THE WEEK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7923, 30 January 1904, Page 4

THE WEEK.

i "Let us ... I Expatiate free o'er all this maze of man, | A mighty maze, but not without a plan." —Pope. The fact that a "meeting" at Linwood voted against the proposed water-supply is ! not particularly discouraging to its advocates. What is disheartening, however, is the fact that only nine people turned up to vote at all. .+ A Bear climbing up a pole is a pitiable object, especially when high enough to exhibit his anterior portions; But a Bear Climbing Down, Whining and Lying, ia too sick for words — especially if goaded by the bayonet of a) pigmy. 4 |io the Tilikum has turned up safely at Durban. In other words, Voss has actually got his tiny dug-out across six thousand miles of his homeward trip. There appears no reason now why, in ccrurse of time, ho should not accomplish lihe most phenomenal voyage ever sailed by snan since th*e? days of Noah. r* Dear " Star." — I see that 38 Australians have snubbed Mr Deakin for jaining in Seddon's protest. As they resided in. Johannesburg, they doubtless got a good price per head from the mine-owners. /I reside in Christ-church, but that's no reason why I shouldn't make a bit, is it? Well, I'm prepared' to snub Richard Johm Seddon, and to gat a dozen others (all patriotic Maorilanders) to do ditto, for 7s 6d per head, paid in advance. Just let Ikey Me know, and oblige yours, STONY HARD-UP.* « One of the principal "patriotic" bodies which took leading parts in forcing.England into waar with Kruger was the " Transvaal Chamber of Mines." This same truly British crowd has now formed a Londo-n Committee to move heaven and earth to permit Chinese dumping. Listen, therefore, to the names of ten of these thirteen pureblooded Patriots : — Julius Wernher, Louis Leopold, Solly Joel, Leopold Albu, Sigmund Neumann, Henry Straikosh, Anton Brunkels, Isaac Lewis, Julius Berkin, Marquis D'Hautpoul. Things are getting mixed. •Rule Briiamniia— o'er your dhildren'a graves, Moaes leads in/to bondage Chinkie slaves, Whilst *h»t Proud Flag, ne'er soiled, tihough of fa times rernt, la used to wrap up Pork at sihent per eheiut ♦ Surely the' Whitaker Wright suicide ought to open investors' eyes to the fatuity of trusting to titled guinea-pigs. But it won't. Any swindle that's backed by a lord is good enough to catch the B.P. Lord Dufferin is dead, but despite Mr Justice Bingham's attempted' judicial whitewashing of " honest mistake or negligence," there are other lordly flat-catchers who* ought to face the music. No man has a rigiit, however "honestly," sto 5 to negligently, permit .his name to shield rqguery. At the very least the onus of proving innocence 'lies on those who have .undoubtedly furnished the bait for the trap. * It is / eaid that local theatrical critics have, frightened away another manager.. "I doubt it," said the carpenter, aid ahed a bitter tear. There is only one consideration that affects managers here, as everywhere else, and that is the gate, the whole gate, and nothing but the gate. Newspaper criticism don't affect that— or only affects it favourably. " Chrrstchurchj" said a wellknown entrepreneur years ago, "cares for nothing, but legs." Anyhow, tihe interesting | fact remains that legs are about all that pay for more than a nigiht or two, and even legs have a pretty hard) time of it. — 4 ■ .. If the Japanese are to be sampled by a. Melbourne resident of that nationality, they will be quite as useful in a scrap as the Russians will desire. The little brown man. in question was evidently an adept* in .the mysterious wrestling of nis country. Being set upon late at night by what answers to the name of the "rocks push," be kept several assailants at bay until rescued by the police. One of the larrikins got his ankle dislocated. A witness related that Mr Fusikara did very little violent work. He. slipped and dodged and tripped! and feinted, but h*e had! three enemies on the ground', and one witlr\the result mentioned. . — -♦- ; .•' ■■ ...v . If certain South Island medicos hare been, a bit dicky over their diagnosis of small-pox, North Island sons of Esculapius

are not always as clear as blue mud in a wine glass. " A medical witness described the ailments as neurasthenia." "Another described the term as covering a lamentable ignorance of what really was the matter." " I'm blesed if I know what's amiss, it baffles aii my knowledge, • ; To diagnose <a case like — ii 3, Would floor ithe Surgeon.' College; He's got a. liver fai too b:g, A swelliiig near the .pleen here — But these don't causo it — dash my wig, It must bo Neurasthenia. He died, post-mortem (Takings showed, By clubs his skull was battered, Inbernal hemorrhage had flowed — His vertebras were shattered, Said they, "ia bullet's pierced hia brain, Of shot there are fifteen here, Yet still the cause of death is plain— ''Traumutio Neurasthenia"! Its all explained— true an'tidcte, To all our brain distresses, Froni politicians' change of vote, To ladies' change of dresses, Should vaccination prove absurd, On which we are so keen here, We'll put it down — oh, blessed word! To giddy Neurasthenia 1 Doctors, we know, are NEVEJR wrong, If microbes don't infect one,- . They'll bring their o_lf J lymp_ right along, And speedily inject one; Your symptoms then are orthodox, No longer they'll seem green here, They'll know you (have got chicken-pox, Or pip, ex 'Neurasthenia. +_ — . We' don't know whether Dr M' Arthur's decision iii the Wellington " Golden Grid " case was right or wrong, neither do we particularly care. But we thoroughly endorse the remark of the Minister of Justice that it would be a serious matter to interfere with judicial decisions every time a Ministers' Association or any other association, considered them wrong. "Government by emotion " would be a joke compared to this particular description of "Justice by hysteria." The parsons would have been much wiser to have brought the matter forward through laymen. If justice has miscarried, they would bave no difficulty in finding backers. If they do find such a difficulty, it's prima facie evidence that it hasn't. Anyhow, the mere flutter of a long-tailed coat and white choker in connection with any movement, seems to be instinctively regarded by the sons of Belial who manage the affairs cf this world as rendering the odds about 26 to 1 that that movement is either a fad, a' mare's nest or an attempt to interfere improperly with someone else.