THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 1875.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2069, 21 August 1875, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 1875.

In manly exercises and amusements the people of Auckland (name beloved by its Evening Star) are certainly not backward in coming forward. They hav3 already taken the initiative by sending a provincial cricketing team round the colony, which, though not the best they could produce, was found capable of defeating all-comers on their own grounds. The Thames JNWaI Brigade are anxious to compete at the inter-proyincial regatta, and arrangements are now being made at Auckland to endeavor to acquire fresh athletic laurels for the province by sending a football team to play against all others who may be able and willing to meet them. Wibh this view a committee has been formed in Auckland to select the players, and a favorable answer having been obtained from other large clubs in the South, stating their readiness to play, and a captain of a steamer found willing to take the team round the colony for the ordinary single faro, we may look

upon ihe matter as all but settled, if the funds to meet the necessary expenses be forthcoming, and of this wo believe there is but little fear. The team, so snys the report of the meeting, is not to be confined to the city of Auckland, but, is to be a provincial one; but we doubt if the football captain will find his hands much strengthened by taking many with him of those be} rond the radius of the Auckland playing grounds. One or two who know the majority of the team may perhaps be judiciously admitted, tnifc football is a game which depends quite as much on unity of action as on individual merit, and a scratch team of really good players, strange to each other, is often defeated by one —the players of which thoroughly understand each others play, and in backing up and following up, act as one man — whoso individual members are inferior taken man to man, though collectively they form a superior side. This, of course, is one of the charms of foot-ball and such games, and one of the reasons why it should be encouraged as an amusement for both boys and men is that a player does not, or should not, play for his own honor, but for that of his side. Of course this unity of action is more especially necessary in those who form the " forwards," or players up of the team, and those we should think it will be necessary to take entirely from Auckland itself; and we hope the committee of selection —if they do this and take- their ovrn players in preference to some, perhaps, more brilliant ones from other parts of the province—will escape all unseemly growls from the Press or disappointed rivals. With the half-backs, however, the case is different, for each, of these must depend entirely on himself for the moment; and here it is that we think the country parts of the province will afford Auckland the greatest aid. Auckland, though she has plenty of fair half-back players, has not a single really brilliant one. Mr T. Henderson, probably the pick of the basket, though strong on his legs has not pace enough, and we believe we could point to one, if not two, who, if selected and ablo to go, would materially aid the chances of success. When the team is really formed we may have a few words more to say. on this subject.

These are a few out of themany of those who howl themselves hoarse on what they term " the working man's rights," or the " oppression of the working man," pr some title on which to hang an oration allowing that every labourer and artizan— no matter how wealthy and prosperous he •may be—is crushed and ground down by members of a bloated aristocracy, who do not in their outcry against the state of things which actually exist takes in vain the name of John Hampden, and in the course of a speech which makes the speaker hot and his audience tired refer to him as an example especially to be imitated by all those who do not wish to be " slaves ; " and more especially if they chance to have, or think they have a turn for poetry, do they strive to improve the occasion by quoting those lines from Gray's Elegy—

" Some village Hampden who with dauntless, breast, The little tyrant of his fields withstood; Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest; Some Cromwell guiltless of his country's blood." Ifc may save a great and good name from some misuse ,at the hands of demagogues if we give publicity to the fact that, when Gray wrote his Elegy, the name of Hampden and those of the two regicides linked with his in the same verse did not occur at all! The names actually written by the poet were Cato, Tully. and Caesar; so that this favourite quotation of the champions^ of peoples' rights read originally in this way— .'.-'_•

" Some village Cato who with dauntless breast, The petty tyrant of .his fields withstood; Some mute inglorious Tully here may rest ; Some Csesar guiltless of his country's blood." That these things are so is proved and made public by the original copy of the Elegy written by Gray himself, which has been but lately sold ; so •we beg to suggest that poor Hampden, having don© a pretty good day's work both during his life and after his death, should now bo allowed a little rest, at least in name, and the name of the old Roman Cato substituted in its stead. It has the recommendation of been easily pronounced by the illiterate, and an allusion to " his gloriously dying on the sands of Utica in defence of the liberties of his country," or some such phrase, would sound-very well in popular oratory and might perchance make a hit.