A SYDNEY LETTER.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 24, 5 March 1914, Page 7

A SYDNEY LETTER.

MEAT EATERS BECOME VEGETARIANS. (From Our Own Correspondent.) February 28. This week, in Sydney, lias been 1 re» markable for the enforced vegetarianism which many of the citizens are practising. Though meat is being killed and sold by the master butchers, it has only been obtainable at a few depots in the city, and, rather than fight in a* crowd or be units of a ridiculous looking queue outside these depots, many have fallen back- upon tinned foods, eggs, and vegetarian delicacies. And, such is the receptiveness of the human mind, some have followed up the suggestion of vegetarianism to the \ point of visiting the vegetarian restaurants, several of which' are permanently established in Sydney. A friend who went to one in Hunter Street toldme of his experiences there.. He said the effect of the meal, which was attractively served, was to give a feeling of great repletion. This, , however, did not survive the afternoon 's exertions, the result being that he was ravenous by 5- o'clock.- : Another objection was the conversation indulged in by the habitues, who . sat at his table, or perhaps it should be written* at whose table my friend sat. One of these -was a lady doctor. This is part of what he overheard:* — ' Lady Doctor: You knofa what Dr So-and-So; said about prunes? , .. Yes, -they all knew; ■ ■ • • f ;■ > "Well," eai'd. tye lady' do'etbr, '-'I y disagree v with him. Yesterday I had prunes and rice, arid in the'evening I had distinct symptoras- of indigestion.. I ran oyer all things'! hadeaten during ' the 1 pastr few days/but could recall nothinjg injurious. v So I got the stomach-pump to work. • (Here* my friend, they.- all''' stopped " eating, and - listened *• expec- ».• tantly.) ' /"I*- was Skins of IshjQprunes,'J *. the fair, medico annoomced- . 1 ,'_V. \j, } " The listeners nodded sympathetically, The fallacy of vegetarianism lies, .if it lies anywhere, in the dreadful cravjing its disciples- -haye talking ajpput.' their food, and mentally following itau, career when they should have forgotten all about it. * i )-x

' An Australian Aut&oress. Since Ethel '"LittleAi&vt traliany stories came to , gladden young .and old alike, there 'have been a number of girl writers who have "told' • in books of the lives of girls and ,boya >V in this open-air, .sunny laaid. One of these is Miss Vera Dwyer, whose storyj With "Wings," published by Ward Locke and Co., last yeatf, has beer well received by press and-public if .New; 'Ze^kd^iß^A^yali^ - So pleased were the. pubfisli^ £t,. ihaf they commissioned'th'e * debutante in literature" 'tb 'Vj&te them another publication- "in Qetobeer' ;: 3 The new story, which has been'acefejjfaed' ■* » by them, is called ■ 1 Mona's . Mystery Man," and it deals with phases'ofr life, the characters occupying social positions in busy Sydney—there' ate" girls, boys, and grown-ups iA the bopjE> which, in the manuscript, makesi pleasant reading. The rather able feature of this young writer's per-. " iormance is that, although years of age, she is iieejily- versed in music, as well as literature, and... is, moreover, a splendid cook and ho'ise?' / keeper, that being'he* daijy vocation in her home; Such versatility, in jin y *. authoress is not of every-day occur-' rence, and way be taken as an intlicar tipn of the growing healtiifalness of i mind and body which modern .Australians are beginning to exhibit. , Revival of Larrikin- Pushes. f' s With about 10,000 men, on strike in , the city, Sydney can scarcely be said . to be in a normal state,'", though few* .. visitors would detect anything unusual on the surface of the city 's life. There is, however, great unrest everywhere,-' and during, the pas^; week, this has manifested itself m an undoubted""" > revival, ltf" certain districts, -of the push methods. ■. ,« On Monday, as- the result of cpmthe ."Evening News . caine out: iront-pgge.,article, exposing aarhat amounts a reign. of terror in "the suburb,.of Ultimo. So start-, ling .tiie facts elicited -.from, -resi* . dents, ttat th<e read like a page > from Sydney's .dart and it .wm scarcely believable. But astounding endorsement was provided on day aid Thursday, in the hearing of several 'assault'. cases in the -police

