GENERAL GORDON.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 7223, 11 April 1885, Page 2 (Supplement)

GENERAL GORDON.

I\ MKUORIAM. (Pall Mall uuzatte.)

It is difficult for those of us who knew Gordon as a man and as a friend to speak without tear-dimmed eyea and choking utterance of him whom we shall now see no more. None of those who knew that noble heart, so tender and true, who have felt the warm grasp of that generous band now cold in death, who hive beon gladdened by the radiance of bis ready smile, or inspired to striving after nobler things by the glowing ardour of bis simple faith, can dissociate thoir keun sense of personal bereavement from thoso more general considerations which must necosßarily be before the nation to day. There was no one who knew him but loved him. So brave he was and so gentle, bo great and yet so bumble, inspired at once by tho .sublimost ideals and yet ever alive to the humorous underside of the world's affairs. No woman could have been more tenderly sympathetic, do pala din more utterly fearless. He realised more thau almost any man the ideal of tho little child of whom it is said, "Of Buch is the Kingdom of Heaven." The transparent sincerity and genuinness of soul, tbe direct frankness of epsech, the utter absence of make believe, eveu in his tempestuous guats of wrath at injustice and.deceit, and the unre served penitence with which he would confess his faults, wore all childlike to tbe la3t degree. But of all these things the outer world knows little, aud.it is perhaps almost a sacrilege upon the priva'cy of sorrow to advert even in passing to these touching memories. But even in the midst of our grief, as "with uncovered head we salute the sacred dead who went and who return not," we aro thrilled with a proud joy as we reflect upon tbe eplendour of that stainless life now crowned with the aureole of martyrdom. Even with that terrible telegram of massacre and treachery before their eyes there is not one of bia friends who for a moment regrets that Ganeral Gordon was Bent to tho Soudan to Buffer and to die in the defonce of Khartoum. Looking back over the whole of the dark, confused welter of bloodshed and blunder that filled last year, the mission of General Gordon stands out distinct and clear as tho one great achievement of England for which every one has indeed good cause to thank God and take courage. Of all the gifts of heaven to earth, the hero is infinitely the greatest. la him the race soes incarnate its highest ideals, and his existence is in itself an inspiration. For eome time past it had seemed as if England were indeed in that decadence which Prince Bismarck believes has already overtaken her. Her old ideals bad been obscured. The call of duty no longer rang in our ears aa tbe olarion of God —wrapped in ease and luxury and in unbelief we were losing faith both in England and in all that had made England great. The individual seemed so helpless, Belief in the transcendent importance of a single brave man's intense conviotion had burned low. Patriotism seemed in danger of being sacrificed to p»rty. And even in the midst of that day of darkness and gloom, when Ministers and Opposition alike Eeemed indifferent to the fate of thousands doomed by our policy to massacro and outrage, a man was raised up who for 12 long months displayed in tbe sight of the whole world tbe heroic virtues which our gainsayers believed were all but extinct, On the ramparts of the beleaguered capital of the Libyan Desert, as on some vast world-pedestal, General Gordon has demonstrated before all men the might that liea in the arm of a single Englishman who has faith in bis country and his God. In him were incarnate the characteristics of the heroes of our national story. The chivalry of Arthur, of the Table Round, the indomitable valour and saintly life of the Great Alfred, and the religiouß conviol ions of Oliver the Protcotor—all were united in that slight form, now, alas ! laid low in death, upen which, with ever increasing fascination, th* eyes of the world have so long been fixed. The inspiration of his great example, now consecrated by. his death, will not be lost upon tbe nation which, alas ! too late, poured forth its millions into the desert nands in order to fulfil the duty to whose supreme claims he has sacrificed his life.

-r-T,hpre rjb q^aoi £000 men Out of work in Etatxoal and Buputb&

L W- TE M*. * IfTIEBFBOViNOIAL TOUHNAMVNT. Oj Saturday utternoon liinoaator Park ormed lhi> Ims wherein the lawn tenu<! /juruainant betw'oen Otago and Cimterbu'ry was held. The day was bright ani chuery, th'.uzli tbare was a Boin?what cold wiud blow ing,'aud as tha encounters were not all concluded till nearly suoeat, the onlookers Complainsd of feeling chilly. Tna interest taken m the tournament was shown by the nutueruus attendance, a laige proportion of those present beipgof the geutier oex, sad by the applause which frequently greeted some more than1 ordinarily brilliant exhibition of nkill. The Addiagton Workshops Band was on the ground, and served to add to the pleasure of the afternoon. As will be seen from the scores given balow, tha visitors were unsuccessful in every series of matches, of which there were three; the first being between Bides each composed of a lady and gentleman, the second being single matches, and the third being between sides in which two ladies or two gentlemen were pitted against a like number of the same sex. The conditions of the tmt and tilled series were that two sets of six must be won by either aide, and thoiie of the second gave the victory to the firat Bcorer of 12 game?. In the first and second series Osago was victorious only once in each case, and twice failed tn score a single game in the first seriea; in the third series, Otago aUo twice failed to score a game. Canterbury failed to score a game in only one of the third Berias of matches. The games, however, were in many. instances extremely well contested, and " deuce " games were protly numerous, The following were the judges, and in must instances they were on the ground and were fully employed : —Meews G. G. Badges, T. D. Uond J), K J. Ootterill, J. B Giesson, G. Hogbsn, H. P. L^nce, A, M. Oiiivier, W. M. CUivier, W. B. Porcoval, W. P. Raeves, A. D. Smith, and K A. Worthy. Mr Bruges, as secretary, was also lent pretty busy duricg the afternoon-

