THE CHANGING SCENE

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 514, 22 May 1909, Page 6

THE CHANGING SCENE

A BIRD'S EYE VIEW.

afr M.0.K.)

"■y ; ; '"You. can't, look into oiw> oi those glassee," said tho master of tho Ohiro Homo, in asking the trustees for new minora, "without imagining you hare a stroke .of paralysis: 1 Thoy. aro: frightfully distortive." But what ■■■■ ; .is :thcro that is not "distortavo"? It is a quality more general in mon tlwn in mirrors; and it is as well that men do not give a faithful reflection of .'foots. Refraction is . ossontial to In the caso of ■ Sir Joseph .Wsird. a big bkek falling off m rovonuo is reflected as a rosy glow iof prosperity. His rofractivo indox magnifios rcvonuo; but ho refuses to roflcct expenditure. Tho 11011. A. W. Hogg seoms to possess tho .v , curious property of botng .unable to reflect at all. :If Sir. M'Nab wero to look.at hisjiuiage i in the eye of Mr. or Oomrado Dowdall ho would ho homfiod to see a brutal 1 figure, armed to the teoth, grinding his hool ,Into the neck of a worker. - When tl:e poor Kttlo rcspoctabla "Scborf Journal" is Md up to tho mirror of Mr. M'Larea's mind, . . its reflection is a yellow journal of a virulcrni typo. It would be a drab world if mattew wsro otherwise. ■■;■«. 1 ■ Umrsday l a man waa charged tefth ttioft, and, according to tho evening ■ ■ v paper "a' sentence of throo montlist imprison- : men' was passod." Ono would havo supposed thai tlto Boncli, which had evidently onjoyod 8b hmch, would have been moro lenient. ' It; is undoretood 'on the woist authority that the Minister for Education is so much , impressed •by Mr. D. M'Laion's attack on ttio "School Journal" that he has .arranged 1 . for Mr. M'Laron to compile matter for a few issues. It iis no breach of • confidonco to say that although' Comrade Dowdall was not asked to contribute, the now numbers will-contain Bome excellent articles. The principal one will be the first of a series on "Buildora of tho Empire," the subject beina; Kcir Hardio. : Later articlos m this series I will deal with Tom Mann and Patrick Jameq OUcgan. Tho Hon. Al W. Hogg'has writ-| • ton an artiolo in woids of ono- syllable .00. !•:. "The Way to Wealth." -An extract will show Mr. Hogg's pleasant stylo:. " . . . But 1 > . we' will see how. wo can get more wealth in ono .day than we can spend in a year. You put, tho sheets in the pross, whidh has type m it to print notes for £100. Tou move \ tho arm up and down and tho wealth comes out. Wo'shaJl BeU theso notes it two pence • each, which is the bare cost. In ono day wo ; .; ■; shall have 'so much that we' shall not need to work for the rest of our lives." . Tho edi-; • tor will writo on "Etiquette,for tho Young,". ". 1 special stress being laid.upon tho importance • of cutting earls,- diikea, and titled persons - ; ; even if. thoy -are friends of one's parents/ . Other artioles.'aie: "Why Lords aio Loath-' ■. Bome," "Wl^ do wo Bear the Bishops?" , The Canadian Government authorities, ~ ' press, and public are everywhere ovationing and feting the Australasian press delegates; to tho Imperial Conference, who are now in • Toronto.—Cable Horn.' 'A Dreadnought is all very wril As an aid to the Empire's solidity, 'And tariffs, for all we can tell, / Are splendid to help. its' rigidity. • Ton may itrain up an army, o( course, < t ... And sing loyal.songs if you want to; ; :But.ltYpuddings and pies that best tighten thl. ties, ' As pressmen have proved in Toronto. 1 ... Ovations: and baaqnets and fetes— • ; ; ' It 1b these* make the Empire a winner: ; Wlien enemies knock at our gates, ■ • Wo shall rally in force to a dinner. - .'TEhe .pen'takes command of the sword?" . • In the cascof the-editors? • No, Bir! ■ ■ For, however thoy talk, the knife and the.fork . Aro the weapons for linking us 'closer. , ■ ~ ~ . .; What matter ,if Oermanyfs .fleet , , Is growing appallingly, bigger? I ISngh at tho thought of defeat, I'or Ij watch- the Imperialist's figure.; Tho portents that worry tjio timid . : "Are visiona that never- can matter:— ; .. ■Vast all nightmares and ghosts! Place your v;; v- ;< "trust in tho toasts, 1 ; And the editors growing.'muoh fatter. j Much, no doibt, can be dono by a coutbb Of truly Imperial thinking, But it can't give cohesion and force Like Imperial eating and ;drinking. , o ; -'.