The Press. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1871.

Press, Volume XVIII, Issue 2668, 18 November 1871, Page 2

The Press. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1871.

We must confess to being utterly averse to the formation of a company for the tablishinent of a gymnasium i n ChristcTfuffTfr Should any professor of calisthenics, having previously heard of the tendency"of our rising generation to the proper"development of their thews and sinews, think fife to come and settle among us, well and good. Let him'further, if he wishes, for the purpose of feelinsj hu» way as it were, obtaiu a guarantee of a certain number (»t pupils, and even, if need be, sufficiVut to warrant the erection of ihe gymnasium itself. If the professor is an adept in imparting the knowledge which he himself has obtained, there can be littledoubt that, with judicious management, the concern will prove to be a good speculation. And iv order to further,;,popularise the movement, and to swell the profits of the business, let the professor hold a, grand tournament, either once, twice, or as many times a year as may be agreeable to himself, and let entries be made for the several events, and let the gymnasium be opened to the public on these occasions at a charge under certain conditions Should the gymnasium he found to be cir.'Utnspeetly conducted, there is every probability that there would he little or no trouble in obtaining futds by subscription as contributions to the prize list. Aud experience has shown ia the old country that these t/a!a days'add a wholesome zest to the study of the particular branen in which ihe pupil is engaged, whether wreetling, boxing, broad-sword or

single-stick exercise, or whatever it may be, and as high a standard of excellence as it is possible to obtain will be attempted. As for the professor himself the utmost caution and discernment must be exercised. He must be particularly careful to keep the list of pupils Btricily select, not to allow one word of improper language to be used, or any irrelevant practices, such as smoking, drinking, &c., to be carried on inside the establishment, on pain of instant and permanent dismissal.

We are confident that should Mr Walker, remain here, and venture upon such a speculation, he will perfectly well understand the advantage of being entirely his own master, without being fettered by the dictates of a committee, the members of which may or may not know as much of the actual details of the business as the man in the moon. Everything, however, depends upon the high tone upon which the preliminary movements are based; should too much latitude be allowed in the first instance to the pupils, a failure is inevitable; but should a proper restraint be insisted upon at the outset, and anything approaching to r<nvd}i*in etrictly prohibited, the gymnasium in Chrietchurch will bid fair to become a creditable and popular establishment, and a goodly number will gladly assemble to witness the periodical trials of strength and skill among those of the pupils who may elect to enter the arena.

If Mr. "Walker commences operations under the stipulations that we have mentioned, there are many respectable peoplu in Chxistehurch, and tiie province generally, who will be looking ior ward eagerly for the announcement of the first tournament, the actors in the scene will be vigorously preparing to display their powers to the beat advantage, and by confining the attendance to the friends, of the members themselves, good order among the audience will be secured.