The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, January 8th, 1914. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1193, 8 January 1914, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, January Bth, 1914. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

How refreshing it is to converse with a girl student from a board or secondary school whose pronunciation is correct, and whose manner is just natural. It is safe to assume that such an one is well forward and thorough-going in her studies. But, unfortunately, such girls are in the minority. One has only to travel in a train conveying school girls home for the holidays and listen to the conversations between them to get an indication of the foreign, simpering affectation and snobbishness which mars their otherwise sweet naturalness. The mail train is referred to as the ‘‘mile trine,” “kike” for cake—which reminds us of the sweet young creature who invited Mr to have some kike first, “it is just divine,” and have the “gripes” (grapes) afterwards! Such simpering nonsense should be stamped out. Our children require to be taught the beauty and grandeur of the Anglo-Saxon tongue, characteristic of a brave and independent people —not a mincing caricature of. the language. Such silly mouthiugs are wrongly assumed to indicate superior class distinction. What arrant humbug ! On the whole we are proud of our girls—among the finest physically in the whole world. To chis let there be added naturalness, not monkey mimickery, and to remember ; “Whatsoever you are, be that, Whatsoever you say, be true, Straightforwardly act, be honest in fact, Be nobody else but you.” Mr Stead writes an article on the “ Hands-Around-the Pacific ” movement in the December Review of Reviews, Its objects are : To promote in all Pacific lands a friendly feeling among those resident there who are from various Pacific lands or Islands, or who have visited them. To spread abroad around the Pacific a knowledge of all Pacific communities, and to secure from each other, and around the Pacific, a belter knowledge of the lands in and about the Great Ocean, and the objects, aims and ambitions of their respective people. The value of good understanding between Australia, the United States, China and Japan is obvious. Good fellowship is a far better protection than battleships and armies. We are spending £(6,000,000 this year on preparations for possible friction with our neighbours. We are not spending a thousand pounds on promoting friendly relations, the grease which prevents all friction in the diplomatic machine. The Hands-Arouud-the-Pacific movement is worthy of the whole-hearted support of every Australian. We are intensely patriotic, but we are also eminently sensible. It entails no loss of prestige to hold out the hand of friendship to our neighbours, instead of shaking our mailed fist under their noses. If we ear marked, say, one-twentieth of the sum we devote to warlike preparations annually, to a real endeavour to bring about a better understanding between the Pacific nations and ourselves, the costly armaments we are so painfully building up will never be needed.