TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14970, 18 May 1914, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

The Progressive East

The Gardeners' Guild

Prison De Luxe.

The inmates of Pentridge, Melbourne's chief gaol, have little cause to complain of the hardness of their lot; in fact, their mode of life might well be a subject of envy to some outside the prison walls. Only during the first stages of hi 6 sentence does the prisoner experience any real inconvenience (says tho "Age"). He is sent to Division A, where for a time he must spend 23 " a of the 24 locked in his cell, the

other hour being spent- in tho exercise yard. Tho duration.of this treatment varies according to the length of tho sentence, eighteen days for Twelve months, two months for two years, aud so on. Having passed the preliminary stage*:, the prisoner begins to havo a better time. If he behaves himself he now enters his cell only for meals and to sleep. Ho spends tho day in light, leisurely labour, either in tho woll-ap-pointed workshops, where he has plenty of companionship, or on the farm, where he has tho range of 114 acres of plantation—a& far as his gang regulations permit. He lays himself down to sleep on his rugs and blankets on a polished wooden floor, or a wellscrubbed wooden shutter, or, if he has attained to "special" rank, on a pliant wire mattress. He receives daily enough tobacco to satisfy any ordinary smoker, though not enough to injure his health, and his daily menu includes a dinner of roast meat, soup, vegetables, etc., with wholesome brown bread, and sugared meal porridge for breakfast and tea. Full membership of tho "Pentridge Club'" includes many other privileges. There are libraries containing several thousand volumes of religious and educational works, fiction, and magazines, and tbe "hard labour" of some prisoners takes tho form of a libraiianship. Facilities for the study of languages, scieuces. or other subjects arc uithia roach of all. Ono prisoner, who seiwed seven years, is said to havo learnt during his term two languages, and to havo read as much as a bookrevicwor. Entertainments of the most varied character are provided for the prisoners, such as travel lectures, moving picture shows, concerts, Shakespearean and Dickens recitals, etc., and a recent visitor to tho prison was Mr Harry Lauder, who sang there. With all these attractions it is not surprising that iruiny of tho prisoners aro loth to quit the sheltering walls of Pentridge, and make haste to return thither from the cares and stress of the out-id© world. Of tho 850 prisoners convicted last year, 70 returned for the second time, 53 for the third time, 50 for the fourth time, and 411 for more than the fifth time.

Somo curious 6ido-lights upon tho woman question may be found in a report upon "Village Life in Palestine," contributed lately to tho "National Geographic Magazine." To bo tndy polite, a man of Palestine, if speaking of a pig, a donkey, or any ignominious animal, must follow its name with "b'eed "annak," or "Bo it far from you!" as an apology for mentioning it beforo folks. But alas, when a girl or woman ( is spoken of, true politeness requires the excusing phraso; aud by his "Bo it far from you!" a Syrian sets his female bolongings on exactly tho same level as his pig. Girl infants aro unwelcome in tho peasant family. "What is it, lisa?" was askod of the father of a new baby. He hung his head, and answered, "Be it far from you, a daughter." "And how many children does this make?" Essa looked etill moro sad. "I have no children; this . my third girl." Still, although women are looked upon as something inferior, and gauged by Western' ideas, they may seem rigorously ruled by the men, there is a feeling abroad that wives are becoming too independent, and able to tako their own part. Once this peasant's "family" would not have dared to speak of her husband except as "he." Modesty would prevent hor from mentioning his name in public, or even saying "my husband." "Now my woman calls mc 'Essa' in the midst of the villago, and I hold my peace." Husbands complain also that whereas women formerly, when passing men on the road, would cover their faces with their hands,and keep their eyes on the ground," "now when we meet them they axe not shy, so wo men keep our eyes on the ground until they havo passed." The proper etiquette of the Holy Land bids the wife follow meekly on foot, while her lord and master rides majestically in front. In the good old days the gentle sex was never seen riding, hut the modern spirit is creeping in, and "to-day it is a common sight to find a woman astride of a donkey!" Woman's right to work has never been debated iv the East. The "fellah" is quite content that his wife should grind the corn, as well as bake the bread and collect the fuel that heats the oven. He works with her, too, at harvesting, on a littlo less than equal terms. "Sheepskin aprons and a largo glovo are often worn by the men harvesters; but the women, who are doing tho very same work as the men, are provided with neither.'" W T h_lo a man builds the house, liis wifo hands him up the mortar. But with all this practical usefulness, tho Palestine wifo shows less mental submission than she gave of yore. "A woman's saying used to bo, 'O Preserver, protect mc from my husband's displeasure!' Now it is we men who say '0 Preserver, protect mc from my wife's displeasure!'"

Next month will witness an .vent which should bo of interest to gardenen. tho world over. This is a projected visit to France, for purposes of horticultural study, by delegates of the Worshipful Company of Gardenors, which, according to a writer in the "Westminster Gazette," is ono of the oldest guilds of tho City of London. This guild existed as a fraternity as far back as 1345, and was incorporated by letters patent in 1605, its privileges being further secured by Royal Charters in 1616, 163-1. and 1905. But it was not till 1659 that it, was enrolled "in tho Chamber of London." the City apparently doubting tho validity of the | claim of the gardeners to bo "craftsmen" in tho accepted sense of tho term. Long beforo the granting of a charter, however, thero existed the "free-gar-deners" of London, who used to sell their garden produce before St. Augustine's Church, at the side of the east gate of St. Paul's Cathedral. A petition presented by them to tho Mayor in 1345 shows that they were frequentlymolested in their occupation, their presence being considered a nuisance to the public and a distraction to thoso taking part in the church services. Steps wero accordingly taken by the Mayor and Aldermen to allot the gardeners space elsewhere. The term "gardener" then had a much wider application than at present. At the time of the Company's incorporation it embraced the occupations of botanist, , florist, forester, fruiterer, fruit-grower, | garden-implement dealer, green-grocer, I herbalist, horticultural -undrieeman,

horticulturist, landscape gardener, market-gardener, nurseryman, plant merchant, -cedsmau and sower; and in King James the First's Charter the occupation of tho gardeners stands described as '-the trade, craft, or mystery of gardening, planting, grafting, sotting, sowing, cutting, arhoriug, rocking, mounting, covering, fencing, and removing of plants, herbs, seeds, fruits stocks, sots, and of contriving the conveyances to the same belonging." In spite of their charters, the Gardeners' Guild had main- hardships to undergo. A petition drawn up iv tho year 1650 complains of tho importation about 1660 of hundreds of untrained labourers by the designers of large gardens and plantations in and around London, and thirty years later the complaint was reiterated more bitterly when the layingout of the grounds of Hampton Court, and Kensington Palaces, and of the gardens of tho Duke of Heaufort and of the Earls of Chesterfield. Sunderland, Rutland, Bedford, and others, led to renewed importations. Ono of tho petitions recorded is directed against

"costermongors, forestallers. and other rude people,"' and against some "foreign" gardeners who had set up a rival market in Graeechurch street. Of lato years tho Company has been quietly busying itself in the interests of horticultural education, and one of its prosent aims is the inauguration of a National Diploma in Horticulture, and tho furtherance of technical education generally in this subject.