Topics of the Week.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXVI, Issue VI, 9 February 1901, Page 243

Topics of the Week.

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The peerless Queen has been borne to her last rest followed by a mourning Empire, and the warm tribute of a& the nations of the earth.

The imposing funeral rites by whieh her people sought to do honour to the noble dead are over, and in a little time most of the outward tokens of mourning will be laid aside. It is not to be expected that the sense of a national loss which we must certainly have had to bear a little later will remain as poignant as it was at first. Time mercifully softens the grief that wrings our heart when our best beloved are taken from us. We continue the work and amusement of our lives with little thought of the bereavement which has befallen us. And so must it still more be the case now. But not even the memory of our dearest can remain so long a cherished possession among those left, behind as will the memory of Victoria among her people. For generations, aye, for centuries to eome her life and her example will be held in sacred remembrance, in 8 way no other Sovereign can boast of. “The spacious times of great Eliza, be th” are not forgotten among us, nor the strong personality of King Henry’s daughter. But she lives rather by virtue of the greatness of a reign that owed so much to the galaxy of strong

ana wise men wuo serveu ner man vo were not of a common kind. Victoria’s reign, much more even than Elizabeth’s, has been glorious, altogether apart: from the Queen, but so beneficent has been tiie influence she e» ereised throughout the long yearn of her rule, bo fitted was she in all rOspecta to be the exponent figure of that marvellous period, that in any future survey of the nineteenth eefetnry she mupt occupy a central place irradiated by all the glory of the tinKß and in tern irradiating. She wttt reign the pattern Queen of story, the paragon of Sovereigns, and posterity seekitet an archetype df a perfect princess, a model wife and mother will point to Victoria the Good. There is tomething very inspiring to us 6f the Vieterian »ge to refleet on these thing* and to consider how fortunate we are to have been' associated with such a period, and to have .had for a ruler such a Moyal Lady. The gracious Prince who claims pur allegiance now owes in no small measure the wholehearted ness of our devotion to that ueloved mother who teat her nb> jeate te tee Throne by teetnn breakable Onto of love, and will continue to keep tee heartsof hie people faithful and devoted not less fay the memory of her than by his own regard for their best welfare. Thus, although dead, she win be Queen brer us, and from a more exalted sphere have the tribute of our hearts.

Th* Royal Title. We are all pleased with the suggestion made by the London -Times” that, in view of the loyalty and importance of tee self-governing colonies, the King*s title should recognise these States as integral and inseparable portions of the Empire. The proposal appears most reasonable and feasible, probably the main obstacle or objection to it being the difficulty of choosing or inventing a change in the present title, or an addition to it whieh would meet with approval by being suggestive, graceful and easily made. Of course, What we really want is a single appellation winch would at once convey the idea of a monarch holding sway over a worldwide Empire compcaed of self-govern-ing states—a rule founded on the broadest of constitutional basis. But just s» there never was an Empire so vast os ear* te there never was one built on the scene free lines. Therefore, there hi really no word that expresses our Sovereign's position, because no previous sovereign baa held A pOffitlOa even tealagous to IL Emfoooe, the title which comes first to Oze's tongue when talking of the Empire, may cover a great deal, but somehow It does toot satisfy the ear. There are asaocistions with the toanfl

