THE CHANGING SCENE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 9, 5 October 1907, Page 7

THE CHANGING SCENE.

;■;"■■;■■'•-.,', . ■ .» . .A; BIRD'S EYE VIEW. [Br a Casual. Chronicler.] - At the. Canterbury College- Board of Governors on Monday, a 'letter was road from Miss Gilchrist,'confirming her cable message declining the professorship of Home Economics offered: by the Board, in the course of which she said: "The delay 'in 'the negotiations gave opportunity/ for! new complications to arise. When I found that my : terms -were not likely to be agreed upon-I chose tho other course and followed my heart's desire, leaving the teaching profession entirely to enter upon a more ; individual practice of the theories of Home Economics. I have recently been married to Mr. Benjamin Rush Strong, of Knoxvillp, Tennessee." It is the old story., When Cupid,intervenes, , The' finest .theory crumbles fro ia thousand smithereens. When the woman of to-day ' .Says, "With voice and brain and pen . I will rush into tho fray, I frill save my fellow-men," There's a littlo follow chuckling to himself behind the scenes, !And Woman's high' ambitions turn to shadowy might-have-beens, When Cupid intervenes . / Alas! : 'Twas always thus! iWith pain and care we draft a philosophic syllabus That will give a place to woman In tho forum, court and mart, : But wo ovorlook' the'' human Mighty,factor of the heart— Wo omit the golden circlet when we ';''.• frame bur calculus, / " And the B. R. Strongs of Knoxville : turn our minus, to a plus. Alasl 'TiVas always thus! ;Woman; still is Cupid's slave. 'At, his sumriions, she forgets that ■ •■-.. .there's, an anxious world to .-~ j... save,.: ;. ■". ''And,'a-flutter, says "I will,"' ; _ And she grasps •, the rolling-pin, . For she concentrates her skill .'On some happy Benjamin. .. So they pass—the hopes of Feminists', /• the theories bright and brave, ' With '!The Voice that Breathed" for requiem; and the nursery for a' grave. : : still is Cupid's slave. The popular idea of a newspaper reporter is of a callous person, who ■ tipiw the 'Day of Judgment will Kjiy' averybo'ly vith ieqjests for interviews. ; During tho past week one or two paragraphs have given fresh' strength to the idea.' Thus: "A youth, nineteen years of age, fell . into the harbour at 4.10 p.m. yesterday afternoon, whilst walking along tho breastwork opposite No. 10 • berth." Tho writer, who, upon hearing the splash, so promptly pulled - •out his watch arid jotted "down the time- :before pursuing his heartless way, .was no doubt responsible for 'another paragraph about the mason's way of .passing bricks from . the ; ground to the top of a two or three story building: "Jfen . casually fling them from hand to : hand," 'he '. wrote, "as they might have done in the days, of Pharaoh. Usually the bricks get:,there all right; but,occasionally 'a;, butter-fingered labourer will.' miss: a catch—and ,then there is ' a"?crash; and -Some' passing pedes-' . trian narrowly escapes'an apoplectic, fit:','' This was; the' entertaining.: perffirrrance that n- ']',. vwion : icport :r vatched; with interest yesterday." : And! again he„ went on his way, pausing only to "clock" the time which John Smith took, to fall from the.'top of the Town Hall to the pavement. : At a function the-other night' the member for Wairarapa, in defending the Parliament of to-day," said in tho , olden, days these giants and orators who used to electrify the House and country- propared : their speeches weeks before, • burning the midnight oil on difficult and abstruse subjects. They could, when' in the House, speak as long as they liked. But now-a-days no momber itook the trouble to prepare a speech, as there was a time limit; possibly this accounted in a considerable degree for the-lack of oratory heard in-the ■ Chamber.'...'.':' "Why do : our members talk suchl rot?" said .Populace Dismayed; They ain't got time, they ain't got 'time,".. the Large Loud Member said. ■:•' ; "They've got an hour, ain't that enough?" said Populace Dismayed, 'Steam rollers need much room to turn," the Large Loud Member said. : '.-".- .;■'■' , "Yes, once there was no limit to what M's.H.R. could say, But they've been and gone and took our blooming freedom all away; Which our Burkcs.;.havo, lost, their courago,'and 'Alas,' thoy. says, says . they, • 'For our speeches in the paper in the morning.':" "But why not take some pains at least?" said Populaco Dismayed; "W'y cast our pearls at swine? says I," tho Largo Loud Member said .'■■:- "An hour gives time for brilliant , talk," said Populaco Dismayed; "Not .for such thorough blokes as us," the Large Loud Mombor said. "An hour's too short for our huge i brains, too short for all our toil, We're slow if suro, and take an hour in coming to tho boil, Then whore's tho use, of squandering tho costly midnight' oil, And waking 'up with headaches in tho morning?" "Wo're thinking that it's want of thought," said Populace Dismayed, "Not much it ain't, not much it ain't," the Largo Loud' Member said. "Then what's the causo? wo want to know," said Populace Dismayed, "Coal barges need much room to' turn," the Largo Loud Member said. So that's tho cause! Then heaven be praised for limits, sot to speech, And the silence of tho orators who, otherwise, would each, . • Like barges rolling heavily and bump- .'.■ ing on tbo beach, ' Of bathos make us weary every morning. A man in Auckland was charged with disorderly drunkenness, says an Auckland telegram, find tho arresting' constable gave ovidence as to the circumstances surrounding accused's arrest. Accused: " When is a man drunk?" /Witness: "When he cannot tako pare of himself." " Suppose a man went out in the street," said accused, "and shouted nt tho top of his voico, and waved his arms about, would he bo drunk?" Witness: "Not necessarily." He might, the witness could havo added, bo merely preaching the brotherhood of man ' and the 'orrid tyranny of capital.

