What Everybody Says.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2057, 7 August 1875, Page 2

What Everybody Says.

" lii multitude of counsellors there is safety."

—Old Proverb

"To be or not 16 be, that is the question." Everybody is not used to quote Shakespeare, but this line of the famous soliloquy seems peculiarly apt at present. The aptness of the soliloquy to the present circumstances of the colony does not end here. Isn't there another line something like this —" Better to bear the ills we have than fly to others that we know not of?" Yes? Thought- so. Many people have a similar train of thought at the present time to that expressed by Hamlet in the above. They know the evils of Provincialism, but they can't know anything of the ills which may follow the proposed new order of things.No wonder that some of our statesmen are preparing to fight the matter out to the doath. With soino of them it i» like

talcing away their paternal acivs after they and theirs have been in undisturbed possession for centuries; and there is no doubt that if everybody had "been in a Southern Provincial capital everybody would have been provincialists to the backbone. But everybody can't reside in the ibwna, and when'they go to "the country districts they begin to feel the ills of Provincialism; hence the growing desire to get rid of it. The doubts which hare arisen are but the : natural''feelings which arise on every occasion when people are about to take a step, the effect of which they have no means of arriving at correctly either lrom their own ov anybody else's experience. It is a sort of leap in the dark—a kill or cure kind of operation, the safety of which depends either on the skill of the operator or the promptitude displayed in conducting it. . ■ It may not be generally known that the Parliamentary business of the polony is conducted with decency and in order. The Speaker says a prayer, and the following is the form according to the authority of a newspaper published "some-: where in the neighborhood, of;pook's Straits : "•'—"Almighty God,'we Thine unworthy servants do most humbly beseech Thee to grant that we, having thy fear always before our eyes, and laying aside all private interests, prejudices, and partial affections, the result of our counsels may be te the glory of thyJName, the maintenance of true religion and justice, the honor of the Queen, and the public wealth, peace, and tranquility of the Colony, through Jesus .Christ our Lord." It would perhaps be a breach of privilege, or something worse, to say that this conformity to an ancient custom of the British House of Common's is a mockery. But after reading so many newspapers, and hearing so many speeches, can anybody itnagine the whole of our legislators as they assemble " laying aside all private interests, prejudices and partial affections ? " Do they; not imediately after proceed to accuse! each other —in polite and indirect! terms, certainly—-of being actuated by; personal motives of an unworthy kind ?■ Is -it; at all;v uncommon ito find/ one honorable* ii|ember adcus'ing another' of discreditable" conduct -?••'■ There are good reasons for believing that thisprayer is performed in a perfunctory; ,manner. : It is one of those "forms" which members are jealous of guarding; against infringement, but while the-letter is in some measure adhered to, the spirit: is ignored often and.. very flagrantly.: Perhaps there is some element of good in; it, and if the Speaker, had the power of calling off from debate to prayer occa-; sionally members might avoid saying" disagreeable things of each other more - often. ■'..■"..'■'•'••■

It may be that what everybody says this week will be all on parliamentary topics, but there is some excuse, as the proceedings of parliament have been the chief source of talk. Even the debates get interesting occasionally, and to judge from the sample afforded by the telegrams on the subject of Marriage with a Deceased Wife's Sister Bill, the debate must have been lively—spicy, indeed, if Mr Pyke is correctly reported. It is even said that some ladies in the gallery were compelled to retire. If is difficult to" understand the motives of a man who persistently brings forward this Bill, or the motives of those who support it. But at least they ought to be credited with some idea of propriety. Mr Pyke thinks differently, however, and the choice language used by him on rising to oppose the measure seems to indicate very strong feelings on the matter. Mr Pyke showed that he is not disposed to mince matters in debate, and that in his case language has not been given to disguise his thoughts. He doesn't seem to believe that to the pure all things are pure. ' It is evidently a question of taste, and Mr Pyke's taste must be peculiar; for it is 'difficult to conceive how the consideration of a simple matter could have given rise to the association of ideas which, to say the least, are (let everybody hope) peculiar. There has been a commotion in Dunedin amongst the upper ten thousand arising out of some alleged statements by a bank manager, who is reported to have characterised, a member of his club and one of his set as "a swindler." The harsh term has been resented, and the offending member has been arraigned at the bar of the club—possibly over the discussion of " sbewwy and bitters." The unfortunate compiler of telegrams has put the matter in a queer light, however. He says—" Feeling runs very high on the matter amongst the upper ton thousand, and it is not improbable there may be a pulling of noses in consequence." The inference from this is that the popular mode of redressing a wrong amongst the "upper ten" of Dunedin is "pulling of noses; " an operation unpleasant to the operator, and decidedly disagreeable to the person operated upon. If these things can be done in a green, tree what shall be done in a dry? If the upper ten resort to nose pulling, what latitude will be allowed to the great unwashed when smarting under some real or imaginary insult ? Everybody is anxious to know, because social usages in one place might be seized upon as precedents in another, and what is permitted amongst the upper ten could scarcely be condemned if practised by the lower orders who have no pretensions to thoso instincts which are said to mark " the gentleman."