"OUR BOYS."

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7880, 3 June 1891, Page 5

"OUR BOYS."

FROM CORRESPONDENTS^ We have received the foUowing letters in reference to the leading article in the Press on Monday :— SO THE EDITOR Of THE PRESS. Sm,—There are some points upon which you might well have enlarged in your article on the young men of Christchurch. Firstly—The mania for horse racing. Get a young man into your office, society young man or the next grade if you like, and ten to one his head is full of " odds " or " totalisators." And if other employers experiences are like mine, keep a sharp look out on your cash if he has anything to do with it. Secondly—The mania for card playing, indulged in possibly more by the heads of the families than the juniors, and probably a worse curse in consequence, as the mania is begun young and has the force of example. If totalisators were abolished as well as betting and card playing for money mado illegal, whether at" dubs or elsewhere, we might look for better things from the rising generation. To help remedy the latter evil, I would suggest a little moro genuine sociability from residents—old chums or new. (I do not consider card parties sociable.) In European cities, evenings at home aro kept by many families, and their friends drop in without ceremony and without expecting either a feed or a daucc. Christchurch has the reputation of being about the most unsociable place in the world, but surely all families could entertain in tfttis way if they tried, and, if only onco a month, keep an open evening for their friends, especially the young men, but even the married meu would probably be glad of any means which would save them from their present necessity of appealing to their wives to know who -'that lady was," after having frantically seized off hats to return a stiff bow, and the wives would have tho satisfaction perhaps of malting the acquaintance of their husbands' friends and their friends' husbands.—Yours, &c, Pater Mercator. Christchurch, 2nd June, 1891.

TO THE EDITOR OP THE PRESS. Sir, —I must applaud the tone adopted by "'_," and ".Ang.o-Saxon " in letters appearing on this subject, but must admit they are not warm enough to suit mc. " L." divides our boys into two classes, dancers and non-dancers. If he had named them Yahros and boys he would have been nearer the mark. What is the dancer but a loosely-built, half-.vitted thing, only able to ejaculate " yas, ah yas," " he, he, he " in an insane giggling manner. Ho cannot run a mile or play football. When he goes to a picnic ho fawns on an athletic young fellow to do his share of work, while the thing mashes the girls. It is a shame to class this worm with the fellows who can do a day's walking, row or run a race, and still havo some energy left. " Anglo-Saxon " remarks. on our boy's meanness, his meanness causing him to be very moral. I don't know about his morality, for if ho does not spend money on his animal nature, he gets his aim by his oily tongue, the resource of a thoroughbred cad.—Yours, &c., A. Rake, Christchurch, June 2nd, 1891.

TO TRB EDITOR 07 THE PRESS. Sir,—l cannot help thinking that your leader of June Ist has a "written to order" tone about it. In some particulars it is unjust. I spent some years in London, meeting many Christchurch boys. I never came across one backward in owning himself a New Zealander; in fact, they went to the other extreme, especially if an Old | College boy. Like the Pharisee, they loved to exclaim, '• I am not as other men, I come from Christ's College, Christchurch, New Zealand." Still this ia an almost praiseworthy fault, and in these days, at least, justified. Had not the College gained three scholarships out bf four open to all New Zealand schools. " Old Boys " were carrying off prizes at Canterbury athletic meetings; while in Englandatthe Universities and at the medical schools of London and Edinburgh were not old boys .winning . honors in the study and in the held.. As to the alleged fondness foi* English clothes, how many send to London tor boots and dress? Most men returning'bring a good stdck, as they are cheaper, but they generally replace them with Christchurch-made clothes as i>he English ones wear out. I have not noticed that poverty or wealth makes a difference in the number of partners a Christchurch girl gets. The. fact that plain and strange girls do not get as many partners as their more favored sisters is not peculiar to Christchurch. In London a stranger, even if she be pretty, often has an almost blank programme without the scarcity of males noticed here, _s to L's lament over the neglect of his dining capacities; a dance is far cheaper than giving dinners to a large circle of acquaintances. •'_ In London it is different, one .can give a dinner to twenty or so without offending 200; could it be done here? I alh hot a dancing man and am fond of a good dinner, but I quite see, that in a community like Christchurch, the dance is preferable. I admit and deplore the decadence in games. Have tea -and tennis killed cricket 1 Time was when Christchurch was able to play any province on the adversaries' own ground; noW they cannot hold their own at home. "Anglo Saxon" ought to remember that most of young men lead too busy Uvea for them to have spare time for the cultivation of the Arts, still most men I know have a fair knowledge of English literature. As to current events they _q6w more about them than the average British youth. According to'.iriy experience tho colonial youth is temperate per se, not because. of its worldly advantages. As a rule the Christchurch youth is not wealthy, and being.brought up in a commercial atmosphere is careful, but in very few cases does prudence degenerate into meanness.—Yours, &c» . .-..■'' AN Old Colleoe Boy.

, TO THE EDITOR 07 THE FRESS. read your article on "Our Boys" with some amusement, not because ' the article is a. funny one, oh, dear no. It is no doubt a very clever one, in fact I have heard, several of. my .gentlemen friends, say , so. But that which] causes my amusement is that,: if all yon say in your article is true, then I have smzularly blessed in.not coming into contact with such a boy aa you write against. In fact I don't; believo it true at all. I know my Freddy i 3 not so mean as all that, and I won't allow people to throw stones at him. I toll you, Mr Editor, that so far from him being mean, I have only, got. to hint that my gloves were spoilt in getting into those beastly tr__cars, and rmmediately after I receive a new pair. Or, perhaps my parasol gets torn in a nor'-wester, and then again my Fred says " What is the. latest color in ;parraso_ f "and so on.' Of Course I know that he intends to get mc one. No, Mr Editor, I think you must have missed your aim in life, and thus been soared against all that looks young and cheerful. And, about sports. Surely the Christchurch boya are not so backward as you would make out 1 This is why. I have seen Fred and his brother jumping for pennies, and they thought nothing of going at ever so big a fence. They sometimes got some nasty tumbles. r

lam very much annoyed that you should write so Severely about "our boys," because one of them belongs to mc, and I won't have him abused. I should like to know yon, Mr Editor, and wouldn't I give yon a bit of my mind on this matter, just to show that the girls are more chivalrous than you tried to-make'oat. Of course T would shake hands with yon afterwards, because you are a clever man, and I thi_k consequently a dangerous one. I hope you will forgive mc for my long letter. Of course you musn't publish it, because it comes from A Lrm_ Girl ih Gret.