TOPICS of the DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 203, 27 August 1910, Page 15

TOPICS of the DAY.

(From Our Special Correspondent.) ™ LONDON, July 15. "*' IP -WHITE HAD WOK ? " By 45 votes to 29 the London County Council resolved this week: "That in the c opinion of the Council the public exhibi- * tion at places of entertainment in London c of pictures representing the recent prize i fight in the United States of America is 1 undesirable; and that the proprietors of * London music halls and other places J licensed by the Council for cinematograph 1 performances be so informed." _ The Council's move has been applauded i a great number of papers, and, ** sti-angely enough, most warmly by the c very papers which did their uttermost i to work up public interest in the fight, and devoted most space to reporting it. f Some of the Councillors based their oH • jection to the exhibition of the fight pie- 1 tures on the score of public policy, others on the grounds that their exhibition will < be "demoralising." As regards the former point, it can truthfully be said that what- f ever course public policy may dictate in other lands, the exhibition of the John-son-Jeffries fight films here is no more likely to lead to unpleasantness than the showing of the Johnson-Burns pictures did. There was a tremendous amount of public interest taken in that" event, and the black man's victory was by no means unpopular. As to the Jeffries-Johnson fight, it certainly created even greater general interest here than the battle at Sydney, thanks principally to the tremendous amount of preliminary puffing it received. As a matter of honest fact, however, it cannot be said that the white man had a much greater following here I than Johnson. Those who were only taking a passing interest in pugilism were undoubtedly in favour of the white man, and desired his victory; but those who had more than a mere nodding acquaintance with pugilistic matters felt tolerably sure that Jeffries would not be able to cope with the big black, and did not allow racial sentiment to over-i'ide their convictions. So whilst it may truly be said that Jeffries' victory would have been immensely popular here, even among those who had marked Johnson for the winner, it cannot be said that the black man's triumph sent us into mourning, or that it has created any rancorous feeling against coloured people in general or niggers in particular. So far as the Old Country is concerned, it would indeed be hard for the opponents of the exhibition of the fight pictures to make out a public policy case that would . hold water. As to the show being "demoralising," that is a matt?r of taste. Some people . hold that all boxing exhibitions are demoralising. In this case, however, people , are raising the cry of "demoralising" who saw nothing wrong in the exhibition of , the Corbett-Fitzsimmons fight films, and I never even raised a protest when the Johnson-Burns fight was being pictured ' throughout the land. One cannot help wondering whether there would have been any outcry at all had the white man won, and whether, if it were possible to whitewash the nigger on the films, and exhibit them simply as "Boxing for a championship," we should hear any more from those people who are now attempting to stop the exhibition of the pictures lest they should "demoralise" patrons of music halls and "living picture" shows. DARING DAMES, Tribute has already been paid to the - nerves of the airmen at Bournemouth, ■ who, within a few hours of seeing pooT ■Polls dashed to his death, were flying • about over the very spot where his " mangled corpse was picked up. But t what can one say of the nerves of . Society ladies, who, after witnessing - that swift and appalling tragedy, were, less than 24 hours later, paying big sums s to be carried once or twice round the 1 course as passengers on Grahame- '" White's aeroplane? 1 No less than a dozen women were bold " enough to take the risk, in spite of the - fact that their flights had to be taken c in a tricky, gusty wind—just such a • wind as that which caught the machine f of Mr. Rolls and dashed it to swift and terrible destruction. But these ladies s were undaunted, and went merrily away into the sky without a thought, as it '" seemed, of the peril. One of them r when questioned after her flight clapped her hands, and declarod it was "adorable." Another expressed a wish to "go on flying for hours," and all of c them expressed themselves as delighted with the sensations of their trips, and as desiring to venture again. Apparently no accident, no tragedy, a no fear of danger will put a check even 5, for a day to the triumphs and joy of > flight. 