TOPICS OF THE WEEK.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XV, Issue III, 20 July 1895, Page 58

TOPICS OF THE WEEK.

HAVING pampered the labour dog until the brute was fractious from over-feeding, and incapacity

to digest that already given him, the Government are surprised and outraged because the animal, after the manner of its kind, has turned round and bitten the hand from which it has been so over liberally fed. lam sorry for the Government, and can understand their feeling outraged, but that they should be surprised—well, that is surprising. What on earth did they expect ? This is what has happened ever since the world began. No chapter exists in English history where you shall not find half a score of instances without looking, and make up the baker’s dozen if you look for them. Mr Thomas Thompson, of whom a portrait is given, is in every way a suitable member for Auckland, but led on by certain snarl-

ing ‘ curs of low degree,’ the labour party has shown its foolish head and howled that it has been put upon. The display is, however, a real good thing. It will teach the Government a lesson. The Seddon Ministry will feel that sharper than a serpent tooth it is to have a thankless child, but the country will benefit. A good many people will be naturally delighted if the Conservative candidate gets in, though a worse member of Parliament than Mr Monk would be hard to conceive. It is a pity the National Association could not have selected a man a trifle less unfitted for the position. A man less unpopular (even in Conservative circles) would have been bound to go in. Mr Monk’s chances are at least problematical. But with regard to the benefits that will arise from the present split, it will show the folly of legislating solely for a class at once ever considered ignorant and ungrateful. It will convince Ministers that the ‘ pore w'orkin’ man'— which usually means the pothouse loafer—is not an angel without wings after all. Above all, it is most earnestly to be hoped that the result of the election will show the labour party they are not so indispensible as they fancy.

THE Rev. Mr Isitt, high priest of prohibitionists, is credited with having said that his whole and sole ambition in life was to destroy the present Government, especially Mr Seddon. Perhaps on this occasion report may wrong Mr Isitt, but it must be confessed the speech is precisely the childish and idiotic sort of thing to which Mr Isitt and some of his colleagues on the prohibition party are accustoming this corner of the universe at present. If temperance—temperate—temperance—were not so admirable a cause, the vagaries of faddists of the Isitt type would be of the smallest importance. Unhappily,however, blatant self-constituted leadershave undermined public confidence so completely, that unless the mischief is checked, and that promptly, the whole temperance cause will fall into irretrievable ruin. It is monstrous that men with nothing but a small share of exceedingly cheap, and often very nasty wit, plus an unlimited amount of ‘cheek,’ should be allowed to slander a set of men wholesale just because there happens to be black sheep among them. Let us freely admit there are rascally publicans, and that a fair proportion of moderate drinkers are scamps, but do not let us forget that there are blaguards and scamps in every section of the community. Two of the completes! rogues I ever met in my life were frocked in the ministerial black, but I should consider myself little better than they if, because I bad met two rogues in the guise of clergy, I should allow myself to slander the whole body of the Church on each and every occasion when it could be made possible. There may be many black sheep in the ranks of publicans and hotel-keepers, but there are many whose hands are as

clean as those of Mr Isitt and his friends, and who remember that whereas there is not in the Bible a specific command against alcohol, there is a strict and very clear command against bearing false witness and speaking evil of neighbours. It is a thousand pities Mr Isitt and his friends do not remove the beam from their own eyes to begin with.

The indignation meeting held in the Christchurch Opera House last Friday, should be a warning to fanatic slanderers that the public have stood by long enough and allowed foul libels and slanderous mistatements to pass unchecked. It is evident that the present state of the law must be amended ; and the resolution carried at the Christchurch meeting ‘ that the time had arrived when legislation was for making the uttering of untruths and slanderous statements in public an indictable offence.’ The sooner the better, only it will be well to enlarge gaol accommodation first.

