THE NGARUA WAHIA PICNIC. TO THE EDITOR.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1683, 19 April 1883, Page 3

THE NGARUA WAHIA PICNIC. TO THE EDITOR.

I Sir,— My letter in reply to Mr James' burning indignation has somewhat upset the calculations made by that mercenary scribe and his co-conspirators, hence the bantering epistle in yesterday's issue. The cloak of obloquy that Mr James and party would fain throw over me would, they well knew, form » fitting garment for themselves onco I had acknowledged the paternity of tha.t so-called obnoxious paragraph. As between Mr James (who is, we all know, the tuere tool of a power behind the throne) and myself, I think after 18 years residence in Waikato my locus blandi would have fallen very low indeed when I should fear for the result of any deductions that might be drawn from my plain, true, and unvarnished expose of the little game so nicely hatched up for the glorification of a Sunday school at the expense of our public school, and so long as I am able I will continue to expose such evident attempts at getting the thin end of the wedge in. Will Mr James publish the subscription list, and then say that all the names there mentioned were under the impression that it was for a Sunday-school and not a public school their subscriptions were solicited and obtained. I myself, seeing the turn things had taken, remonstrated with Mr Dickeson for calling out in the public street the names of my children — from, I presume, a copy of the public school roll. Why was it done if solely a Sunday school affair? My children do not attend the Sunday school. This objection and paragraph of mine so upset the feeling of admiration that Mr James entertains for children's picnics, coupled, I have no doubt with the effects ot perhaps too extensive a gorge as the result of the fortnight's cooking— most of which labour fell to the hands of our local baker— and the fear that in the future such nice little blow-outs might cease, that the whole effect of Mr James' disordered mental vision has been to murder his old friend T. Y. How grateful I ought to feel for such sympathy as that expressed by Mr James for my sins ! Under the patronage, etc., etc. Collins defines patronage as special countenance or support, guardianship, as of a saint. Thanks to the exertions, etc., etc. Yea, and I repeat it, that owing to Miss Marsh's connection with the affair people imagined it was for the public school. And what is more, most of the subscriptions were given out of compliment to that young lady. "More good than anyone else in the province." The ladies of Ntjaniawahia are not, I believe, in the habit of parading their kindness in the public street, yet 1 know of many acts of kindness done by the ladies that Mr James would throw in the shade in older to advertise the gieat mciits of his "counsellor" " For thesole purpose of insulting a lady." Mr James does me too much honour, and has gone in for a little too much capital on his own account. The sayings or doings of the pei son he alludes to are of such utter indifference to me that I would not consider myself justified in even losing a moment's reflection on anything that concerns her. Mr James is not, I should say, sufficiently employed at Messrs Friar and Davies, whose clerk he is, or he has been promoted by that firm to the post of newspaper scribe. I had no intention until I read the epistle of "my old friend" in yesterday's issue of alluding further to this matter. And I would advise him not to crow until he is out of the wood. His punishment will come in due time. I owe an apology to Miss Marsh for my unavoidable allusion and mention of her name. In conclusion I will say that Mr James has done more to bring about the very thing he would deprecate, extinction of picnics, than all the efforts of your humble servant could possibly achieve. All of us will, I have no doubt, survive this little episode in the history of Ngaruawaliia, and when I have kept faith with Mr James it will vanish from my gaze like a vision, but not a beautiful one. Bogging space for this, my address, and room for it in your esteemed paper. — I am, &c, T. Y. Fitzpatkiok. April 18.