THE CHANGING SCENE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1545, 14 September 1912, Page 5

THE CHANGING SCENE.

A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW. [Dγ M.C.K.] Ono of tho items in the Kslimnfes 5s "Transferring' Hie luiin, ,£100." Before transferrin); him, they must find him, mid they hnvo failed utterly to find even a trace, of him. The incident will bo briefly mentioned in a historical work published in 2012, A.D. :— "About the beginning of (he twentieth century we (hid mention of an anxiely upon tho part of (he 'legislators,' as they were called, to 'transfer the huia,' and n small fragment from one of the volumes of tribal chronicles makes it clear (lint tho hi!in, was an undiscovernble thing which it was desirable to transfer; This was the poe.tienl way in which the tribal councillors described their anxiety to niter (ho Inws of nature. Tho law of gravitation was irksome, to many, but still nioro irksorao was t:lio fact, to which in their low degree of development, they could not adapt themselves, Hint nothing can be produced without worlt, They imagined that some drug or talisman could l>o found (which they referred to as the "huia") which would cause tho instant disappearance of poverty, tho reduction of all men to equality,'tha super, session of work, tho elimination of crime and disease, and a general accession of uncountable) wealth and undisturbed pence and happiness to nil tho Citizens. There appear (o have been largo snms expended, with this object, on (he abolition of female attendants at taverns, on the enactment of laws regulating labour, on tho establishment of shops at which tho citizens could buy shillings for sixpence ench (making up the deficit by paying sixpence in taxes), and upon various other devices .for evading the laws of nature, . But of all this pnthctic activity no trace is left save Hie law authorising (he expenditure of £W on 'transferring 111* liuin.'" This was one of the week's cablo me.«v sages concerning the British Association's praiseworthy endeavour to allay public unrest |)y investigating "Hie origin .of life":—"Professor Minchin, who occupies the Chair of Protozoology nt the Univer-. sity of London, stated that the chromatin', in the nucleus of the cell is the primitive living snUstßiirc. Mr. H. W. T. Wngcr (botanist) expressed Clio opinion Hint cytoplasm is the originnl cell.matter.'!-

llow did tho human race benln? Was it cytoplasm or chromatin . That- started Llfo on its dervish dance Thrown (lio tortuous maze of cimin" stance? "Idle questions." perhaps you'll eot: "What does it matter this timo of dflyt Somebody blundered in times afar: ' Tho accident happened, and there you arol" But think, Bir, think of the things you Mβ And suffer in nineteen twelve A.D, Think for a litUe. and you'll confess That Life is a howling noii-succoss. Head the papers, and ceaeo to doubt That , Tjifo as a. whole needs wiping out, With its burglars, bishops, and strangf Jl.P.'s, lie wars, and its deadlier industries, Its hobble skirts and its timeless tramd IU well-stocked gaols and its cnjptj prams, Its foolish books and its upcleEß rhymes (Like tlicEO you read) and its crowns and crimes. ■ Think of the careworn, uibboring thronn Who live to show us how Life is wrong, And heavily mourn in a ponderous book;— Say, doesn't it seem that Life's all crookP You readily answer "Yes," and so I'd really awfully like to know Which of the two Life started inIα cytonlpeui, or chromatin. If, cytoplasm began ithe show, llow Biycetly auq" gaily Life must go In the tier wherp they tried the chro- , matin! '■ How dear is its perfect and changeless scene! But if chromatin, it is plain to E.ec That cytoplasm's the thine for me. Because it is clear (and the facts, art strong) That in choosing tho "starter" they clioee quite wrong. "I see that 6omevran has found thai wiiat's wauled in education is a study of child psychology/' said Mr. llooley.

'"■\Vliat, is that?" nsked Mr. Xleimessy. "Well, Jawn, I thoughl it might mean, the study of tlio best places t , apply IK , slipper, but Hogan says it's science. Whin you an' I wuz la-ads, th , wurrk iv education cpnsislcd iy tcachin'. us a fe\y things, an* givin' us casthor-oil or n slap as th ! fiincy tuk th' ignorant; oiiioiilianns that brung us up. But. they've found that a child is complex. ' Now.'ilays, if a boy benvps a rock Ilirougli th' window, they , investigate th' brain processes that lc|l t' tli' ac'. 'A mos' interestin' an' puzzjin 1 case,' says Hi' District Child Psychologist, t' whom th' case is referred. '1 have full details ir, bis diet, an' it hardly help , !, though there may l>o some siunificaneo in th' ice-cream ho ato th' day befure. s His measurements seem I' lip 'nprrinnl, (op, nlthongli he. js shorrl be wan millimctri). iv th' e|andartl wnist nieas\ircmint. . Lookin' through th' schedule iv his reintives, I find nawthin' onusunl esceji' Ih' fac' that his gran'-uncle w\iz nddicted t , elastic-siilo lipots. I am bafl'leil lio this case. No,' he Kiys, '1 cnn'l, sny wlietlicr y'ought t' Mib-|it.ii(p papcr-foldiu' f'r brusb-wurrk in bis curi'ic'luni' 1 dinnaw, .lawn, .whether they teach l.alin nnw'dnys, l'crhap.s they dpu't, f'r ]'i!jtin js not, liko brnsh-wurrk an , beetlp-ftudy, a gran' foundation f'r phijnbin',' trade unionisin, an'pollytics. Hut ;if they dr>, they won't, teach it !jl;e rather Doyle did. Whin Willi iv us boys wuz put on to roiislbrue, an. , med a mistake, I'olher Jloylp.wnd sa.v it was laziness an' end Ih' argument with a crack iv his stick. Tlicfc coarse methods ar-ro gone. To-day they patiently .refer t' all th' books be th' onnronounceabln German profissors who, bcin' Jat an' old an' bald an' childless, know more about, childhrcn than you know about th , lepidoptcra iv Asia Minor. "Tis a pity t!i' psychologists don't go t' th' bes' author'ties." "Who aro they?" asked Mr. Holinessj. "They used—mind ye, T don't say llicj dp now in these sfirrin' tinips iv change— they used t' bo called boys."