THE WAYS OF THE WORLD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1561, 5 March 1887, Page 2

THE WAYS OF THE WORLD.

The Christchurch Weekly Presn came out last week with salt tears in its eyes. Since Mr Rolleston left the Avon, and put nearly 100 miles distance between himself and the office of that paper, it has been kind to him, and, poor innocent, it thought Mr Rolleston would b? kind in return. Alas for its trustfu'ness 1 it was doomed to receive a rude shock, for its day dreams of Rollestonian gratitude evaporated into the stuff of which drea/ns are generally manufactured on reading the speech delivered by that gentleman at the distribution of prizes in Temuka. Amongst the vicious influences at work to contaminate the minds of the rising generation, Mr Rolleston mentioned weekly newspapers, which he said families would soon have to keep away from their homes if they continued to give such reports of the proceedings of Courts of Justice as they were wont to do. This is what brings the salt tears to the eyes of the Press. It serais to take it personally to itself, and it publishes an articles explaining that it never did such a thing ; that it published only » few lines about the Dr,

Russell capes, and complaining lhat Mr Rolleston had done it a great injustice. Poor innocent, spotless, guileless Press, be it known to you that there is about as much gratitude in the composition of Mr Rolleston as there is in a 3000-years-old mummy, but you need not be alarmed, You are a very decent, nice, respectable, well-informed, and well-written weekly paper, and you will make your way m spite of such nonsense ; but take my advice, and don't trouble about Mr Rolleston. He is always a little off when taking about the education question.

Now as regards the demoralising influences of sensational novels and newspapers, has ever struck you, gentle reader, that there is a fearful lot of bunkum talked on that head ? Take your boy, put him into a band-box, and keep him there until be is 21 years ; Then he is old enough to look after himself, and you let him loose upon the world. Is there a street corner he stands at, at which he will not hear worse remarks by hundreds of times than he could read in newspapers ? Is there a day of his life that he will not receive a lesson in crime ? What then have you gained by haying kept him in a bandbox ? I say nothing, and I say also that there is nothing to counteract the evil influences which beset him on all sides except a good, sound, moral training in early youth. Teach him that there is a God, Supposing even you should have doubts on that point give your boy the benefit of the doubt, and let him choose for himself, Teach him also that God rewards the good and punishes the wicked, and that very frequently these rewards and punishments are meted out on this earth. Tell him that to be honest, honorable, and upright is a better course to adopt than to lie, to cheat, and to steal. Imbue his young mind with thoughts like these, and you will find it will do more good than to shut him up in a bandbox. I have seldom met with anything unfit for publication in a newspaper, and as for sensational novels the worst feature of them is that it is a waste of energy and time to read them, and that they tend to distract the mind of the reader. It is seldom anything more objectionable appears in them. To attribute the wickedness of the present generation to such influences is utter bosh. Last year Mr Rolleston wanted " Church organisations" to club together to settle people on the land ; this year he wants people to unite for the purpose of counteracting the evil influences of newspapers, novels, etc. He wants everyone to do the work excep t those who are paid for it, and con. sequently it must remain neglected_ Mr Gladstone and the late Lorj Biiaeonefield have 6aid that religio ought to be the groundwork of educa 11 tion, and this principle has been ad" hered to in England.

So we are face to face with the Women's Rights question. The lion. Mr Ballance and Sir Julius Vogel are, we are told, going to introduce the subject next session in the form of a bill. I wish thej would mind their own business, and wait until such a measure was demanded of them. We have too many political tickets already, without adding another to them. We have the temperance ticket, the publican's ticket, the Bible in schools ticket, the Freetrade ticket, the Protection ticket, and many other tickets, and now these two Ministers are going to add the most odious of all: the woman's rights ticket. I had given them credit for more sense, but it is said that every man is more or less mad on some point, and probably the weakness of my ministerial friends is loyely woman. Ah, the pair of old sinners I It is time they ceased to maijh now, bat it appears they are on it, and I suppose I cannot stop them. I must confess I am prejudiced against the idea. I believe the place for woman is where Longfellow places her, that is

" Sitting by the fireside of the affections," and when she is lifted from this spot into the political arena, the "fireside of the affections" will lose much of its warmth. " A lac, how light a cause may move Dissension between hearts that love!"

The husband wants to vote for that hard headed rough diamond ; the wife oan't bear him—cou'd not smile on him eyen if he presented her with the neweetstyle bonnet. The wife is a Freetrader, the husband ft Protectionist, and altercation is the result, The fire of the affections burns lower and lower until it goes out, and then " Darkness there and nothing more."

And then suppose the wife is winsome, and she becomes fix M.ELK., what a sensation she would create. Why the heads of hon. members would be turned, and Bhe would rule. Who would dare to oppose any motion she would introduce ? Protect and save us from such a state of things, " The fireside of the affections "is woman's true place. She was specially intended by na'ure for it ; she suits it beyond expression ; she is angelic there, but when she forsakes it for the hustings I would not waste a yard and a-half of ribbon on her. John Ballance has made a good record, and it he took a fool's advice be would not besmear it with meddling in undesired and undesirable things.

He was a member of the debating nociety, wrote to the local paper, wore eyeglasses, etc,, and felt that he bad a reputation to maintain, so when asked to return thanks for "The Ladies" he nerved himself for the effort, and, putting on his blandest smile, proceeded to enlarge on Iheir many virtues. He quoted Scott, "Oh woman, in our of ease," etc., and this was received with so much applause that he cast about in his mind for

a suitable quotation to conclude with. The effort to think and talk at the same time was too much for him. He got rather mixed, and this 13 how he wound up: "Yes, gentlemen, as I said before, God bless 'em. They come—oh yes, they coi»e— Ah ! now I've got it—- " Tbev come as a- boon and a blessing to man, Like the Piokwick, the Owl, and the Waverley pen!"

The recent excessively hot weather caused some of the old identities to question if the climate of New Zealand is really changing, as has been often avnrred. The pessimist declared it was gettiog worse; the happygo-lucky man said "he didn't see much difference these twenty years, and wb.it did it matter if it wasl" while the man with the infallible memory was inclined to give day and date when it had been precisely as hot, and appealed to the happy-go-lucky man to corroborate him. "Don't you recollect, Jack, that boiling hot day just 23 years ago last Thursday, when we were crossing the bridle track and mot H (mentioning a certain well-known Government official), and how he was cursing the weather ? You mind I said to him, 'This is a hot'un.' « Hot!' he said, ' It's as hot as Hades, and the country's getting so blessed civilized that we've got to wear clothes regularly now.' " Gobi O'Lanus.