AUTOGRAPH ANSWERS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1713, 2 April 1913, Page 8

AUTOGRAPH ANSWERS.

WELLINGTON OP THE '80' S.

. SOME WIT AND WISDOM. " [Bv "Mere JlEnr,."]' "rour name, I pray you, Friend." —"Morchaiitx of. Venice," v. 1. "Oil, do put yoilr. autograph .in my album, with a nice .piece of verse, or a.sketch or something','. will you?" Who has not at 9110 time or another, of late years; - been assaulted with' this qaeryj 1 I'ho autograph-collecting craze has held adherents lor years past, iind as time goes on it . assumes varying phases. At fii-jit the mere autograph wassutucient: tlie other day 1. came'across a tienu who expected the patrons 01 his aioum io contnuuto • sketcuei m oils or' water-colour I And he was getting them to uo it, too. So: perhaps some day 111 'MO a.d. an old album may. be. discovered containing an early (or old; Jonillo,. or very iare oaimbrandt. My thoughts were running in this train, a little later, as I was rummaging through a jumble of tomes,' laiyo ami sninll, in uiy luvourita old book-snop. J. was grasping a Morn volume ol the ±)arsetshire when lrom a lar corner peoped out two very email books, tetalkuig another searcner, I'reached out, and with seeming unconcern grasped them. And they were a faded "Birthday Book" and "Tho Querists' Album"! A momentary dismay 111 this check in ihe search for literary treasure' was. dispelled somewhat when a glance at the lty-leaves in the l,:ooks • discovered thenoriginal owners' inscriptions to be. dated in'tlie IBiO's.' "To Ada'lrom Hugh," said tho .Birthday Book lly-leaf; only a few of Ada's friends had enrolled their names, commentlessly; a third of. a century ago. What little story that Hugli's token of affection and esteem should at last driit to the cobwebby corner of the bookdealer's shelves:- Tho conjuring- up of incideiital roriiancc and sequel must hero afford the compensatory joy that tho lover of, and seeker among, oid. books delves for. . -. ' . . "Tho Querists' Album," though, needed no such gap-filling. It had campaigned well, and tells'a story, graphic and humorous, of likes and dislikes, manners and thoughts, preferences and prejudices ot VV'ellingtonian's, and . cosmopolitans, i of thirty-od/l years ago. As a study ;of the times, it reads historically at this date, uud in tho interim many of tho signatories to the ".Confessions" , have played leading parts in the making, of history in tills city and Doniinioii." ' Oile confessor of that period bears tjie numb of a later i'reniier, another was a budding young* solicitor, who since then, has : rahked high in the Judiciary, and the autograph of still another L'orrespoiiils' to that of a lat-' ttr-day. Attorney-General. ' 1 do npt grudgo the dealer the few pence I paid tor this seeming insignificant work. Having shafed my dividend thus far, pefhaps trespass on. space may be excused to give a fuller glanco at this'fas' cinating forerunner of'the present day', morocco-bound,' gold-edged,' gaudily-colour-ed-leaved autograph album.- Choice was given of three series of interrogations at the confessional "of The';/ Querists' Album, the' chief questions Ijeing -■-'What virtue do, -you most esteem? Define your, ideal man (and woman)? What do you consider the" most beautiful thing in nature? ' What is your idea of the greatest earthly happiness (also greatest''misery)?- What is the Vice you most detest? \\Hiat peculiarity can. you most tolerate? Whom do you consider -the greatest living orator? What -is your opinion of the girl (and young man) ol the period? Is. a lady justified in concealing her ago?