QUIPS AND CRANKS

Hokitika Guardian, 4 July 1931, Page 8

QUIPS AND CRANKS

DEBATERS’ “WISECRACKS”

AUDIENCE AMUSED. (Wellington Dominion). As might have been expected when six university men were to be opposed in ;l debate on the worthlessness or otherwise of the rising generation, plenty of humour and a good lolio ol epigrams and various “wisecracks’ brightened recently the contest between Victoria College students and the party of vising American debaters. The visitors were Messsrs R. A. Pi all, I), ft. Wilson and R. T. .Miller, and their opponents Messrs W. P. Rollings, R. G. Cross ley and JO. Hurley. 'lhe teams supplied the audience about equally with laughter. Some ol the phrases add passages are worth quotation. Mr Rollings bad been attacking Sii Oswald Mosley as an outstanding figure in the younger generation. “Sir Oswald Mosley when young,” said Mr Rollings, “went round the country attacking hi.s father, who was a Tory, but nevertheless a stout old fellow .or all that . . .” Mr Rollings (a moment or two later): “The mind of the modern youth omits the ‘t’ from ‘immortality.’ ’

“A Shirt and a Half.” Mr Rollings (still later): “Woman’s dress to-day reminds me invariably ol a'remark of Falstalf’s ’’

“What about the night-time cried a voice.

“I’m coining to that,” Mr Rollings replied. “Rut woman’s dress, ns I was saying, reminds me ol Fa I.stall's remark ‘There’s but a shirt and a half in all my company.’ ”

Talking about the wav youth turned along criminal paths Mr Rollings said that instead of leaving lootprints on the sands of time they were leaving fingerprints somewhere else. Mr I’faff questioned Mr' Rollings’?-; contention that young people were always out until three o’clock in tli ■ morning. “A lot of them are working in laboratories—they’re not all bn the doorstep.” said Mr Pfall. Mr Pfaff (speaking of the statistics of age at death): “I don't know how that, older generation must have lived to die at 28. . . .”

Difference of Technique. Mr Pfaff (yet again): “Physically and mentally, son is no different from lather and grandfather—it’s only a difference of technique!” Mr Cmssley: “This is an age of disrespect, discontent, and iinmannorliness.”

Mr C loss ley: “Youth is still content to obey those devil dancers and Hagflappers, the stage managers of Europe the politicians.” Mr Miller: “Crimp is freedom going too far. Naturally, in this new ago ot freedom, there are some who can’t stand the strain.”

Zeppelins Mentioned. The dress of the Victorian women, a s described in part by Mr Miller, caused a trood deal of amusement. Ho referred to it as having “mutton-leg” sleeves, old Pompadour bats a foot high or more, a bustle like the tail-piece of a Graf Zfcppolin, and corsets something like a bottleneck.”

Mr Miller g;ive an amusing comparison between the methods of the youth of to-day and the youth ol a past generation in calling lor his girl and talcing her for a ride. In the old days lie used to call for her in a buggy. To-day he called for her in his baby car and took her out for a spin. “Hut to-day.” said Mr Miller, “I can’t tie my steering wheel to the dashboard and let it go. After referring to the opposing team as “disloyal renegades to the cause of youth,” Mr Wilson said that the Bible said that the world would always have with it two .things- the poor and the rising generation. In these times, when economy seemed desirable, no truth would be sacrificed by combining the two and calling it the “poor rising generation.”

Mr Wilson (at a later stage): “The pity of it is, my friends. Hint, condemnation of von 111 is so old tlnu the teeth of the argument have fallen out." Mr Rollings (in his summing up): “The young people of to-day gaze'at life through the folds of an antimacassar."