WEEKLY WHISPERS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue XXXVI, 13 December 1902, Page 2

WEEKLY WHISPERS.

IJ there's a hole m a'l/otir coats 1 i\dc /jr, taa f it. '■ -l chiel's (inuinq ite Ink .',P ho,' , sAnd,fir.<h,luil prenl it. "' Ij -Inji-.y. Ihe .ugg,.,i ( ., n t h;i t .■metlnng m the «-ay of ..elf. help l-iauh finding the a.no'intiei, un-ed to „a rn tin- promised subsidy .d iho '"i\eriiiii,.nl to inv off the mortgage 0,1 h, chmond Park is likely to b'>ar rr.iit. L, Xel ,01, abort IV--ol V --o one n-ai'<- a grand concert will beheld probably under uce-n gal patronao-e . \ t ;. -«id ihat tho occasion n,j| be availed of fob.dfarewolHo a youne arlM ol our district, wbo has iv.n golden honours aone ot the alunmi of the School ot Music • one of Hen- Lemmei's mo-t promising pupils, and that ere heir she— l won't ""ive away " the -ox at this ttage- leaves" to complete studie- in tho Oil Country, a measure of recognition, hitherto somewhat withheld, will be accorded fo exceptional talent This i s a . r should be Nelson is rathor npt to pay honour to prophets not of her own kin, and this reproach should be removed from h?r as she broadens. It is sincerely hoped that the concert and \he -end-oft will be a .success, ■ not only as a meed oi recognition of one thoroughly deserving it, but aLo as a mean- of raising a good deal e f monoy towards a very woithy object. * * * Talking of musical matters, I here could not have been a finer night f.-r the open air concert at the Girls' College yesterday. The moon was at hair stage, be for. she had begun to do the mischief llyron attributed to Ini- ; (lie air was. mite slip ; I ami the higher aotes c-r -orne oi the sing- I ers were wafted on the light southerly! air far away, till l h°y w uro hoard, like! the faint refrain or . uwu Spanish - L , r ,_l nade, even to th,- tratidp.-i n (ja- region Of I -Nile and Hardy-street aad to the HoigtakS ot Britauma. The astonishing- man.- •

