MISCELLANEOUS.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 236, 13 November 1873, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

Sir Gladstone musb {fel as it" the'grasshopper wore a bur - den. What with flic state 5t tk© EtfOsoTHiCoiiimons, and the position of thi Mjniatry, and the sqUabbfea among somo of his colleagues, jknd tho st^teTof hit ownniealth, ho must havo beoh just at "fits wits' end when he lost his Whip. If only Parliament, would go away, life might be endurable ;foroven Mr Gladstone after hii great lons.' , Tlio Spectator, in denning the duties of <* WhiM •\vj?*,^£f The Whip iauit be in the closest relation* with hft.. ; cl) t {ef at all hours of tho day, yet be incessantly employed onJiftie* which carry thtflfr far apart. A good Whip ought' to * know erorj man in the Houso of Commons, know him in tho deepest «ense, tho sense of understanding what he wants, what he is driring at, what hit influence actually it, where his angle of cleavage from bis party may usually be found. He must kno#, too, lopething 6f his political history, of his relation to his constituents, and if possible of his relation to society. He must be able to persuade men so different that they need a Jesuit apieoe to tako care of them to act together, and must be able to inform them on subjects which tax the whole Cabinet sometime* to explain. If a member is wanted to vote, and does' not understand what he is doing, he must be told something, if only the lobby he is expected to be in. If a doubtful member wants to stay away, Mr GHyn must tell him lie ought toTote. If a doubtful Cane is determined tb rebel, Mr GHya must explain to his chief what that secession will cost, and what concession would remove the danger. He must hear every rumour, know more or less of every man's movements, be always rvody to deny canards, always stand between hi* chief and surprises, answer all sorts of absurdities, do it all with an immovable temper, and above all, do it with a »elfelf.icoment, a submission to the Tiewa of the chief, which must sometimes be a harder trial than the work, hard as that H, for all this and much more has to be done in time, that is, it full «peeilibptwcen 4 p.m. and 2 a.m., for six months In thcrt'ur. A c illier doe* not work the Whip's hours, and thehuildrrs liiitc struck for four hours less. But the Whip has tin immensity of business to do out of the House; to study, and, if poviblc, influence elections everywhere, to correspon ' with nil manner of men whono single common quality is selfimportance, to keep liimsplf abreast ot current opinion, and above nil, to keep up, if he can, some approach to discipline miiong candidates ior scat-, who non-a-days rush at them a* |if they could win by their own numbers. To do all these things effectively requires, in it* way, more administrative ability than most seats in the Cabinet, and it has to be dono as the alter ego of another man, almost in secrecy, and witli the deepest caution and reserve. To do it at ail require a special man, to do it well a witn who, under other circumstances, might succeed as Papal Legate hi a mutinous province. No ambassador, except occasionally one at Constantinople, has so much to do in delicate personal diplomacy ; and no man, except perhaps a military auditor-general or a ! juryman in the Tiohborne case, has so much to try his temper. No Whip who was not a politician, ajd a keen one, " could work at all, and yet no Whip who cared more for measures than to keep in the governing men of hit predilection could remain m office for a month. He would be too exasperated in committee. There is no unusual pa; to attract candidates, £2,000 a year, no special chance of political promotion, and unless the House should take to making Mr Brand's ense a precedent, no great prize to which the Whip can look forward with content." There i* just now, *ay« the European Mail considerable discontent among the agricultural population, who are agitating for a rise in their wages, and there can be no doubt that Queensland, New Zealand, and South Australia have lately been ablo to get tome recruit* from among them. Emigration pay* better than soldiering, so that while the recruiting sergeant goes away empty- handed, the emigration agent, wno is able to offer liberal terms, is pretty sure of' enlisting hi* men. AMr Arch, who has been acting in concept with the Executive and Consultative Committee of tbe National Agricultural Labourer*' Union, is going out to America with the intention of selecting land suitable for a townihip. It ia a pity that he did not turn his attention to Australia. At a meeting of the Committee and labourers interested, to wisli success to his mission, Mr Arch referred to the opposition offered to the movement by the farmers, and said the Queen, in refusing tbe request of her labourer* for additional wages, had set tbe country a bad example, and if she did not value her honest labourers, then he would take them to a country where their labour would be valued and appreciated. He demanded some land for working men to cultivate, and referring to his visit to Amer.ca, said he must not be tied down to any time, because he was determined to emancipate his fellow men if he remained for fivo - .years, provided he found there freedom, plenty, and prosperity. From this it will be seen that emigration is at lost regarded as a panacea for low wage*. A* this feeling increases, and .as favorable opportunities offer, there Will be a . great addition to the progressive power of our colonial empire. Tourist (to Mariner) : ' Have you ever sailed in the Immortulite ? ' Mariner : ' Ca'nl *ay I ever heard of her, *ir.' Tournt : l Surejy, you hare I It't spelt I-m-m-o-r-r-a-l-i-t-e !' JM»nner . • &.y~ ay, sir, jou mean ttie Mbrtal Eight. " Know her well, sir.' — Boatman : ' Get wet in the water! I should think we do. That* one reason why. we are so dry ashore ; . but it's the salt in the air as finishes it. It gets through the skin and brings a kind o' thirst, You'll find it after a week, or two, find then you'll never 'avoout-t boat again without arskin' the poor old boatman to 'aye a gloss !' — Giving it a name. Gentleman : ' These joung ladies tell me you are a. very good scholar at Sunday school. I suppose you don't know who lam ? ' Child : ' Yes, »ir. You're' the gent n* preached last Sunday for the Society for the Profligation of Christian Knowledge.' — Land sharks and sea sharks : Father Neptune : ' Well, Mr P., you've brought thos* abipowning ' fellow* to their bearings, why don't you give it to. tbe railway director*, now ? ' — Tumrno* : ' Well, Mr* Simpson, and 'ow it be that the milk in these part* are rose ?' Mr* S. : ' Why, you see, Tummas, this late rise in coal bar caused iron to get no so, that they hay riz the price of pumps 1' The Spectator asks :— What is the liability of-an editor to his personal friends P Strictly speaking, he should have none ; ahould attack hi* own' father if he disapproves of hi* speeches, or lash hi* wife's last book if he think* it rubbish. Thia i*, no doubt, absolutely true, as it i« al«o absolutely true — to steal an epigram from an Australian who-ooce. wrote *V pamphlet on the subject — that an editor should live in a cellar ; but in practice men will not comply with either con* - dition, and such demand would drive all the men with heart* and tempers out of the profession. It ii, nevertheless, excessively difficult to find a rule that shall be morally sufficient ; for silence, though it will meet the caw of- a book, unless of grave importance, will 'not meet that of gravo political action. We suspect that in this case, as in all other* - we havo quoted, the practice of Parliament is still th.c best guide, and Mint the journulist is bound, as the »tate»man would be bound, to do hi* duty, and tnke the consequence*. He might be a little more gentle in hi* language, a little apologetic in his tono, but tho attack must not be deputed of it* efficiency for any personal consideration whatsoever. The New York Timet has recently appeared in new type, the paper being issued from a reconstructed office, and printed by new machinery throughout. The variou* improvements which thi* journal ha* recently put into practical operation in the conduct of it* biuines* cost.it* proprietor* $150,000, and among the chief of these improvement* has been the introduction of two Walter presse*. The NewYork Timet speaks of these machine* in the highest terms, describing them as " by far the most perfect piece of machanUm yet invented." " The Walter Press," it says, " isto all other prestos what a pot of Liebigs' extract of beef i* to the weakett kind of beef tea. It could be set up in a drawing room, and yet it prints the paper at a rate of speed never before attained." There are three Walter machine* now in use in America, and their work i* attracting great attention. , * -. It w ill not be many years before America will baTe newapaper* in every knowu language. Ten year* ago almost any one would have ridiculed the idea of a Chinese newspaper in California ; yet we see by a San Francisco paper that the Quane Se, which sailed for China about a week ago, carried, an order for one million pieces of Chinese type, which will be usod for the publication of a tri-weekly paper to be printed in the Chinese language in the city of San Francisco. The proprietors will be a company of Mongolian merchant*. " We may therefore expect,'* aaya the Call, " to see pig-tailed reporter* at me' ting, and be treated to *eathing Chinese editorial*." It begins to look a* though the " Damchinaman" would become a recognised power. How long will it be before the Chinaman will make hi* first purchase of American printing material? v Tbe 18th Kojal Irish has tbe bonor of possessing tbe oldest soldier in the British army, or perhaps in the world, in the person of the Colonel of tbe regiment, General Sir John Fora ter Fitzgerald, Ghv/.8., tbe senior general in the army and a veteran of eighty yean' service, his first commission as ensign bearing date October 29, 1793. At the early age of eighteen this distinguished officer was a major, having obtained his fiist con mission when he was eight year* old ; in six month* and ten days after be was a captain, and joined hi* regiment, tbe 46tb, as ft captain of seven and a half yearn standing at the age of sixteen. Sir John has been a full gtntial for tbe iaat nineteen, yW r», , and colonel of the 18th Eoyaji Irish for thirtieu years. Be commanded a light infantry legiment at the Battle of Salamanca, and a brigade at the Pyrenees in 1813, «• lieutenant-colonel. Most of our reader* ore acquainted with rangiora (firachtfglottis rapanduj, a shrub beuring a very large leaf, which is preen on its upper purfaee and white and paper-like beneath. It is frequently called the paper mulberry, but is quit* distinct from thnt tree. Last-week, Mr Giddy, of Huritngi,. had a cow, which but recently calved, fatally poisoned by eating of this shrub. Owing to the late stormy weather, the feed in that dibtrict lias been short ; this, probably, induced the sn mnl to'browse npon a small ahrub which grew near the owuer'a cottage. Soon afterward* it fell, foamed at the mouth, drovt its horns iuto the earth, and exhibited the usual symptoms of tutu poisoning. — Argut. , The paper maniifsetvrera of Japan, according to a4Japantae paper, expect scon \o be able to ««pply tbe American market with paper.