DEATH OF A FEMALE BLONDIN. (FROM THE "TIMES.")

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XIX, Issue 1953, 20 October 1863, Page 4

DEATH OF A FEMALE BLONDIN. (FROM THE "TIMES.")

We trust the time will never come when the report of such a Hceno as that which disgraced Birmingham lost Monday, can be 1 eacl in this country without honor and disgust. On tbftfc evening there wn» a Foresters' Ffito, nt Aston Park, and ft nmined woman, culling herself* the " Female Blondin," hail been engaged to go through a peiformance on the high rope. The rope was stretched between two tiees in the ordinaiy way, nfc tho height of about 90 f«:et. The fnsteneiiittgn appear to have been secute enough, but therops itself, though suspended and braced up under the superintendence of. the pei former's husband, is described as much worn and decayed, and had been clumsily spliced in tho middle. Ntveitheless, the poor cieatme stepped out upon it with hor balancing -pole amiil the cheers of the ctowd, and musical flourishes from the band, and walked some way along it without accident. She then returned to have her 'ancles and wrists bhackled with chains, accoiding to the programme, and after this had been done by her husband, ciossad to the opposite resting-placo in safety. The next feat was to make the same passage blindfold and enveloped in * sack, and she was in the act of feeling her way back with a bag over her head, when the lotten card snapped at tho splice, and she was dashed to the ground, and taken up a corpte. " The deceased wns far advanced in pregnancy, and is " «aid to have had some presentiment that the lopo " was not safe." This is shocki :g enough, hut the sequel of the storjr if, to our mind*, moje shocking ■till. The Foresteri' Committee held a meeting to decide what should be done. Can [any one of common feeling donbt what ought to have been done ? Why, of course, the entertainment should luvve been stopped instantly, and the money of all those who chose to claim it should have been 'returned. Butj the managing committee judged othci v, isc. They detei mined "togo on with the programme," omitting " tho dangerous parts ;" to take warning for that evening by the tragical occurrence, but to'pay no homage to public decency. ,\Vhat ia even uioie revoltiug is that the spectators, m*ny thousands in number, who had fcewt the lifeless body lifted fiom the turf and cairied into a room cloie by to wait the coi oner's inquest, continued to enjoy themselves as if nothing had happened. The merriment and levelry of the evening weie earned on with unabated gaiutv. ami wound up with a display of fireworks at midnight. Tho people seem to havo been of tho same mind as the convivial Scotchman who observed bis neighbour lean buck in a mortal stupor, but laised no ahum for two houis lest he should -'spoil good company." And so, with or without some passing expression of pity, these pleasure seekeis turned away their eyes fiom the distressing sight, nor Miffeied tho current of their spirits to be niffled by the thought that a fellow-creaturo had been sacrificed to make a holiday for them. Two fatal accidents, occurring within a few weeks of each other, must siuely awaken the public, if anything can, to the folly and brutality of such exhibitions. The°whole charm of them consists in the danger to the actors. The same amount of gymnastic skill way be displayed in such a way as to give the spectator I much bt opportunities of observation, without tho slightest lisk to life or limb. This, however, wpuld not at all answer the purpose of those who go to see " female Blondins." What they want is the exciting sensation of watching a woman hanging over the brink of another world for their own special amusement. This i> exactly the motive which made the games of the Amphitheatre so popular w'rfih the Ttoinwis, and gives all the aesfc to a Spanish hull-fight. 'It is mere hypocrisy to stigmatize those spectacles as baibarous, and yet to pationize rope walking as it is now practised. If thero is more ferocity in the former, theie is more wantonness in the lattev. Nothing can be weaker than the sophisms which ncopls pajsn off upon I their consciences when they want to indulge this \mswni of selfish curiosity. It is sometimes argued, for instance, that traversing a rope blindfold, or°with the feet in baskets, is not, after- a)], move i da»"erous than tho feats which sailots perform a$ # still mows giddy height. We will not dwell on the fscfc tint wh.it aailois do they do because it is their duty, and not for the sake of gain or idle bravado, for tho ab3iudity of comparing the insecurity of a Bailor's gJASI> with tliat of a rope-dancer's footing is trauspalent." Besides the test of e\perience is conclusive. There ate, liappjly, very few imitators of TOondin, but out of them two h^ve been killed and ono hopelessly crippled within a very short bp^uss of time. Common sense teaches us that a position in which the utmost steadiness in the machinery, unfailing presen.ee of mind in the performer, and the perfect exclusion of all distiubiag conditions must be pombined in oider to prevent a fatal accident, cannot be otlu^v;ise than perilous in the hi?hc3fc degree. JKpeiience confirms common sense, anil puts it beyond nil doubt tlmt the chances or GMKip'ing death in a long seiies of peifoiujances on tU« high tops aie very small indeed. Pei haps, however, the woufc effect of them 5s that which was illustrated co painfully on this veiy occasion at Aston Park— their tendency to debase the taste and deaden the sensibilities of those who witness them. What must have been the feelings of an audience which could bear to engage in dancing and festivity just after they had hoeu brought into contact with death in «uch a form l Whit kind of hearts must those have had whoweienotso touched with remoise or even with sympathy as to think more of the poor victim than of tueir own enjoyment « Were theie no wives and mothers there to express indignation on behalf of their own spy, no husbands and fatheis to speak for the widower who hiil so good eauia to me the day of tho Forestei's Fete' This fheai tlessness is not characteristic of Englishmen or Englishwomen, and ye should be sony to think that it coniil have been shown thus offensively anywheie but in the "Black Country." Still there is a subtlo and contagious tendency in all i sights which stimulate the craving for sensations to harden and corrupt the popular mind. We are justly proud of the progress which we have made in true refinement, and therefore in social morality, since the day» of bull-bailing and cock-fighting. The progiess is marked by increased kindliness in the relations of lifo in every town and villngc tliioughout England. When theio was cruelty even in their pleasures, theio could not but be a coaiseness, sometimes amounting to ruffiiimm, in thp intei course between all who were not under Iho lestiaints of educated society. We do not say theie ia any danger of n, lelapse into tho raanneis of the last ccntuiy, but wo do curiously maintain that the popularity of rope dancing, where death uwst )j<j tlio penalty of a slip, is a disgrace to onr own. t/ithei' by public opinion, or, if necessary, by law, it ought to bo put down. If the spiiifc which animated the managers and vigors at Aston Paik is to become general among English sightseers, the less said about our refined humanity the better.

