The Week in Review.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLV, Issue 2, 13 July 1910, Page 1

The Week in Review.

NOTICE. The Editor will he pleased to receive for consideration Short Stories and Descriptive Articles, illustrated with photos, or suggestions from contributors. , Bright, terse contributions are wanted dealing with Dominion life and tions. Unless stamps are sent, the Editor cannot guarantee the return of ®nsuftable MSS. Imperial ApathjSt O / L'XITEU States Senator, writing ( | in the ‘’London Magazine,” J j says tint when Americans are asked what has stm-ck them. Most (SorciiHy about the political attitude in England to-day, the answer unquestionably is the apathy displayed i® regard to the British Empire as distinct from Great Britain. He points out that the papers devote large space to some trivial political matter that affects Stales or Scotland, while the far greater issues of Imperial matters ane entirely ■ignored. “With one or two exceptions,” he goes on, “their outlook is what one of your own ■couulryunen has described as parochial, and the outkiok of the average man as 1 find him—if he has an outlook beyond golf—is also essentiraTly parochial.” This leads him on to make the suggestion tliat the House of Lairds should be reformed by giving at least •encdia Iff pf the seats to represerftatives from the WtHying portions of the Empire. His remarks about a parochial outlook apply WritJi almost equal force to Hie diWnrent as to England herself. We unIfterstaud out own aspirations, we follow With interest the rise to power of t lie iateur pally in Australia, we admire the policy which has made possible the South African Federation. Most of us have followed with varying sympathies the present struggle in England between the

older forces of -Conservatism and the newer forces of progressive Liberalism. But when we are told that the West Indies are seething with dtsremtemt, comparatively few could explain the causes that have led Tip te it. We understand very little about political .parties in N ewfflitnd'lami, while Itritisii Guiana and Honrlnras are for most of us merely names. Cables and Conferences. If the Empire is t® be really eamsolidated we must find some means by which we can attain be a better knowledge of the Empire as a whole, and one Of the first condstions of this wider knowledge is a cheaper .cable service. At present, as Sir Charles Lucas reminded us, we get a half knowledge erf events. The high rates that nw prevail necessitate a very condensed account of Imperial affairs being transmitted cwnsr the cables, and, except ia matters ef the very greatest importance, such as prize fights, we seldom get More than the barest oatlines. It is very gratifying to know that Johnson was grateful for the spiritual encouragement he received from negro pastors, and that he weighed 2091b5, but it is disappointing to find an important speech by Mr Asquith condensed into three lines. Mr ’Fisher has made a step in the right direction by moving in lire matter of a State- cable service. Tlie cfnc-rtion of irdmaiiting a huge number rrf etdonials to seats in tire House of Lords presents the great difficulty that they would lie called upon to legislate on matters afTe-cting U»e iuteraal policy erf Croat Britain, it is doubtful if the Commons wonld accept the veto of the colonies with any better grace than they accept the veto of hereditary peers. Imperial Gonfentmoea seem to be the best niwni of ventilating 4mperial questions, and greater importance wifi be attached to tliese conferences as the inoieaniug solidarity of the Empire ie recognised by its compuneiit parts. The present century lias seen a remarkable growth in a bettor understanding between the Mother Country and her over-sea dominions, and the next decade

will probably witness the sweeping away of the last of .the many ignorant prejudices that were born in the old days of Downing-street government and control. Exit the Bookmaker. If public opinion counts for anything, the bookmaker is doomed. Hardly a voice has been raised in his favour outside the ranks of the bookmakers themselves, while business men, magistrates, racing men, clergy and politicians are almost unanimous in demanding his abolition. It would indeed be hard to find a single argument in favour of his reteirtion, while a hundred could be advanced against it. But the bookmaker is only part of a still larger question—the suppression of gambling. It savours of the ludicrous that we should denounce bookmakers and two-up and pak-a-poo and Tattersall’s, while we legalise the totalisator and dea-ive a profit from its operations. As Mr. Sprott pointed out in his sermon at Wellington, the people regard as right that which the ■law permits. If the law permits gambling in one form, the average man fails to perceive why it should be wrong in another form. The untrained intellect finds it hard to grasp the subtle ethical distinction which makes it an act of righteousness to invest a pound on a gambling machine, while it is a criminal act to invest a copper on the spin of a coin. If gambling it-sClf is demoralising, then the “tote” and the bookmaker stand equally condemned. Gambling; and Speculation, Mr. Fisher, the Australian Premier, has defended gambling, on the ground that speculation enters into every sphere of life. The argument is unsound. Speculation is when a man has a belief in the future possibilities of a neighbourhood, or of a business, and when he backs tills belief by investing his capital, and his work in the enterprise. A man believes, fox instance, that there is an opening for a dairy factory in a certain district. He invests his capital in the undertaking, and if successful he reaps his profit, and if unsuccessful he loses his money. But he does not seek to get something for nothing, and that is the cr'-nx of the whole affair. If he succeeds with his factory, he has emiclied the settlers as well as himself, and liis profit is derived from the gains of others, and not from their losses. If, however, a man wins a bet his gain is merely another’s loss, and nothing useful has been done or attempted to be done. Legitimate speculation adds to the wealth of the gambling only transfers wealth from one pereon to another. d* Dt Gambling and Sport. The curse <rf gainbling to the mercantile community has been amply proved of late. It corrupts honesty, amt shatters confidetire. No employer can feel Certain that his most trusted euijfloyec may not fall under its spell. But no lees surely is it corrupting the world of sport. The old prize-fights may liuve ■lieen -billtai, but they were fights fur glory; the model'll |uize-fight is a fight for cjollnrs. Horse races, rowing conteste, billiard matches, athletic meet-

