IN THE MIRROR

Ladies' Mirror, Volume 3, Issue 12, 1 June 1925, Page 3

IN THE MIRROR

J/[ASSEY has passed, and an Empire mourns the loss of one of its greatest sons. The last few weeks have been tragically scattered with the all tooevident traces of the progress of the Grim Reaper amongst those of high position. His victims have numbered leaders in all spheres of human endeavour. Statesmanship, Art, Letters, Business and War have each contributed double toll to the Inevitable, and the Empire is the poorer by many great and famous names, but amongst all those splendid figures that moved amongst us hut a few short days ago and who now . are but glorious memories, none will occupy a more worthy place than that of the late Premier of New Zealand. His is a record of staunch, unblemished integrity; of unswerving devotion to a noble ideal; of a lifetime spent in application to duty even unto the time when frail flesh could hardly support the burden that the resolute spirit insisted on its hearing to the last: of sacrifice of self to the people of New Zealand and to the Empire. He sought no honours save an unsmirched name and craved no reward except his own knowledge of duty gladly, sufficiently done. Undoubtedly his labours on our behalf shortened his life, and, except in the pleasure he gained in work accomplished, deprived him of many of the joys that were his just and well-earned due. He leaves behind an example that should inspire our youth, and a re-

cord that must he a source of comfort to Mrs. Massey in her mourning. Let us he glad, as lie probably was, that he departed with his honours full upon him: that he died in harness, yet with his work accomplished, leaving as his monument a country that has passed through the recent tumultuous, disastrous years as successfully and as prosperously as any country in the world, and which has emerged from the Valley, thanks to his genius (that genius that is built on a solid foundation of hard work) with a glorious future assured. * * * * TN the old days, Mr. Massey and Mr. Seddon faced one another for many years across the floor of the Mouse of Representatives and in the years to come their monuments will stand on the hilltops facing each other across the waters of Wellington Harbour. Between them their Premier ships have filled up twentysix years in New Zealand’s Parliamentary annals, which now extend back over the past seventy years, and their figures, with that of Sir George Grey, are the outstanding ones in our political history. Sir George Grey, whose name is associated with three different parts of the Empire, lies in St. Pauls in London, the tomb of so many of the nation’s soldiers and sailers. New Zealand has no traditional Valhalla, and in its absence the hill-top tombs in the capital city make fitting resting places for her two big leaders.

WHILE Mr. Seddon's Premiership was distinguished chiefly by audacity in social legislation and the trying out of ideas which had been talked of elsewhere but not put into practice, to Mr. Massey fell the task of piloting the country through the turmoil of the war years, and though the Great War was not in sight when his Premiership began it would have been difficult to find a public man more fitted to the task that fortune allotted to him. His robust optimism, sound commonsense, and dogged perseverance were just the qualities needed through the weary four years of war. Mr. Massey was the captain of the storm; indeed, his whole political career was no bed of roses, first with the long uphill fight in Opposition, then immediately on takingoffice the big waterside strike, a bitter fight that lasted four months, and then the war and its long aftermath. Mr. Massey' had earned easy years, but only' in the grave are they his. Nevertheless, as the poet says: Sleep after toxic, port after stannic seas, Ease after warre, death after life, docs greatly please. * * * * j^ATURALLY the question of the hour is who is to succeed to the vacant throne? Who is capable of adequately shouldering the onerous burdens that Mr. Massey bore so efficiently? Probably the choice may be limited to three names ; Mr. Downey Stewart, Mr. J. G. Coates and Mr. McLeodfrom these three it is almost certain that the selection will be made. All New Zealand knows that Mr. William Downey Stewart was badly injured in the War; indeed, it is a most extraordinarytiling that with his physical disability, his mentality has never been impaired. During the Massey regime he was the backbone of the Government regarding all matters of finance, the portfolio of finance having been held by Mr. Massey- for years. No one in this country could possibly doubt the fact that the finance of this country has been carried on with notable success. The burden of office during the last days of Mr.

