GAMBLING IN THE COLONIES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 1043, 8 September 1883, Page 2

GAMBLING IN THE COLONIES.

One can scarcely estimate aright (says Dr Stephenson in his “ Notes on Australasia ”) the degree to which gambling and its associations are recognised and patronised by the communicy at large unless one tries to measure and weigh the meaning of ‘, Cup Day ” at Melbourne. It is a part of the great race meeting of the year, and is in Australian life all that the “Derby” is in the life of England, and far more. It is calculated that 150,000 persons gather for the occasion, and this in a colony whose entire population is not 900,000, and on a continent where the entire white population is much Jess chan 3,000,000. Of course the day is a general holiday, though it is not legally so, and the attendance at the racecourse includes a large proportion of church-going people. Strange tales aie told of the extravagance of the toilettes exhibited on the occasion. But, turning to. pastimes more innocent, one cannot help feeling that they occupy too great a place in the thought and heart of the community- Attention enough in England has been devoted of late years to physical education, and it is hard to imagine anything much more foolish and extravagant than some of the football follies which have been recently perpetrated in Lancashire and Yorkshire. But the worship of muscle has attained far larger proportions in the colonies than liefe. The ancient ; Persian notion of education was “ to ride, to shoot, and to tell the truth.” In the last the colonial is neither better nor much worse than his OldWorld cousin, but in the two former he is far ahead of him, and would de-

light the most exacting Persian sage. The lads learn to ride almost a£ soon as they learn to walk, and fowlingpieces may be seen in the hands of children who in the Old Country would scarcely be entrusted with a popgun.

Then the climate tavors, almost compels, an outdoor life, so that it is not very wonderful that the greatest heroes of the Australian people are the heroes of the bat and ball. The “ Australian cricketers” returned from their successful tour in England whilst I was in the colonies. Their reception could“nt)t have been more elaborate, enthusiastic, or expensive if they had discovered the North Pole, or if they had been conquerors in some great war. Triumphal entries, torchlight processions, public banquets, medals and other compliments were showered upon them. And even after every allowance had been made for that natural pride which the young colonies taken in a chosen body of their stalwart sons who had successfully met their English competitors in the national game, one could not but see that the extravagance of their welcome was owing to an excessive estimate of physical sports.