What Everybody Says.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2604, 14 May 1877, Page 2

What Everybody Says.

" In multitude of counsellors there is safety."

—Old Proverb

Everybody knows that the Thames County Council is spoken of as a model corporation—its working a pattern for the whole colony, and what everybody says in this respect is partly true; the County Council is a happy family in which bickering is seldom permitted, the influence of the urbane chairman being sufficient to nip in the bud any discussion which threatens to disturb the harmony of the meeting. The suaviter in modo is as conspicuous a trait in the character of the County Chairman as is the fortiter in re, and the happy combination gives him a power over his councillors which is refreshing to witness. The courtesy with which he hands a report to one, requests the attention of Mr ■ to another, and generally puts Councillors at their ease when at the Council board, is a study for aspiring local politicians. In fact' the Chairman has his team well in hand. If they ever do differ in opinion it is on trifles, and then the concessions made on either side are of a character to make everybody wish to see them differ alittle oftener, the courteous and conciliatory tone of councillors in debate being overpowering. All matters of detail are evidently settled "in committee; " as the Council commenced their career in the selection of officers, so they continue; the "skeleton," if there be one, being confined to its compartment in the County safe. Considering the time the Council have been elected, certainly everybody agrees that they pull wonderfully well together.

If the County Councillors work well together there occasionally crops up an element which is not likely to conduce to their getting on pleasantly with other bodies. One instance occurred on Friday over a letter from the Town Clerk on the gold duty business, which Borough Councillor Kowe on the previous evening prophesied would be " the rock on which the Borough and County would split." He probably did not think the rupture was so near, but that there will be a serious "split" if Councillors often indulge in talk like the excited gentleman who on Friday 'characterised a civil letter as a " gross piece of impertinence" did, is certain: and in the end everybody thinks the County will come off second best.

Everybody would like to be in the happy position which one of the successful Thames mining men felt himself to be when he said, not so very long ago, that he had " determined to keep on selling until he had ten thousand in hand cash, and he did so." Of course what he sold were shares, and the ten thousand meant pounds.to his credit in a bank. It is not everybody who can hope to be in such a delightfully unembarrassed position as this. One would like to be able to realise it, if only for a day.^

If there be some successful men who can rejoice in the possession of decent banking accounts as the result of scrip dealing, there must be hundreds who have lost money. In Fact, it is pretty certain such is the case, for every day at the corner everybody can hear conversations or scraps of conversation something like the following -.—Buyer to Broker: " Well ——— how are (naming some stock)?" Broker: " Well, just a little easy—-indeed slightly receding." Buyer: Ah! just like my luck. I never go into a thing but the shares come down immediately." These incidents are by means uncommon, and yet people "go into" this company on a mere rumour, and "touch" the other stock because they are told that somebody else has done so, and "there must be a move on the boards."; In the meantime the." agents ", do a good trade, and are able to indulge in overcoats with capacious pockets, into which to thrust their hands, and new bell-toppers to shelter their massive intellects.

First impressions are not to be depended upon always. On the first night of the Georgia Minstrels' appearance everybody saids. their performance as: a whole was " rot," but they have, as the advertisement said, improved on acquaintance, and everybody who has seen the real niggers a second and a third time has discovered some merit in them, and the hastily, formed judgment of the first night has been considerably modified.