2 ' 3 c MORANE'S •WONDERFUL ;t FLIGHT, n 2 ' Airmen have strong nerves. They would need to have, for theirs is a call- > ing which brings them face to faco with 3 ~ death whenever they essay a fight. Even j the shocking death of Mr. Roll's did not shake the nerves of his comrades of the d air at Bournemouth. Next day they were out again, and the finest exhibin tion of airmanship ever seen in England ■ ' was given by the little Frenchman, M j, Morane. in the presence of twenty thous ie and people. The Bleric-t monoplane, driven by Mo ie rane, leapt into the air with a rush. Ir e ~ thirty seconds ho was two hundred feel , n up. Mounting - in widening circles, h< ct had reached a height of a thousand feet n . in two minutes after leaving the earth n . His gradient was very steep, and hi X mounted steadily higher and higher intc 1S the cloudless sky, the sunlight gleam-in* Q . on the white planes of his Bleriot. Tin c- roar of his motor grew faint, and thi le machine, although still distinctly seen ii at the clear air, slowly became smaller am it, smaller until it appeared like a penci 5" point on a piece of paper. This extra ie ordinarily beautiful flight roused thi so | spectators to enthusiasm, ct The monoplane reached a height of 5101 ■w j feet, which 'is only 385 feet short of M rt j Latham's world's" record. Those whi •t, I took their eyes off the speck in the sk. of j for a moment could not find it again I Minutes passed. Then those who wen watching ~ the airman through thei )n | glasses saw a wonderful sight. Deliber ke ately at this dizzy height the airman cv ny '. off the ignition of lsis engine, stopping it be | revolutions and robbing himself of al nt , motive power. it ; The monoplane'? prow dipped swiftl; it j downwards. Immediately, the p'lo I checkej its too rapid descent with ; ■o- ' movement of his rear panes, and bean: v- a lone swoop towards the aerndrome fa nt below him. Although the monop'an ft came down in a series of aston : shin he curves, there was no uneasiness in th ne rrvinds of those who watched. The airma it_ appeared so great an artist so coir ild pictoly master of the situation, that an er . acc ;_lent—even after the traged"" of th '&• 1 previous day—seemed out of the que* tion. vi " Round and round in its "spirals th - se monoplane came back to earth in tw minutes thirty-seven seconds from th

stopping of the engine. The descent was g| dexterously made. Within a few feet of the judge's box Morane brought the monoplane to ground so lightly that the springs of its chassis scarcely gave at all under the impact. On dismounting, the airman was raised shoulder high, and carried in triump to the 6heds. As though this were not enough for one day, Morane came out again, and lowered the English record for fast flight, covering five laps in 9min. 34sec. His fastest time was at the rate of more than 56 miles an hour. It was amazing to see him take the turns on the course. He flew at full speed towards the marking towers. Just before lie reached them he swung his monoplane round without in any way slackening its pace. The jjj wing nearest the tower dipped down and f a down until the machine seemed bound to _ 3 fall sideways to the grourifl. ai In this fashion, with his inside plane f r acting ag a sort of pivot, the airman j™ whirled round the towers, being so close to one of two of them that those who , were watching from a distance thought that he had actually struck them. ~ His speed was higher than anything seen before upon the track. +-. HOLIDAY WEATHER INSTXR- ™ A2JCE. oi tl Holiday weather insurance! It sounds ~ very novel, but, after all, it is only an . up-to-date extension of the old scheme whereby organisers of fetes and other outdoor forms of entertainment have sought to minimise the losses which are ~, bound to occur if Jupiter Pluvrus is in tearful mood. Hitherto the disconso- !f late holiday-maker, whose visit to the •" seaside had been spoilt by inopportune , rain, has had nothing to assuage his a sorrow. Now, if he so minds, he can w make sure of golden solace for his wea-ther-stricken spirits, for "Lloyds," « where, as most people know, it is pos- *"! sible to ensure against any and every " disaster from matrimony to manslaugh- ' ter, are prepared to insure proposees n against one-tenth of an inch of rain fall- * ing in -more than two days a week n during their holidays, at any town on 9. the coast where the daily rainfall is officially published, or underwriters can n mal.e suitable arrangements to procure n records. r For a small premium, compensa- E tion of 10/- or more per day will be paid for each day on which one-tenth . of an inch of