BY THE WAY

Evening Star, Issue 19794, 18 February 1928, Page 2

BY THE WAY

[By 0.V.l

“Th: time has come,” the Walrus said, “ To talk of many things.” Speaking from memory, there are nine million six hundred and thirtyfive thousand four hundred and twentyone ways in which people may deceive themselves with the very best intentions. No doubt others will be discovered later on, but these will help to go on with. One is to assume that the sentiments of a community to-day will ho those which will actuate it to-mor-row. Put in another way, many people seem to think that because two nations are friendly at present they will bo on cordial terms ten years or even one year later. It is a generous—one might go so far as to say a noble —mistake, but a mistake all' the same. Jt would bo a very cheering and inspiring thing if we could discover in history that friendships are eternal, that right invariably triumphs over wrong, and that those peoples which have acted most justly have prospered most. Unfortunately, in the past, the nation which punched first and apologised afterwards (if at all) seems to have come best out of the scramble, and the past is our guide to the future. The U.S.A. affords a curious illustration of the changes which years bring forth. At one stage it seemed to bo very doubtful whether it might to have a navy at all, and the tiny fleet it did possess was run on almost Communistic principles. It seems hardly credible, but the crews wished to be consulted as to the movements of

their ships. To-day Uncle Sam aims at the largest, strongest, best equipped and disciplined navy in the Avorid. A few years ago avg Avere keen on hanging tho ex-Kaiser and dredging the pockets of his late subjects for their last sixpences. Noav Ave are Avarned that avg must not do anything to hurt German feelings, and are supporting German industry Avith our cash. It does look like a changeful Avorid Avhen one examines it. « * * *

I “Faithful are Ihe wounds of a : friend.” Dr Hill did not wait till he returned to London before giving his i opinion of us from a botanical point 1 of view. He let us know the worst be- - fore leaving Wellington. He was . shocked by the careless way in which we let our flora disappear, and said so. I Those who can remember tho plant and bird life which flourished at our very ‘ doors forty' or fifty years ago will, I i think, sympathise with his views. In > those times there was a very distinctive , note in tho New Zealand bush, but by ceaseless effort wo have nearly succeeded in converting our country into an inferior copy ol Europe. Men not i now old can remember >vhcn parakeets, ; tuis. and bollbirds were as common as sparrows are now. The kowhai blossomed in our forests, the koradi flowers scented the river banks. Tho other day ; wo happened to revisit a place which to reach was once somewhat of an adventure. Now it has the choice of three passable roads, and possesses a rural delivery, a telephone service, and a small share in the services of a member of Parliament. The kaka, the pigeon, the parakeet, ami many other native birds have gone. Only the hawks hovering meditatively over their prospective dinners remain to remind us of tho past. Tho hardy and reliable Ford has replaced the stock horse. The very typo of the men has changed. Here and there we came across a veteran too . old to learn new ways. He looked as strange as though he had been clad in chain armor. “ Nothing can be as it has been before; better maybe, only—not the same.” It would be foolish to go back to the old ways, even if we , could, but we can at least preserve a ■ few, specimens of onr native flora and fauna, to show our descendants what manner of land their fathers lived in. » * * * If one were asked to name the most alive society in Dunedin we should say tho Otago Motor Club, with the reservation that there may be other bodies equally hard-working and capable which, from the nature of their activities, are loss under the public eye. One cannot travel by road in Otago without seeing the familiar O.M.C. signs, pointing out ■ the right track, warning motorists and others of dangers; cautioning them of ihe vicinity of schools, and generally doing their best to conserve the safety of the public. AA’e have no knowledge of the state of tho club’s finances, but it certainly spends money freely and judiciously. Many a beauty spot in the neighborhood of this city lias been made accessible to the public by the 0.M.C., and its campaign against the disfigurement of the countryside by blatant advertisements is a sort of holv war which (appeals to all decent people. In the | midst of all these good works the club finds time and energy to do its bit for those whom fortune has overlooked in the distribution of good things- For instance, we notice that this month it purposes taking 400 children from the orphanages to a picnic at AVingatui. It does not even ask for a Government subsidy for tho purpose, a happening so rare as to be remarkable. It may be said that the members are mostly well-to-do folk who can afford tho luxury of doing good. This may or may not he true. In any case, the poor are generally much more cheerful givers than the rich. They cannot keep a pound note long enough to become really .attached to it. It is quite pleasant to he able to give a little honest praise now apd then. AA r c have quite enjoyed writing this paragraph, and hope that the Motor Club members will enjoy reading it. • * * * “The pastoral industry is the backbone of New Zealand.”—Axiom current among pastoralists. Some praise the lion’s lordly air, Some love the elephant, Some find within the tiger’s lair The stimulus they want. And who can gauge the Hindoo’s glee AA’hen spotted leopards leap? Here, many people seem to see Much virtue in the sheep. And frequently the poets bring A tribute to such views; For, when they write their odes to Spring, The lamb inspires their muse; And when it wags its lengthy tail To show it needs a drink, _ And hears its mother’s plaintive hail, They rush for pen and ink. And in its riper years, men say • (As I believe aright), It gives us raiment for the day, And blankets for the night. Yea! more than thatrThe cash to get The things, so seldom cheap, AA’hercon our inmost heart is set Comes mainly from the sheep. It is a most ungainly beast AA’hen seen on mountain tops; And even more so as, deceased, It hangs in butcher’s shops. The ways of Providence are dark; Its humor sometimes deep. It made us (think you for a lark?) Dependent on the sheep. « « * « AVas it a French or an Italian nobleman who considered it very improbable that Providence would damn a person of his social position? AA 7 e forget; but in a general sort of way his theory has lately been supported by the weather. The City Council felt insulted by those inhabitants of Anderson’s Bay who had the temerity to ask for the water for which they presumably pay rates, and it refused to listen to a prayer which sounded somewhat like a demand. It was quite on the cards that developments might have been interesting, especially to onlookers, when Providence came to the rescue by sending rain. Thus was saved both the council’s dignity—which, like most rare things, is

precious— and the tempers of the water less ratepayers. Unfortunately, we can not always count on such an opportum descent of the god from the machine, otherwise things would run more smoothly and evenly than they do. It is also noticeable that in the majority of cases these dramatic interventions favor the more powerful party. “ Providence,” as Napolean observed, “is on the side of the big battalions.” Still, there are sufficient instances to the contrary to give color to the idea that some people are lucky and others born under a baleful star. Your scientist scoffs at such notions. He maintains that a given effect implies a given cause, and that the lucky man is merely more clever or cunning, stronger of will, or swifter of thought than his neighbor. We are not quite prepared to admit this; but, even if true, it only shifts the mystery back a step. Whence came these fortunate qualities? We give it up, and content ourselves by considering that the City Council’s luck was in, for the moment at any rate.