- Should it be the ladies' .prerogative to "pop the question"? In the words of the betting sweep-pro-motor, the "book filled." Many subscribers went right through the. three lists, and as the. writing oVidcnces, very painstakingly; others dallied .nii,cli,| skipping a .question h«re and there,,' especially tie age question—this by-many of the. fenmiiiic scribes. A seriousness, and brevity, ns if the writer were on oath, aro often apparent;- others endured the searching of the questions light-heartedly. ' Chief among the virtues esteemed were charity, and generosity, patience and endurance camo next; then—Decision, firmness, silence, self-abnegation, commonEense, unselfishness, ambition, purity, modesty, nnd temperance. Some of theso virtues are to be found even in this later generation. .The/virtue chiefly esteemed by one man, - was "Obedience—in a woman"! . The qualities which tho 'Wellington ladies of those days regarded as essential in tho ideal man. wero nobleness, generosity, bravery, good-temper, tenderness, and unselfishness. Are tho ladies of the present day as exacting? One lady's ideal was: "Six feet," with ,£IO,OOO. a year;" while another idojised "one able to boss his wife." "One who does as he would be l done by," said a Scripturallyminded lady. ■ The ideal woman should, it v' ns written,.- possess all- the qualities that go to make'np the ideal man, With the addition of beauty, gentleness, and brightness. "Fair, fat, and forty," wrote a frivoldus man. Ah earnest lady's opin■■ion was: "A woman who won't be sat upon, and who - knows her. own inind." VVonian was . almost generally voted "the most "beautiful thing in nature", by the chivalrous inenj.twd diverso views on this point favoured the. elephint, and tho baby. The ladies plumped for. "sunsets," "rainbows," and "well-filled purses." The' greatest earthly happiiieSs for one man was to meet "a perfect woman"; another hoped "to live and'die a bachelor." The greatest/misery'.wajr-"to be linked to a shrewj and bo spoony on her sister." "Bad digestion," was also noted.' • The niost-dqteSted vice was undoubtedly intemperance. . Peculiarities'that could be tolerated locally' in" 1880' were: "Sensible punning,", "honesty when it could be found,'' "pride," "smoking," "laziness,", and' "all old maid's attempt to appear youthful." Invariably was "Gladstone" and the "G.0.M." ranged alongside tlie greatest living orator query; it is to be seen, tbo, that the voice of John Bright was also swaying then'this far. corner of the Empire ; colonially is penned Captain Jackson Barry. Most'interesting and instructive aro tho comments on' the ydung I .' man. and girl of Wellington in the seventies and early eighties. Young ladies first. They were ndjudgedA"Clevcr, but frequently, useless"- (signed "Edwin"); "linbgen " said they were "a little' too - fast"; "Myra's" thought was "divine"; "Charlie" "did not know any"; "not. outspoken enough" ("Ilia." wrote thus—Havo the girls gained moro courage Ifiiterlv, In wonder); ' Edward" reckoned they .'couldn't boat Ker ; "flirts", epitomised "C.H."; "intelligent and clever" quoth "Anna, 1 paint chcek —powder," said ' "Harry" rudely; and "Peter" rhymes: .. . . .. •' ■Arrayed like ihe flowers of morning. With, jewels' exoeedlnßly' raje. The aid of pearl powder not soornlne, ■ They assert they havo nothing to wear. young men, are not up to their ideal, Thc f roa-sQn is wot hard to explain, ' When so much of their yearning is idyll. Oh, Eiye roe a drink; I'm in pain. The truth of the.last line is very apparent. ■ ' Tho critics dealt-far less .kindly)with the young man of tho period. I'll merely speak by the book. •; "Bores" (judge, "Ityra"); "might be lietter" - ("Agnes's" conimeut);- "conceited, selfish, etc." ("Martha'.': noto the "etc."); "riot much" ("Edward" settles, tho , question); "fop" (not sighed); "rather .shallow, and vain" ("Evangeline"); "l-ather better than in former years" ("Tony's" is tho first bright note); "big. collars and spats" ("Ellen"); and "Peter" again versifies— Divinely, divided hair, Unduly weak in mind; Decidedly languid stare— : ■ Emptiness .fully defined. It ; is saddening, to state it, but right through the book, riot,'o'ne',commentator enthuses over the young man. of Wellington. of 1875-85. .'May his case'not havo been so parlous, but that -tlie passing of a few years sinoothed. away.', thoso traits which Were .responsible: for tho. most . praise he at that date received being "Elizabeth's" "Not so bad, " considering." ' ■' ;•'