TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14513, 20 December 1912, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

America's youth, it has been An said, is one of her oldest traOld ditions. She ha.s been believNew ing in it fervently i'or the World, last four hundred years. Isow, suddenly, it begins to look as though this alleged New World posses fs a past of its own, stretching much farther back than has boon supposed. Christopher Columbus seems in imminent danger of losing his laurels, in favour of—a Chinaman. This is tho outcome of a remarkable discovery just made in Mexico by an expedition composed of British, American, and Mexican archaeologists, -which has been searching among the ancient ruins of Mexico and Yucantan, the debris of the wonderful Maya civilisation. Tho story of the discovery is related by tho New York correspondent of tho "Standard. ,, Close to, and partly beneath tho old ruined city of Tootihuacan, about 19 miles north-east, of where Mexico City stands to-day, tho expedition unearthed tho etill more ancient city of Otumba, supposed to havo flourished centuries before tho Aztec or Toltec dynasties.. But this was not all. Below tho crumbling ruins of Otumba, tho excavators cam© upon tho remains of yet a third and still moro ancient civilisation. In a tomb in this lowest city, tho age of which so far defies calculation, was found tho skeleton of a man sft in height, tho skull being of a Mongolian type, while beside the bones there was a littlo clay imago of a Chinaman, with obliquo eye-slits, padded coat, flowing trousers and slippers—a dress not widely differing from that still worn by the older Chinese. In tho cars a-ro huge rings, and on tho head a skull-cap with a small button in tho centre, precisely like- that worn by the modern Mandarin. Only the queuo is lacking, and tho reason is easily understood if wo recollect that the queue was not adopted in China til! after tlio country had been conquered by tho northern Tartar hordes. This image, which is 7 inches long and of tho hardness of granite, is clearly not intended as a god or an idol, but simply as an ornament—a portrait possibly of the dead mau with whose remains it was placed. In tho opinion of tho discoverers it was certainly not made by tho Aztecs, but was considerably anterior to their civilisation. Tho theory suggested by this find is that about 5000 years ago Chinese navigators crossed the Pacific in their junks, and, forestalling Columbus by some thousands of years, discovered the Now World and founded a city there. Two pieces of independent evidence appear to support this theory, the old Peruvian civilisation, so strangely reminiscent of China in soino respects, and ancient Chineso records, which tell of visits paid by junks: to a far-distant eastern land. That theso legends actually possassed any historic truth, or that they referred to America, lias hitherto been ridiculed by the majority of critics, but this latest discoveiy seems to lend them an unexpected weight.

Lord Northcliffe, of "Daily The Mail ,, fame, in some reCritical spects tho most successful Hour. newspaper proprietor in the world, confesses to many failures. Tho story of what was perhaps the worst of them, gathered from a speech by his lordship at a gathering of women journalists, and from some comments by Sir Henry Lucy, makes interesting reading. Lord Northcliffe had a great idea of a daily paper written and edited by women for women. The paper was to bo sumptuous and the illustrations of tho best, and tho price was to be only twopence.' The circulation of the "Daily Mail" was tho largest in England, but Lord Northcliffo told Sir Henry that this would bo nothing to the circulation of tho "Daily Mirror" in its first fortnight. Sir Henry was away in America when the paper appeared, and when he returned "the whole thing had 'bust up.'" Mr Kennedy Jones, who had done so much to make the "Mail," took off his coat and made the "Mirror" a success, Tho staff of women wero dismissed, the paper changed in every detail, and tho price lowered to a halfpenny, with the result that in time the circulation approached that - ame tho older journal. Whcro Lord Northcliffo's scheme failed was explained by him to the journalists' gathering. One reason was that women trero not fond of taking orders from other women, and the other was that the editorial staff failed in the critical hour of making up the important pages of tho paper, when coolness and quick decision are essential to success. Tho earlier pages were made up without trouble, but when the rush came, and it was a question of racing against time, the woman appointed to direct the business was unequal to the task. "Thero were tears and other signs of feminine perturbation, and finally a dour Scottish foreman printer had to be brought on tho scene to get some sort of paper away anyhow." Lord NorthclifiVs conclusion is that there are some tilings women cannot do in journalism.

The theatre queue has been The receiving some very adTheatre verse criticism at Home of Queue, late, and a considerable gection of the London public are clamouring for its abolition. Some of tho reasons advanced are that tho queue system inflicts hardship and inconvenience on would-be theatre patrons of modest means, besides being a menace to their health; that it debars tho aged, the feeble and the delicate as well as those with limited leisure from patronising any threatres except those where cheap seats may be booked ; also that it is extremely unfair to traders whose wiudows and entrances are obstructed by the line of waiting people, and that tho crowds on the pavement ore an intolerable nuisance to passers-by. Perhaps the loudest wail comes from tradesmen. Managers of restaurants in the immediate vicinity of theatres find that queues by preventing access to or egress from their premises, seriously affect their custom. It is no use getting a policeman to make a sap in the queue, to allow customers to go in or out, for aa

soon as his back is turned tho gap fills up again. On matinee days, too, the nuisance is still more evident, for no sco ner has the first queue disappeared than the evening queue begins to form. Shopkeepers urge, Trith some reason, that if they, by window displays and other means, attracted such crowds about their premises, they would find themselves immediately prosecuted, but no action is taken against tho theatro managers. Mr Carl Hentschel, in an interview with the "Daily Express," suggests tho alternative of an all-book-in rr system, which ho reminds the public has been in force for many years at tho Playhouse. A few years ago, he says, he issued an appeal for the opinions of playgoers on the subject of booking. Over ICOO Communications wore received, resulting in a majority of over 050 in favour of booking. Mr Bernard Shaw is also against the queue. "Elderly people cannot, and sensible people will not, stand for hours in a queue." he observes succinctly. On tho other side, Mr Philip Farauay, director of the Lyric Theatre, who energetically upholds the much-abu6ed institution, draws attention to tho hardship which would bo inflicted on those who only decide to go to the theatro at tho last moment, and the buying up of blocks of tho newly bookablo seats by theatre agencies which would almost inevitably result. Tho complaint of the shopkeepers certainly seems to be a legitimate one, and no doubt in the crowded streets of London the queue tends to becomo a nuisance. In New Zealand towns, however, where csnditions aro theso objections hardly apply.