"THE GOOD OLD TIMES."

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1560, 2 October 1912, Page 3

"THE GOOD OLD TIMES."

LECTURE BY MR! POYNTON. The Art Club's "Monday" was devoted to a lecture by Mr. J. W. Poynton. eii'titled "The Good Old Times." The address, which was of a most iuterestiiv character, vent to show thar modern evils ■■■ of; strikes, diminishing birth-rate, gambling, and undue devotion to sport existed in Greek and Roman'times to an even greater-extent than with us. He contrasted the brutality of the ancient gladiatorial contests and the awful sacrifices of the arena with our relatively re:fined football and other sports. He explained how prevalent slavery was iii Greece and Rome, and how the most enlightened of ancient writers, euch as ,Plato, could not conceive of a well-order-ed, society without that institution. The awful prevalence of abortion, infanticide, infant exposure, and vice were contrasted with our .present, conditions and the modern treatment of-children. The condition of the people of Europe in the dark ages, ,t he absence of education, books, furniture, scarcity of food, the prevalence' of disease, rapine, and anarchj were proved by quotations from high authority. Famines and pestilences were dreadfully frequent, whole populations being 'swept away. Taxation as levied formerly was excessive and for the few, now much -c.f it was returned in the way of education, sanitation, old a?e pensions, and other thinyrs. The diminution of crime-in most civilised <iou.itries was very marked, notwithstanding the growing mildness cf punishment of crimiinls. Formerly cnlamitifs were accepted as expressions of the .Divine wrath, and Jittle. was done to prt-nnt them. It is" different now. .The Titanic disaster, with the loss of 1701) people, caused all mari'.i no naHnrs to.pass, laws for safer navigation." Durin? the next 20 years probabh- tiwloss of 20.000 livos would be avoided by such' precaution?. Plag-ie visited Sydney j.boutlO years ago. It killed nerhaps 20 persons. The aWu which resilterl and tho conferment clean-up sent the death-rate of the city down from 10 to 10' per thousand, thus *,avimr 2500 lives per Minum, or ?S.<HM in 10 year;'. A !abo.irc<\ to-dny fared bett»- than a monarch four centuries ago. Th- 1 movement of all tiecples towards a'higher :ondilion of things was very noticeable. During the list, ten vesrs thsro had bee.i pnvmo>it of meii'';«'s,ot thr. Imwrial Parliament,' riil ;:-zc pensions, the ITonw of Lords veto supnressiim, proures'ivp inconv tax. and i n increment tow Tier.' was tho rstnhlisliii'Piit of Parliaments in Por-ia. Russia China, and Turkey. .All showed that th,\ modern spirit of hum.init n-imism :inl justice was nervading even, the moM. biuk-v-<i rd ivoplcs. Our humanitaiinnis-n shown in our care ot pri'ineis. children, and old ner-ons was in striking contrast to that of na«l aw. A voti».iif thanks was warmly accordd to Hif l«ctiiver. . ■ ■ N<xt Mondu- his'.lVsilonev Hie Governor will' visit the c'uk and thorp "will 1". n lcfhire. ",.\ f r tiiid Adventure in Iho Pacific," by Mr. Malcolm' Ro=s -