FROM MY WINDOW.

Shannon News, 12 June 1923, Page 4

FROM MY WINDOW.

NOW AM) THEN. (Py “Etera.”) “Heaven is not readied by a single But wej build the ladder by which W 0 rise From the lowly earth to the vaulted And we' mount its 'summit round by round. _ M * * * * #

It has been stated by som.el comparatively recent arrivals from Britain that we New Zealanders are a sober-sided set of people, lacking the gaiety of spirit noticeable in the people of the Homelands : that we do not laugh as heartily, nor sing much; while even the children do not play as wholeheartedly as their contemporaries ln the Old Land. To this may be attributed the pioneer spirit needed to be exercised by the early settlers who, after being gently nurtured in comfortable homes, came out ten this “long white cloud. New Zealand, to found a British colony and wrest their living from unbroken' soil; living meanwhile m tents that contained a minimum pi comfort i and convenience. The frail spirits succumbed, leatving those ot stronger physique to fight through, and win comfortable homes for their: children. ~ , They must have been too tired at night to enjoy the luxury of art, science or music, even where av-ail- ; able, consequently gaiety found little encouragement. . .. . i i have often admired the spirit of a i dear friend—one of the “Canterbury [' pilgrims” now passed 1 to higher ser- >; vice, who managed to retain her rel flnement .iri) spite of that rough pionij eering and comparative poverty of i ; eairly .days. . |i At the age of seventy, when luxurj ie s were available in the new land. I she was the life and soul of evening parties, ; playing the piano while thr \ young people danced, inaugurating Shakespeare evenings, teaching French to a little girl friend ; 'and 1 , above all. ! setting a high, example of the conj quest oyer early disabilities without , loss of personality. *****

We may not be as demlohstrative in our pleasures, but the full enjoyment is present nevertheless. And so we should be, with Nature in her very pleasantest mood in this, God’s Own Country. As for progression, we can claim' that; in spite of many evils t. r overcome, for the balance is on the right side, and our trend is ever upward. Only the other day a celebrated visitor commended the high standard! reached by the newspapers ; and of course our soldiers proved by their deeds that the race has not deteriorated. As for our patriotism: it has been said many times that we are even more patriotic than the Home country itself. This is quite feasible, for we are in ai position to appreciate what it is to exist in this far corner of the earth under the protection of a flag that stands for freedom, and justice.

“Take ’old o’ the wings o’ the momin’ An’ flop ’round the earth till you’re dead; But you won’t get away from; the tune that they play To the bloomin’ old rag over ’ea.d [

Character progressles by . contact with other people. Sometimes the character of other people develops at the expense of one’s own. Who has not come across the bride who so merges her thoughts in her husband, that she becomes merely his echo? You meet her, and say: “How d’you do, Mrs X.P isn’t it a glorious afternoon?” ; “Yes, but John says we shall have rain before morning.” “Are you settled in your new home yet?” “Yes, John says'he is surprised at the headway we'have made.” “Have you commenced your new garden yet?” “Yes, John says—” And (sol on ad nauseam, until you wonder ’whether the wife will be tempted to repeat what John says to an unguarded moment after hittiu'' his finger with a hammer. * * * * *

Life does, not stand still: it is a matter of Progression or retrogression, ad while, a I haveeiV ’ ques isnsorih and while, as I have already said, character is developed by rubbing shoulders with one’s fellow beings, intellect grows in solitude by self-analy-sis and the reading of books, it is, therefore, good to have a wise distribution of both in our every-day life. Even the Messiah found it good to go up into 1 a mountain .and rest awhile after being in a crowded place. One friend has said that she welcomes a ! slight twinge of rheuimatism t.hait causes her to be in bed for a day or two ’when she has 1 some special knitting to dd. I believe she enjoys the mental readjustment it a,lso gives to her already broad outlook on life.

