A HAPPY FAMILY.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1065, 27 July 1883, Page 2

A HAPPY FAMILY.

It is amusing to read the terms of endearment used by some members of the House toward one another. One of the Southern papers has been “ chaffing ” the new members upon their peculiarities, and aums them up as men of mean talents, weak intellect and defective education. The Timai'U Herald remarks “ They certainly say much worse things of each other than ever the newspapers said of any of them. Mr Fish declared the other day that they were ‘ a melancholy collection of incompatible atoms,’ whilst another of the new members bitterly remarked that ‘ it was no honour to anybody to belong to the House now.’ Later on Mr Seddon called Mr Fish * that inflated blatherskite from. Dunedin South,’ and Mr Fish, with what the tragedians call ’orty scorn, retorted that he should be obliged to leave the Opposition if the members of the party continued to insult one another in such a manner—he, himself, it should be mentioned, being about the worst offender in the House in that respect. Another of these amiable legislators having fallen foul of Mr Allan McDonald, that candid member informed him that be was only fit to associate with Chinamen. That was rather hard on the Chinamen, for whatever objections may be taken to them on moral or political grounds, in point of good manners, self-control, and general intelligence, they set an example which many members of the House would do well to imitate, if they can.” In the words of the. Herald, “ There never was a time when members of the House were so totally void of respect for one another or for themselves. The public can scarcely be blamed, then, if they also lay aside that respect which they used to have for their elected representatives and habitually consider the House about fifty per cent, lower in the scale than an average Road. Board.” This is severe but not altogether unmerited.