foreign, if not actually dltoastefnl, to moat at us. When Disraeli te cleverly suggested that our good Queen should be styled Empress of India, Che proposal at onee took the public fancy. As referring to a portion of the Empire the title seemed a singularly appropriate one for Her Majesty to wear, and her acceptance of it undoubtedly added a certain Oriental lustre to the Crown. Had Lord Beaconsfield suggested the Imperial title as applicable to the whole Empire and in place of our familiar “Queen,* •the case would have been verydifferenL The popular voice would not have so freely commended if it did not actually condemn. So. even now, when we have been so much more accustomed to talk of Empire, and so much more inspired with the magnitude of our national achievement, we would not willingly change our old name of King for what some may regard as the more imposing title of Emperor. I fancy the idea of a comprehensive title" has never been entertained, and what change is effected must be in the nature of further additions to the Royal designation. Our kings must continue to be called by that name, whatever else they are called besides. Evidently then the new title will be of the nature of an addition to the old one. It may be linked to that of Emperor of India, or it may be telescoped into the latter. In any case, it must occupy a secondary position to the title of King. That Is certain. How secondary, depends entirely on the success of the choice that is made. These secondary titles are very apt to fall into disuse. The Czar has a long collection of them, and it is only when a new monarch ascends the throne of all the Russias that the world is reminded, to forget the fact again next day, that he is also Prince of Nijm Novgorod, and lord of a score of other places. But what we would like is that the King’s secondary title was in evidence all the time, to remind us and all the world that this Australasia, and that Canada are part and parcels of his wide dominions. Here is an opportunity for the inventive talents of word-makers. Give us a title test will sound like an imperial trumpet can, which cannot be forgotten, bat win live daily on our tongues.

Alleged Peraidow Effects of Government House Entertaining.

“A bad habit has prevailed through the* last fifteen years or so, that Australian Governors should spend a great deal more than their official salary.” Such is the artfully provocative sentence with which Mr Arthur Gallon opens an article entitled “GOVERNMENT HOUSE,” in the current number of the “National Re-view-—an article which will be read with interest if with mixed emotions in all Australasian colonies, more especially, perhaps, in New South Wales. Mr Galton claims to speak from a pedestal, having been for some time private secretary to a Governor of New South Wales. He dees not mention which, and (such is fame) one does not remember Mr Galton; but from his somewhat uncomplimentary reference to four Australian Governors, and his emphatic eulogy of Lord Jersey, one supposes he may have held his appointment under that popular peer. Those unacquainted with the style and dignity of the “National Review,” might from the title of Mr Gallon’s paper anticipate one of those gossipy and venwions and delightfully indiscreet caasenes on the private life and predilections of the great, which those surrounding the sovereign, have such » passion for communicating to the cheap magazines and half - penny daily journals of the metropolis. The hopes of those who find intellectual stimulant in such details must on this occasion be disappointed. Mr Galton has nothing to tell (colonials, at all events) of the working of Government House which is not common knowledge. But thia article is * severe and caustic

castigation of colonial eoßißCy, white will undoubtedly canee some hearti burning, but which has tiuth enough -te applied to New Zealand alao—to make It piquant and worthy ol discussion. Mr Galton practically in. eludes New Zealand by saying whte ia true of one colony is true of alh Personal offence win not be felt, I think, at the writer’s strictures, fo% as you, my dear friend, teve doubUeaa experienced, when we of “bad form” in society, or of the abeenee at society, or when we read erfticisms thereof, we naturally end me* tally exclude ourselves. It is true of our nearest and dearest friends, but ourselves —well, we are different; “our withers are ?„ n 'T 2n s"’\ is “ obvious throughout tha Mr Galton is. so to phase , aughtier than the ’aughtiest. Tn the staff O f ewry Gx.ver UO r ... “ « ne who is His Excellencv. I suaily it is the English flunkev, but not itstory- The haughtiness of .Mr i.alton must have out-flunkeyed the flunkev. he^ r what he has his opinion of colonial society is that of Mrs Pric for Mm Hama—-‘Which I don’t believe there’s &Lh i*™? 11 ” s ° far as New th Wales is concerned that colony can fight its own battle, applied to this colony ’hould cry “touche'” M r Galton—“a pklpable hit.” leisrared ciass, a set In which birth, rank and wealth in certS‘^E£! B £ tton TOpes itself oft trom filler, and only tolerates wealth solus in at a vast price; such does not exist. Nor is there even sou?derstood in the provinces, where the land looks down on the pro£Sr’’An nd despise trade. All we have here is what Mr “w£? • den ? 1 n 4 nate * scornfully as what is called society,” and it he finds abominable and spoilt of Goveminent House hospitality. t. A t, bal L Gover mnent House the Ln ectow * a Wock ’ the ball supper a dangerous k^L 11 ” 1^ 0 * S V nggle away because they might teX weuld e n^7 rnOr ’ a '^ h ° m ! ° W ln Priwite.” On foL h many o/ those who into Government House give themselves airs and spoil the society to which they naturally th . ere are no recognisable soe !'M ifcstinctions in what is called society, there is no principle of selection except personal caprice or individual pertinacity. The latter has been exercised most conspicuously by a gang of pushing women dubious in age as in other qualities who force an entrance by laying siege to the staff and sometimes to the Governor him* BeM."

