SKATING AND RINKING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9150, 4 September 1888, Page 6

SKATING AND RINKING.

What a wonderful thing evolution is ! From a straight thin lath, the first form of the ancient snow shoe, has grown the idea of skates and roller skates. Scandinavia is the original home of the skate, and from there it has spread through England, Germany, Holland, and America. Adopted first as a mode of locomotion, skating is now a favourite pastime in most countries where the climate supplies the necessary ice, except in Russia, where the rapidlyflowing rivers prevent the formation of smooth ice. However, on the Neva the difficulty does not exist, and skating is now an established pastime, though it is indulged in by English and German residents rather than by the Russians. Though unquestionably a much earlier practice among us, skating is first noticed in the description of London by Fitzstephen in the reign of Henry 11., who relates that " When the great fenne or moor (which watereth the walls of the citie on the north side) is frozen, many young men play upon ye yce. Some stryding as wide as they may, doe slide swiftly ; as some tye bones to their feete and under their heeles, and shoving themselves by a little picked st&ffe, doe slide as swiftly as a bird flyeth in the air, or an arrow out of a crosse-bow." The tying bones to their feet was an inspiration, which bridged the gulf between wood and steel. At first the primitive mind was satisfied if bones were found of such a shape as to stay on the foot without shaping of any sort; but those were the salad days of the world, when it was green in judgment, and correspondingly void of desires. Nowadays we are not satisfied to skate on perfect steel skates across the ice when it is to be had, but we must have the amusement at all season, we must have the exhilarating exercise in comfort, away from biting winds or inclement skies. We want a something, and invention immediately sets to work and supplies it. First, artificial ice was made, but science was not sufficiently advanced to cope with varying temperatures, and some other method to simulate the sport must be found. In 1819, M. Petitbled conceived the ingenious plan of roller-skating, but his skate could only do plain straightforward work. Then a fruiterer in Piccadilly, one Tyers by name, patented a skate in 1823 that permitted the performance of curves, and for some years our grandmothers rinked almost as wildly as we do, although handicapped by imperfect skates. But, indirectly, it was the genius of Meyerbeer that gave the greatest impetus to roller-skating. In 1849, when he was bringing out his opera "La Prophete" at the Paris Opera, it was absolutely necessary that some expedient be found to reproduce on the stage the action of real skating to complete the beautiful skating scene, where the wonderful music ana scenery carried the beholder away to icy winds «nd nature's season of rest—else it would be a tale without a hero, a joke withjut a point. The difficulty was solved by a M. Legrange, who elaborated a practicable -unning skate on iron wheels, which was ased at the first representation of "La Prophete," to the amazement and delight of jveryone ; and the mania for roller skating pread far and wide, and with the diffusion of the art, fresh improvements were added to its mechanism. But, as usual, it remained for an American (James L Plimpton, of New York) to perfect the invention. Since 1869 he has successfully challenged the world to detect a flaw in his now celebrated " rocking skate," and his energetic lawsuits have effectually put a stop to fraudulent imitations. Professor Gamgee has an ice rink at Chelsea, which must be truly a delight, as it always remains the same. The ice is manufactured from a mixture of water and glycerine chilled by either running through a set of pipes laid down on a non-conducting floor, which is then flooded with water to the depth of 2in. or 3in., and speedily frozen into a beautiful sheet of genuine ice, on which the skater may cut fancy figures at his will. At the end of the day the water is turned on, and a fresh surface frozen. Montreal, however, boasts of the largest and most satisfactory ice rink, where a shallow artificial pond is frozen and built over. But we need not grudge them this possession, as it is their one ewe lamb in the shape of amusement, for when it closes in spring there is absolutely nothing to do. " There is a theatre," writes a victim, " but it is never open. There are no negro melodists ; not a single learned pig ; not even an instructive lecture ; therefore they are justly proud of their rink." We can now quite "understand ■why the Canada Court at the Melbourne Exhibition is so bare. The English inventive faculty is too latent even for them to have thought of bringing over their one artificial pastime, and running a fortune as a Yankee would have done. But let us give honour where honour is due. We owe them the word "rink," which comes to us through Canada from Scotland, where it was originally used to designate the space swept clean for tho national sport) of "-urling.