RANDOM NOTES.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 85, 12 December 1874, Page 7

RANDOM NOTES.

++ " A chlel's amang ye takia' noteli And lalth Wei prcnt 'em." It is a prevailing, but slightly erroneous, idea amongst the uninitiated that the ptirveyors of literary pabulum never omit an opportunity of regaling their patrons, and that nothing occurs unless it finds its way into print. That such is not the case the following' incident, " from information received," will go to prove ; but it may be accounted for by the fact that the members of the Fourth Estate — like another class which shall be nameless, accredited with the possession of honor — maintain a discreet and creditable silence when one of the brotherhood would form the interesting subject. A few days since, a number of " paper men" — as they have been somewhat sacrilegiously denominated — met in solemn conclave for the consideration of weighty matters, amongst whom, was an ardent disciple of Lindley Murray. Resolutions, verbal and written, came forward during the transaction of the business, which, were in turn subjected to grammatical criticism, but all were found wanting through the "absence of the ablative absolute" upon which their correctness hinged. Others supplied their places, but none would paßs muster, the "ablative absolute" proving the bar sinister. A hasty but happy retort, however, was successful, where an hour of argument had failed, and. the remark that " the ablative absolute would appear to be as necessary to the progression of the critical member, as was the nor'east coorse to Barney O'Rearden/* caused a sudden deafness, during which 1 the much debated and obnoxious resolution was passed nem. con. So oblivious was our ultragrammatical friend, that I have but little doubt, should he read the foregoing, the incident will be known to him for the first time.

Disgusted with the want of appreciation, and jealous of ±he laudations showered upon their more favored female rival, the braes of peripatetic pianistes, whose artistic execution was the delight and wonder of the Young Identity for the past few weeks, have turned their backs upon the ungrateful public, and by the Alhambra — which sailed on Friday — sought " fresh fields and pastures new." As the colony has been indebted to its invaluable scheme of immigration, aided by the judicious selection of our Agent-General for the introduction of these accomplished artistes, their unceremonious departure may be viewed by some in the shape of a national calamity ; yet I question if, outside of their juvenile admirers, there are many members of the community who will bewail their loss, 01 consider the immunity dearly bought, and who will not hail with delight our speedy return to our normal barbarism. " Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast," sang the bard, but had the poet undergone the serenading process by a barrel organ, he would have felt inclined to slightly modify his opinion, and the quotation, no doubt, would have been subjected to material alteration. I trust I will be acquitted of all selfish considerations, when expressing a wish that the amount of patronage which they may secure in their new sphere will be calculated to necessitate a lengthened sojourn. The King is dead ! Long live the King ! Exit Sir James ; enter the Most Noble of Norxnanby. Scarcely are the voices hushed which so eloquently eulogised her Majesty's late representative, when the air re-echoes with the huzzas of jubilation which greet his successor, and the urbanity and bon hommie of our late ruler — so characteristic of all his countrymen — has been forgotten in the worship of the rising sun. And such is life. The prostrate body of one man forms the stepping-stone to fortune of another : and the mistake that hurls a statesman from place and power, is but a lever which lifts his rival to eminence. Sir James is gone, and the uniform courtesy which characterised the gubernatorial visits, and made him the idol of rural municipal magnates, will soon be lost in the hazy mists of the past. The head will bow, not in honor to the dead statesman, but in meek submission to the presiding deity. In one spot, and in it alone, will the memory of the lost one be ever fresh and green. In days gone by, when public opinion was somewhat divided in the estimate of the iQueen's representative, on© small community spoke boldly out, and in strains so umnistakeable as makes it safe to infer that the impression then made was not a passing one — it was Riverton. The man indeed must be a philanthropist, and deeply imbued with the spirit of patriotism who consents to serve the public in the councils of his country. Scarcely- has the sheet been dry which contains the election address, when his name, character, and antecedents become public spoil, and he himself, pilliored in that accommodating machine, the Press, an inviting target for every unsavoury missile. To his horror and astonishment the minutest actions of his past life, from the wild freaks of school-boy days to His most secret negotiations with his committee, are paraded before an admiring public, and shady transactions which he vainly imagined buried beneath the weight of years, most myteriously float to the surface. Every member of the community who can so far wield a pen as to murder Lindley Murray, considers it a sacred duty he owes to society to contribute his quota to the candidate's biography, and day after day he is compelled to run, as it were, a social gauntlet. My friend Macgumn, who has been through the ordeal, assures me, however, that according to the gravity of the charges, and the length of the catalogue, depend the chances of success, and that in politics he who would rise, should possess a soul above trifles. If this statement be correct, I should imagine, from my experience of the colony in general and politicians in particular, that we have a number of most eligible persons amongst us, and that New Zealand has reason to be proud of the number of her rising men.