THE bust, of which a portrait is given in this issue, is the finishing touch to the splendid memorial cabinet which now stands in the new wing of the Wellington Hospital. It was felt by those interested in and connected with the Wellington Hospital that something should be done in the way of a memorial of the late Mr H. Blundell, who took a great interest in that institution. Mr Fitzherbert and Mr James McDowell and other well-known citizens took the matter up warmly, and a subscription list being started, was generously supported. Fifty pounds was soot received, and after consultation with the authority it was decided to devote the money to the

erection of a handsome and useful cabinet of New Zealand woods. Mr W. Chatfield, the architect to the Hospital Board, very kindly gave his services free, and drew up a very effective design which was admirably carried out by Messrs Scoular and Chisholm. The cabinet is an exceedingly useful one, with pigeon holes for nurses’ requisites, and a wash-stand at each end. On the top of the cabinet is a handsome brass plate, the gift of the builders, and on it is inscribed * Henry Blundell, From His Friends.’

On the centre of the cabinet is placed a bust of the late Mr Blundell, by Mr W. Leslie Morrison, sculptor, of Wellington. Mr Morrison was commissioned by Mrs Blundell to execute this memorial of her late husband, and the result has been an admirable life-like portrait—marvellous in its resemblance, considering the scanty material the artist had to work from. The bust is one of high merit as a work of art alone—the pose easy and natural, and at the same time dignified, and the general treatment thoroughly artistic and classical.

Probably few people in the colony, or even in Wellington, are aware that it is possible to produce such work in our midst—work which it would be difficult to surpass even in the studios of the Old World ; but it is certain that a few such memorials of public men in our chief cities, locally executed, would go far to create and foster a national and patriotic spirit, besides materially raising the average of national taste. Mr Morrison was the successful competitor in the recent competition for designs for the Stuart Memorial in Dunedin. He has been also highly praised and justly, for his decorative work in the Birmingham Art Gallery. Our engraving of the Blundell bust is from a photograph by Mr Hardie Shaw, of Wellington.

WHATEVER may have been Sir George Grey’s fault as a politician—and some people think he had his share—his generosity to Auckland and the innumerable services he has done that city and its people entitle him to the warm gratitude of every citizen of the Northern capital. The proposal to erect a statue to him is a good one, and will, we hope, be enthusiastically supported. It need not necessarily be an outrageously expensive affair, but it should be of heroic size, and placed in a public position. The placing of statues of great men, and men who have benefited the town of their birth or adoption in the public streets and parks is the surest way of creating a worthy and high ambition in the future generations. The sentiment which led one great hero to say * Victory or Westminster Abbey ’ is one which can be fostered in a colonial community if, when occasion offers of honouring a man who is proved worthy, advantage is taken of that occasion. The public of Auckland now have such an opportunity and, unless they take it, they will certainly be unworthy of the many splendid gifts Sir George Grey has from time to time bestowed upon them.

OUR glorious climate has been in danger of becoming a byeword and reproach during the last month or so. With men frozen to death in Otago, and Lyttleton Harbour frozen over, it was not easy to boast our superiority to the climate of England. Happily, at the time of writing things look better, there being what the old Indian gentleman called ‘ one of those confounded blue skies ’ above us and a warm sun shining. And when the sun does shine on a New Zealand winter’s day the climate is almost, really almost as glorious as we say it is. Seriously though, the weather during the last week or so has been of phenomenal severity. The losses in the South will be terribly severe, and in Auckland, where there has been no snow, continual drenchings of rain threaten farmers with ruin. For filthy streets Auckland stands unrivalled in the colony. Queen-street is a disgrace to any civilised city, and the efforts made to keep it even moderately muddy are so feeble that they only serve to draw attention to the disgraceful state of things prevailing. Presumably Auckland possesses a Streets Committee, but it must be a hopelessly incompetent body. •

SEVERAL letters have reached me from indignant lady teachers in our public schools. It appears that some members of the Board of Education have objected to putting single men and women teachers on the same financial footing when doing the same work and given as reasons for their objection that bachelors have more expenses than maidens. One speaker said men wanted more money for ‘ amusements ’ and smoking than women. The men wanted to go to the theatre occasionally, he said. Really, one cannot wonder at the revolt ofthedaughtersandof womenkind in general when men can be found to talk in public such arrant nonsense and such selfish stupidity. Why on earth should men require more amusement than women ? Why in the name of all things over and under the earth should their taste for the theatre be alone consulted ? It is in this spirit that social laws have been made for generations past, and it is not wonderful that * the weaker sex ’ have, in the parlance of the working man, * had enough of it.’