THE SITUATION.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 126, 2 May 1885, Page 2

THE SITUATION.

[North Ota^o Times.] Some very tragical mirth — to use Shakespeare's phrase — might be derived from a perusal of the articles which have appeared during the last six weeks m colonial newspapers, regarding the probabilities of war with Russia, were those articles all brought together inbook-forin. Thelaughter,howey«riftherewerelaughter would assuredly be at the expense of the writings and the writers. Undigested observations as to what should or should not have been done from the first by the British Government have been the order of the day. These have testified and continue to testify to the activity, but not, we fear, to the insight and intelligence of public opinion m the colonies.' Then there has been an abundant crop of crcule and coarse abuse of Mr Gladstone. The abuse has for the most part come from persons of the Jumping Jingo class — a class which represents, m regard to public affairs, those noor precipitated creatures, who m private life are always ready to hit a fellow mortal m the eye for any offence however trivial or unintentional it may be. Between the two classes there is, however, this difference : the Jingoes of private life are fortunately few m number and belong to the most uncouth sections of society, while the Jingoes of public affairs are unfortunately pretty numerous, and, paradoxical as it may seem, many of them belong to what are called the cultivated classes.