ings, football, and bicycle-racing have nil lieem smirched with the corrupting influence of the gambler and the bookmaker. llie great secret of the popularity of the I’niversrty boat race lies in the fact that it is rowed for honour pure and ashwple. Englishmen love dean Hport, but clean s-port is m danger from the eoinmereml element -that is invading almost every department of athletics. 'V\'e are told that without gambling the breed of horses would deteriorate. Be it so. It is the breed of men that matters. Unselfish Children. The competition for children promoted by the “New ZealanS Times” has been very instructive l>y reason of the philanthropic sentiments displayed by the competitors. A prize of £2O was offered to the child who gave the best answer to the question: “What would 1 do with tho twenty sovereigns if 1 won them’” Some few said they would invest them in “Times” shares; others were for using them in the purchase of scientific and educational treatises; but the majority seem to have fdt that they couhl best employ the money in helping their parents or forwarding the work of different charitable institutions. This is especially .gratifying in view of the fact that it has lately been asserted that our children are spoilt by over-indulgence, and too much liberty. There is a seriousness of purpose and a desire to do good running through the jiuvjority of the answers. One lad says he would buy hooks, read, write and st ndy the “Times” until he became a clever writer and wise politician like the editor of that paper. Another says he would give the £2O to the Old Men’s Hume, so that the editor might have somewhere to go to in his old age. A perusal of the replies sent hl voinitK-f ton with this competition limply eenfuuns the contention that our children are not behind those ef other countries in generosity and zeal for knowledge. The Municipal Conference. The Municipal Conference discussed several matters of a more or less technical nature, but there were iwo debates that aroused some general interest. One was on the question of street hawkers. It is recognised that shop keepers are placed at a disadvantage by the competition of men selling in the sU'eete. The shopkeepers pay rent, rates and taxes; the hawkers pay only a small license fee, and are thus enabled to sell at a utueh oheapeo- rate. Ou tlie other hand, the general {Hililic finds it a di-tiuct Ikiou to be able to piuk-.haae fruit and lisb al a less prior than that demanded in the slijqw. and ■they would strenuously oppose any at iteiupt to aholi.Ji hawkexs altogether. The cunfeveuoe rejected u mid ion that -hiiwLeis sluutld be prohibited, but thiuiglit rngnbil.ions should be framed for |.hieing them under strict control. The other matter arose out of a proposal by the Mayor of Grey Lynn that u tux should la- phieetl on t ieket ® lor theatre* and other plnei-s of umusiuneirl. in order to provide fluids fol ho-pilals and cliaritable aid. H wile <-oiitended that many voting nwn. who at present escape taxation. would by this means be made to contribute tv municipal revenue. Tha

