WITHOUT PREJUDICE

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 2, 27 September 1921, Page 4

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

NOTES AT RANDOM I (By T.D.H.) An escaped prisoner was captured in an hotel bar in Auckland. —Under pro-, hibition now he would probably still be missing. Maybe there’s nothing in a name, but for over a score of years the Rimutaka Deviation has been side-tracked by politicians. Perhaps the Progress League will suggest Rimutaka Acceleration Scheme as a substitute. It is understood that in view of ths speed) shown by tho letter-carriers in yesterday’s rond race, the Chamber of Commerce will petition for the -transfer of tho winning team tos the letter-sort-ing department. In his lecture on ..the topography of Port Nicholson Dr. dotton reports that even in prehistoric days there were considerable movements in real estate around tho city, followed as usual by depressions. It pays to study the post.

Influence is what you think you havo until you try to uso it.

At tho R.S.A. meeting tho chairman said he had paid 7s. for a dinner the previous night and would have been ns well satisfied with a 2s. one. —The trouble nowadays is that most people are paying 7s. fori a 2s. dinner.

Art is in the atmosphere this week with tho exhibition at tho Art Gallery. Such efforts at 'sculpture as we produce have a painfully modern appearance, and in Whitmore Street one will not hear a conversation such as I onco listened to among the antiques in the British Museum. Two Tommies were looking at a sadly-dilapidated figure which, according to the inscription, represented "Victory." "Blime me!" said one to tho other, "if that bloke won th’ fight, then I’d gie sumfink to see the bloke wot lost!”

, In tho past it has been the custom for artists and musicians co wear long hair. Old-time pianists—such as Paderewski, and the moro modern Hambourg—used their luxuriant locks to add dignity to tho arpeggios and the florid l passages which tliey created. They wore long, curly, wavy thick locks, the glory of maiden ladies of unce.rtain age, and the terror of combs. Simultaneously, the old-time prize-fighter, such as "Fitz” and Jeffries, wore their hair clipped short. Nous avons change tout ccla! To-day, tho pianists—Levitzki, for Instance (who is in AAtellington), and Chotzinoff. wear their hair clipped, without any loss of coloratura: while Carpen-' tier and Dempsey wear long. hair —Carpentier flowing locks, and the American, a wiry "brushbnek." Bernard Shaw would wax cynical over it! ,

1 Mrs. Smith: I wish you’d come over nnd see my hpsbnnd, doctor. His temperature was normal this morning, but he got talking to me about the Labour Party’s contributions for the unemployed, and now he’s delirious again.

Now that there is an aeroplane at Lyall Bay tho local fishermen along the coast may b,e interested to learn that a flying machine is a most useful thing for locating shoals of fish. Scottish trawler owners are combining to secure n seaplane to search for tho herring shoals. In pre-war years the herring could bo relied upon to follow the same course year after year, travelling from breeding ground to breeding ground in' regular armies, each species keeping to its own troop. Seldom was there any deviation. Some of these shoals would be three miles wide, nnd several miles in length. Since the war, however, the' North Sea herring has become infected 1 with the. prevailing demoralisation, and the drifters spend weeks searching in vain for the shoals and get very poor money ns a consequence. Ting they hope to avoid by covering. largo areas with systematic searches from above. ■

There was great joy in a Kelburn homo recently on the arrival of a baby -boy. Little Bnbs, his sister, was particularly elated, nnd told the postman the good news. "The question is,” said the wag with the letter bag, "is he going to stay?” "Oh. yes," said Babs, "he’s got his things off!"

My friend "Liber” writes to tell m« that "Anon’s” interesting story of tho annexation of Perim was "lifted" from, that most entertaining travel book, "A' Surgeon’s Log." "Libor,” who eeoms to, know something about everything that was ever printed in bock form, adds that "A Surgeon’s Log” "was published anonymously, but tho author is understood to be a certain Dr, Abraham. _ A ( friend who claims acquaintanceship with' tho author tells me that this is not the author’® real name, and .that the writer of tho book is at the present time a resident in the Dominion."

"Liber” also has something to say about this column. "Whilst,” he comments, "in common with, no doubt, all other readers of the '"Without Prejudice column, greatly enjoying tho daily spread of wit nnd satire served up by 'T.D.IT..’ I am rather surprised that the origin of the title has not boon stated. 'Without Prejudice’ was the title of a cwtsene contributed for some time to the 'Pelt Mnll Magazine’ by Mr. Israel Znngwill. Mr. Zangwill’s essays were afterwards republished in volume form, and mighty good rending they make. Later on W. E. Henley was responsible for a somewhat similar series of essays in the same magazine, including a rathe - notorious article on Stevenson; nnd. still later. ‘Q’ (Sir Arthur Quilleir-Couch) ecnlTibuted. in-the same place, some admirable causeriiw. entitled 'From a Cornish Window.’ 'Q’s* essays make one of t he best of b'ds’de or 'dinning' hooks. They were republished in 801 l s Colonial Library.”

I am grateful to "Liber” for his informative note, but I must confess that the heading to this column did rot originate as lie suggests. It was merely n. commonplace inspiration on the part of the Editor, who. I assume, wished to convey the impression to his readers that anything which appeared in this column must be read without prejudice to the editorial thancier. NEVER MIND THE GIRL. Impromptu verse, as a rule, keeps badly, and when served up again is like the funeral baked meats that furnished forth the marriage feast. There are executions, and among them I would number these lines by Gelett Burgess,the'American humourist, dashed off for a bet during an afternoon call - .—

Leave.the lady, Willy, let the racket rip; She is going to fool you—you. have lost

your grip. Your brain is in a muddle, and your heart is in a whirl; Come along with nic, Willy, and never mind the girl! Come and have a man-talk, Come with those who can talk, Light your pipe and listen, and the. boys will pull you through. Love is only chatter. Friends are all that matter— Come and have a man-talk, that’s the cure for you 1 •