Massey’s illness was alleviated by the fact that he had behind him such a man as William Downey- Stewart. It is to be hoped that in view of the cable received from New York recently that Mr. Downey Stewart will soon be able to return and take charge of the most important portfolio in any Government, namely Finance. Possibly, however, Mr. Stewart will consider the load of leadership beyond his strength, though it would indeed be sad if injuries received in the service of the Empire should prohibit his further advancement. Mr. J. G. Coates’ administration of the various departments under his control has been marked by noteworthy efficiency, and his tactful yet firm handling of more than one crisis has proved that he possesses some of the virtues that one requires in a Party Leader and in an even greater degree in a Prime Minister, whilst Mr. McLeod has served his Party and the Dominion faithfully and well in many spheres.

It is to be hoped that whoever takes over Mr. Massey’s mantle will be endowed with some of bis gifts, and also that he will not be faced with the same tasks and problems that the late Leader handled with such energy and foresight. One of the wonders of the British Empire has been that the need has always produced the man and doubtless we shall find it so in this case. A Prime Minister must, however, be more than a skilled party-politician—-must, at times, be ready to sacrifice politics to policy—party needs to statesmanship. .•}: sj{ if l % ON GST interesting events that are shortly to be staged in Auckland arc the'“Musical Competitions.” These are timed for July and we shall have more to say about them in our next issue. We hear, however, that they arc embracing a wider field than last year, and are more on the lines of those held in other centres in the Dominion.

T HE Extremist is possibly one of the worst enemies a convalescent world has to encounter: the War apparently left his energies unimpaired. and though often we can give him the credit of meaning well dreadful indictment 1 —he is a very virulent and potent force for c'-il. Unfortunately, we seem to veer to Extremism in every direction — sooner have reformers accomplished their purpose than they in their turn become as dangerous foes to real progress as the evil they overcame. No one will deny that there were, for instance, many crying abuses that needed redress in the conditions of the working classes a few years agonow we arc threatened by the possibility of labour becoming a harder taskmaster than ever was Capital. Autocracy had many faults —and when it had run rampant, deserved but little sympathy, but Bolshevism is an even greater peril to the world than the worse menace of aristocratic domination. To oppose Bolshevism was created, as every force must, by the law of Nature, create, a resisting force: Fascism, and to-day this has become an intolerant, overbearing power, exacting an unjust retribution from any party or person that dare oppose it. Mussolini and his supporters may have saved Italy from the Bolshevik —but who will save Italy from Mussolini ? * * * * tad Year-Old worth Watching W ITH this issue The Ladies' Mirror completes its third volume and I think my readers will agree that the promises made a year ago have been most amply fulfilled. In our next issue will be outlined some of the ambitious plans that are in hand for the coming twelve months : and though I think we can unblushingly claim that, judged on the present issue, we hold pride of place amongst Australasian month—another year will see even more remarkable progress than the last twelve months has witnessed.

W/'ELLINGTON is having quite a ” little tussle over its war memorial. The project has been a longtime in maturing, and the delay naturally gives various people time to develop brain waves and burst upon the public with some new idea as to the form the memorial should take. The committee at the outset decided against a utilitarian memorial, and in favour of a monument pure and simple that should serve no other purpose than that of reminding us of the sacrifice of those who went to the war and did not come hack. Last year it secured a plan for a memorial embodying a group of statuary and a colonnade which was to he erected by the entrance to Parliament House grounds, and was to cost about £20,000. A campaign for funds to bring the subscription up to this figure was conducted, hut the committee seems temporarily to have faded out of sight, and the exact result of its campaign deponent knoweth not. * * * * T ATTERLY there has been much correspondence in the Wellington press in favour of a carillon, Sydney University has a carillon, somebody tells us. Bells arc beautiful, says someone else, their mellow notes floating in the evening air will ever be an inspiration, and so on. Bells will pall and become a nuisance, says someone else. Just where Wellington is getting to is not quite clear, but let us hope it will end with one

of those compromises clear to democracy. Satisfying monuments are rare, hut it is to he hoped that Wellington, having taken such due time for reflection, will produce something really worth while. * * * * JT is an old cry that New Zealand’s University colleges arc little better than night schools, and one cannot help wondering whether the pursuit of degrees as at present conducted is in the best interests of young people. Wellington, I hear, is in search of a benefactor, or benefactors. who will give it a hostel for its university college. At present a large percentage of the students work in the city during the day, rush up to the college for lectures as soon as work is over, and then, trek home to cheap boardinghouses, longafter the normal time for the evening meal, seeking such fragments of food as their landladies may have preserved for them, too often receiving a grudgingly served and pitiful apology for a dinner. This means that on lecture nights these youngpeople, at an age when substantial food is needed, arc done out of the chief meal of the day. * * * * WORKING by day and studying for a degree by night means a big load on young shoulders, and it is not wide of the mark to say that to ask students to do it 'without proper food is a scandalous proceeding, and reflects very great discredit

