THE HEIGHT OF POLITENESS.

Evening Star, Issue 3430, 18 February 1874, Page 3

THE HEIGHT OF POLITENESS.

(From the North Otago Times.) Purely the Millenium must be fast ap preaching or some golden age of chivalrous courtesy. The day is evidently not far distant when the vory policeman who arrests his prisoner will first present bis card with a bow like a ; and the bailiff, who is armed with authority to enter your will come in full dre v s, and present yon with a writ in the prettiest of pink envelopes, superscribed with the compliments of Mr So-and-so. Oamaru leads the way in the inauguration of the new era, as the following letter from a creditor to a debtor, for the genuineness of which we can vouch (en closing a summons to the Resident Magistrate s Court), will show. We suppress names, otherwise the letter is verbatim:— “ February 4, 1874. My dear , —You did. not send me cheque for my small balance, ns you proraised. Probably something came in the way to create a diversion, or perhaps you forgot it. It is not easy always to find money for these small matters. I trust you are getting oa better with the ironwork, and not losing any more horses. lam sure you work very hard for your money'. So do I ; and it is our duty not only to ourselves, but to our dependencies, to see that we get pa ; d for our labor. By the bye, I happened to be in to-day, and I thought I might as well get a summons fortheaccountoutstanding between us; more, indeed, as a matter of form than anything else. Did it ever occur to you that we enjoy a great privilege in living in a country where the Quetn’s Writ is respected. N'OW, if you or I lived in the South Sea Islands, or any other of those salubrious localities of which Europeans become so enamored that they can seldom prevail on themselves to leave them again, and a party owed us money, we could not avail ourselves, as we now do, of the beautiful and simple machinery of the law to recover our just rights. No, We would have to wait until our impecunious friend thought fit to refund the amount in tortoise-shell or cocoanut oil. We have, therefore, much to be thankful for in this respect. Should you have an opportunity of putting anything in my way some of th se days. I trust you will not forget. I could do with some nice handy job at which lot of money could be made with ease and expedition. Not that I object to cylinder loading, mind you; in fact, although myself not too ardent an admirer of the labor ipse voluptas principle, if nothing better was at hand, I rather prefer it. But you must admit tliat when one comes to load cylinders for thirteen inclement months, aud only receives compensation to the extent of LlO, it beepmes somewhat inono famous. ‘‘l hope the day fjxed for the hearing will be a convenient one fpr you. Should you, however, not he there, I suppose 1 shall have tq go through the forms of getting judgment autl\ execution. But you may depend your interests will receive attention ; and I do not at all see why we should make an unpleasantness of what, as I before said, we ought to regard as one of the chiefest of our privileges. “I remain, my dear “Yours very sincerely, . " VS.—What lovely weather we have bad lately- Sunday was a had day, though. Was there much rain with you?”