Our Wellington Watchman

Feilding Star, Volume IX, Issue 86, 7 January 1888, Page 3

Our Wellington Watchman

History may be made during holi- \ day times, but if so the contemporary historian is unable to catctL on to much of it. This is a round about . way of admitting that I have nothing startling in the way of news to administer. Wellington may be suffering from the direst depression, but ' she certainly; shows no outward and J visible signs of the same. She has J been keeping up high jinks for the ' last ten days, arid even how the peo- > pie have holiday faces. ' I do not » think that the accupation brought > against ßiltons— that they take their * pleasures 'sadly— will apply to New- ' Zealanders, who go about their » diversions with considerable gaiety " and spirit and as if they meant it. But it is the pickaninnies that take i my eye on all festive occasions. Young ■ New Zealand unmistakeably bosses the. show, and adults of all ages seem • ip be their willing and obequious slaves.. This is as it should be, b,ut— . *: O tempora ! , O ' wiom,!— what a change fronr the days of our youth ! what 1 prim and rather sad little prigs some ' of "us were, to be sure; And, wheD we did take Our pleasures how. frigid 1 they were compared to the festivities ' indulged . in by ypung 1 1888. Let's see, I must haveripeen young in Sand, 'ford and Morton's period when ; it was the correct thing for elders to take an unfortunate and unoffending kid for 1 a walk, and— instead of permitting the poor child to run about and howl ". ,and expand his lungs and have a good time generally — " improve his mind" -r-the i ogres ! And , what gainful re- ; verences, what Sirings and Madams ' we had to bestow > upon those same ' elders, and what mum-chicks and little hypocrites .they made of many ; of their young, folk. And the Sun - 1 day B— do I not f remember the Saw--1 bajwths. The'Sa'wb'awth; with three „ churches an4"brimß^ne.'iractß. i .se'rye I d^ 1 lik'e. Mrs. Pipclun's mutton chops, hot and, hot. The Sawbawth', with no harmless laughter or singing of songs or innocent jollity. TLe Sawbawth, when: indulgence in the surreptitiona marble meant misery here and hereafter, and when the penalty for : whistling was eternal desolations. Yes; they have changed all that in New-Zealand, and the chances are young New Zealand will respect and love old ditto a great deal more than the Young England of my youth loved and revered old England. # # * # Notwithstanding the notorious messes the English Admiralty perpetually makes in the construction of ships, and notwithstanding New Zealand's poverty, the martial Atkinson, who is a Colonial jingo to his boots, is determined this country shall pay the interest on *and maintain a few of these same bungles in iron. True the good man does not know a maindeck from a marlinespike, and true also' that England, instead of constructing especially for Australasia," will foist upon the Colonies some of her own misfits, but what cares the Major? If, when the ships come out, Atkinson can only raise and command a corps of horse-marines to work in - unison with the Imperial blue%jacks, he will be happy. He has had just enough experience of the "glory" of biishwackiug to make him mad for more of it. He is spoiling for a fight of some sort, and if he is not speedily checked, will -drag this country into some scrimmage before long. Yogel is every whit as much a jingo as the Major, and I respectfully suggest that those two fight it out, and get rid of their warlike gore, Togel can fight in his go-cart, armed with a crutch, while Atkinson might mount a rockinghorse with the mace for lance— the Speaker to be umpire, and his decision to be final. I'll lay odds on Vogel.^ - The truth is England has lately , played a very artful game with regard . to these colonies. She has completely J altered her colonial policy. AsFroude says in " Oceana," the intention of English statesmen, a iew years ago, [ was to shake the colonies off at the „ first opportunity. ■" It is no use," said an eminent Colonial Office Secretary to Mr Fi-oude w hen he once re- \ monetrated, "to speak about it any I longer. The thing is done. The i great colonies are gone. It is but a ; question of a year or two." But, they have changed all that. Radical sentiment has made immense strides in t England of late years; jingoism— the ; love of fightiag, smashing and conquest—has comparatively declined, , and those governing classes, who govern merely by aid of what is called f a "spirited foreign policy," desire j to acclimatize the jingo spirit in these colonies; to awaken the "love of j glory" amongst a people- who have no r experience of the cost of glory, and plenty of money to spend in its sup- .• posed achievement. The Sydney j Soudan contingent opened the eyes of j these English statesmen to the fact that there was an England outside Britain quite disposed to go on the war rampage, even if Britons them- ' selyeß were, full up of glory. I think, ' however, the Colonial officials misuni derstand these colonies as much in , other matters. They mistake tho I ravings of a few Colonial swash- , bucklers and toadies for the sentiments of a whole people, and suppose b that because a Mr Dalley, a Eobert £ Stout, or a Major Atkinson are eagei • to show their loyalty by permitting ' throats — the throats of others — to be I cut,; that the entire population of the Australasias are pining to go into , the, wizen cutting trade. But the 1 misapprehension of the English offic--8 iais'ie the raison d'etre of the subsidised fleet farce, the fortifications farce, and ' other similar humbug, including the 1 invitation from Australia to England's ' one general — rGarnet Wolseley— tc p advise on defence. They should now c invite the Duke of Cambridge to New Zealand to advise on buttons. Bah !