courts. " V''*;" '7' In one of these the victim was a wharf-labourer who had, while in the cells for drunkenness, been viciously assaulted by a fellow prisoner,; also a wharf hand, and severely, wounded. Because he gave evidence of the at- ; tack,- and the culprit, a- Russian- Fmii, was sentenced to . imprisonment, this poor wretch' was set upon in the street and' nearly filled by another wharf-

hand. ' . , , In another case, a , witness was warned that he : would be dealt with by the push; and yet another witness wasi riot called by the police, because i* was. 'considered,' that his < being s called, 1 would be the caiise of majtyftg his life a hell and of ruining his business. In yet another case, the accused" informed ■■ his accuser that, although lie might get him sent to gaol, the push would see that reprisals were made in due course. Surrey Hills, Ultimo, and the Old Rocks area are those exposed so far. , Everything has its humorous side, antl an amusing; ill* connection - with/thijs intimidation, occurred yester- . day, /When a ybuth; was arrested for impersonating the police, in a most harmless; manner. The magistrate entreated lum, if he felt must pretend to be a bobby, to try impersonating tlfe poli<ie in 1 the Roeks district at night, was sure that tlie yontli, if he sur- - vived. Would never do it again. , i■ Popular Heroes By a. f sjfcrange caniie to /Sydney in the same ,"yeefc

■providing rival entertainments this afternoon. They are General Sir lan Hamilton, who is reviewing 20,000 senior cadets at Centennial Park, and Mr Harry Hawker, the airman, who is looping the loop at Victoria Park. From an attendance point of view, both places will be thronged—Sydney is big enough for that. But why some sort of collaboration could not have ; been arranged is hard tp; understand. The review by the General is a most important matter, from a defence point < of view, and one in which thousands will show their patriotic interest by attending. Hawker's display is a purely spectacular, if hazardous, one, which could have been much improved upon, on this occasion, by the utilisation of his wonderful biplane and his marvellous control of it, in some mimic battle tactics. The absolute certainty of flight shown by Hawker at his exhibition last Saturday, was most convincing; the veriest sceptic of aeronautics must have been convinced that ' the successful aeroplane was an estab-

lished fact. The biplane rose like a gigantic shining beetle, in steady, swift, i and droning flight, while" the 25,000 onlookers were amazed at the beautiful turning, swooping, and spiral-climbing which the aviator indulged in. It was so impressive—and to-day, Hawker is v "looping the loop" and doing other foolhardy things, while 20,000 young c Australians, many of whom know nothing of the possibilities of aeroplanes ' in warfare, are proudly giving proof of their mettle before one of the nation's ; great generals.

The Tango Craze. So strong a hold has the tango craze got upon the city that when the Japanese steamer • Tango Maru came into port a while ago, after a rough passage/ it is said, as a timely joke, that it was no wonder she danced with a name like that.

The latest tango variation is a tango " iea, held twice a week at the Tivoli t; Theatre, in the afternoon. It really has very little to do with the tango, no more, in fact, that Bulgarian crepe has i to 'do with the Balkaii war. There are ,9, few Tivoli turns on the stage, and there is a gangway run out over the heads of the stalls to the back of the house.' <On the programmes are anounced certain displays of lingerie, millinery, or other feminine embellishments, together with the names of the Sydney firm or firms from which they are obtainable. Presently several shapely 'girls appear, clad in pink tights, Over which are worn the dresses or other, chiefly other, garments. They 1 ' pirouette and parade along the plank, slowly, so that all may see the beauties of the clothing. Then they return to the stage and retire to don another ar- • ray of laces.' Tango dancers intersperse these clothing'parades, and tea and ices - are served to the audience, which is not restricted in sex or age; men,, women,

- and children are there," and all appear J to hugely enjoy the display—for that is the one and only word which describes the tango tea. The harm in it t Who. said .there was anyf But the wonder of it fills the Imagination—until one realises that of course all those men attended for the same'reason that I did—to see what it /mas like. None of us are going again —honestly. WILL LAWSON.