er in which le.o sourr! cani d ;e n'nd.d oo of the Alpiae yd . 1 n<» eard for miles. r ' ♦ * * Have any of one's readers ever flown n Indian kit.*? It is an ainu.eme t ■.-hich is tho staple occupation of milions of persons of all ages and both lexrs in regions bounded by two octane. Krom tho borde.s < f Afghani tui to '"ape Vormorin, fiom Bombay to Yokohama, from Kurrachee to Singapore, the " Native " is a kre flyer. The sport i_ one of kings in India itself. The battles iD the an- between tlvmsanJs of kites sit for tournament nre recognised institutions in all Indian towns, and pet-era] thousande of per.on.. make an heieditary living from the manufacture of thee p >per nothingnesses alone. <V large town— Moorsbedabad-oi.es iu exigence in greifc part to the livelihood its residents pain in the cultivation of the mulberry, tbe re-nog of silk worms, >.nd the manufacture of silk used for kite-Hyng and in making the gro.oroous and elaborate reels on which ths silk is wrapped. Two ot threo tbonseand yards of tbia silk weigh loos than tsvo or threo onnce3, yet 'h6 i thread is stronger than the Btoutes coli t"n. Tho silk is sharpened by means of j paste, turmeric (hnidee) and very fiuely- '; ground gla.s?, nnd the raxor-edge thus iin- : pirted is the means by which the battles |of the air are fought. The kite, gyrating 1 pnd obedient toevery movemeut of tho n.ycr, approaches another, sometimes far . distant, entangles its silk with that of tho i »f tacked, an 1 _ ither by a pulling or a letj I iug- out action cuts the rival's string or j p sl "' ,ts olV n -tri"g cut. Thereafter, the j lo:»Ee silk, being rapidly rolled in over lhe i Hal root-top, of hundi\d? of houses, is the lawful property of all who can grab it in IroDPitu, aud s.m, tho severed kite the iair game of any ivho con catch it a.s it * Hoats by unconti oiled. It is the rule that if Ihf vicfcur can manape it he .hall maka hU k'.to folio v the one that ha. ia.fc beea cui and capture it in the air by skilfully entangling his silk or thread with tbo loose silk or tbreud of the escaping kite j "Wholo districts enter upoa handicaps , arranged througlr.uL the season, and • | evening after evening these kite battles . proceed, often as many as a dozen ki'es •' be*>ng flown uni o-t with m~-~ "ards of silk or cotton in an afternoon. Tha makers of the kites are nlirost a caste by themselves, ant tlieir trade haß been kept i i tlieir outi families from father to Hon for hundred, of years. The kites are madu of tbe lighle t tissne paper, in innumerable designs and shades, while the reels are gorgeously painted and gilded. lt is .aid tlmt in the Punjab tbe skilful tiyr of one -hape of kite- the kunkhawa, or "hundred winds" (spelt phonetically )— can -o manipulate it as to make the circle of the horizon, get! in? his kite by short daits and turns to -ail at one point actually ajj-iinst the wind. For boys and gnls the flying of an ladi ui kite i_ aa innocent, healthy, exciting and y> t quite harmless amusement. But in India, as I the flying is chiefly done from the flat roof-top-, which in many cases are unprotected by parapets, one of the most common accidents in the to^na is a fall from a roof, with the consequent broken neck or other limbs. Here in Nelson, on l the Hat or on tbe hill side, while there I may not be tho spice of excitement a roof j top afford-, parents may be -tire that | while their youngsters are kite-flying they willbe ab_o!utrly out "f mischief. " Mcfussilite " ivas partly instrumental in introducing the Indian kite to the boy- of Nel-on, and now tbat a large con--ienment of properly made kites and the right kr dof thread has arrived, there oimht to bj a large number of the kites Hown duriugtho summer evenings especially as I hoy will mount and go .-linost cut of sight in tho lightest of airs. Of course a little teaching is need.d ere the nels can be properly manipulated— but boys and giil- w.ll hnd tbe task not ditti :t. * * • Sai'dow, the strong man. is now in Wellington attract in;; la rec audiences with ius marvellous "feats. Descn ning his exi, ' ition the Wellington " PosC" says :— " The mau is a mass ( ,f muscle, which stands (ut from the pink flesh in knots, ribbons, or coils at thc will of the exhibitor. He literally made his muscles dance to the music oi the orchestra while the s_a;.re was translormcd into the representation of an arena wherein the strong men of ancient (J recce and Roux.* were wont to take recreation. Attendants wire at hand, and, great masses of iron in tlie form of dumb-bells, barVeil-, and ringed weights* were scatUted about as toys with which the iiH'dein Samson might play. He wa- in excellent form, aj parently, i'or he made no slips, With apparent case he lifted first one and then another of the ponderous weights with (.ne arm or Uie other, rarely u.,ing the two, and e.nee as* a. ponderous piece ul' metal Was Quiig down it. crashed through hhe flooring of the stage. This was no toy for an ordinary man. With his neck upon one trestle and his heels upon another he held a stjlb weight in each hand, while four men stood upon his body, which remained perfectly rigid. * i * '' To exhibit the strength of his miners he look iirst one, then two, i-'iirt dually three mil packs of playing (ards and wrenched thcm asunder, Hinging the halves amongst Uiu audience. A man who extended himself at full kngth un tly. floor, was caught up by the giant single-hand-ed, swung above his head, anil lowered again to his feet. Some of lh. most astonishing feats of the evening were performed upon a Rcimati column, and finally Sandow lormed himself into a human trestle allowing a platform to be placed upon Ins ho'dy, upoui which was piled, iirst every weight the stage contained, and then six men— and the muscles of iron never relaxed hut held them all. Then the audience broke into cheers, and brought the mighty athlete before the curiam again and again to bow his acknowledgments to the excited onlookers. it was a wonderful performance." (Continued on lth Page.)