LIBRARY NOTES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4698, 18 April 1894, Page 3

LIBRARY NOTES.

[By Tiie Bookworm ] ■ The cost of issuing " Hansard " , or the record of thi Patliamentary debates of New Z aUnd, id about £3OOO per annum, but beyond the immediate ciroletff politicians, in me MnaiMMyiUßi read by one perwith T : M reading, it is difficult to beat, an.) moreover tbe 9 prioo is oheap and the print good. B Lady readers may be specially recom- ■ mended to buy it ins'"ii'l of wasting fi their money on trashy novels, for ttay B will obtain the instruction whioh they B need on public affiirs, and they will fl find many passages whioh will relieve *] tho heavier parts.

Here, for instance, is a description I of the colonial journalist oy a member of tho Couucil. ' T ipy* write as if they were walking e. cvdorredias and ' and as if they were possessed of uvery kind of knowledge. A dictionary of ]■• quotations/a.manual if Californian ' slang, bio "It <-f Irish blather imntrlence are al-ont all the equipthesa library They will undertake to write you an article on any subject, ■;> and would write equally well on both ;;' sides of tho question," k>-.'. The question of what is parliamentary language and what is not, is another point which cannot fail to inji- - tereat even a casual reader of the del)[. bates. Tho Speaker rarely found it ;£S necessary to check Sir John Hall, l>ut ~v": I . I noted a passage wluto even this old ;?■■ Unparliamentary Hand forgot himself. f? c Mr Taylor, of Cbristcliurch, in a debate in the Female Franchise Bill, declared that Sir Jidin was in tho . habit of getting a oup of tea taken to his bedroom in the morning about six o'clock by a domestic. Mr John Hall started up, and said •' be was glad to see even the honourable gentleman | blushed at making such a statement. m The conduct of Ananias was nothing Hj to the honourable gentleman." The H Speaker here in'ervened, and Sir W Jobn withdrew. Mr Taylor goes on say " when the h .nourable gentl - talked about Ananiases—\ve)), iook in a certain to fin?a considi rable number of them," and y-4 no mention is made of any interference by the Speaker.

The poetical quotat'ons made by the honourable members do not strike one as particularly witty or apposite, Hore are two:—

'' Just as I have heard on inky Irvrell's shore, I A second lion gave a louder roar, And the first lion thought tho last -a bore." "Behßvoyoursel before folk, Behave joursel before folk j Whale'er you do when out ol view, Bo canty ayo before folk," *» In tho House of Commons, Latin and Greek quotations were fnshionablo a generation or two ago, but they have now fallen into disuse, probably with the advent of the New Radicalism and Labour members, After a diligent search in the N. Z. Hansard, only one Latin quotation has caught my eye, and that was misquoted! The speeches of the Maori members i are frequently more interesting than Europeans, and Major a interesting and valuable account of the customs amongst tho Natives in oldor 'itue with regard to the position ln,.u by women. After showing how opposed the principle of female franchise was to the old Maori visage, the Major continued,"Thiswns the state ofj things when you arrived in these island, and when you came you introduced Christianity and even then wi< saw that this same rule appli'd, No women were allowed to preach, There were no women ministers, neither did you allow them to appear in your assemblies. We do not know whether the old rule was the correct one, or whether this is the right thing." The old warrior concluded, " Every law that I haye yet sern has had some sting Contained in it, and it is possible that if the Maori wornen ?« included jn this measure some burdens may be Uid upon them whioh they have no idea of at present." For the politician, and general retder, " Hansard" will be found a valuable record,