Now (mentally excluding yourself) is not this decidedly well done, and profoundly true egad? Does it not fit to a T that indefatigable but impossible person who runs His Excellency or at all events an AJJ.C. or private secretary to earth on all possible occasions. My goodness, how it must make ’em squirm, or rather how it would if they (like ourselves) did not exclude themselves and apply the strictures to you and me. “Absurd; atrocious, you say. Why of course it is, but God bless my soul what can you expect from people like . Now, you and I; —but never mind— Mr Galton finds then. Government House entertaining as at present bad in itself and pernicious in its effect. ik.” he says, “a social nuisance, a mere incentive to snobbery and squabbling." He advocates reducing entertaining to official limits, only official balls, ete, should be given, and only officials and their female belong, ings should be invited; or to use Mr Gallon’s own precise words: “Here is a firm principle on which Governors may act. If their official entertaining were regulated strictly by official necessities, their official salaries would be ample for their dignity and for all their social duties.” Mr Galton is obviously a genius. This solution of a vexed social problem is as admirable as the language in which he couches it. True, “official" does recur; but then, Mr Galton is an official, and if he inclines to officious officialness, -why what would bis office be without it?—as he would say. But I must close.We will admit Mr Galton Is right teat there is no colonial bo*

and that such as there is debedvea to be debarred from the Govtrtroent House tight, and, worse still, jhat of its staff, but are 'our manners really so much worse than those of society as it at present exists at Home", and ia there never both “a Mock and an indecent and dangerous scramble for supper in society in 1-ondon?” That, as Kipling would say, is another story which 1 propose to deal with in another article. Are Colonial Manners Really so Bad? • Apropos of the foregoing article, let us now briefly enquire whether the manners bred, as Mr. Gallon alleges, by Government House entertaining, are really so bad, or rather it they are —for this is the point —so very- much worse than those of the set of society in which Mr. Gallon and his kind move when at ' Home. The ■charges are that'we overcrowd Government. House dances, that we,. or certain of ’ our women ' folk; get .through its doors by sheer pertinacity and cool impudence; that we do not hesitate to tackle the Governor or the staff in pursuit of invitations; and that, having gained, access to gubernatorial hospitality, we abuse, the same by making supper “a dangerous and indecent scramble. Now, some of this must be admitted. Have we not even seen a seat at the viceregal table itself (though not at a Government House ball) carried off, by nheer masterly impudence, but the point is, is our colonial mixture (we won’t call it society) really so much worse in even this than London society? Are there no pushing and,pertinacious women there? _ Are there no undignified manoeuvrings for invisa£ions to smart functions, and is it latterly unknown to have them positively demanded? Is the . door so closed upon vulgarism that “impossible” people do not merely force an entrance, but boldly take the preplaces, force themselves so to say to ' the vice-regal tables (if we may 'use that illustration again)? Would Mr. Gallon gravely assure anyone acquainted with Ixindon society that he has not, in Park Laue, in Mayfair, in Belgravia—or, where 'you'* will, been at entertainments which were “blocks” pure and-simple, when the crush was infinitely worse than any at Government House in any 1 colony, and where, the' scene in the sitpper-room was at least as disgraceful as in any Government H.use. 1 Mind, 1 do not say in all houses, but' 1 do maintain that at. half the so-. called smart society entertainments in London the instances of bad man- ■ tiers mentioned by Mr Gallon as colo--nial attributes, are at least equally, “in evidence. Nor do I think the present form of Government House entertainment encourages bad manners. A little wholesale snubbing in the • “pushing” quarter would certainly do gppd. but then if one set of people who . rush the Governor is repulsed another will take its place. After all it ( is perhaps better from a Government House point of view, to grin and l>ear it. The motto of an A.D.C. under the circumstances probably is—

It is better to endure the ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of.

