FROM THE WATCH TOWER

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 504, 6 November 1928, Page 8

FROM THE WATCH TOWER

By “THE LOOK-OUT MAN.” INGENUOUS The most ingenuous Aucklander lias been discovered. She thought “movie fans” were appliances to create a current of air in a hot picture theatre. THE SPIRIT OF THE ROAD A swarm of bees that settled on a petrol pump at a Whangarei service station yesterday, took a great deal of shifting. The suppliers of the petrol ■which was contained in the pump take the whole incident as a delicate compliment. “Even the bees stick to a good thing when they see it,” they declare. ONE A D VANTA GM A woman lecturer regrets that marriage compels many gifted women to neglect their talents. “I know a woman, once a promising pianist, she says, “who hardly touches a piano now that she is married. Her children take up all her time.” Which only goes to prove our contention that children are a great comfort. NICKNAMES A caller, talking of the nicknames mentioned in yesterday s column, remarks that he was at school with a tribe of Youngs, all of whom were known as “Bung.” This appellation goes to Youngs’ the world over. It has a foundation in the principles of rhyme and euphony. But there is nothing like that to explain the universal application of “Bunny” to all Austins. CASE FOR DISCRETION Mr. W. J. Rogers, Mayor of . the city and Labour candidate for the electorate, will preside at the Prime Minister’s meeting in Wanganui this evening. If this were Mexico Mr. Coates would take good care to stand behind his chairman while speaking, but in Wanganui we suppose he will be safe in taking a chance. Mr. Rogers also presided at the principal meetings of his opponents, Messrs. N. G. Lewis and W. A. Veiteh, M.P. * * * THE GLADIATORS The players of the opposing nations were introduced with great flourish at the tennis test. “Great Britain on my left. New Zealand bn my right,” said the umpires, much as .though the gladiators were pugilists. One umpire made a curious slip: “England is represented by Austin and France, New Zealand by Ollivier and France,” which gave Mr. France a dual personality, and left out the always smiling Gregory. “What did he say?” queried a girl in the back row. “Austin is represented by England and France?” which suggests further variations on the same theme: “England is represented by France and New. Zealand,” and so on. Still, tongues will slip, even in the best regulated families. VUE RETURN PASSAGE The “feeder” buses can sometimes be annoying. The one from Point Chevalier runs in to connect with the tram at Surrey Crescent, and then loops round a block to return to the dancing girls’ paradise. Last night it was an abstracted young man who entered the bus at Point Chevaliei. He watched the fireworks for a time, as the bus rumbled along, and then settled down with his book. Time passed; the bus stopped for a little time, started again, and went on. Then the abstracted young man saw the flare of some familiar bonfires. He was back at Point Chevalier!

FIG-LEAVES “May we live to see a scarlet morning coat worn with fig-leaf-green trousers and a canary waistcoat!” Thus Sir Nicholas Gratten-Doyle, M.P., at a recent Merchant Tailors’ banquet in London. There seems to be but faint hope that Sir Nicholas may see the fulfilment of his wish. Men dally tenderly with russet browns and more than neutral blues, but the instant a hint of real colour gets into the solid background of his latest suiting, then the sensitive male shies. Evening clothes show his sombre taste. Though the latest mode permits a deep navy tone for evening clothes, it is only because the colour shows darker under artificial light. So it will be a long time before what the well-dressed man is wearing appears as something startling or iridescent. Sir Nicholas was also a bit astray when, in proposing the fig-leaf as the tailor’s emblem, he said that when the Garden of Eden crisis occurred. Eve took the only available fig-leaf. Historical fact, as recorded in Genesis, shows otherwise. “They (Adam and Eve) sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” Evidently there were plenty of fig-leaves on hand.