TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14472, 28 September 1912, Page 10

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

The cheapness of grand Popular opera in certain parts "of Opera, the world is tantalising to people in British communities who, heing fond of this kind of entertainment, can get it only occasionally and at high prices. In Moscow it can be enjoyed for a few pence. Ono might think that Mexicans were too much occupied with revolutions to give time to grand opera, but it nourish greatly thero in the midst of alarms. The manager of the Grand National Opera House in the city of Mexico, while in London recently, gave an interviewer somo interesting information as to the important place occupied by opera in Mexican life. A new opera house is being built in the capital at a cost of a million pounds. Tho opera is under Government, control, and tho authorities "direct it m every particular, and regard it from a purely educational and artistic point of view." The "star 1 ' system is unknown, the aim of tho producers being a general level of excellence. Tho prices of seats vary according to the amount of subsidy given by the Government, but the highest price one can pay is two dollars fifty cents in Mexican money. Twice during every season of opera the Department of Education takes entire control of tho Opera House, and for these two performances they rearrange the scale of prices, the highest priced seat costing about a shilling, while a seat in tho gallery can bo had for twopence. The Minister of Education selects the oporns to bo performed, insists on the artists who appear being of the very best, and the audiences are composed of tho teachers and higher class schoolchildren of tho city. The audiences havo a very keen ear and know tho music thoroughly. Last season a prima donna whose vojee was affected by tho high altitude of tho city, was given permission to sinj?-a prominent number in "Aida" in a lower key, but the audience immediately dotected the change, and after the first few notes refused to allow her to proceed.

It js. just as well Humours that nuiueone of should draw attenMouhtaineering, tion to the humours of Alpihd climbing, for the tragedies aro many. Tho Goneva correspondent of tho "Standard" begins an article on tlio subject by recalling that before mountaineering became an established sport, the natives looked upon every Alpinist as either mad, or a seeker after gold, or in league with the devil. Walking up a mountain, thoy argued, was much more dangerous than walking on level ground, • so if strangers left the good roads and railways of the valleys, their actions must be put down to one of thtse motives. Tlio best stories aro connected with the guides of the old

school, who held that once the employer placed his tafety in their hands, he must obey them. The famous Zurbriggen was of this type. He and Mr Fison, an English climber, were overtaken by a snowstorm on the Mntterhorn, and the Englishman, after a long struggle, fell down exhausted and declared that he was "done." Zurbriggen tried! remonstratives, brandy, and bad language, but in vain. Then, with a fine inspiration, he started to punch Mr Fison's head. The Englishman started up in great indignation, and the two fought for several minutes. Then tho guide started off down the mountain, with the other following, and declaring that ho would report the matter to tho authorities at Zcrmatt. Reflection, however, showed h:m Zurbriggen's wisdom, and next day ho shook the guide by the hand and presented him with a good sum of money. Another veteran guido had to employ tho same methods to rouse an exhausted employer, and tho same man kicked a nervous porter over n crevasse when ho refused to jump across. Thero is a good story of a guide who was discovered by another party hauling his protesting employer up a peak by a rope, and gave the exp'anation: "I am an honest man, and tho Herr has paid mc in advance to climb this mountain, and he must go up." A woman climber tells a delightful story of a budding guide who was employed by two Germans. The youthful guide knew that ho had to use a rope on the glaciers, but did not know how to usi, it, and as tho Germans seemed equally ignorant, ho made two nooses, "which he passed round the necks of tho Germans, and, taking the cord by the centre in his hand, walked along with his employers. Happily, neither of the Germans fell into a crevasso on that excursion, otherwise the adventure would have been tragical. Attention has been Plucking dravyn by tho Limerick Live Geese, branch of tho S.P.C.A.

to the cruel custom of plucking livo geese, which is prevalent in Ireland. After several unsuccessful prosecutions, the society has succeeded in obtaining a conviction. The custom, it is pleaded by those who havo been prosecuted by the society, has been in existence for 800 years, and its age is adduced as its chief justification. It is also contended that plucking is conducive to the extermination of insects, and consequently to the health of tho birds. Another rather curious reason given in, support of the custom is that if the feathers are left on the birds they aro apt to fall out and interfere with the digestion of the cattle which may happen to pick them up. But the real reason which lies at Cue bottom of this eagerness to keep up an ancient tradition is doubtless, as a correspondent of the "Westminster Gazette" suggests, the owners' desire to get tho largest possible return from tho feathers of their stock. Tlio practise, while common in Ireland, is practised in only a few parts of England, where it has survived tho coming of tho steelpen, which put an enc] to tlio genoral practice of quill-picking. But tho plucking of live birds is said to bo carried on regularly on tho Continent both for quill pens and for feathers. That tho. practice is genuinely cruel is vouched for by a fellow of the R.C.V.S., who described a flock of recently plucked geese-as being "all plucked bare, a couplo of hundred large quills lying about with the ends covered with -blood. Ono of the young geese was trailing her wings on the ground from weakness and illusage." But it is said that this practise is not nearly so cruel as that of overt feeding geese -to induce diseased conditkur-of liver for the manufacture of the delicacy known as pate! de foio gros. "Since I witnessed tha prooess," says an authority, "I have never knowr ingly eaten any pate do foie gras."