" Skunks, I call them," ho said. And (;ho pint pots began to fly in tho threopenny dive, the barman turned out tho lights, and hid behind a cask, arid a posso of polico dashed down to the scene of tho alf ray. At least, this would have occurred but [ for an important .'fact — namely, that ~ tho remark was'mado, not- in tho threepenny dive, but in tho House of Representatives. Tho speaker was \- the membo rfor Hawkos Bay. "Well; Jawn," said Mr. Dooloy, "it's wonderful how the church militan', as Hogan calls it, is kapin' up its forrum." , "So I see," said Mr. Hennessy. "Thim is ralo hot resolutions that Mr. .Norrth do bo movin' about th' Harrbour Boarrd." "It's not Mr. Norrth, it's th' Bishop of London, an' ye shud r-read th' cables, Jawn. Landin' in New Yorruk he at orice challenged mo frind Tiddy Roosevelt t' a game' iv tennis, lowered th' colours iv - th' hayro of wan million spayches an' Sari Juan, laid th' corrner stone iv th' biggest cathaydral on 1 Earrth, wired a challenge to Bill Squires, an' filled in th' time bo handin'out hot wans t' me .frinds Rockefellor an' Mo/rgan. 'Twas a bold serrmon, says th' cablo. Ye see, th' plutycrats have cultivated an iron nerrve , t' such an extint that whin they wint to [Rockefeller an' told him ho was fined thurrty million' dollars, th' magnate holed out in wan, an' said nawthin' excop' that, th' messenger near spoiled his putt. They're not used t' p he told that th' Kingdom iv Hiven is ..not a comp'ny that, they can buy up whin thoy. have • time. They've not hearrd iv th' tin cpmmah'ments, an' th' praychers havo always felt that 'twud bo ba-a'd taste t' say annythin' about th' camel an' th' eye of a needle.' . So whin th' Bishop saw Morrgan an' Harriman an' Hill an' th' Vanderbilts an' Carnaygie in th' front ' pew, he ' says, ' Here's a chanst,' says' ho, ' that 'twud be creminal t' miss,' ho says. An' he tuk qs his text, ,' Thou shalt not stale.' 'What's that?' says Morrgan t' Carnaygie, ('there's no such tex' anriywhere •in the Bible,' says he, ' or aimywhero exeep' in th .■ amusin' books' iv young Sinclair,' lie says. An' th' Bishop handed out th' serrmon that ivery wan iv th' common folk has hearrd since they were childhren. Th' congregation turrncd pale, an' a-rayporther , got. out his note-pad, an' wrote up th' headin. ' Bishop Breaks Out New an' Darin .Docthrino.' Prayched-t' mo or you, Jawn, 'twud have not turrned a hair. In Sivcn Diles or th' Bow'ry or Englan' 'twud have been just platitude; an' th' pa-apers w'ud havo said 'Th' Bishop also spoke.' But in New Yorrk 'twas as-new an' sthrango an', recldess as it wud bo if a Gov'mint' pa-aper here were t'' br-reak out an' express doubts whether mo frind Joo Warrd is th': ■ gr-reatest orator and statesman since Rome fell an' Greece decayed, or . only th' second gr-reatest. An' th' plutycrats sat up. "Tis fino,' says Morrgan, 'good f'r yere Grace,' says he.. ' Givo rno a Bishop,' says Rockefeller, ' and ye can kapo yere comic pa-apers,' ho says. The millionaires was th' only wans in New Yorrk that enjoyed it; Th' rest iv th' city was r-readin' th' special editions an' wbndherin' at' th' bowldness iv th' Bishop." " Wudn't it do the millionaires any good ? " asked Mr. Hennessy. " They thought 'twas a sathire on th' Prisident. " P'raps, he was sayrious,', said Carnaygie as he sthroll'd home with Jawn D. Rockefeller to save car fare. ' D'ye think he'd have th' bad taste?' says Jawn' D. ''Twas a skit,' he says,," on th' Prisidont's, attacks on wealth,' says he. .. "Some day," said Mr. Ben Tillett, at the Socialist rally tho other night, "thoy would get such women as would only bring forth and rear such children as would riot be slaves to 'the wage system—mothers, who would mix with the crooning of their mother songs, songs of rebellion, songs of right and songs of justice." The first contribution to the lullaby repertoire ■is herewith respectfully tendered,in the hope that the good movement may go forward without delay. Lullaby, wee Socialist, Lulla-lulla-by. ; Dream, and clench your dimpled fist, Little revolutionist. Let Rebellion's brilliant gleams Light your happy baby dreams. Lulla-lulla-by. Liillaby-a Day is coming ! Lulla-lulla-by. Dream of distant thunder drumming, Bricks and bullets blithely humming. When the tyrants' reign is o'er, Baby, you will work no more. Lulla-lulla-by. Lullaby. Rebel! Rebel! Lulla-lulla-by. Lot your littlo fancies dwell On the joys of shot and shell. You are heir of all the ages, Work not, sweet, for Tyrant wages. Lulla-lulla-by, Lullaby, wee seed of war. Lulla-lulla-by. .' Dream, dear heart, of treats in store. Droam, denr heart, of treats in store, Dear soft lips, whero dimples lurk, Learn to lisp " Down, clown with '.work." . Lulla-lulla-by. Lullaby—your petal tongue— . Lulla-lulla-by— Even whilo you're wee and youngj Should, with, childhood's lusty lung, Prattle thus: "I'll up, 1 shall, And murder hated Capital." Lullaby, sweet, lullaby.