TOPICS OF THE DAY

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13102, 29 April 1908, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY

The London papers just to The hand contain, articles on Isle Hayti, where there iras of trouble some weeks ego. If Unrest, only one half what is said is correct, Hayti must be about the most uraksirable place of reekfoenoo in the woridl In the interior tho negroes have lived in licentious savagery since the French gavo up the island. The most debasing rites are practised, including tho sacrifice ehfldren, and cannibalism is not unknown. For generations past, writes a man who has been to the island, Haitian Presidents have "waded' through bloodshed to a throne." Ohristophe was a monster of incredible depravity, who rauTdered men by thousaTids. Heureaux, n. negro dock labourer from Jamaica, who became Preeidmt of San Domingo, would go through the streets -with a mob of soldiers and havcpeople executed riglrt and Jeffc wheire they stood- TBj© writer counted ". ffouri r

te&n corpses. one morndng. Heureaux, finding' bia brother plotting against him, invited fchn to dinner, ibad him arrested after the meal, and when the brother drew a revoiveir, shot him with his own hand. The Consuls have a most trying time, for therr hoosee ere sanctuaries for the "under-dogs" in the political equabbies, and it is not pleasant to have one's house overrun by "thirty or forty negroes with the filthiest habits and the most insatiable craving for food, wines and cigare." A Consul is bound to be civil to these people, for the refugee of to-day may be the President of to-morrow. Tliere is plenty of comedy in this land of anarchy. An American artist tells how ono day while he was watching a review of the Haytian army an Irishman with him offered to "break up the whole lot." "Then he took five silver pieces from his pocket and threw them up in the air with a loud veil. Like one man the army sprang forward and. made frenzied efforts to find the money. After a short, sharp struggle peace was restored. Two pieces of silver were in the possession of tho army—the oommandanta had the rest. Then he ordered my frier.d' the Irishman to be arrested for bringing discredit upon the Haytian army in tho presence of a distinguished stranger. I was the distinguished stranger." Three weeks' imprisonment was the sentence, but five more silver pieces and a bottle of rum procured the Irishman his freedom.

An interesting theatrical Horrors novolty in London rein cently was a seasoni by One Act. tihe company from the Grand Guignol Theatre of Paris. The Grand Guignol is ami unpretentious theatre hidden away at the end of a Wind alloy itn the Montmarfcro district, and is no bigger than a small lecture-hall. Its speciality is short dramas close-packed with tihril'ls —horrors in one act. It stands first in the presentation of gjim, remorseless tragedies. Take, for instance-, the pkiy founded on Stevenson's "Suicide CKub." Forbes, a straaitger, is admitted to membersliiip, and joins in the game of cutting the cards for death. Tiho men gambling for life are played with wonderful realism. Ttacir farebeads, are beaded with sweat from the- tension; on© man drops dead witih excitement; another goggles incessantly under the strain. Forbes draws tihe aoe thia<t condetmms him to death, and has to name- his executioner. Ho, confesses that ho lias no wish to dio and that he oame as a journalist in search of "copy." Tihe chairman is obdurate, and Forbes is locked in the room, in tho black darkness. ' Ho becomes frenzied witih fear, shrieks, and beats niadlv oni the door. Then he hears the noise of someone approaching. His murderer is coming —for a moment he listens, and tihen pulls ouifc a revolver in desperation and shoots himself. Enter itiho chairman. "Aβ I thought," ho remarks drily. "No one can bear the agony of apprehension." Even more horrible is the pJay which tells of the visit of three ox-conviots to a banker's office at night for the purpose of wreaking vengeance on the banker, wiho had befcmyed therm years before. Wath solemn parody of the forms of justice, th«y t try tihe trembling wretch and sentence ham to death. Suddenly tohere is a knock at the door. The banker tries to cadi for help,' but his mouth has been stopped by a gag. One of tihe visitors goes to tho door, and in the terrible eilenoe on© can hear tiho conversation. "Is M. D-ravßl etffl here? , " "No, monsieur. He has gone home." "I caw a light; I thought he might be working late. I'll call m tho morning. Good night." "Good night, monsieur." Then M. Drave! is hemged from a cn-rtaan-pole m full view of the audience, and the murderers escape by the back "way, whiJo has daughter's voice ds heard outside enquiring whether all is wefl. This was too ghastly for some of the first-nighit audience, who whistled their disgust. These plays are brilliantly written and magnificently acted; if tihey were not they would be too revolting to em>dure.

The committee in charge Ignorance of the arrangements for in, the May Day Demon Action. ebration in Melbourne -" next Sunday probably thought they had a hriJriant insporation when they asked! Professor Mar-sliali-Hall, the well-known conductor, to assume control of the musical arrengemernte. The demonstrators are accustomed to sing son©s of a hdghly revolutionary nature, wave red flags, and proclaim war on society in general. The committee hoped that the work of comdiuotin'g the "Marseillaise" and other songo would "not bo umoongonial to tho and inifoTmod hum, among otiher things that crimson paper would , ba used. Professor Mar-shall-Hall sent a scarifying reply. Having read , verses which tho committee proposed' to place on the programme, tho Professor was "quite unable to understand what should have led you to imagine that any educated man could be in sympathy with a movement, which, disregarding the difficult and' ha-rd-won advanco of centuries, apparently must have the effect of restoring ch-aos and savagery." He wag. convinced that the averago sane working man laughed at their forewgnborrowed hymns as hyperbolical no-nt, and was wedl aware that the only cures for human ills were ability, industry andi honesty. Ho admitted tho existence of a 6ort of a benevolence in members of the committee, but it was accomipanied by a "paralytic ignorance of tho teachings of history and of the necessary consequences of the totally immoral acts by which evidently you wouldt effect your ends. Gootbe has well said that there is nothing more monstrous to contemplate than ignorance in actioa." Professor Mar-shall-Hall asked for enlightenment as to the identity of tho "vile insatiable despots" who "lash and goadl" "Where were the "dungeons, bolts, and bars" that "confine you?" or tho "whips" that tamed their "noble spirit?" or "the hireling hoste" and "ruffian band" that "desolate the land, white Liberty and Peace lie bleeding ?" Had it been possible to ameliorate the lot of all mankind by a single stroke thp Professor was sure that mankind would have struck that stroke long ago. Their proclamation was "too full of bloody threats and futile promises" to be endorsed by him in any shapo or form, so the songs of outraged freedom wiilgw up to heaven, in Melbonrno next Sunday without tho assistance of .this gifted musician.