THE PROPOSED GYMNASIUM.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5660, 21 May 1879, Page 3

THE PROPOSED GYMNASIUM.

,TO THE EDITOR OP THE . NEW ZEALAND TIMES. Kimllit mores nee sinct esse feros. Sir, —I learn with great pleasure that it is (intended to re-establish a.gymnasium, in. Wellington, and that enthusiastic meetings have jalready been held for the purpose. . I see that :a large anjbtint of support has been'accorded by some df- oiir most influential citizens, and i that there' is,every probability that, Wellington ! will once 'again boast of an establishment for; i the training of young men in athletic exericises. I therefore most heartily congratulate the promoters for the energy they have displayed in carrying .out their wishes; but 'having been connected with several .societies Muring the last thirteen years, of which the ; younger portion of the male community were ; members, I, cannot refrain from alluding to the icause of collapse of this and kindred institutions, in the hope it may he a warning for the future, and here I would*more particularly, ■refer to Mr. O. Wakefield’s letter as giving the ■true reason of the failure of the former gymiuasimn, and the exact cause that has brought 'on the collapse• of so many'similar societies, iln looking back I need only refer 1 to a', few, ’such as the No. 1, company of Rifle (Volunteers, the .Garrick’Club, the Highland Volunteers, the Gymnasium, and others, 'each of which were entered into with a large amount of spirit, only to be oast aside in a few months when the members got tired.of them. In fact, their history has been: Firstly— endeavors amongst two or three to make the affair a success, then having 'gained their point, a marked absence amongst the members of any fixity of purpose, a desultory laissez-faire mode of following it’up ; ■ and lastly, a lamentable collapse of the whole : concern. I can only point to .one exception—:the boating club—which ; seems to,possess as imuch vitality, 1 and attract'nearly as much at- ■ tention as it did at its commencement;; this, however,, proves the rule. ' But ,we will ' now ;tiirn'to:societies supported by the’gentler sex, and see how marked is the. contrast. Goto any society of which they are members,' and you will find a regular attendance, with an (earnest endeavor to qualify themselves for the | highest post, whatever it may be, and this is ' carried on, not for days or but for years. Go to' 'any choir or ’ society in which both sexes ; have rights ot membership, and I will guarantee that the head wijl tell you .that the ladies are very regular in their attendance, but that it is be no means so - easy to get the gentlemen, and this brings me to my subject. I dare say I may be ridiculed for my persist- : ency in the matter, hut I hope and trust .that , the Government in granting sites for a gymna- : sium or drill-shed will distinctly lay down'that . a portion'of such grant shall be for the purposes of the Wellington Choral Society, a . society that has .been carried on for the last seventeen years at a considerable sacrifice on the part of its members, both pecuniarily and otherwise, that has been the means of conferring a great benefit to the community from an educational point of view, in fostering a cultivated and refiued “taste for one of the most elegant and elevated of the sciences, that has always bein'" foremost .In coming to the front when its services were required to alleviate the suffering from any calamity, and that is sure to .bela r perrnanent 'institution ; and 1 1 would further appeal to the good feeling and chivalry of the men of Wellington to use .every endeavor to make the project a thorough success, for however much we may be anxious to obtain recreation 1 for ourselves, we 1 must hot forget that the other sex has the warmest claim on our sympathies,: and'to* disregard' an appeal which would give them any pleasure is to prove ourselves selfish! and 'mean to a degree, and utterly unworthy! of the name we bear as Englishmen.—l am, &c., • 1 1 . Richard Effingham Plimpton. May 20. •• ■ ; ;