OUT & ABOUT

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 36, 10 November 1911, Page 3

OUT & ABOUT

By. EWAM IVSEE. Byron says somewhere;' "The unexpected sometimes happens." Here have I for more A'ears than I care to mention, been swinging the festive pick, and pushing the gleaming shove], when all . the time I ought to have been pushing a pen instead. Look ye, it' is scarcely more tftaai a month since I, in a weak moment, consented to do the front page of "The Worker." "Just as a beginning," said the Editor,-, "and'there's no saying what it may lead t-a."

Already it ,has led to a peculiar development. You see, so many of "The Worker" readers have written mc, that —er, well —it became almost imperative that I should interview my hatter at a shorter interval than I am wont' to. That is, I would have had to do so, but my nationality saved mc in this as it has saved mc in many another tight corner. As a letter-writer named "Ewe" puts it: "From his 'pawkie' humour, I fancy Ewan is a Scot." Well, friend, the picture of Ewan Mcc graces the head of this column, and if I am the Scot thereon, why Ewe must be .the other fellow.

The effect of these letters was that toiy hat became too small, and so, one of two things had to be did. Either I had to buy a new hat or join the Hatless Brigade. It was here my nationality came to my rescue. I am a Scot, so of two evils I chose the cheaper.

But these letters have done more. They have convinced mc that my "Out and About" page, if not the most popular, is the most red-flaggish, that is, the most intensely read of aJI that appears irr "The Worker" —which is equal to an admission on my part that I am the best." But modesty forbids.

And yet these letters are a revelatioJ), and confirm the opinion I have all along held, that a writer's duty is not to pander to what will please his readers, but to write what he considers true, and express his opinions fearlessly. His frankness will offend some, and his truths, annoy, others, but in the end the majority of" thinking men

(making due allowance for "bias") will give, credit where credit is'due.

I'm afraid I've "fell in," for if thinking men "give credit where credit is due," then, iii the opinion of my tailor, I am, not a "thinking man," as the,, "credit" standing against my nama <xn his book's has been "due" a long time now, and I make no attempt ta •"give" it! '•;

..To shoW you, if you do not already know, how opinions- differ,, let mc- tell you that one correspondent accuses mc of being "too frivolous and funny," while, with the same post, came a letter from another, reader abjuring mc not to foe*-"so serious," but to "give the worker something to laugh at." If that Correspondent will send on his photo. I .willy get our artist to oblige.

Yet another calls my page "an inItellectual treat." Down, -Mr. Editor, '/down!

The last-mentioned, however, gives

jne beans for the "audacity, presumption, and' knock-me-down impudence" iwith which, he says, I handle the Scrub ■Editor. He hppes it "isn't, jealousy" jon my part. Ye gods and .littj© fishes 1

Fancy my being jealous of the "Scrub" —a thing tike that!

