AT THE CORNER.

Thames Star, Volume XVII, Issue 5256, 21 November 1885, Page 3

AT THE CORNER.

MoiHO turn, humani. nihil a me, alienum puto.

Although a little-late perhaps, many; amusing stories are, told of incident* whioh oceiirrt4 do^Og thereeeDt camptfgn^afAnckland. A. well*kinbwa\ medical gentleman had bis carefully prepared hrach removed from' hit pocket and a piece of stone substituted for it. Another „oi the corps in attempting to negoeiate ; a fence ornamented with a barbed Fire got spiked. have beard of " spiked " guns, but never, before,;6f^serv-ing-",menin^ tb»t fashion; it must be granted fta|ft?i* enemy was not at hand, as a friendly ofieer lifted the not too agile Tolnnteer off the ipikes. Another incident .occurred in the landing of the attacking force at , Tamaki. Tbe sudden grounding of, the launch caused about 80 men to take an involuntary header into tbe waist.of the •boat, thereby almost smothering the rowers, who were .covered " fours deep" with arms, legs, and rifles. The execution of this new movement in military tactics did credit to tbe heads of all concerned. X X X Last week's meeting of tbe local bodies re the drainge business pointed a moral if it didn't adorn a tale; it showed that a certain amount of cautiousness exists in some of our representatives—more es pecially thoße who don't care to rote one way or another. First of all there was an apparent feeling, " Well I don't know much about this, I had better do nothing,' then there was that idea;*' Well, if we do nothing, we'don't commit ourselves;" there was also the notion that each body might take separate action/ an unworthy feeling of local jealousy, and several other considerations that should never have entered the heads of people, who, to a certain extent, have been entrusted with a conservation of the public weal. It is a pity that jealousy, or any other personal feeling, should in any way interfere with public duty, but I fear that some unworthy motives were at tbe bottom of the opposition at the meeting referred to. XXX Tbe English Press are quite satisfied with the verdict and sentence against Mr Stead,*nd contiderstbat tbe national stain has been removed thereby. I fail, to see in what, way tbe stain on the character of so many disgusting,debauched, bare been effaced by the conviction of a man who endeavored ta- prove the truth of his atatements regarding the wholesalei; de§truction of young girls. No doubt Mr Stead broke the law by his mode of procedure, and if his philanthropic intentions have resulted in his imprisonment, the public will consider him a martyr, and the consciousness that he has performed a duty' which is constantly shirked by others, and that be has succeeded in exposiog the cancerous condition of society will doubtless be to him a sufficent reward for the serious trouble he has brought upon himself and others.