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Well Fair Laddie. Extravaganza 1961

Letters from Louseners

page 3

Letters from Louseners

Doing it Hard

Sir,—I was interested to read the suggestion of Mr. Mitter in your columns recently that I should undertake a translation of "Bawls Henry" into Lithuanian. As it turns out I am very interested in this project, as the work is one in which my many friends in Lithuania have expressed a deep interest.

There could be of course few people better fitted to undertake this major work than myself, and I am aware of my responsibility to put as much of the work's exuberance and vitality into the translation as possible. It is unfortunate that the Lithuanian lacks certain of the consonants that would be necessary for an exact translation. I have therefore had to use a title which would be the equivalent of "Howls Keithykins."

This was a brilliant flash of my usual genius as I consider that it gives a real picture of the present day New Zealand scene. Perhaps some of your readers could give me other suggestions which would assist the progress of this task (except Mr. Mitter, and his suggestion would be impracticable as I am using foolscap).

I have no doubt that when finished this translation will be absolutely terrific.

Sluice Mesoon

(Pohotukawa).

Fine Under the White Shroud

Sir,—I have just finished listening with real dismay to the fine recording of "The End of My Flaming Tether" and wonder how it was possible for one man to capture so completely the spirit of any age. Rarely indeed can a soul so sensitive have dared to express his most secret feelings in public, and to have done so so finely. This is a field in which I have for a long time been interested and in my own way I have tried modestly to do something of the same with my touching ballad, "October in Oha-kune" where I sensitively tried to explain the real nature of a small New Zealand town without being condescending or smug. As my friend Clarence Drip would un-doubtedly say, "Aw, can it Mac." I hope that we will soon have another recording from Mr. Mesoon to rank alongside the well established and widely selling "Land of the Pure White Crowd."

Pete Howcute

(Ohakune).

Educating Youth

Sir,—I have read the recent discussion in your columns about the problems facing the educationalist today and am filled to the back teeth with the constant re-iteration of their problems. I have read of the danger of crushing the blossoming personalities of the children, of allowing them to express themselves, of the object being to mould their behaviour rather than to restrain it, of restraint in the formative years causing character flaws in later years, and I am sick of it all.

When I was at school there was no tommy rot like that. If one of us didn't feel like doing arithmetic he did arithmetic. There was respect for the teacher and no doubt about who was boss in the classroom. Of my former class mates there is not one who looks back on his school days with anything but pleasure.

Furthermore, if we worked hard enough we went up a class at the end of the year, if we hadn't worked, we didn't. Life was simple and in black and white.

What New Zealand needs is a bit more definiteness a bit less sparing the child. Let's give tomorrow a chance.

C. E. Beady

(Paris).
(Note for Musaphia:— We had it first.)

(Note for Musaphia:— We had it first.)

The End

Sir,—

I admit to utter defeat,
Jazz has got me tapping my feet
Many hours I waste away
When music is played the Brubeck way.
The clear and muted notes,
Of Ella and Louis get my votes
Why so long to see the light?
Why so long the stupid fight?
I was a musical flop
A classical music snob
But jazz now has me in its sway

Sincerely yours

"L.D.A."