THE PASSING SHOW.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 225, 22 September 1928, Page 8

THE PASSING SHOW.

(By THE MAN ABOUT TOWN.)

"Kanuck," sotto voce, makes a few remarks on that self-made woman, the Hon. Irene Parlby, the only woman Minister of the Crown in a British country, THE PRIMROSE, showing that often to the successful the simple pleasures of Nature are more than the difficult achievements of place and power. It was Mrs. Parlby who said that she is much more interested in bringing safely through a Canadian winter some perennials sent from Home to make a corner of her garden "for ever England" than in great upheavals, thrones, principalities and Powers. People do like to have a bit of Home about them. For instance, there was Harris, the butcher boy of Cranfield, in Bedfordshire. He lived near the Bow Brickell woods, which in spring are carpeted with wild flowers, and particularly primroses. He went to Canada and found that butchers threw much away, and he made a small fortune with hand-made sausage skins. Later he controlled the price of meat over half of Canada, is now a millionaire and a power in the land. And according to "Kanuck" Harris goes to England whenever he can on purpose to visit those woods and to take primrose roots back to Canada. "He thinks more of a single primrose grown in Canada than of all his wealth because it breathes of Home." It is exhilarating to know that millionaires have their moments of sentiment. You can imagine Harris dropping a tear of sentiment on his beloved primrose and then rushing off to corner the bullock market and put up the price of steak.