HUMOROUS PARADOXES OF LIFE.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 June 1926, Page 1

HUMOROUS PARADOXES OF LIFE.

II you are lavish people say you are a spendthrift. If you practise economy you are Scotch. If we show irritation it- is temperament. If others show -irritation it is bad tempei. AVliat we call confidence in ourselves \ve call conceit in tollers. The epigrammatic speeches of Lord Dewar induced a representative of tlie “Sunday Times” to ask him at the conclusion, of a recent dinner .lion he first began to speak in public on tlie humorous outlook on lilo. Lord Dewar said :

“Life is a paradox from tfie cradle to the crematorium. Through humor you can. see comic tilings happening around you all the time, and disoovei that DO per cent, of the troubles of life are imaginary. “For example, you can see the hon-•esl-to-gooduess people who adopt a halo, and with one finger outstretched say, ‘am holier than thou.’ You can hear the rabid reformers in Hyde Park proclaim: ‘You must do as you like, otherwise you will he made to,’ and that all men are equal. Providence never meant men to he equal, except when they are asleep!

“Others pay the amusement tax hut are not amused. You can find humour on those who are socially ambitious struggling to brush elbows with the socially elect.

“There is humour in those who look down with an air of superiority and condescension on those who intellectually are their superiors. Some women will step off an omnibus backwards, although they have the vote to-day.

“Some say a man has his heart in the right place and others think that if that is all to he said for him something must he wrong with his head. “Then there is the man .who comes up to you and says: ‘Y on don’t remember me V Immediately say ‘Yes, T do. How is your complaint?’ He will then give a long account of the suffering he has had at some period of his life. You may be pretty certain all men bare complaints and a great many grievances.

“You can see a lot of humour in the pessimist. He is always grumbling because there is not enough bloom to go ground. Life for him is a medley of hope and despair, and of crimes and of misfortunes. Sympathise with him, but don’t listen too long or you may begin to be engrossed in bis troubles which really do not exist. If there were not so many bees in linnets there would not be so many proand anti-societies.”