TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume XLVIL, Issue 7720, 27 November 1890, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Or all mean! and contrivance* for extracting money from the {rackets of the public it is' generally acknowledged that a civcos daman away the palm. A few weeks ago, when Messrs Wirth Bros.' "Mppodjnpma"—we believe that is the correct term-—was. in Chriatchurch opwards' of 9000 persons, In spite of labor troubles and • **doll timee,* , found the money to pay it a visir on one "tingle evening, and day after day 'for nearly three weeka the attendance keptiipte a way <

that mustjb»T» c wjc4(|e4 tWrproprietoTi' hearts. —The nejorftjy of the epfictfttore present probably thought that the circus performer was like a poet, born and not made. As a matter of fact, the daring and graceful feats which the public watch with so much interest are merely the result of hard and incessant practice. The training of riders for the circus arena has become a recognised business, and there are special' schools for the purpose where the arts of barebaok riding,, the turning of somerKOUlts, and trick -riding generally, ate taught with ac much gravity aetd method as mathematics and Latin Grammar.in our more,m»ttej>of;faot state of learning. An account 'of one of the most famous of these schools, the establish* meat o£ Mr John Wilson at Cincinnati, appears in an English contemporary. The practice takes place in what is known as a 42ft ring. There is about 18in of tan bark in the ring, covered with from Bin to ysSk of sand and sawdust. The ring is soft and springy, and in the event of a fall thY young performer knows that he or she-will have something soft; to fall upon. As a matter of iset, however, falle are not at all likely to take place. They are rendered practically impossible by an ingenious contrivance known as the " mechanic," which plays a leading part in the' art and mystery of turning out recruits for the circus. Thb " mechanic " connate of a revolving pole placed in the centre of the ring, and. .having at a distance of twelve feet from the ground, an arm extending to the circumference of the ring. To this arm are attached two pulley*, and over them ■ runsa rope, one end of which is attached to a ring in the rider's back, and the other end of which the trainer—who stands in the centre of the ring, watching the horses— holds tightly round his left hand. For a lady the arrangement is a little more complicated, consisting of two straps passing over the shoulders, and a ring set at the back Df the neck. Its utility is obvious. If the performer slips, the trainer pulls his end of the rope, and the rider is held suspended in the air for a moment or two and then gently lowered into the ring. If the trainer seee that the horse is going to kick, he holde the rider aloft bo aa to be completely out of all danger. The " mechanic" resembles nothing so much as an inn signpost, the. performer oocupying the position of the sign. Thus is circus • riding made easy. Still, as in most other accomplishments, beginners exhibit a strong tendency to do the things they ought not to , do* Ladies, fur example, show a strong inclination to crouch, aa if to grab the hone by the mane. This ie neither graceful nor conducive to security, atxd consequently has to be overcome. Then there is a tendency to ride on the heel, and that too is r; wrong. The correct position is to stand with the head erect, heels together, knees straight, and toes out, the right shoulder turned -in facing the • horse. The performer must get the spring from the ball of the foot, and not from the knees. Still there is no magic about it —only plenty of perseverance and hard work. v Probably most of the gentlemen now standing for the House of Bepreaentatives could leanr the art of bareback riding if they felt inclined. Aβ for taming somersaults, some of them have acquired that accomplishment already.

Thanks to Dr. Koch, the tuberculosis bacillus occupies a position of great importance just now. j Helooma large in all the periodicals, putting even the; Irish question into the,shade. We must cay that the more we read about him the lees we like him. An article in the Nineteenth Century reveals several of his most unpleasant peculiarities. It is now an established fact that tuberculosis, ia pommunicable from the lower animals to man, particularly by eating the fleah of animals specifically afEected. What is especially uncomfortable to know is the fact that the ordinary methods of cooking .do not deetroy the bacillus, and hare absolutely no effeot upon the spores which are the chief means of its propagation. Still the knowledge, although not appetising, ia valuable. We know now one of the chief gateways by which the archenemy of the human race ■ assaults the citadel of the body. Our business must be to specially guard that gateway: One of the chief forms of sanitary precaution in future will *be the inspection of animals intended for human food, and the rigid rejection of any that are diseased; This will be far better than attempt* ing to cure this disease by Dr. Koch'sl'Aflpeciflc If the latter is really proved, tjo be efficacious, how* ever, and if in addition precautions are taken against the use of tuberculoses articles of food, it is quite possible that in the course of a generation or two consumption may have become an extinct disease. This would mean a lengthening of human life and an abridgment of human suffering which we can hardly realise at present* much less contemplate with anything like assurance. ' . .