DOCTOR CONDEMNS INDOOR DANCING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18208, 15 July 1927, Page 12

DOCTOR CONDEMNS INDOOR DANCING.

VALUE OF GOLF AS A HEALTHY EXERCISE. LONDON, June 1. Old time dancing on village greens, Irish jigs, Highland flings and reels, are to be commended, but the ballroom dancing of to-day in crowded rooms and a bad atmosphere is obviously unwise, said Dr Adolphe Abrahams in a lecture on health at the Caxton Ilall yesterday. 1 , , . Walking, he said, was commendable for its simplicity and inexpensiveness, but its great disadvantage was insipidity. There was a high psychological value in golf, probably arising from the variety of movements and the fluctuations of fortune. Physical jerks were a poor substitute for natural exercises; they were frequently practised indoors, where the absence of ventilation, sunlight and contact of circulating air with the skin were serious disadvantages.

Harry Trott’s “ Humour.” No cricketer, not even Hughie Trumble. enjoyed a joke more than the genial Harry Trott, one of the men who made the name of Australia famous on the cricket field for his captaincy. No leader ever played the game who was more alive to the value of blocking batsmen’s strokes than the philosophical Harry. He was always thinking when smoking his pipe, and the pipe was rarely out of his mouth. Ilis team in 1896 w-as playing Yorkshire, at Bramall Lane, on a fiery wicket. The Australians were terribly knocked about by George Hirst, as the wicket was dangerous. They had to grin and bear it. and they did, like stoics. What helped them to be so Spartan-like in their manner was the fact that both Ernie Jones and Charlie Eady were playing, and when one of Hirst's fast left-hand-ed deliveries would swing in and crack one of the Australians on thc ribs it imparted a certain amount of pleasure to the recipient in reflecting what would happen when “Jonah” was on the job. When it came the Yorkshiremcn’s turn to face the music Jones was positively dangerous, many of the batsmen throwing away their wiclets to escape injury, as a serious knock would mean loss of play and therefore loss of money. However, one batsman braver than the rest stood up to the Adelaide express for quite a time. But at la.st one vicious ball just missed his head. That was the end. Addressing Trott, who was fielding at point, lie said: "Take him off before he kills a man.” “All right,” said Harry, with a broad grin, “I think it is a fair request.” He then threw the ball to the giant Tasmanian, Charles Eady. His first ball was a bit short, and thc batsman turned round to hit him to leg. He had no idea of the pace, and before lie could complete his stroke thc ball hit him fair in the chest, knocking him al most senseless. \N hen he found speech he gasped to the Australian captain: “Take him off, too, the long ; he’s worse than t’other.”

>1 K X According to an English writer, a fairly large crowd was present at the match between New Zealand and Middlesex;, “attracted no doubt by the reputation which thc New Zealand team have gained for playing enterprising and attractive cricket, but until halfpast five they must have felt disappointed. Neither the bowling nor thc fielding of the visitors bore anv great signs of distinction, and. the plav of tbeir opening batsmen in their second innings had of needs to be careful When. howc-Ver, they had lost three wickets and were only one run ahead there arrived Dacre, who, with Page, provided for 50 minutes an entertainment which was well worth waiting for From a state of mild boredom the spectators developed into one of great enthusiasm, and in the end everv one left the ground happy, even if they would have preferred to have known that the New Zealanders were in & slightly better position.”