motion was opposed on the ground that amusements are necessary to the life of the people, and one speaker said that picture shows kept ’young wen away from public houses. The motion was rejected. If such a tax were levied, the probability is that prices would be raised pretty considerably all round, and the theatre-going public would resent any advance on those at present prevailing. The Conference was well advised in throwing out the motion. JI JU A New Brighton Enterprise. We have received a copy of “The Layman," a New Brighton monthly magazine devoted mainly to church and municipal matters, and a warm advocate of the cause of temperance. The paper is Well illustrated and well printed, and we note that it is distributed gratis. Whatever the church views advocated are those of the average layman or not, We cannot pretend to say, but the tone of the church votes is distinctly that of the high church party. The following extract from an article on the laek of candidates for ordination is interesting, as showing one reason why men of ability seek other professions. The writer says:—“The cry that the candidates for orders are so slow in coming forward is constant and pitiful, but is it surprising when the existing ability of the clergy is so misused? A scholar is set down in an out-of-the-way parish in the ibackblocks; a man with the trick of eloquence which can stampede a mass meeting is carefully kept out of the way; a great athlete is asked to preach renunciation to a handful of girls, and a man of brilliant parts is allowed to waste a pungent wit which neglect has made caustic upon a congregation of somnolent agricultural labourers. A sound rule when resources are dwindling is to utilise to the full those that remain; the church wastes them with a prodigal hand. The men whom she delights to honour are those who sit patiently on the top of the fence until they see which way things are going and then get down on the side of the majority.” Scholars and Athletics. Two of the Rhodes’ scholars have lately distinguished themselves in different spheres, one in mathematics, the other on the cricket field. Mr S. N. Ziman, of Auckland, who was described by Pro- , fessor Egerton as the most brilliant . mathematician the university had produced, has taken a first-class in the final mathematical school at Oxford. It is sometimes thought that a mathematical first at Oxford is not to be compared with a wranglership at Cambridge, just ns the Cambridge classic is set below the man w ho lias taken a first in “mods” and “greats.” This, however, is a mistake, and Mr Zinia if s feat is in no way inferior to the gaining of a place amongst the wrangler. Mr Le Cbuteur, from Victoria, worthily upheld the traditions of Australian cricket by scoring 160 runs in the inter-’\ arsity match and taking six wickets for 20, and five for 46 runs. The newspapers say that the match will always be know n as Le C'outenr’s match, and they compare him to A. G. Steel, the most 'brilliant all-round cricketer the universities have produced. Steel was a contemporary of Mordecai Sherwin. whose death last week was announced by cable. Sherwin was famous as a wicket-keeper, and next to Blackham, Was probably the best wicket-keeper of his day. He was a man of immense size, and it used to lie said that only a wide could escape hitting some part of Jiis body. He was a great favourite with th<‘ public, and a long controversy was waged in the papers when the Hon. Alfred Lyttelton was chosen in his place to keep wicket against Murdoch's team. People said that Lyttelton had been chosen becaw-r to- was the son of a lord, • nd Sherw in had been omitted because he was the son of the people. Dr. FurniVall, whose death was announced on the day after that of Sherwin, was equally famous as a scholar, and as an athlete.

As an English scholar he had few rivals, while he was captain of a rifle corps, and was the first to introduce sculling -fours and eights, and rowed in the* winning erews of the first races ever sculled in these boats' On his ,80th birthday, he formed one of the erew in an eightoared outrigger. He was a fine example of the type of man Mr Cecil Rhodes had in mind when he founded his famous scholarships. Piety and Pies. Some people like to mix up politics and religion, others mix up prize-fights and religion, but it has been reserved for two enterprising ladies at Preston to discover a subtle connection between religion and rolls, and piety and pies. In asking for custom for their shop; they couch their advertisement as follows: — PUBLIC INTIMATION. We wish to inform the inhabitants of Preston and district that we have started business in the shop known as THE LONDON NOTED PIE SHOP, 121, Ribbleton-lane, and we hope, by Christ-like dealing, to prove ourselves worthy of your patronage, We have three desires in starting business here: — Firstly.—That we may glorify God, Secondly.—That we may be able to help others into the knowledge of Jesus, and that they may be ready for His coming. Thirdly.—That we may live by the work of our own hands. Tea and coffee will be . served at 5.30 a.m. at Id per cup, also home-made rolls, with butter, Id each. Meat pies and meat and potato pies fresh each day. We use English beef only, and no margarine. If those who would like a hot dinner would come and see us, we will try and meet their need. We are, yours faithfully. LILLA BOWMAN. BERTHA WALKER., Spurgeon once said that he was going home to smoke a cigar to the glory God, but this is the first time we have heard of people running a pie-shop with a similar object in view. Jl Ji Racial Riots. The great contest between the white champion Jeffries and the coloured champion Johnson resulted in the outbreak of fierce racial riots throughout the States. In these riots thirteen people were killed anil hundreds were injured, and in New York thousands of police were kept in readiness in expectation of disturbances. Knives, revolvers, and stones were freely used, a negro cut a white man's throat at Washington, and a white man cut a negro's throat on a tramcar in Texas, a white child was shot by negroes at Washington, and gangs of hooligans were formed in different cities for the purpose of maltreating the blacks. In addition to this, the fight has given an impetus to the revolt of the coloured races throughout the worlds The Ethiopian, the Egyptian, the Hindoo, all see in Johnson's victory the passing of the supremacy of the white man, and they will be encouraged in their efforts to shake off the yoke of their conquerors. All this has been brought about by a purely commercial venture in which the spirit of sport was wholly absent. How different from the old days, when Jack Shaw, the popular idol of the ring, refused all the offers of his patrons to buy him out of his regiment, placing his country before dollars, and dying at Waterloo after killing ten French cuirassiers. Now the gate and the cinematograph arc the all-im-portant factors, and the money element is placed before everything else. All old lighters agree that this will be the last great fight in America, and it is sincerely to be hoped that the authorities will take steps to put a stop to these exhibitions that are so degrading in themselves and so deplorable in their results in rousing the worst passions of •ur race.