor, and when the Great Mummer was billed for a reception in gusty Wellington, Dix approached the portly mayor and suggested that a, similar honour be accorded his Cragg family of acrobats. His Washup, however, glared like an angry flame against a window-pane, and scouted the suggestion with contumely.

Mr Walters, master of the Waitekauri school, who was mulcted in £5 for caning a pupil for doing something he was forbidden to do, will get a lot of sympathy, and the probability is that the fine will be recouped. But it seems to us the magistrate had no other course than .to line him. In summing up the evidence it was clear that he felt for the teacher, but it seems there is no law to support the action of a teacher as against the authority of a parent after school hours. Boiled down, the facts were that two parts of a creek were deiined for bathin in, one part for boys and the other for the girls, which having been done the sexes were forbidden to bathe together. On this occasion, the sister of the boy was the first to reach home, the boy having to go ott' his course on a message. Earlier in the day, the children got permission from the mother to bathe in another part of the creek, near the house, and on arriving home the sister of the boy ami a girl guest went to the creek and jumped in. Shortly after, along came the boy, and lie also went in, all having costumes oil. The three were joined by two other girls, and it seems they were spotted by a subordinate teacher, who threatened to tell.

The children, in view of the caning awaiting them, demurred on the following morning to go to Hchool, and the parent sent a note stating she had given authority. The teacher ignored this note, and caned them all round. Under the law existing, there seems to have been no option for the S.M. but to uphold the parent. But, to the jniud of the Ohskkvkh, there is blame

attaching to a parent who permits anything that is forbidden by a teacher. The order by Mr Walters was on moral grounds a necessary and good one, anil the parent who upset it, whether in or out of school hours, assuming she knew the order had been given, did more harm than good to her children. For the sake of decency, it is a good thing that cases of the sort are few and far between.

The Key. A. Mitchell, who is leaving Coromandel and proceeding South to-day, will be greatly missed all over the district of Auckland. During his sojourn here he has proved that he is the essence of geniality, a faculty that is not too common in Methodist preachers. As a vocalist, he was always in demand, and his services at concerts for deserving objects were never sought in vain. MiMitchell has good reason to remember his stay in Auckland. During a few days' visit to Waihi he contracted typhoid fever, which developed on his return to Coromandel, and laid him so low that lie was nearly gathered to Abraham's bosom. On leaving Coromandel he was tendered a conversazione, presented with a complimentary address, and received many valuable presents.

There wouldn't be any necessity for Dick Seddon to concern himself about the falling birthrate if New Zealanders were all built on the same lines as one of the members of a deputation that recently appeared before a Southern board of education. He triumphantly announced, to the ill-disguised admiration of the assembled conclave, that he "had twenty-one children — four at school, four more ready to go, and there might be four more by-and-bye." That board might lind it good business to open a branch school in the heavy father's back yard.

Mr J. H. YVitheford is again to the rescue as an entertainer of the people who visit us. On Monday evening lie entertains for the second time the oiticers of the fleet now in port, and for the same evening has provided for the amusement of no less than two hundred Jack Tars by reserving a part ot the Opera House for their accommodation. It is handy for the city that an entertainer of the readiness of Mr Witheford is right on the spot at the proper time. Since the days of Mayor Clark, Admirals and others have come and gone, and little has been done with them save a trip up Mount Eden, a visit to the Art (iallery, or an invitation to a show that hasn't cost much. Perhaps the honorarium is too small for our Mayors to be lavish on, and in consequence their Worships have to economise and give the will for the deed. Anyway, the city is thankful that the Mayor across the water is always on hand in the nick of time.

.The libel law presses too hard altogether on the poor unfortunate newspaper man. The other day, an up-country editor published what he thought was a very appreciative and kindly obituary of a prominent citizen, but wound up with the statement that the deceased had " gone to a happier home." He soon found himself defendant in a libel suit brought by the widow. He apologised by saying that the deceased had not gone to a happier home, and now the widow is looking for the editor with a gun.

Good old John Giuliani, a I'onsoiiby identity, who is known by his welltriinnied mutton ■ chops and elastic embonpoint, thought he was a "goner " for sure one day recently. He was over at Rangitoto, searching on the

flat part in the interests of geology, and came across a jam-tin. Usually,

there is nothing in a jam-tin to attract attention, but John, who is keen on science, picked the utensil up to see if it was modern or prehistoric. And he dropped the tin before he had time to study it. No sooner had he got it in his tingers than whizz went a bullet in close proximity, and then another, and yet another, till it seemed as if half-a-dozen Maxims and a decent lot of pom-poms were pouring their deadly shot about him. He shouted for all he was worth that lie was not a Boer and never had been, but still the bullets peppered, occasionally hitting the tin and making it jump like a thing of life. Then a thought struck the veteran. It is the boast of a Britisher that he respects the white Hag, so without loss of time, and while the hail was going on, John snatched

from his pocket a^cambric, fixed it on his walking-stick, and waved it with alljjthe strength he could rally. Then he 'swooned. A few minutes later a, party of cadets, wending their way to a jam- tin target, discovered a prostrate form near by, having calm and

placid features and apparently Hluuiberpng. They woke it up, and a little iwliile later wore listening to a homily on the proper range to practice ati