■••."•j'.-v-^nd-.tha'prico"iia't -larfe, .atter..alls..' ' ■' Let 'the P.adloala ' answer the ■ question— . • Is tho Empire not worth a Falstafflan girth .; V And a hopelessly mined digestion? • . One of the thrilling news .items of the " week was "the' Press, Association; telegram, - printed on Monday, to tho effect that I ' tlicro aro very few visitors in Christehuxch at present. Many of tho hotels,", it was added, "have numerous empty rooms. Tho quietncsa is rather more marked than usual it " this time of the year.'.' Admirers _of tho Press: Association will.^bo pleased■ with this proof thai it is displaying ai} enterprise that , - will go far towar.ds counterbalancing the (ef- . fect of the rccent'Sttack to whioh it was subjecW byt the Prime Minister. Therp is tho '■■■■.■' wit authority for believing that tho follow-ing-messages will, appear in the paporß at an early dato: , - Waipukurau.—When- interviewed .. to-day, i 1 • ( Sir Joseph Ward declared that the finances of the country wore .'most satisfactory. Tljo outlopk wa3 unusually good. . 1 ■ ' - Mount Erebus. —He weather here is quite ' - cold. Large quantities of snow are lying about. . Invercargill.—Bain has been falling lately,- ; - -oiid; many porsons'are carryin^^mbrellas.' - London.—Ther'o: are .a very larg;o number ■: of v people in -London; just "now. At' •;several notels most of tho rooms aro occopicd. Auckland.—Tho ;"Herald" has written a ; strong article m:proof'_of the contention that, ■ Auckland 'is < tho leading town in the Doi; ' ■;Borneo.—Thoro, aro very few people, wear- • ing fnr coats in tho streets; just now. Thick i';... . ' clothing is markedly absent * from.' this sba- • son's. fashions. ' ■ ■ ■■" ■ - ' Muoh indignation is expressed in .. somo ■:-j. qnartors at the suggestion. tiiat land should - do taxed on its productive value. As a local v ';? paper .points out, "it moans a tax on labour in. its worst form, tho - taxation, of brains - ; and ; intelligence,'''the provision of. a' loophole for tho idler .and; the . speculator."' This .is V;'a timoly 'exposure of tho Farriers' Union's ...!.tricks'. Many ' farmers- had! boon : preparing • ■to knock off work and leave ..their, land in ... the. possession of the noxious weeds,; since . "they were hoping to live in luxury on 'tho' taxes that they would' tins savo. • * "1 wish th' Attorney-Gin'ral wud deliver : ft speech, on ;it," said Mr. Dooley reflectively. ;. ..., '1 don't. •On what?" said Mr. Hennessey. .; ; :C "On th' lawlessness iv. th' publio that! persists in oboyin' th' law, an' thus fmsthratin' th'-;. Gov'mint's attemp's V furrnish justice. . Ho's boon assailin' th' racin' . clubs f'r riot grantin licenses t' bet. only t' bishops an- , • judges iv ondoubted affluence an' a shorrt- -';,; windodness', Uguaranteed -; t', stop; thim ' fr'm disappearin'' across th'. scenery' whin 'th' fay'rito gcrts his noso in.front. 'Th' law,' ho .says, 'orrdors ye t' grant licenses t' bet t' annywan, iucludin'. dead-beat athletes just . out iv gaol an' .in full thrainin' f'r th' fenco-jumpin' competition. But,' says he. 'why do yo do ut, an' thus bring th' law.' ..; says, he,)- [into coniemp' ?' ho says. That's . onlywau instanco, Jawn, iv th' annoyin l an'. ; ; unlawful results iv doin' as th' law tolls ye. ; Th'/law. aims at th' bulls'-oyo all right, but / ' th' aim is bad. Th' Gov'mint niakin' laws re- ; minds no iv Hogan's taitor. Twas a turr'bla suit, on' Hcgan wuz as wild as mo frind Joe whin" yo mention 'Luk at mo,' says Bogan, 'tii' suit doesn't fit. 'Twud fit a camel, maybe,' ho says, .'if ho wore a deforrmcd camel,' he says, 'but it doesn't iit mo, an' it's only a poor fit f'r th' horrso,' says he. 'Tis a gran'_ suit,' says th' tailor, 'an* 'tis no use b' .bring it into disroputo. Chango yoro shapo,. an' 'twill fit fine.' That's y th' throublo, Jawn. Peoplo forget' that th' law isn't made f'r. thim:' they're made f'r th' . law. .An' tti' nicin' clubs does what th' law ,■. says, an' licenses th* harrd-up winner iv th' ; ; Marathon that's just said good-byo t' th' warrder. . What they shud do is t' break th' ' law, an' tbns prevent it fifm fallin' into disorodit. I'm in favour iv th' Attorney's . . views. ,''Fight ju'stisher root ceflia',' as Hogan says. -Let . th' law be upheld at annj costr oaea'i£®ttrias<e-±-' hreak'ife# do=it."