Now to those readers that want mc to be "more serious," I beg to inti- ,- mate that I have Ho desire to shine as a sermoniser; and to those who wish mc to be a little more humorous, let mc say I have never posed as a "wut." And, really, with such comical entertainments as the leaders of the era.ft unions and Labor candidates, and other collections of superior persons provide, it would ill become mc to.enter into competition with them. Moreover, being a Socialist, I am opposed to com=petition. Nevertheless,, as a journai-* ist (ahem!) I must chronicle 'their bray•irigs—sayings, .1 mean". So, as ever, when at a loss for "kopy," I put my trust in 'Providence, and, as the song says. "Providence is kind"—Providence on the present occasion being one of the Shining Wrights, that is, Lights of Parliament. Will our Assistant-Scrub Editor prepare a pen picture of R.A.W., M.P., the opponent of Labor Candidate Hind- ■ marsh in Wellington South? Let'this be an instruction. * * • -■■ I don't know if you have noticed it, but it seems to mc that the Bible-in-Schools Brigade are altogether < too quiescent. To mc their silence seems om- ' inous. Last election they made a great j noise, but they found that the-people wouM not respond to their blandishments. Looks to mc as if on the present occasion they intend to take a different tack. Not a few of the Opposition and Government candidates are in favour of the Bible-in-Schools, but mum's the word. They're saying nothing, about it. The friends of secular education most not be caught napping. They must carry the war into the enemy's camp. That is, every candidate,, no matter what name he is sailing under, must be publicly asked to state definitely what side he takes on this question, and all enemies of our national system of secular education must be exposed, opposed and deposed.; . Before last election, Mr. R. A. Wright was the organiser of the Bible-in-Schools Brigade, and I have been watching his speeches to see. if he would expatiate on this subject before the electors of Newtown. So far, he has given no indication of his intention to do so. However, I haven't fergotr ten some of the things he said when.-in the pay of the Sky-pirates. What do you think of the following "swatch"? Re-introduction of the Bible into schools, with, the inculcation of contentment of spirit, and a determin- j ation to do one's duty in that state of life unto which it has pleased God to call on©, would contribute to secure provision for a rainy day; remove the frequent ferment over increases of wages;.' promote industrial peace; and, generally, effect much improvement in our social conditions. This astounding piece of piffle was contained in a circular distributed the night before the polling day. Think of the doAvnright mendacity of a snug and snrug,. comfortably-incomed employer- of labor, a shareholder in exploiting companies, and, I believe, a landowner to boot, dishing up such mush to a working-class electorate. Imagine, an you can, the impudent hypocrisy of a man who, it is said, for years was a member of the most insatiate. gang of loan-sharks that ever cursed a community with its pestiferous presence, brazenly suggesting. that our children should be taught to read a book containing verses like, the, following: : And if thy brother be waxen poor j . . . then, shalt' thou- relieve I ihim: yea, tJioxighv Ec .be a "sta*ai> ger,_ oy a sojour^ner; : . »..-..., . Take thou -no, usury of him or increase-.;.; - '.. r *■■'-/"■■' Thou* shalfc not give him thy ' money upon usury, or lend him thy victuals for increase.

And this man, when the work-errs ask for justice and fair living conditions, advises them to .teach their children to read -the Bible, cultivate humility, and do their "duty!" I'm afraid the workers have a long way to travel before they reach the point at which they can nourish their bodies with sermons and clothe themselves with the "spirit of .contentment.", Fact is, Mr. Wright's Christianity is not unlike the incandescent light—blue in its essence, but the mantle gives it a bright iappeara nee. i * * I notice that an up-country parson, speaking on the question of Socialism at an Oddfellows' social, has been having a fair soar. Indeed, it was a sore affair! He told his audience, that Oddfellowship was the. antithesis of Socialism. Oddfellowship meant "Help one another." Socialism meant "Help thyself."' ■ Most wise, most erudite, discreet;, and concise definition! And. yet, I have just -a suspicion there is a leakage somewhere. Socialism means self-help I Granted; and what nobler, manlier, honester principle could inspire men and women ? Moreover,- has not the party to which the reverend gentleman pins his economic faith long siivce canonised Samuel Smiles of "Self-help" fame ? And we not had it dinned into our ears at church, and printed as head-lines in our copy-books at school, that "God helps those who help themselves?" Is God, then, on the ;side of the Socialists? ;. , ; If this sky-pirate has his "doo'ts/ , then for-the sake of the better guidjance of the youth of the future l , I i< should advise him to communicate with 'our Education Board, so that when the : new copy-books are being printed,, the misleading maxim may be brought up •to date. According to this reverend. gentleman it ought to be made to read, I God help those who help- themi . "selves'. ' ; - "'' -. I But what 'do you think ? An Eketanuha correspondent write* that Mr. i>t Joitea, tfre organise* "of[the Farmers' Political Protection Federation has beeoi scaring the farmci'9

of Eketahuna and district with a bogie he calls Socialism.

Mr. Jones said that the Sociai-

ists wish to make the State the sole employer of labor, and he pointed to the jails as an example of the condition we would all find Ourselves in .under Socialism. According to Mr. Jones, only the thriftless, the loafer, and the lazy join the Socialists. He concluded by warning the farmers that the Socialists were gaining enormously in number and.were a force to be reckoned with!

