THE COMMON ROUND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21103, 13 August 1930, Page 2

THE COMMON ROUND.

By Watfauek. The cow that jumped over the moon, though her exploit has made headlines in the nursery rhyme books for very many years, never received any ovation to equal that accorded the Byrd whe did nothing more epoch-making than flj over a couple of invisible poles. Undei the comprehensive heading, “Return ol a Hero, wo have made a thumbnail sketch of Admiral Byrd’s return tc America, as chronicled in the New York press. New York harbour: Whistles, foghorns, aeroplane motors, jets of harbout water. New York city: Motor horns, firecrackers, sirens, mobbings, street accidents. New York populace; Seventy tons oi ticker tape, waste paper, and telephone books, hats, flowers, confetti, kisses. Admiral Byrd: “ One of the things wc missed down there was noise.” Mrs Byrd (mater): “ Next time you start on any expeditions someone it going to chloroform you.” Mayor Walker: "Welcome home, welcome home, forever and a day." Dr Finley (New York Times): “ Tout fame must already have reached the Gates of the Day of Judgment.” Chancellor Brown (New York University) : “ You are a poet.” The United States Navy (flag signal) : “Yoke, William, X-ray.” President Hoover: “. . . Scientific gains . . . human values. . . Dr Grosvenor (National Geographic): ... marvellous aggregation of executive, seafaring and scientific talent.” The Mayor of Dunedin: “Personal regards,” What America has done, Great Britain can do. The sample of journalese Americaine above is moderate in tone, modest in estimate, compared with some of the manifestations of national exuberance appearing in the less conservative New York journals; but it will suffice. Great Britain had not had a fair chance of getting started with the great heroine saga when the last mail left for New Zealand, but a straw shows the way of the wind: Evening Standard: “. . . those who listened spellbound last night while the gay and matutinal voice of .Miss Amy Johnson circled the globe.” Her mother (interviewed): “Be sure to take a Shampoo with you, dear.” Her father: “I may he old-fashioned All: “Exclusive stoty of the flight.” Omnes: “ Enterprise of the Blank.” Chorus: “ First with the news.” Week-end Review: “It is an airwoman this time. Next time it may be a murderer.” One may remember those three tailors of Tooley street, canonised by Canning, who commenced their petition to Parliament; “We, the people of England.” And one may recall that lovable Don of Cervantes, who fell, into one of the strangest conceits that ever entered the head of anyone, “which was, that he thought it expedient and necessary, as well for the advancement of his own reputation, as for the public good, that he should commence knight-errant . . . redressing all kind of grievances, and exposing himself to danger on all occasions; that by accomplishing such enterprises he might acquire eternal fame and renown.” But Why become historical when the world, including Tussock Creek is .with us? “That this meeting asks the Prime Minister and bis Cabinet to nana tneu resignations to the Governor-General in order that the country might have an opportunity of selecting a Government that would act in the interests of its people,” was a resolution passed I>y a largely attended meeting of farmers at Tussock Creek on Tuesday evening. The meeting- was called for the purpose of considering the Government’s taxation proposals. Tussock Creek will now he a name with which to conjure Parliamentary promises, and well one can imagine Prime Ministers bowing their heads at the words. Down the long avenues of time the name will’roar, kings and chancellors trembling at its mention. -Verily is a Daniel come to judgment, and in the history of New Zealand a period shall be set apart by which to measure progress: “This was some years before the Tussock Creek dictatorship,” or, “ after the Tussock Creek Directoxre had created order out of chaos.” Who pines for the happy, happy days when the great Tom Sayers met the famous J. C. Heenan on a field of gore? Who wishes to see, again, fighters of the rank of Jack Shaw, exponent of the art of pugilism in battle, who knocked out ten French cuirassiers before he fell? Who longs for another bout such as that which gave John L. Sullivan, in the last bare knuckle contest, a victory over Jake Kilrain in the seventy-fifth round? Let us not praise o’er much these famous men while Ted Thye and Billy Edwards are able to uphold the banner of the gladiators. Unprecedented scenes occurred at the Stadium when the wrestlers Thye and Edwards fought madly after the referee had* been kicked unconscious, Finally recovering somewhat the referee crawled alongside the men on the mat and crowned Thye the winner, He then left the ring. ... Thye also left the ring. Edwards, in tears, appealed to_ the crowd. Scenes of the wildest disorder followed, until after 10 minutes, when Thye returned ’ and the match was continued with another wrestler,- Tom Lurich, as the referee. The contest eventually ended in a draw on a fall to each. When either man offended Lurich applied vicious holds or smacks. So all night long the noise of battle rolled! No wonder Mr W. M. Hughes, not long ago, found the under side of his chair the best from which to view a wrestling match, and to avoid the combatants as they hurtled from the ring. This is The Stoush (Australian), bul what of Le Sport (Francaise) ?—“Amazing scenes were witnessed during the Davis Cup final, won by France,” we read. “Pandemonium broke loose when thousands whom the ground could not accommodate fought for admission; women fainting and men frantically struggling with the police.” When n baby howled the players and the crowd were so highly strung that the game had to be suspended. The on-lookers were' “delirious with excitement,’ ticket-holders could not gain admission, the police formed cordons, gatekeepers screamed instructions, men and women were brutally thrown out. Two men tripped a policeman, and jumped the railings in order to see the match. Women fainted, and one broke a leg. The excitement was reacted in the players. People outside, in order a< least to read the score, climbed trees with field-glasses, and perched themselves on roofs and chimneys. When the game ended hats and sticks filled the air. Borotra’s captain, Pierre Gitlou, hysterically kissed him, aftei which the players collapsed, amid ar indescribable scene of enthusiam. Indescribable?—possibly, but the correspondent of the Daily Slail has done his best. A. B. Paterson did rather better in describing that gay encounter on the polo field when the Geebungs met the Cuff and Collar team: And the game was so terrific that ere half the time was gone A spectator’s leg was broken—just from merely looking on. For they waddied one another till the plain was strewn with dead, While the spore was kept so even that they neither got ahead And the Guff and Collar captain, when he tumbled off to die, Was the last surviving player—so the game was called a tie. “ If all tlie motor vehicles brought into use to convey the public to and from Athletic Park on Saturday were placed in procession, allowing 20 feet for each car, they would have made a lino ap-

proximately 25 miles in length.” The general effect would be an imitation of a traffic hold-up. And if all the voices cheering on the All Blacks to victory were condensed in one tin can they would make a talking picture. While if the players had taken heed of all the instructions shouted to them they would have made au impressive funeral. Furthermore, if the 5000 people who occupied free seats on the hillsides and the roofs of houses had paid the price of admission the Rugby Union would have been delighted.