TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 8730, 28 February 1894, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

An American paper deals Virile in outspoken and original Employment fashion with the disposal For Men. of ' those whoai Gissiug calls " the odd women." Referring to the question of over-competi-tion, the writer points ont that w<anen do not crowd men ont of virile employments. It is the nice, easy, clean, unfruitful employments that are over-crowded. Effeminate men crowded these before tbfy were invaded by women. It would be gain for society—so the writer aayar-if woman were

to fill them entirely, if it can be dono by the: superfluous women, without drawing I upun those in situations to perform tho I maternal function. It is contrary to ! ual.ure's scheme to set men poring over ; ledgers, copying briefs, and peddling spools 'j of thread. It not only wastes their labour, ; but mollifies their brawn, diminishes their i vitality, aad unfits them for their part ia ; the supreme function. It is far the good of the race that tbey be diiven to virile work. They Ought, then, to be able to support a wifo aud beget a healthy progeny, the effeminate employments being left to the superfluous women, for whom no husbands are available. How far it ia possible to carry this idea into practical effect it is hard to saj\ The first objection that presents itself is that all men are not physically capable for the so-called " virile employments." The phrase also is a little vague. If it is to be confined to physical work, and exclude intellectual labour of every kind, the idea is absurd. Spite of the writer's assertion to the contrary, it is a.so a fact that in the older countries the so-called virile employments are often over crowded, though not, we admit, by women. If these are to receive a large accession of men who have hitherto beeu eugaged in the so-called effeminate employments, the pressure will probably become acute. At the sume time there is no doubt that it would be much better, especially iv the colonies, it there was not such a craving for -.* gentsel employment" among young men. Both they and the State'would be greatly benefited by the adoption of a more robust mode of life

We seem to be particuOur Disasters larly unfortunate in our iv operations on tbe West West Africa. Coast of Africa. It will be

remembered that two days before Christinas a number of our troops, chiefly of the West India Regiment, were operating against the Sofas, a warlike tribe of negroes who had been giving a good deal of trouble, when they were attacked by mistake by -Lieutenant Maritz, of the French army, and a large number of Senegalese troops also despatched against the Sofas. The result was that Captain Lendy, InspectorGeneral of the- Frontier Police, and 26 of his men were killed, while the West India j Regi-nent lost two lieutenants, one sergeant- ; major, and four privates killed, and one sergeant-major and fourteen men seriously I wounded. These casualties, although I naturally heavier on the British, who were ': taken by surprise, were not all on one side. [ The French commander fell severely i wounded, aud was found by the British on the field after the engagement. The senior medical officer rendered all possible assistance, but he died from his wounds in about an hour. Before his end Lieutenant Maritz said native allies informed him our men were Sofas, and he had no idea they were British troops. The officer and ten of his Senegal troops who were found dead on the field were buried with military honours. With commendable forethought and self-restraint the British commander sent word to the officer commanding the French- army at Kissi informing him of the lamentable occurrence, and assuring him that the friendly relations were not disturbed owing to this mistake on the part of Maritz. It is not yet clearly explained how the bungle occurred,.ahd particularly how tbe French came to be at Warina, within the Bphere of British influence, where the engagement took place. Before the diplomatists have had time to settle up the matter in a friendly manner—as no doubt it will be settled—comes the news of another heavy disaster to the British arms, this time at the hands of an avowed, enemy. Our officers, who were operating against a noted slave dealer named Fodielah, seem to have made the usual mistake of holding the | " niggers" too cheap. The result was that they were entrapped into an ambush and were terribly cut up. A detachment of I blue-jackets, under Captain Gamble, who followed, met with a similar fate. It was then evident that until fresh reinforcei i ments were received no headway could be made against the enemy-. According to the telegrams the fighting took, place near Bathurßt, which is the capital of Gambia ! our oldest colony on the west coast of j Africa. It is situated at the mouth of the , Gambia river.

The reinforcements for which The (Sofas. Admiral Bedford is waiting

are to consist of the West India Regiment—the troops who have been lately operating agaiust the Sofas, and who suffered so severely in the encounter with the French. Unless we take timely warning by the Bathurst disaster, there is reason to fear that we may have serious trouble with them before we Have finished with them. The Times a few weeks ago published an interesting account of this savage people, written by a Frenchman who had resided among them—one of the few Europeans who had ever come into cootact with the tribe. They are under the command of a King, Samory, the potentate of the right bank of the Niger, who has, as his best lieutenant, Ketnoko-BUabi.. with /whom, according to the French gentleman, the English will have, to fight. The writer calls them Soudanese Attilas, who live by pillage. The costume of the Sofas consists of a jacket and a pair of very short drawers. Nothing ia their gait or manner recalls the customary indolence of the blacks. "The eve is

quick," says the writer from whom we are quoting, " the air alert, and they impress by their auimation, vigour, and suppleness. Theyshould be seen galloping, on horseback behind their chiefs, bounding across the tai! grasses, up hill and down dale, for hours together in a heat like that bf a furnace; truly their degree of animation is remarkable. Add to this portrait endless muzzleloaders. or some chassepots and Gras rifles, adorn these types with large sabres on the one side, with powder-flasks on the other, with little bullet-bags and knives almost everywhere, and yon have, the perfect black condoltiere." The devastation which they wreak upon the native inhabitants is pitiless in the extreme. The writer tells us of whole tribes whom they have carried into slavery, and all the property they were: not able to take with them they sacked, destroyed, burned. Flourishing tracts of country were indeed reduced to heaps of ashes by these marauder** Both the French and English, however, have their arms turned against them, and, warned by the mistakes of the past, will probably be able to bring these terrible scourges to a sharp account.

It is satisfactory to The Late. ' learn from English Mrs Thackeray, papers that Thackeray's widow, whose death we announced a few weeks ago, did not end her days in an asylum for the insane', as was inferred. Her mind, which was affected by the birth of her youngest child in 1840, never recovered its balauce, but for the last sixteen years the poor afflicted lady had been living with a couple of faithful and devoted friends, Mr and Mrs Thompson, of Leigh, in Essex. Though incapable of managing her life, she was able to take an interest and pleasure iv the things around her, and especially in music, for which, we are told, she retained a remarkable faculty till her death. The end came with merciful suddenness. She was seized with illness on Wednesday, January 12tn, and passed away on the following day at the ripe age oi 7ok