BUT ONE RANDOM NOTE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 107, 15 May 1875, Page 12

BUT ONE RANDOM NOTE.

" A. chiel's amang ye takin* notes, An* faith he'll prent 'em. I keveb, read the ' Guardian' for the reason that, being a subscriber to the Tablet, and the contents of the two papers being so much alike, it would be a mere waste of time to do so. It follows then, as a matter of course, that the ' Mercury ' being a weekly reprint of the daily issue, it shares the same fate ; but this week my attention was called in a especial manner to an article in Saturday's ' Mercury,' — which I believe is a weekly communication — under the title of " The Time o'Day," and signed " Frank Fudge." Ido not know why my attention should have been thus directed in such an especial manner, unless it were to prove how much valuable space — for I presume, in fche eyes of the proprietors of the ' Mercury,' its space has a value—could I be occupied, to say what might be said with one-fifth of the verbiage. I have not the command of words, not the flowing pen of the writer, and consequently will not attempt the flights of fancy, nor multiplicity of similes with which the article abounds. I confess lam at fault as to what Mr. Fudge really means, and possibly may be doing that gentleman an injustice, but if I be, he may thank the hazy nature of his diction. If lam correct, however, in my surmise, he would imply that the mass of verbiage with which he has favoured the ' Mercury ' is the " concentrated essence " of Bishop Moran's late lecture. Ido not know how many Frank Fudge may get to agree with him, but I, for one, emphatically record a dissent, and it is for this special reason — Dr. Moran was not only intelligible throughout his entire lecture, but also logical ; his critic, not being the first, is scarcely the latter. I am, however, prepared to admit that it is " concentrated essence," but the "concentrated essence" of — fudge. From the high encomiums passed upon the rev. lecturer in his concluding paragraph, I am inclined to think Fudge is not a bad fellow at heart, and consequently feel inclined to give Fudge a few words of advice : — Seek the assistance of your friend" Muldoon, cultivate poesy rather than prose, for assuredly if you do not, your emanations will be too prosy by far. Your forte is neither the witty nor sarcastic, your profundity is either too deep, or your flights of fancy too high for ordinary mortals to follow. But if you must strive to shine in the lower sphere, transpose the heading and signature of your weakly article, making the one " Fudge," and the other " Good Day," and perhaps intelligent readers will take the hint, and pass on to the next column.