To avoid the pertinacious advances of Mrs Scylla is better than to fall into those, of. the still more gushing .Mrs t'h-jr.vbdis. .

_ But the rest of us (you and I included biyp eatendu) arc not, ,1 think, made rude bv the occasional glimpses; we get of Government House ball-room and supper-table, and when we do get them 1 fancy we do our best to behave ourselves. So it- is rather hard that fpr the sake of a few outsiders—the scum which rises io the top, and is first seen—we should be condemned altogether. The Visit of the Imperial Troops. I do not hold with the objection raised by the .Acting-Mayor of Wellington to the Imperial troopers being billeted on the citizens during their brief visit to the chief cities of the colony. The Aeting-Mayor was strongly of opinion that it was the business of the Government to entertain the visitors and that the citizens should l>e relieved from tlje duty. I do not believe that the citizens of

Wellington really endorse that viewThey wouM toe pleased to show. Son-, pitality to these sons of Man when they arrive. The only reasonable difficulty in the way of carrying out the proposed arrangement arises from the bother which the billeting is likely to entail 'on the troopers themselves. If their convenience were consulted I should imagine it would be much better for. them to have their quarters together. There is bound lb be a certain amount of confusion if one trooper is put up for the night with Mr Jones in one street, a second with Mr Smith in another street; a third with Mr Robertson, and so on. Remember, the men will be quite strange to the place, hardly knowing one street from anotlker, and their sense of locality is hardly likely to become more clear after the conviviality of an eveur ing. Consequently when they go to seek their respective beds provided for them by the hospitable citizens it will be little wonder if . some of them astray. One can easily conjure up a vision .of, belated warriors seeking vainly for their temporary homes and breaking in on the peaceful slutpCers of a dozen families . before they find the right house—if indeed' they ever find it. rtf. course, if'the citizens who undertake ,to put up a soldier for the night, also engage to keep their eye' on him .all the time he is ashore they may be able to avoid these mistakes by. being continually on the track of their guests. But whether the latter would submit to such espionage, however delicately managed, is very questionable. Most of them, you may be sure, would raise decided objections to be chaperoned, and would prefer independence with'all its risks.' On the other hand, have the authorities considered what it . may mean for the hospitable citizens who accept the responsibilities of. entertaining the visitors? A pretty dance some of the gay warriors ,might lead their hosts. Just imagine a respectable old gentleman undertaking to show a dashing grenadier, .or a guardsman, round the town. The certainty is that he would take his charge .to, the public library, the art gallery, or for a quiet drive in the..suburbs, under the fond, impression he., was . . entertaining the stranger;. not, kncpviqg, well meaning man, that the. tastes of grenadiei-s and guardsmen run little on literature, art or scenery, and that, in nil probability, they would prefer a long, long beer and a flirtation with Hebe 'at the shrine of Bacchus to all the books, pictures, and lovely views. "in" the world. If the billeting arrangement is decided ou some-care should be exercised in the choice of the homes-for the men. It would be unfortunate if some rollicking, frolicking soldier, lad ..was »pmt up with a family of the straitest-laced Methodist prohibitionists, or if some dessendant of Cromwell's Ironsides—*fthere are any in the Imperial cote tingent— should . find ..himself the guest of-a. gay'worldly theatre-going, wine-bibbing . household. Haphazard billeting is certain to " produce disagreeable combinations of this kind,, so we must have a care.