TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7868, 20 May 1891, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Tmßev. Mark Guy Peaxse, a well known English Wesleyan clergyman, who ie touring the colonies and giving lectures d Iα the Bey. Chaa. Clark, has given offence to the young ladies of Sydney and their champions by some remarks he made in one of his lectures, and the storm that has broken over hie head equals that which was raised by an article on the same subject in these columns come few weeks ago. The rev. gentleman took much the same view of the young lady of the period as the article in this paper did, though we do not find that he called hex athletio qualities in question, but he went so far as to call her a *♦ waste product whose chief use is to dispense afternoon tea." This rather sweeping statement rowed, as

might be expected, the wrath of the women themitlvee, their fathenwusd lova» •nd some of the letters whioh the dally papers were evidently with pene dipped in vitriol. The was characterised by one writer aeawg,, libel and insult to the bulk of the who for the most part were capable hoaej wives and domestic managers, and, he went on to say, "as elder aiaters of oue families many mothers can testify fa their value and usefulness," a atatetia* whioh is not so lucid aa one mi«ht wi«k Another writer agreed that to say ft chief use of the girls waa to dispense aftJl noon tea was a libel, because many of them did not know how to make a cup oftT much less dispense it with it! accessories "W . L." rose to explain that Mr Pearse's remarks must be understood to apply only to the girls as they were known to the clerical profession Hi, language, he said, did not apply to their home-loving, home-serving daughters and sisters, but "to the young ladies, ttxmtAA or frivolous, who often form the oler**. man's retinue." Another corresponded championing tho ladies, said that Wonw could claim that they performed their work in a manner which would make tho average man envy to attempt. There is no doubt about th. truth of this, but whether it is anything to boast about is another matter altogethe? The writer also advances the exceeding weak argument that "the who dispenses afternoon tea would bear «* the prize against the average man ay a even against the Rev. M. Q. Pearea in handling a broom, making a bed, RriUtag a steak, and tending the sick." Probahb the Bey. M. G. Pearse himself would fee the first to admit the fact, but as far m we know the rev. lecturer did not set him. self up aa an adept at euoh eaaeatiauv feminine pursuits.

A coBRBspoNDENT, signing herself of the Maligned Sex," wrote one of M* best letters, and quoted an instuoe in which a minister at the Y.M.CLA. of a email English town drew, in her hewiag, a comparison between the reading tastei of the young men and young women ot the town, charging the latter with frftte*. ing away their lives, their only readiag being three-volume novela. This touched the writer's pride, for having been unable to get certain books of Carlyle's from tho circulating library, she had joined the V.M.C.A. library under the name of "John Robertson," and had there oat the leaves of those very books of Cat" lyle'a whioh had lain for years unread She went home, and wrote out a list ©I eleven ladies whom she knew intimately, her own name making up the dozen. Bj the side of each name she wrote the languages understood by the owner, and found that they averaged four each, the languages being Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Bussian, German, Spanish, Dufcoh, Italian, French, and English. They had all studied for the pleasure of studying, and not as a profession. Armed with this liat, she sought the minister, and "came down heavily," and wound up a few crushing rdmarks by asking him to withhold his denunciations until ho was better acquainted with the book shelves oi his young lady parishioners. This minister, she eaya, "was no scholar, had uo college honors after his name, and his wife waa unfortunately known to be a liberal patron of the literature he denounced at the oiroalating library of the town, so he spoke of women as he had known by experience." This awful warning should act as ■ deterrent to any clergyman hinting that the reading of any circle of Sjjfcog women is not as wide aa it might he may find himself brought up " all standing" by a list of polyglot young ladiea, a a did the rash example quoted above.

Thb Sydney Daily Telegraph, in an article on "The Decadence of Sculling/ , points out very clearly the reason why comparatively so little interest is taken now in professional sculling and the question of the world's championship, using the recent contest between Btanbury and MoLean as a text whereon to preach. The cause of the lack of interest shown in that particular race was undoubtedly the absence of international rivalry, both contestants being Australians, bal none of the championship raoei latterly have aroused co much. exoitßment as they used to do when Han* lan, Beach, and other notable soullera, did battle for their countries. ■> The popularity of professional aquatioiem, we are told, with but too great a show of truth, is steadily waning, and it is becoming every day a matter of smaller publio concern who lays claim to the world's championship. It is decidedly, we think, a pity that this should be the case, especially in New South Wales, the home par excellence, of left years, of the professional sculler, a country - which has turned out; more good men Iα (&il branch of sport in proportion to ito age that any other ooontry in the world, Tbt splendid achievements of past champion* has no doubt had the effect of bringing Aquatics into great prominence and torning the mind of the public to this hwaen of muscular exercise, an effect whiflfl xanei be for the good of the people at *&** if the decay of interest in champtoaeMp races causes a similar decay in the pnblio taste for boating, it is greatly to .** re * gretted. Dealing with the reason for the ! present state of affairs, the Daily T<fogra& says:— . " It did not necessarily mean that tne man who won the world's ohampioMW was even able to pull a race-boa* jMW* than scores of other men might J* circumstances had happened to s»« them professional scullers. But it oia mean that he was possessed of the iw»« strength, stamina and skill amonget «* those who did aspire to exoellenoe » aquatic exercise. Other things tnerefore, it was always fair W assume tbat the beet race of peopw physically would be the one to P«T ducft the rowing ohampion where W> nations competed for it with represent*" tive scullers. Under those circumstance* it was natural to expect that such cottteM* would evoke large publio interest among** a healthy-spirited community; and f o| that reason the champion races of the P*e» became elevated to the dignity of S o **** national affaire. That was before it became vulgarised by the introduction ol we 'hippodrome , element which has beoa made such a repulsively prominent feature of the business during later day*. *• soon as the sport became a medium for professional laying and taking of oafl* « lost its original character, and ha* **ci since been going down in popular favo*» It is pointed out that the class of pewoa* now meat interested ia champion &» fe racing are those who use it in one *»J or another as a medium for gambliag '-■—. "Aβ the outside publio hare learned to appreciate the wisdom of the maxiia wiuee forbida "backing anything that cantalKj, boat racing wUI never be what the Wf from a bookmaking poinfc of View." The moral of the lesson is plain. Ifboft*

fc ever to be again the premier *Sal 8P° tfc of NeW SoUth Wales tbe element must be eliminated and tfjTeport practised as a sport, and not as a