At bait past 1 o'clock the tournament begau, the following playing at tha respeotivo courts :—No. 1, Mru Woodhouae and Mr H. Kose (Otago) v. JVlisj Staikey and Mr E. Rosa (Canterbury); No. 2, Mias M&itland and Me Bow ing (UUgo) v. Miss Temple and Mr G. Kj.is (Canterbury); No. 3, Miss E. Maitland and Mr Dixon (O:,iko) v, Mim Meares and Me Short (Cantarbuiy); No. 4, Miss Bathgate and Air M«lland (Oiago) v. Miss Gordon and Mr Bruges (Oanteibmy); No. 5, Miss E. Bathgate and Mr Fulton (Ouigo) v. Miss Gibson and Mr Harrison (Canterbury); No. 6, Miea Hackwoilb and Mr Mowbray (Otago) v. Miss Hutton and Mr EL Cottenll (Canterbury). At No. 1 the first eat gave an eaey victory to Canterbury ; in the second, after some Bharp play, Otago won by two gaineß; and in the third Canterbury won by only one game. A't No. 2 only two seta had to be played, Canterbury winning both pretty easily. At No. 3 Otago led oil with a victory of bix to one, but Canterbury proved too strong, and won the succeeding sets by a considerable majority. At No. 4 only two seta had to be played, Canterbury being victorious in each case with sis games to four, At No. 5 ttie contest was very keen throughout, but resulted in Otago win ning two sets, by six to four games, against Canterbury's similar auccesa in one Bet. At No. 6, after having to yield the victory in the first set by but one game, Canterbury won the second aet easily, but had a very close struggle to secure the victory in the third. The total scores in these matches were-Otago, 68; Canterbury, 84. At 3 o'clock tho second series (single matches) began, as follows :—At No, 1 court, Mrs Woodhouse v. Miss Starkey ;' No. 2, Mies Batbgate v. Miss Tempi*; No. 3, Miss E. Bathgate v. Miss Meares; No. 4, Mr Dowling v. Mr E. Ross; No. 5, Mr Mowbray v. iMr G. Robs ; No. 6, Mr Rose v. Mr Short. ■'

The game between Mrs Wondhouse and Mies Starkey resulted, after a very spirited contest, in favour of Canterbury, the score being 12 to 7. At one time the game was 7 all, but from this Btago Misß Starkey, playing up well, won rather easily. Tbe game between Miss Batbgata and Mibs Temple also resulted in a similarly decisive victory for Canterbury, after appearing during the earlier portion to bs wonderiully even, for of the first eight ecorea four were to each side. Miss Temple's play was unusually rapid, and entitled it to be considered the finest lady'B play on the ground. Tbe.game between Mies K. Bathgate and Mies Meares was the moat closely contested of this series, and quite justi tied the great interest it excited. Of tbe 22 games played, nine resulted in E0 being tcored to 40, and each lady won four "love" games. ' Messrs Oowling and E. Ross' game was very one-Bided. Though the play was remarkably good throughout, Mr E, Kosa was too good for his opponent, Otago tcoring only 4 to Canterbury's 12. Messrs Mowbray and G-. Ros?' game was similarly one-sided; but in this instance tho wheel of fortune was reversed, Otago's swift returns and short placing fully deserving the victorylof 12 to 5. Messrs Rose' ancranurVD-gttiiio was an almost unchecked viptory for Canterbury, Otago scoring only 2. The third Beries of matches began shortly after 4 o'clock, when tbe courts were occupied as follows: —No. 1, Mrs Woodhouse and Miss E. Batbgate v. Misß Starkey and Miss Meares; No. 2, Miss Maitland and Mias B. Maitland v. Misb Temple and Miss M. Hutton; No. 3, Mian Batbgate and Miss Hackworth v. Miss Gordon and Miss Gibson ; No. 4, Messrs Dowling aud Mowbray v. Messrs E. Ross and G. Ross ; No. 5, Messrs Rose and Dixon v. Messrs Short and Harrison; No. 6, Messrs Melland and Fulton v. Messrs Bruges and Cotterill. At No. 1 Otngo, after a hard but unsuccessful struggle for the victory in the first set, won the second and third sets, the last very easily, At No. 2 Canterbury lost the first set by only one game, and secured the other two pretty decisively. At No. 3 Canterbury won aB it pleased ; Otago won but a Eingle game in each set. At No. 4 Otugo did but little better. At No, 5 Otago, after winning the first Bet, made little show in the second, and did nothing in the third, At No. 6 Otago secured its second victory in this beries, Canterbury, however, making a very creditable struggle, especially in the second Bet.—Lyttelton Times,