THE LUMBER ROOM

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 131, 19 June 1937, Page 4

THE LUMBER ROOM

•PA GL

PSY.M

[a]

East and West. One rather curiotis effoet of the Gfeat War upon Germany was the popularity of travel literature after it waa over. Naturally the inhabitants of the German Empire had no opportunity for foreign travel for nearly five years, while we, on the other hand, were having. in many cases, an over dose. Count Herman Keyeerling, a German philosopher of note, however. had tfavelled widely and his "Travel Diaty of a Philosopher ' ' became very wifiely read. He asserted, among other things, that he had given a sopl to South Amepica. As it happens, however, the point I wish to make is that it is eurious how the western peoples turn to the East for romantie travel. Western writers, such as Elroy Fleeker, garnish the East with a wealth of perfumed wOrds and pubtle cadence of rhythm. Why evcn the very title, "The Golden Gatg tp Samarcand, ' ' has a lure of its own. Does the East turn with enviojis eyes to the West in a like maunerf Do easfern poets portray the romance of the West in matchleee versef I doubt it. Aeid. Mr. Frederick Lonsdale, the pjaywright, is npted fpr his acid wjt. On one oecasion a fellow member pame pantmg into Lonsdale 's club on a hpt summer 's afternoon, "My wordj" he said, "I have had a day of it. I've been taking my tw« Doys to the zoo. ' ' " Oh, i wish I had thought of that," Lonsdale replied. "I sent minc t» Harrow."— Trevor Allen. Hiting Comment Gne noticeable result of the present uplift in New Zealand, is that a Wellington dentist reports a rysh for new dentures has set dn. During the "Great. Depresh," he says, people had no jnoney to fill the nagging tooth with gold or porcelain, ama so the painf ul object was removed quickly and possibly paiulcsslv. ( Now people are going to be able to chew in comfort. Some • people say there is plenty to chew over, and othen no doubt hope that we haven't bittea ofl! more than we can chew.- — Anon. Tfie End of the Day. Do Hastings and Napier realise that an honour is soon to be filched from them? For many years .now the Wellington exprcss has swung amportantiy into Hastings on the last lap oi its day'S journey to Napier. Sopn, however, we shall be just stations by the way, for the East Coast Flier will gather up its loins for the dash up the Esk ; valley to thunder across the Mohaka Viaduct and up tho hills to Wairoa, then along the coast till it climbs five miles oi track hewn o.ufc of the solid rock approaching. the tunnel which is the gateway to Gisborne. Think of it — just statipns by tha wayl Leave Your Friends to Theif Bnetuiss. Don't flatter yourself that friendship authordses you to say disagreeable things to your intimates. The nearer 8 you come into relation with a person the more necessary does tact and courtesy hecome. Except in cases of necessity, which are rara, leave your friend to learn unpleasaut things from his enemdes; they are ready euough tp tell him,—01iver Wendell Holmes. What the Fublxc Wants. The phrase "what the publie Wants" reminds me of the politicians whp teR us that they feel the "puke oi th# people" when they hold electipn meetigs. But do they? They "feel the puke" of small mobs of hecklers and streefccorner boys, hut what do they know about the hosts of voters who never attend? • They know just as much about them as a liFrarian knows. of his readera when he listens only to the grumblers. — Krnest A. Savage. - More and More Fain Killer, The -more we learn new mefchods of stopping pain, the more pains there seem to need stopping. In short, we find that we are up against the problem presented by the princess in Haus Andersen's fairy tale. The softer they made her bed, the more ehe felfc, antil one crumpled rose leaf under twenty feather mattresses seemed tp her like lying on a eharp pebble - Gerald Heard. Milady'e Boudolx, Originally boudojr, coniing from the French bouder meaning. to pout, was the place to whdch Mademoiselle might hide herself when she felt sulky, When Dealing With Feople, When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with ereatures of logic, but with ereatures of emotioq, ereatures brtistling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity. And if you want to stir up a reseutment to-morrow that may rankle across decades and endure until death, jusl indulge in a little stiuging criticism— no matter how certain you are that it •2s justified. As Dr. Johnson said: "God Himself, sir, does jiofc propose to judge man until the ,end of his days." Why should you and Tf — Dale Caraegie. Choosing Books. "Good morning. i wuut a book. Something— er— rather " exciting. ' ' The juvenile librarian threw an ornndscient glance at the colleetion, and plueked. _ The lady read the title aloud. "Is this rather exciting?" "Oh yes, madam, that is very exeiting. ' ' "Oh." She rufflecl tke pages irresolutely. "It isn't very long," gfie eompaliued; "haven't you anythina longer?" 0 The juvenile plueked. "Is this rather exciting?" asked the lady. She was assured that it w.as no less jxciting than the other novel. "Oh." she said— "The Face in the Drawer." "Oh, I'H take this one then. You know the addre'ss, don't you? Good morning."— Leonard Mervic\ "Coprad, in Quest of His Youth."