The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE. Published Every Tuesday, Thursday, AND Saturday Morning. Thursday, January 3, 1889.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 242, 3 January 1889, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE. Published Every Tuesday, Thursday, AND Saturday Morning.

Thursday, January 3, 1889.

Be just and fear not; Let all the ends thou aim’st at be thy oountry’s, Thy God's, and truth’s.

BEFLECTIONS ON THE HOLIDAYS. The Christmas holidays are now. well over, and the ordinary routine of life has again to be submitted to. The majority of people no doubt are not sorry, as there can be too much of a good thing as well as of anything else. On the whole the holidays have been very quiet, but the enjoyment of them appears not to have been lessened on that account. With the dullness of times people have resorted to simpler and less expensive means of enjoyment than was customary in the days of iuld lang syne. The natural beauties of the place are being more studied than hitherto—and the pocket also. Whereas at one time scarcely a single holiday was allowed to pass without races, athletic sports, or some other public gathering—holidays were in fact often made for the purpose—things are now quite changed, and perhaps few will say the mode of enjoyment is not a better one. Op New Year’s Day, for instance, there was no public outdoor entertainment — not even a cricket match—within fifteen miles from Gisborne, yet it would be hard to the number of private picnic parties that made excursions up the river or to other localities, and it would be much 1 more difficult to give an estimate of the I number of people that comprised those

parties. There must have been fully 300 picknickers up the Waimata river alone, and while that is an exceedingly pleasant locality, it is only one of many places that were patronised, there also being a large gathering just out of town under the auspices of a religious body. Though all this may seem the simple result of a desire for simple enjoyment, it is a gradual change that may well be reflected on. The answer most people would give at once would be, “ Hard times,” and perhaps that is the most definite that can be given. But if this is one of the lessons of adversity, it is a good wholesome one. Although Gisborne is at all times very quiet, we cannot remember a Christmas season during which there has been less overindulgence (in liquor, of course) known as was the case during the recent holidays ; we do not remember a Christmas season during which the majority of people have apparently so well enjoyed themselves as during the recent period ; we do not remember a Christmas season which has been so inexpensively gone through by the majority of people. Hard times, of course—hard times ! But we confess that if all this were the only evidence we had of hard times we should deem it a most satisfactory sign, for it proves that the great body of the people-—in many other places the same changes have been noticeable-—-are gradually awakening to the fact that New Zealand can never recover her lest position unless there is a determined movement on the part of the people themselves. So long as a large number Of electors are spendthrifts, there is certain to be a goodly representation of that weakness in the representatives of the country, and it is in the natural order of things that the taint is sure to be a blight in the Governmental ranks. There have been so many political spenthrifts to the front in the past—men who cheerfully squander what is not their own—that no one would venture to say that the people generally (whose money it was) were not to be judged in a measure by those whom they returned to Parliament. Is it then not gratifying to see people going in greatly for simpler and less expensive forms of recreation and amusement? —to see less drunkenness and gambling, more innocent and sociable pastimes, and a higher tone generally prevailing ? If it is hard times that has done so much to bring about this state of things, then adversity has at least one beneficial effect. However, we must not be 1. too sanguine as to good results, for we may shortly expect the annual plague of those low blackguards that infest the racecourses—the spieling element —like vultures flock round a fat carcass. This class, we believe, does more towards making race meetings unpopular than any other cause. Still we suppose they are like many evils that have to be submitted to, for while there are fools we suppose there will always be knaves to profit by them.