FROM MY WINDOW.

Shannon News, 13 July 1923, Page 4

FROM MY WINDOW.

SALUTATIONS.

-'(By “Etera.”) “So seated heerd in twilight, O: my N . friends, I hear'your Voices,; softened by tne distance; And pause, and turn to listen, as each . sends . ' *His Word of friendship, comfort, ? and assistance.” i

It-is a wish plan to follow one family I know. -They have eliminated the formal “Gohd bye” for lengthy,, oh-sences,-finding that it only .adds to the sorrow of life; on the contrary when parting they say their farewell quickly and proceed tofill.thpir minds with something else. / This ,is different- from a parting witnessed; sometime ago. A wife was .'leaving husband and mother for a health trip to England, and about eight people were on tne railway station platform to say good bye—surely not to cheer hea* up, by their behaviour; for ,by the itime the train was ready to. leave. everybody’s •nerye.-tenifon was, .strained to ! th.e uttermost. . Even 1,, a complete;stranger, felt it, f6r the fond mother, seeing me near came ‘ and confided the melancholy/fact of her,.daughter’s •departure!,' and : asked Whether I would *do a little motherly cheering- up: if the traveller needed ' it. T immediately felt motherly and wished * I ? had brought sal volatile. At last ithe train left., and the last good bye had been wrung from those pigbt. pairs of 'lips. “Now for mv mothering” thought T. Put do. no+ :% bit of it was* needed >. iv, o • mplancbolv tr-’vellA.r became a differpnt, b r,i ' Ti " and showed every of looking after herself. T couldn’t bain noticing what a power of hPa.hbv nerve-fn-rce had been expended needlessly: thinking how ovppr- mem.beir of the little . drama must bavp heaved a sigh when the +opcion v.-as ever. - . r

r f m person who keeps away from dc’iberate' sorrow, does not necessarily become hardened, but..has, sQ niuCh more, happiness to give out. ' One of the greatest gifts vouchsafed' to man’■:r>d ?e 1 >’nt -if n sprsp of humour, -md the peTs-on who can cause a. laugh ''■v-iug a. time of stress (without.-be-:Vi" u-usv "’pa thsfic) is worthy of h.ono'T -epf it i= ■ wonderful to find how mne-h power lies behind a inile lough. ter

•** : * Our good,.bye has to fit [in >with °very- occasion. ..

“We say it for, an hour of for years. We say it smilingsay, it choked with tears; " We say it coldly; say it with a:. kiss; And yet we have no other iyord than iti’s: i “Good bye!”

, t like to hear one farmer cplf.toan* other in- passing, “How are you?’’ and thte.drawling reply, ‘‘Notfso bad!” .Especially when they. both': .look .a$ healthy :a.nd h a PPy :as/ ■ humans can—-thatis, when the news on the Rialto-is good. . i, have’ read that “imbibing- noses’’ j was the method of Maori Salutation .in former times fop protective ' measures:" the acute olfactory -Owned; by the Maori can sipg hjim to< be ; able ,tq ascertain whether the one thus- saluted were .friend ror.fpe. lam sorry to see*, thin .quiaint/custqqi being* superseded, bv th e-.less picturesque /method ofshaking hands which. i,s;performed bv theim,. in, halfheairted • fashion. ■ Tbev could jineyeri he. accused of j pressing one’s hand .-until .the diamonds -in nnp’s .ripg threaten to . become* imbedded in the .next .door finger-nthat is I for ,an enthusiastic nakqha to do.

Apropos of. hand, salutatiop, aiSk any girl wh o ha s reached th e roman ti c acre of + went.v if. ,wb en ; ; ( rpa dih gan oVel bp,?, never,placed herself rnfiptallyhv ibo, nosi+ion, of itbe/herofuo whose bnpri.Js gently-raised .and kissed, by fpp, boro >

“Bond the knee a little'more .please, Hero,”—‘Ah, that’s better!” r

/Of-course she will try/to ievade the -question,'; but- she-will not be- able-to deny the impeachment, any more than can -a, youth deny the fact, that- he beholds himself as representing the hero who strides or rides or flies about doing doughty : deeds for the lady of his heart. And why not? r ’ * # . * * .. #

If you - wished ■to greet; a nautical ma.n in the. French fashion byoasking: "How -do you carry yourself?”)he may answer that, having spliced the main brace, be is now in full sail, or with' three sheets in the wind; or- half seas over. If so, you bad abetter hand over a prohibition order slaying i “Sign'here, please,” . then thevnext time ; you greet ; hiin,, he ; ,willi bepable to answer r «Mixed’ biscuits,” \or even ‘‘A)itnbutability” without a tremor.

