What Everybody Says.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2615, 26 May 1877, Page 2

What Everybody Says.

' "In multitude of counsellors there is safety." ■ ; —Old PROVnar. , Everybody «ay k ""'the weather is frightful;" which is neither a very, ; wise or priginal remark, or conspicuous for elegance of "construction,",but it has the merit of truthfulness, if the " frightful" be permitted. Yet, on a morning like yesterday, if you-met a personal friend, with his umbrella turned'inside out in one hand, the other hand holding on to a hat at which the wind was tugging with fury, and his waterproof coat tails up round his shoulders, leaving his nether limbs exposed to the fury of the elements, he would put on a complacent smile and say , " Good morning," and perhaps you would echo the salutation, while,,both of you would mentally exclaim it was the worst morning you ever ventured out —the weather simply abominable. The salutajtipn comes of habit; the mental cogitation of experience. Now some men are too cautious to betray themselves thus in speech. Two of them meet:' Tlfey pass on their way "and they say: " Saft marnin'.".. JReply: MGaysaft;" which shows that some men are less' prone to commit themselves in speech than others. There has been one .redeeming feature in the weather this week, as everybody admits, and that was on the Queen's Birthday, for it cleared up and allowed the volunteers to show their loyalty in a becoming man-' ncr without the risk of spoiling their fine clothes. Everybody says they, looked well and did well, although the accounts are somewhat mixed, making one gallant officer to act in the double capacity of " aide " to the Commanding Officer and leader of the enemy.

As everybody has so much to say about the war, it is not surprising that some little mistakes should occur. A newspaper published not a hundred miles from Hawke's Bay was guilty of an anachronism, and was twitted about.the same by a contemporary. The first mentioned said : " The imminence of the contest has drawn a good deal of attention at home to the previous wars between Russia ,and Turkey, especially to the campaign of 1828-29, some of the events in which have been made familiar to the English public in Byron's 'Don Juan."' Whereupon the contemporary rejoined,,,.thai as. Byron died in 1824, the poet could hardly have described the. events .of a campaign that took place four years after/ he was buried. ' . '

That pork pie " swindle" was not such a harmless affair as it appeared: it was a genuine sell of the dimeand-pin class, so it is reported, and as it was not a bad joke, and involved no more serious conse-

quences than an addition to the funds of the .Hospital of some two pounds ten shillings, everybody may as well know particul Is. I he. famous pie was a " 3how piece." as unreal as -some of the mountains of sugars.and pyramids of plums in grocers' windows at Christmas. The paste was inviting, the proportions Brobdignagian—for a pork pie ; but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and when the pie .was opened, there was neither singing birds nor luscious pork; but— sawdu* t! The winner didn't " shout/

Some people are actuated, by strange i motives "in their actions, nhd ;very often curiosity has a great deal to do with them. Everybody's experience, from Mother Kve's downwards,- will verifyl this. The other day in conversation a person admitted having joined the Good Templars. As he had some forbidden liquor before him-he was reminded that he must have backslided. "Oh,!?.' he remarked, " I had a pint of beer the nighf; I was ' made.' The chap as took me round went out with me at an interval, and we had a pint of beer each, and eat some peppermint lozenges after to take away the smell." Curiosity had led thia Individual into an act which he may or'may not be able to justify to his own conscience. What will everybody.think of Good Templars who indulge in peppermint; lozenges after this ? . , „

; There was" what the newspapers call.a "clean sheet"attheAucklandPoliceCourt the other* day, and as this >s such a rare occurrence the Clerk, wishing to pay the magistrate a graceful compliment, such as is paid by Sheriffs to Judges of Session under similar circumstances, endeavored to procure a pair of white kid gloves for presentation, but the report has it that he could not get a pair to- suit. This is rattier vague, because some people may take it to mean that the presiding magistrate f wa? blessed with veryjarge hands. , The more probable 1 explanation is that the Clerk could not get any gloves to " suit ". the funds.at his disposal for making such presents, although it would not involve a very considerable outlay in a lifetime when there has only been a clean sheet at the Auckland Court six times in twenty years. If the Thames E.M. were presented with a pair of kids on every occasion of a clean sheet at his Court; v he would not require to bu'jK many pairs. ■ /• • .