THE STRONGEST PASSION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2005, 2 June 1885, Page 2

THE STRONGEST PASSION.

" I was present," Dickens said; "at a social discussion, which originated by chance. The subject was' What was the most absorbing and longest-lived passion in the human breast? What was the pas-' sion so powerful that it would almost induce the generous to be mean, the careless to bo cautious, the guileless to be deeply designing, and the dove to emulate the serpent? 1 A daily editor of vast experience and great experience and acuteness, who was one of the company, considerably surprised us by saying, with greatest confidence, that the. passion in question was the passion of getting orders for the play. There had- recently been a terrible shipwreck, and. very few of the sailors had escaped in an open boat. One of these, on making land, ■ came straight to London, and straight' to the newspaper office with tho story of how he had seen the ship go down before his eyes. That young man had witnessed the most terrible contention between the powers of fire and water for the destruction of that ship, andof everyone on board. He had rowed away among the floating, dying, sinking, and dead. He had floated by day, he had frozen by night, with no shelter and no food; as he told the dismal tale he rolled his haggard eyes round the room. When he had finished, and the talo had been noted down from his lips, he was cheered, and refreshed, and soothed, and asked if anything could be done for him. Even within him that master passion was so strong that he immediately replied he should like an order for the play,