THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1877.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2527, 10 February 1877, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1877.

As things which.: are constantly'brdught; un^er,-, our s notice and r pjaced ( w,-isun our reach so thatdfrrequire^but little efforti to procure them arc-on these accounts ■ lightly regarded; 'so dor natues %hich a' c; meanHo listing uish* one Wan for exce'lence beyond his fellows become; by "con- i stanfc usage and misapplication of bat little worth; • People would'not care for diamonds vif ; tßcys could them; by handfuls in. the streets; it,.is their rariiy aloitie, iidt' their*'use which places a fancy'price'xipbWthem. So too with names. No-one will pretend to say that the title Captain, or Colonel, is thoughtvasfmucK of in'^merlca--tha|;l^e look not nearer home—as it is in England; andl the same* holdsr good with regardftp jbtbeVtUleV. , Take fqrj'ip^tanci^fia^^mupli abuse I&!#srd'. '• chapapion,"wnich ae'eor&ing to. a..dicj;ionary^and,!a.f goodj one--means in the sensein whichitisgenerally applied. by -thqsj.jWho assume it-to^tljem-selves" M the greateslprbficient in any End of physical prowess/ and then consider how many there are who are " champions " in JB^s^pejlinenof 'business, Slie ibjewilder^i Reader tg imagine. tßat^tnehow he;has .been ■ tauglMnwrongly >• aIL : the clays of his youtb/and'in spite, of the lessons in English grammar that he learned there can be after 1 altmore,than one Who in iJie greatesjb in" atj pajrticularl; subject!..„,. iThis misuse. ; 6f jthe, ; wor.d ?I ,jand; the word has been>-s^rmisusedi :that it ;has -become of little worth as a mirk of distinction, J3 especiallynoticeablelin the:case.of thoso gentlemen whose" kindness of heart ./■•=

'duces,,them,,. to travel, the cour.yfarj ''^aridj 1 ,•' wide ■I to V' iiumse -ihe t pub-; •lipl of; .ihose benighted regions; jhnt^ have never; / seen;: •■•; ,championsj"h; ar d; for a certain igum per head display thear! prowess: in * • the performance^of li certain feats which, if the tills and ao* yertis?• I ments which draw attention to them-are .tobe believed, areJ;he most.wonderfulthe: world has ever seen. 7 It does not appear,! as far as wecan make out, r: that "'any; one: cf the'se '■■<* ;champidns_ y has'e^er/3engajijea| in cbmrpet^tiph yith 'any befpre discriminating jud^esT^at least if he has; he.is,like modest men, dumb,regarding! his own peformauces—it is < quiteenough,! as he apparently. thinks^ that iffl lie' can stand on his head, walk qktcfcly; round a room,jsing a comic'song, or, play on any instrument, he shouldimmediatelyt dub himself champion at; that bVanch of high art in which he is supposed to excel,; hiSonlyle^uslß ffceiing that if hejddeinotj call himself champion no one else will. It would hejan amusing: fact if ; nota veryi instructive one, to ascertain how many; champions there were ; in each / branchjof those subjects which champions mostaffeict,: and it would not cost much either to find this out if the champions themselves would only return-^as of course they^buld—full, true and correct answers, to"the questipns set them. For instance, when .the; >nexti census is taken''the following four questions might be added without much; additional charge in the' w|ay ; of printing :; —Question (1.) Are you a champion in anything? (2.) If so, in what? (3.) How long have you beenchampion ? (4.) Who gave>;ypu this name?* 1 The "latter! 'jquestioH.c^riainly'yei'ges on the catechism, \ but it is to the point, and if truely answered the answer would in nine Cases but pf ten be^ fpundto be the same, Vizi,: myself. And we further.,venture 'to say that when the total number of champions had to be'written down it would l/ei necessary, in the language, of Bret HarteJ to have" threejoughts '■'• with a figure tothe left to give any notion of their 'number. The . only drawback to , this. is, that there are yet some years, torun ere the census, is again taken.; It certainly does not say much for; the opinion which these same champions have of the public generally if they: imagine that they have only to distinguish themselves by that title ail straightway ail men believe in themi.ad: flock to them, whereas the fact is that they do: not draw a-shilling more to: the show by their attempt to glorify themselves. Besides, where will it cud? It is true that a man, a really good man that is, in his vocation might enjoy a little extra glory for a short time by calling himself champion of champions ; but as the title of champion was assumed in the first place, so would the title champion of champions be assumed in the second if it was found to convey: more distinction, and then it would be necessary to have a champion of champions of champions, and so on,: an..; extra ; . champion;: being . - prefixed, whenever the title- began to get common. We recommend this plan, to aa-l piring athletes, clog dancers, bone-players^; comic singers .and;contortionists, and we write not in our own interest, but in the interest of those who may come after us, and of the performers themselves. A good long title such as champion of champions of, &c, multiplied by say fifty,

all printed in large letters, would be a good thing for job printers, and such a title .vould beat into a cocked hat all those comparatively common, 'ones, such as ." The Biding Ariolc/ ?f Babylon," "The Flying Squirrel of' the North," or anyVother* phrases 'equally pregnant with 'ibeaning*~whenjMfgan be found out. : H;[,