One needs to stand apart now and then to View one’s actions from, a distance and find out whether first, things are first; or whether petty trivialities are being given undue prominence. If you Use up your. strength in, the petty things, what will you have to work upon when big emergencies come? . _

Have you ever thought that complete health can be a doubtful blessing? ;

In most instances it tends to make the soul-feel unsympathetic and independent of its Maker. It. shuts, eternity from' the view of man, making him satisfied'with the things of this world. It is apt to make a human being confident of his own powers until he thinks he is infallible. Then when sickness first comes he thinks to hintself • “Why should I be visited thus?” Know this, man, that as gold is refined by passing through fire, so your soul must, be refined by having its share of. weakness; it can’t all be given to your next, door neighbour. So pucker up and smile, there’s a good time ahead still for you. You will be a better member of the community when this little cloud has passed and

voui will ba,ve more sympathy for the man, under your neighbour a bat. _ * * *

Progression made in children’s I school books, is varied; in one respect great improvement is found, for m the present day standard, readers one is not harrowed by a collection of the most doleful poetry such as used to form the staple diet for the preceding I generation’s mental indigestion.. Picki up some old-fashioned school readers, | and what poems do you find? “The Wreck of the, Hesperus } ” which relates the drowning of a little girl; “The Little Boy Who, Died”; “Casablanca, the burning of a boy; “Death of Little Jim”; “We are Seven,” which tells of a child playing in the churchyard with her sisters’ and brothers’ graved lor companionship; “Burial of Sir John Moore”; “Toll for the Brave, the Brave .who are’ no,More”; “Llewellyn,” who impulsively, killed bis innocent, favourite dog, thinking' it had killed hi. s little .boy* to find only too late that the dog had protected the sleeping baby by killing a wolf. Even “Lucy’s” pet lamb left her m tears when it was taken, away to the butchers! Possibly thq compilers of these books wore amongst the deluded ones who call from the house-tops to say that childhood’s care-free days are the happiest. Far from it are they : the days are filled with the call of school bells, and learning of hard lessons inside the school and out; with short break in the middle of the day for a mead that is partaken of .with one eye on the clock and the other on the din-ner-plate. The happier time comes when the school training is over; when the world is their oyster anu students are free to choose a congenial profession. Then happy is the man whose life-work is his hobby.

Because mental progress is swiftest in early youth, opportunity is taken m stuff tne receptive minci with all kinds of knowledge us one would season a chicken with breadcrumbs and 1 what-nit. The effort is excellent and the result may be very good, hut it is a bit hard on title chicken.

Present-day school books have much brighter reading matter, but the old fashioned books are superior in that they at least acknowledged .the existence of a great and good God; whereas the modem, instruction, books are trying to eliminate t)he Creator altogether. We are sowing the wind: it only remains to. be seen when we shall reap a .whirlwind. Students are being taught not to, encourage God to enter the schools, perhaps owing to the already overcrowded state of ihe rooms and curriculum.

In a- very short time imagine the result. A teacher will be confronted by a little newcomer with the question: “Who makes the sunsets; is it God?” She will be shocked at the temeirity of the child, and 1 too much, scandalised to reply at once. “Come to me after this: lesson, is over.” And the child feels that she has said something very much out of place, and. has visions of a thrashing. After the lesson they will have a heart-to-heart talk on the subject. The teacher will say: “It is as much as m.y position is worth to men-, tion in this room the name of the Maker of and flowers ; of mothers end little children and all the other beautiful things in this world.. And the authorities think it is asking a teacher to live up to too high! a standard to teach about God. So I shall tell you that whait you see, is a sky-advertisement of an Amlerioaii Departmental Store’s new season’s goods.”

The little girl’s face will glow) while she answers .- “Oh, thank you for telling me; when I die I hope Someone who loves little children will take me to that de-part-rnen-tal store!’’ ... Far-fetched, you say? Not a bit of it: what else can you expect? How can they know without being taught, or how can they love being taught only after school hours—a time poignantly associated with “impots”? * * * * * Camouflage, thy name is woman when love demands sacrifice! A friend who was here in the early days had to bear strict retrenchment owing to failure of crops and stocks. With true bravery she still showed a smiling countenance to the world; and so bright was that a visitor told his friend that. Mr X. felt the retrenchment very keenly, but his wife rather enjoyed it! She had! found out that the true problem of living is to bear trials without allowing to to hurt onejs character. “Look-a-here, Mary Annie, You stop your complainin’; T know that it’s rainin’ As hard as it can. Rut what are you gainini? Is’t the Lord you ar© trainin’? Well, He ain’t explainin’ His reasons to man!”