NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1240, 23 September 1911, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

The extraordinary ideas eomo Qcmbcrs of Parliament hold concrning their responsibilities was veil demonstrated yesterday by Ala. r. O. Thomson, the Ministerial nembcr for Wallace. The question jeforc the Houbc was the motion t of ,he Leader of the Opposition lilirming the principle of an Blec;ivo Upper House in substitution for the present nominative Chamber, stuffed with the • friends of Ministers. Mn. Thomson apparently is in favour of an Elective Upper House, and voted for the proposal on a previous occasion. Yesterday, however, he announced that although lie was still in favour of the principle involved in Mk. Massey's motion, he was going to vote against it. And the reason? Well, he objected to voting for a motion brought forward by the Leader of the Opposition, and which, if carried, would no doubt be treated as a triumph for the Opposition. In other words, he was_ prepared to vote against that which ho believed to be right, becausc it emanated from the Opposition. The strangest feature of the whole business _ was that this unhappy Ministerialist thought that all nc had to do to put the matter right with his constituents and the country was to tell them through the columns of Hansard that he_ was voting against his convictions in order to give the Opposition a slap in the face. He even blamed the Opposition for daring to embarrass him and the Government by moving the motion. Is_ it any wonder that the feeling is spreading so strongly throughout the country that the time, has come to put an end to this sort of thing by onding the days o£ the Ward Administration i

This evening the public of Wellington will have a final opportunity—which should not be lightly regarded—of listening to a pianist of quite talent-s. Me. Leonard Borvick is one of the few Englishmen who have attained European reputations, and this distinction has been awarded him less for his flawless technique than for his remarkable capacity for so_ interpreting his composers that their temperaments and characteristics'are faithfully represented. This capacity ,is extremely rare, for few great exponents of the pianoforte, however brilliant they may be as regards the technique of the instrument, possess the ability to so completely efface their own individuality that the genius of the composers whose music they interpret is the outstanding feature of the performance. The player, in effect, becomes a perfect medium for the expression of the ideas, of the composers. In other words the difference between Mr. Bok wick and contemporary masters of the pianoforte is such that in the latter case the personality of tho player pervades the concert hall, and in' the former the situation is instinct with the presence of the cojnposer—the player's own personality is subordinated. Mb. Borwick's art is quiet, unassuming, unobtrusive, yet his interpretations are eloquent, animated by the spirit of the unseen genius, of the music. At the pianoforte he is' Mendelssohn, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, but he is never, obtrusively, Mr. Leonard Borwiok. The musicloving section of the public should not miss the last opportunity of hearibg the gifted pianist.

Although not "born in the purple," the Prime Minister's friends apparently do not intend the fact to be lost; sight of that Sip Joseph Ward is tfyo only member of the "Liberal" party in New Zealand who has ever attained to the distinction of an hereditary title. The latest electioneering effort of the Ministry is a large sheet containing, amongst other things,' the photographs of the present members of the "Liberal" party, and three of their past members—Sir .G. Grey, Me. Ballance, and Mr. Seddon. It is really most impressive. The photographs are well displayed for cffect, and aro printed in black ink—with one exception. Sin Joseph Ward's portrait—which naturally is somewhat larger than the rest, and occupies the point of vantage in this pictorial production—has its prominence emphasised by it, and it alone, being printed in purple ink. This' strikes us as being a very happy idea. What member of the "Liberal" party could fail to respond to the suggestion so delicately and so modestly conveyed of tho exalted station attained by their leader in the raqks of the titled aristocracy 1 The purple ink is really an inspiration of genius and almost suggests the graceful touch of a certain other distinguished member of the Ministry who we are told adorns a recently-acquired title. And yet there are people who say tho Government aro bankrupt of ideas!