CoTj&TCOT. — Some people who go to church are puzzled to find the " collect for the day." There is wo difficulty about it ; it begiua when the pl%te goe» round. Wii4T plant doe* a eeitaln vociferous female singe? resemble ? — The hellow— donna. Ir you would add a lustre to nil your accomplishments, study *a raodont behaviour. To excel in anything valuable is great, but to be above conceit oil account of one's accomplishments is greater. A Braying Donkey, however nUipid he may look, ia unquestionably an ass toot animal. (The perpetrator of the foiegoing has since tried to blow his brains out, but did not succeed, for obvious reasons.) Winning,— At a whist-table, a spectator noticing that a }*<ly, who was one of the players, seemed unusualiy serious, remarked that, judging by her looks, she must be playing a losing gama. — " What ! " said a witty gentlinau present, " must ft lady always smjje to lie winning?" The Fjtve H's. — Pive of the sweetest words in the English language begin with H : — Heait, Hope, Home, Happiness, and Heaven. Heart i» a hope-place, and homo is a heart-place ; and that man sadly mtstaketh, who would exchange th« happiness of home, for anything less than he*ven. i _ DnsrrsE trifling affionts, and they will vanish. A* littlo water will put out a fire, which, unquenched, might destioy a city. $len don't live now, like Diogenes, in a tub, but a great many inakp tubs of themselves. Rappaiunnock. — The Kappahannock haw been rosied several times of lute, but it hijs DQt ljeeu rosscd in love. An Economic Inquiry of the Seoretabt op the Navy. — Can our sailors be taught to m«k« their own •tockings out of the " yarns" they manufacture !

.^iS.

[Tlie following appeared in our second edition of yesterday.]

The •Kate{ arrived to-day from Sydney, and wo extract the following telegrams of the English news by the August mail from the Sydney Herald ; — (from thb sydnby herald's kino george's sound SPECIAL TJtUSORAPniO CORRESPONDENT.)

The ' City of Melbourne' s., arrived at Glenelg at 6 p.m., having made the passage from King George's Sound in 89 £ hours — the quickest passage on record. The P. and O. Company's steamer ' Madras,' Captain Stead — Captain Pnscoe, Admiralty agent — arrived at King George's Sound at 0 p.m. on the 4th inst. She left Galle on the 20th September.