rain falls if the greater Iportion fails during the daytime in excess of two days per week for the j period covered. : It will be interesting to see whether 1 this holiday weather insurance scheme r "catches on." It should do so, owing to the sporting chances it affords. c . Hitherto, on wet days, holiday-makers c had nothing to do but to gaze dismally out of the window, and to grumble at t each other. Now they will have all the "] delight of settling how the compensation money can be spent. Portable ' rain-gauges will doubtless be invented, so that the holiday-maker can watch the tenth of an inch gradually accumu- * lating, and can console himself that each £ fresh shower is adding to his chances of ] handling the insurance money. TWO SLANDEROUS MYTHS ! DISPELLED The idle tittle-tattle of club and train ' has-been responsible for soiling the repu- ! tation of many public men, including unhappily, King George. For years past j it has been openly alleged that His ] Majesty is too fond of the cup that cheers, and that years ago whilst in Malta he contracted a morganatic marriage with an Admiral's daughter, whom ' he cast off as soon as his elder brother's death cleared his way to the Throne. " These have been the favourite slan- ; ; ders upon King George, and though no , man has ever offered any justification i for them, nor attempted to produce any i proof, they have obtained very wide , • credence. Had King George been a private indi--1 vidua], the slanders would have been s cruel, but he would have been able to i hring the slanderers to book, and to i i clear his own character. Placed as he : : was (and is) he could take no such 1 steps as are open to any of his subjects 5 to stop the gossips vilify--7 ing him as a drunkard and wifet deserter. i It is passing strange that these scan--1 dalous stories, which first began to be i - told abroad about the time of the King's j 3 marriage, should have found such ready f and general credence, for, in his youthi ful days Prince George was, perhaps, ; 1 the most popular member of the Royal Family with the general public. The tale ', that he was a heavy drinker was even n credited by those who were quite pref pared to believe in the stories told of the King's prowess as a game shot! That the King is among the best I "grins" among game in the Old Country is an established fact, and since a clear , eye and steady hand are essentials in y this sport, it seems positively stupid for : 1- people to entertain £he idea that the h King can be a crack shot and at tho same ' n time a disciple of Bacchus. t As to the other story, one has heaTd c it told with a wealth of circumstantial y detail hundreds of times, but of anything i- that could be advanced ac evidence ono d has neither seen nor heard. 1- Tho King has now found a champion; j 1_ no less a person than Mr. W. T. Stead. In the current "Review of Reviews," that '" woTthy in an article, entitled "The Pern sonal Character of the Ne-w King," piles !t up evidence against what he calls - c "Smoke from hell fire." :t "The question is a simple one," he coma - ments. "Is it or is it not a fact that 16 King George is a person of intemperate 0 habits?" And for a reply he quoted the *S Dean of Norwich and Lord Rosebery. 19 j Here is the latter's testimony:— 18 1 "He (the King) has led a pure, ■° j healthy, and abstemious life; he is a '~ : good husband and a good father. Ho 1 I will exhibit ou the Throne domestic virj tues which are dear to this country." I Mr. Stead's own evidence, given "on , n | the authority of men who know him in- . I timately, who have lived with him, dined' with him, supped with him," is that ! "althcruprh he sometimes takes a glass of "■ ; wine, his usual beverages are distilled ' or mineral water and milk." - Of the other slander on the King's i name, Mr. Stead speaks thus:— ,i I "The lying legend of the King-'s intemi. ' perance is sometimes deftly mixed up ii with another falsehood. . . . Nearly j everybody in any general company will !_. ■ tell you more or Icj* circumstantial Jj. stories of how Prince George was mara ried to an admiral's daughter at Malta Ln ! at a time when he never expected to be H called to the Throne. The admiral is le sometimes Admiral S , Admiral .„ T , or Admiral L . The admiral's he daughter and her two children were banln ished to some remote vastness in the n . ' wilds of Scotland, sometime? described Tv a-3 a lunatic asylum, where after a time be . the unhappy lady died. . . .1 went . s . into the whole story eeventcen years ago and received the most positive assurhe ! ances from the late King Edward that ro I there was not a word of truth in the he 1 whole legend.