The Chinese are a practical race who greet one another by asldng alter the inner man: “Have you eaten your rice to-day?” I take this to mean ‘tore you in the enjoyment of health, wealth said .happiness?” We Britishers are less practical in this respect. . Qne, syvs “How d’ yon d,o?” and the -othe; reneats, the query, half 'the.tipie without .giying or receiving a reply. .After, not having 'seen each other ferine .years two friepds met. at .the luncheon table . of the map’s i.peonle .Their friendship dated from A.B.C. - 1 ?>>•«, hrt in the .interim he had travail pd over the. w.prld oyhiie. she had. settled do\yn to. happy.’ married,life home. ~A{. the . luncheon })p had 1“ leave before M t,he meal was quite,,over, .y.nd. instead .of..flaying good; hyp lorpil'-, jOllv. to,such an,.o!/l fripnd. jhe?brqshe? 1 his. hand,laugih.ine'lyj over her arm as if ihpy ,were kiddies'still. Splaying “f tagged vou last!”

iHe lived to be mentioned in rtesrraitehes early in. the . war., recejvin g high Official promotion, subsequently dying in the exercise, of his duty, and; the- cherishes that, little friendly farewell salutation in her collection of honoured memories.

Trappy .memories cling to .a.,\y;si’ni friendly hand ,in childhood’s When the kipdphearted ’ took tyvO children to church she 'usdSfeMy- had one or two sweets each tb'Tteep them.

good; hut when the mother took them, their etiquette was as strict as that m hne ladies. who occupy the mo s t expensive seats at the-theatre: it.was beneath their dignity to* eat sweets. Byline time the sermon,.arrived, little restless, heings were calmed instead with, the loan of a warm hand encaseo in immaculate kid, glove; which would be fondled and. turned, backwards,, and iforwards.in the endeavour tq find ho.w fpT a small finger could penetrate its .way through the opening, at the base -of the ..palm,,,where : the *. .collection money, may be reposing. .After returning home, these gloves assumed an . uncanny form, for on ■being removed,, they were inflated to .preserve -the shape, thereby looking as , if ~ they were dismembered hands themselves. The children did not like to go too. near them then, but content! ed-themselves by, gazing at the gloves’ gradual deflation from a respectful distance. :i

,The scent of warm kid gloves, and .the kind of velveteen that formed best. Sunday frocks lends life to a •mental picture of a sacred building :— : “But oh! For the touch of a vanished -hand, The sound of a voice that is still i"; * * * * #

Two • boys were taken for a trio England, and ns -in Home one doe* as the Remans do. they, were equipped by a London tailo 1 ’ arrival. On •heir ret-’rn to New Zealand-this nrovad too "'neb for l>H" ept’O''! <’piin w = ,; "olitonn'-c for.when the travellers nr- : rived at sehooi they were not grppt.ed with “glad to have you hack again.” but; “Who breeched vou ” T am told .of ,another small boy whn hurried.home before a cricket ma+cb .and said: “Oh. mother. I’m—so—hungry I want—a—clean—pair—of—socks’!” - *** * . *

5 -The last . greeting to be mentioned jiamd mv favourite, is. that adopted by , our, soldier boys : “Cheerio.” 4 it encompasses such expressions as “Oheer up,” VLook on the sunnv side ” “Keep on smiling,” “There’s another dav to-morrow,” and other betn,fu'i reminders. • The speakers may be shins tlmt pass m ibe, night <a.nd sneak each other in passing; but the good wish remains. #,.. * * *

“Kind messages that pass ; from land to' land, ; Kind letters?that; betray the heart’s .deep history; r l .whifh -yve-feel the pressure of a hand— 1 ■Ann .touch of fire—and all the rest is mystery!’