According to Mr. Jones, there must be an overwhelming number of "thriftless" people in New Zealand, as "none but the thriftless, they loafer, and the* lazy" join the Socialists', and the So-

cialists are "gaining enormously .. in number 1" And we are "told the farmers believe such transparent contradictions I It always has Seemed funny .to mc how indignantly the average New. Zealand farmer resents being called a r "worker." He does not consider .him-; self a -.worker, though not only he, but every member of his family, works much harder and much longer hours, than any town Workers I know.- He looks upon'himself as a capitalist, although capital is. the one thing he,has not got. He works, but he is not a laborer] he has no capital but he is a capitalist! Having no capital,-he opposes Socialism because;.it would rob him of that which he does not possess. j Funny. ■" •■ ,■- ■■'. -'■•■*

The old Dunedin Labor organ, sometime called "The Otago Liberal," and subsequently "The Beacon," speaking in February., 1906, of the place-hunting Labor men, said:

We had a glaring example of violation of faith in the late election. A Labor leader announced himself a candidate in the"' Labor cause, 1 and then retired from the contest, and sold Ms party- to "fee tune of 1 -' a . This is the sort of thing Labor must fight against and : purge its? ra_ksi of this class of men. before it Can :Baafce any headway. ;

This .WKo *'set 3 Ms party to the tune of a J.P.-sMp;" I. understand, still holds hi_h office in the Labor

party, andrthat'" may- accotfnvf; for t&%:prophecy of the failure to way being fulfilled, ' .. ' '\ ■ A reader sends' m© the. following cul**- .■ ting from the London. "Daily Express"!!* Socialism is spreading alarmingly; , ; in the Post Office service. Measure* are being taken to combat Social- - : ism . . * . The authorities rea- • lise that one reason,for.the spread ; of Socialism is the failure., of the : " authorities to recognise special ability among the good men. Apparently in the past these c 'goodl , * men have been good, for nothing! But isn't this the same, old game? If these people think to stay the march oHNeniesis by giving one in fifty a couplet of bob a week,more than his they are in for a rude awakening 1 Thtf , Socialist schoolmaster has been abroa*?! and the workers are learning that onlj; that which will permanently improve the conditions of all the workers c~atfr .permanently improve the conditions for some 1 * » "' • # Here is another pearl of wisdom drojK ped by R.A.W., M.P.I* The workers * *• s happily adopted a principle of thrift dn de- • .daring for "No-license."- They] should be encouraged to go further/ in the direction of effecting sar- ." ings by bestowing less recognition 1 I on race meetings and theatrical , performances. Well, I'll be b-b-b-b-'I Alliteration's arlfc" ' ful aid nearly trapped mc into the us§ of that vulgarism "be blowedl"As Judge Sim told the Napier. Prin£« er's*' Union —when they claimed an _&* crease of wages on the ground -that! , their employers were making huge pro?* fits • from, their • labor—. Wages are fixed, not in ; ance with the profits of ■ the "employers, but at a standard sufficient to enable the workeis to live as - workers should. ' • "To livei as workers should!" 1 . Buts who is to decide how workers shoUßf , live? The Judges Sim and the exploits ■ ers' henchmen, the capitalist pressf* ' men and the Liberal and Tory politic cians; hare been allowed to do so in tbxl ! past. A change is about to be ma'ddV. I Not before it was' time, not before/!^ was" wanted. * All ."Worker" .reader^ ] will see to it that they help in its co_« summation by voting for the Social,.* ist candidate in their constituencies afi ' the forthcoming elections, and by getfi ting as many of their neighbours an? l 1 workmates to go and -do likewise. j Ye workers, awake. 1 - .-. I There is mugh at stake, JAnd the fight must tbe well. foughtj<. '_ For if we would drive The drones from the' Slave", IWe must strike while the iron's hoSi j. Oh, dark is the Night, j But the Morning light I Will be streaming soon, I wis.t'l . i For heart ■ and ...band, ) . A united band, !We will vote for the Socialist! j We have battled long ; 'Gainst the rule of Wrong 3 '■■ Oppression to eschew j When the weak 'would yield 'To the fo ..'. _, , _ ~ Our songs would their strength •renoTCi; Wo know their needs, And the heart oft bleeds The afflicted's cry to list; But a cause so • just We may jvvfell entrust" • ._. , % To a sturdy Socialist! Let them curse or kiss, Let them ban or-blss, Let the cravens" turn away j; . For ours' in the Right!, And ours is the Might, And' ours is the Fight to-day.• Now our course is clear, ■ - We have- nought to, fear,. • . • •> Let the traitor turn and twist, With undaunted will ! We'll march forward still, ' - And vote for the Socialist I