The Evening Mail. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1878.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 817, 25 November 1878, Page 2

The Evening Mail. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1878.

Mi:. Neil Flkmino, in proposing the toast of the unsuccessful competitors, at Friday night's show dinner remarked that the next best thing to being a successful competitor was to be an unsuccessful competitor, and that lie had no sympathy with those persons who omitted to exhibit and boasted after a Show was over that they would have taken prizes had they exhibited. The great Natolkon Bro.V-U'ARTE gave birth to a similar id a when he said the next best thing to a victory was a defeat. But Mr. Fleming's remark is the happier. Unsuccessful exhibitors are as worthy of praise as are successful ones. Exhibitors cannot always be at the top of the tree at the same time, or there would be no particular honor in being in such an exalted position. History repeats itself, and men who in their childhood used to play "see-saw'' continue the same process throughout their mature! - vears. They are sometimes mi and soino--I'iiie ; dnwii. Wo cannot all lie Lircat men

;:l (he same lime, but must be salYiicd io wait until, the revolution of the wheel of life uiav brim..' us in our turn to the t0... Tin; success of othm's naturYiv h.e le-'u; to imitate ;hem. Mr. 1 •'!.!:-;::..; aehmiwl.Nh-oil on Krieav u : ';h: that (he. succe;sof (he lion. M. I ! .'■•..'! I - -. ivhbd If. the I-.-..,.: which v!.-t -.•miVm..!! had kimliv ■•'Yen him in biv .line; >:■;■■<■;. had emulated him to follow ih" e\aac'ic of Vac lion, gentleman, and to excl-iv.i. " Take care that 1 don'; heat you some day." 'Tim period in Mr. i'Y:'Mt\ - :'s history io which ho so proudly looked, has arrived, and it may arrive in the history of many other men in this Colony who have energv and tact. The courage of men who arc year after year unsuccessful competitors is admirable, and the thanks of the community in which they live is due to them. Supposing that such men lost heart and resolved, like those persons referred to by Mr. Fj.kmjnc;, to base their happiness upon ideas rather than facts, .shows would soon cease to exist, and stock and other agricultural products would deteriorate, because of the absence of the only effective means of bringing agriculturists together to compare notes. The superiority of things can only be ascertained by comparison, and the greater the competition, the more complete and satisfactory the result of that comparison.