A CHILD TO MEASURE STATESMANSHIP.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXVI, Issue 13277, 17 January 1911, Page 6

A CHILD TO MEASURE STATESMANSHIP.

Mr Maurice Hewlett makes a. novel sug-, gestibn in-the. Nineteontli Century, which statesmen should note.. “To have fine children,”: I;e sayS, ; . “tp: get; andlto rear them) is ,’the business (<if -. life?; tlibr'S wo are t<l the bare (bondF' of; moral,.'political; afid social economy-;', and unless "I want Fits;,.it- seems 'plain' enough that "our statesmen must uphold that as the ultimate test-in any measure yon please that; is .in debate. “They used to keFp a staple in the City, and another at Charing Cross, to -wdiieh the drapers brought their yard-arms to .be ganged. You may see one to thin day cut into the wall in the market-house of.‘Florence. In the present conjuncture—seeing" how plain is our-business-'.and. how complex the claims upon our time and temper —J'think that a, staple for .statesmanship should-be set up near Downing Street. ’ I should propose that a fine child, the very finest tlxe.se islands can furnish,, shall he,; kn.pt in Westminster Abbey,' say in i ''thcf- , ‘ l Bantistery, to whom the loaders of the* Ministry and Opposition,-ofthe Irish and Labour parties,, shall be sent at the beginning of every session for an honrVcontcjmplatibn. Additional' hours might bq.i provided (before the second ..reading of-.-Go-vermneiif: Bills, before consideration " of, the estimates,, and at other times of |.sqr-ious -(controversy. , IK-.: YTakqn'to this staple, and tested sern-.-pglbusly “by it) one speculates - wlfat'-kindj of-.fteadifigs so. just ;a meter jweuldrreG(Sfd.|| What figure, let us ask,- would;;the->All-j' R|<| mhp' of Great Britain cut, and one . , of' those ,'Biiianniarum Omnium’ of-which ”Fq read -on lithe' coinage? Nature knows nctliing of Erapife f being deeply engrossed yiir- business, according to her, can. get as fine children under the German, Dutch, and Amdijiean flags as under the,; Union Jack, Aik! if Germany and America are free to hing or givejhiin'.-more scope, why is he to be wijyned off them by All-Red maps, and arinaments at SO millions a year ? Let- the question run the gauntlet by all means. And Colonial Preference, too; away with it to tfiig:Baptistery. thing seems infallible, universal in scope. Payment of members! Taxation of land values! ,Minpi’ity report! To-the-staple with them/Are’and all. Here,' . then, at least, wo hath-tbb'.referendum atwork, aceoMing to a plan initiated, if I , i'eijacmber rightly, by King Solomon of Judah.^