ECHOES OF THE WEEK

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 699, 30 July 1903, Page 13

ECHOES OF THE WEEK

(By

“Ithuricl.”)

The white elephant known as Admiralty House has been offered to the Government by the Harbour Board at cost price, but nobody, not even the members of the Board can suggest any purpose to which the Government could put the edifice supposing they took it over. Some of the more humorous proposals have been noticed in foriher notes. The latest, from outside, is that it should be utilised as an inebriate asylum, or as a sort of house of detention and examination for supposed lunatics. A wag suggests that the first detenues should be the members of the Harbour Board.

A somewhat unique condition of affairs prevails in the parish of Holy Trinity, Devonpmt. The relaticnship between the vicar and parishioners has never keen what may be termed cordial, and it is probably more agreeable now than at any previous time. The Rev. Mr Hawthorne went to South Africa as chaplain to one of the contingents, and since his return it has been borne ip upon him that it would be for his and the parish’s advantage if he were to resign. There is, however, a little matter of £l5O or so, arrears of salary, to, be considered, and the parson, has offered to send in his papers provided that sum is forthcoming on the Ist of August. Whether the parishioners will rise to the occasion remains to be seen, but to an outsider it seems that failing compliance with the vicar’s terms the position will be much more awkward in the future than it has been in the past.

The tramways are now running with much less friction than at the beginning, both mechanically and in a socio-com-mercial sense. The Opehunga Council has come to an amicable arrangement with the Company, and the trams will soon be running to the wharf. Also other local bodies are pretty well satisfied with the proposals of the Company with reference to season tickets, concessions for workmen and school children, etc. The trams have* taken their place as a permanent institution of a quite indispensable character, and what confusion would result from the suspension of their running for a day is manifest from the enormous inconvenience that follows the interruption of the current for half an hour or even a few minutes.

We are not jquite satisfied with the postage stamps; invented for us by Sir Joseph Ward, but we are in heaven compared with the people of the Commonwealth. This is how Postmaster-General Drake’s first effort is described :—“ The latest achievement, in the shape of a Federal stamp, has been the scoff and derision of the city since it made its public appearance early in the week. ‘ Where did he get it from ?’

has been the question. ‘ Does it owe its origin to the jim-jams or an intensified form of artistic dementia ?’ As a specimen of ’suggestive) skill in design!. it is poverty made manifest; it is a pictorial penury in allegory ; it is constructive failure figuratively expressed ; it is Lazarus resurrected by lithography ; and in the general estimation it is a miserable miscarriage, that constitutes an outrage on good taste. It is worse even than the Daubrey Wierdsley Commonwealth seal, with its distorted obverse in the shield bearing milkmaid on the impossible horse, and its grotesque reverse grouping of totemic shields. If his fancy runs to nondescripts and monstrosities, that is no reason why he should foist, them on the Commonwealth, which is expected to father them, and the protest against the discreditable reflection} upon Australian artistic capacity and designing skill, which it constitutes, has been so generally reprobated that even the Ministerial perpetrator of the outrage has been impressed. Perhaps the following resolutionypassed by the Council of the Royal Victoeian Society of Architects the day after the caricature appeared, may have helped to this effect : —‘ That this council, representing the members of the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects, desires to place on record its deep regret that the first Commonwealth postage stamp should be so utterly weak and inartistic in design ; and also to express the hope that it will be withdrawn from issue, to prevent our Australian designers being held up to ridicule ; and that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Postmaster-Gen-eral and to the press.’ It is understood that the design was- adopted because Mr Drake discovered it on some old American or Canadian document he had in his possession. ‘ What name do you give this child ?’ inquired the priest of the woman presenting her infant for baptism. ‘ Erysipelas.’ ‘ What ! '!’ * Erysipelas, so plase yer riverance.’ ‘ Well, now, that’s a qfuare name to give a Christian. May I ask ye, my good woman, where ye got it from ?’ Af ye plase, yer riverence, me daughter found it on a , physic bottle.’ ”

“The New Zealand Illustrated Magazine” for August, which is just out, is of special interest. The frontispiece is the last photo taken of His Holiness Pope Leo XIII., with his last prayer. An article of special interest is “A Plea for the Study of Natural Science,” by Herbert Barraclough. The writer announces his intention of offering a prize of Five Guineas to those whom he calls embyro naturalists—men who do not hold scientific appointments—for the best Essay dealing with scientific investigations, the prize essay, and any others deemed worthy, to appear in future issues af this Magazine. “Cocksfooting on Banks’ Peninsula” graphically describes the curious method of harvesting this seed, whereby some thousands of men are employed annually. “Spirit Slate Writing” explains how easily those who believe in Spirit Manifestations are gulled by clever manipulation. In “The Training of Teachers” L. F. de Berry finds great fault with the system cf pupil teachers now in practice, and calls attention to the number of children whose education is spoilt by their inexperience. There are a number of capital stories dealing with different phases of life. A new department has been added. Under the heading of Music the life of Beethoven is given. The usual features— My Lady’s Bower, The Stage, Literary Chat, etc., etc., complete a number which will well repay perusal.