on those in control of higher educationif a course of overworking and underfeeding can be dignified by such a name. It seems that in Wellington alone there are some hundreds of students attending Victoria College under these conditions. In America they seem to have devised a system by which students arc enabled to earn enough money during their vacations to support themselves during the university terms. It would be interesting to know why such a system is not encouraged in this country. In any ease it is a disgrace to leave students to a dingy and sordid existence in cheap boardinghouses. No university with the name can be run without having the students in residence. If there were a hostel at Victoria College meals and lectures could be made to dovetail, and the university would become the students' home from which he could make his daily descent in the city to earn his way. Such a hostel in proper hands ought to be able to provide better fare and better facilities for healthy recreation than is possible under isolated boardinghouse life, and ought also to be self-sup-porting. At present we arc going the right way about things to strew the country with mental and physical wrecks in the name of higher education. * * * * J HOPE you arc saving up your pennies, dear Lady, for a visit to Dunedin next summer, for it is going to be quite “the thing to do" to visit the Exhibition : and by all ac-

counts it is going to be some show. Your Knave recently had the chance be seeing what progress that has already been made, and was amazed at the ambition displayed by the promotors. However, it was soon explained to him that this ambition was by no means a sign of vanity or of short-sighted optimism, but that their original schemes have had to be increased by sheer necessity; the demand for space has so far exceeded their original estimate that fresh ground has had to be obtained and their original bold plans extended. It behoves us all to see that we spare no effort to make our own show a success, and as Dunedin is renowned for its hospitality there can be no doubt that when the southern city is "At Home” to the world, we can be assured of having a right royal time. It is to be hoped that every province in the Dominion will spare no effort to yield of its best: for the setting will indeed be worthy. Not only will the Exhibition be representative of every phase of New Zealand life and industry, but the relaxations of our lighter moments will he catered for in a way that has not been attempted before in the Dominion. I have been privileged to glance through some of the preliminary plans for the amusement and entertainment of visitors, and I can foresee that when we foregather in Dunedin the question is

not going to be “What to do?” but "How to do what we have to do?” One thing 1 will say for the South Island (I could, of course, || i say quite a lot!) is that when they pi start out to do a thing, they are i i thorough— it must be that strain of ' , Scottish blood that gives them the ’j | spirit to not only achieve impossi- |j | bilities, but to make the rest of us || | wonder why we ever thought that |* | the difficulties were insurmountable |i j —and I think you will find that the h I Exhibition is going to prove the || | truth of this! || * * * * || 'pHE Auckland Society of Arts IJ holds its annual exhibition on |j ! June 11. and I hear that it promises | to be one of the most successful |j and interesting that we have yet || seen. A higher standard of accept- p ance has been set by the Selection J Committee, and several famous Dominion artists resident in England | and Australia are submitting works. | The Society has long fought an | uphill fight, very often without a | great deal of encouragement, and it | deserves all the support that we can give. Certainly, all Aucklanders | should show that they arc at least I willing to learn what is being done | in the “Queen City” by visiting the | Exhibition at least once. * * * B Y the way, probably the most interesting statementand the most sensible — yet made on the ques-

tion of congestion in city streets was recently made by Mr. V. H. Potter. No one who knows the streets of London or New York can see where is the necessity for all the fuss and bother about trams and ’busses —and why restrictions and eliminations are such a vital question. As a matter of fact, we have reached a stage where our streets are so congested as to make high speeds dangerous—but not sufficiently congested to prevent foolhardy drivers attempting high speeds. Real congestion would therefore probably mean less accidents and more safety for the pedestrian ! This may sound contradictory, but I think can be proved to be true. * * * + Our Cover r J v HE Duchess of York is one of the most popular and charming members of the Royal Family, and the portrait on our cover (by The Topical Press, London) is one of her most recent photographs. Neither the Duke nor the Duchess of York court publicity, preferring the mutual pleasure that they find in their own society and home life. Our next issue will contain some intimate glimpses of the beautiful and lovable Duchess, by “A Court Historian,” whtose article in this issue deals with the private life and character of the Duke of York.