SNOWBALLING.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 11954, 5 August 1904, Page 3

SNOWBALLING.

TO THE KD'TOR OF T!!E IT..':S.'-. Sir.—lt is quit--- unfortunate ior yna that this snowfall should havo come m> soon after your recent leading art nie. and thi correspondence in your column:-. « ith inference to "incivility to tou.-ist.«." I wonder what you would have to say if on .i visit to England you wore treat* d in en:- of the principal cities a.s ail and sundry vc.ie triaic<l in L'hriMchurch y<->----t:r-.!ay. If you had to run the paunil-t in nearly all the principal struts of score.-* of youths and larrikins, if you w« re literally mobbed if you didn't run uiih a nii.roor less pleased 'mile on your face, and if you happened to carry an umbrella, these .vim- gentle youth-s M- re not c-.ntent until they "finished" it. I fancy you would wi.-h the youth of that place did not take quite such a. vigorous iiiothod of showing the* pitch of independence and social e.pialiry to which it had attained. Christchurch yesterday was given up to a. mild r. itfn of terror with which the pediee, on your own showing, were quite incapable, ~f coping. Such a state of is a disgrace to any civilised community, and cannot be defended on ar.y grounds. If th,-* idea of "'.■.part'' of the younger memlie-ts of the Cliristchur< h popalac-.* eon-si'-ts in on fi ?rlitary individual.' in the proportion of "0 or '0 to 1. sn ,v, - balling helplf-.-i diivers. and such lik.~ div rsions. I am snrry for them. Such conduct i- not fa!eu : atd to im-p-ess the chance visitor Mith all the (jiiil- ;- tie; cf manly mdi >-•-n< 1« nee. hnspitaiiry, and otl-rr virtu~s which fune peop 1 ,- wi:h t-> claim for the young (and other) cnlonia' ■-. Th" English p—.pi.* have alv.avs pridi d ihemsrlvr.i on their .«*n.v of fairpl.iv. There M-as not much about vcst-'nlav. - -Vonr>. etc., COLNK. Clirirtc-hurch. August s;h. Tn THE F.DITOR 07 THH rRE?."". Sir, —The. .T.ipaiir»■•* ay.- a fairly Irave race. At th--* bidding of their ofiieers they cro-s rilains and clin.b mountains in the face of a withering fire from their enemies, Mho are armed with the best modern weapons, and prct ~rted by trenches and fortifications. But what i.-« this in comparison M-iththe bravery of our insurance and other clerks, who, with no more ihan.the tacit, rnp.«"nt of their principals, scale th* giddy heights of our town building.', and thence, hidden end protected by parapets, '■ milliard with 'nowhalli inoffensive men and boys who cannot effectively retaliate in kind. Hithrrto. as far as rriy observations extend, our brave boys have not dared to attack women and young girl.i. but doubt--I'*ks their courage will not again fail them if further opportunity should occur.— "a proud new zealander.