The Northern Advocate MONDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1910. A WORLD'S CHAMPION.

Northern Advocate, 19 December 1910, Page 4

The Northern Advocate MONDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1910. A WORLD'S CHAMPION.

HE rose, limp and haggard, from his seat at the piano, his self-imposed martyrdom ended. The plaudits of the audience made the rafters ring and reverberate. Languidly he dragged his over-wearied body to the footlights. More applause. The audience had paid itc shillings or sixpences and was entitled to cheer if it wanted to. The crowd saw before it a flaccid human frame, exhausted almost to prostration; a fixed, stony, human face— mask-like, expressionless; the only color a patch of hectic flush on either cheek; sleep-weighted eyelids that refused to open beyond the veriest slit. Bars were strained to distinguish words among the inarticulate mumbling of a world's champicn. More cheers rent the air, for a world's champion had possibly said something —and the audience had paid its shillings and sixpences, had p.rrhased its prerogative to revel in a hero. Probably he was a misguided martyr, no doubt he had abused his constitution and wracked his faculties for a hollow honor and to make a Whangarei holiday; but he belonged to the people for the time being at the price of one shilling or sixpence, and Ihe people will not pay money for nothing, even if they have to practise hysterical

self-deception to make themselves believe that they are getting their moneys worth. Of such is the character of a world's championship and the nature of the general public.

We do not question that the championship piano-playing was well and truly earned, that the rigorous conditions were faithfully observed, that everything was perfectly aboveboard; but to what end, what good? Is any benefit to anyone to be found anywhere in self-immolation of the kind? Many have endured, and dared, and died for a cause they esteemed to be in mankind's behalf, or even for a principle. Here is wanton selfsacrifice, purposeless, meaningless; Here is outraged nature for a will-o'-the-wisp distinction, of Jittle advantage to anyone, and least of all to the victim. It was a wonderful feat —of its class. So are parachuting and attempts to swim the Niagara rapids; only that these latter have the superiority of a' possible ending in spectacular death, while endurance piano-playing is a fate of slow torture. We have no applause for the achievement, and are only possessed with pity for the performer.