The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 1892.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4052, 2 March 1892, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 1892.

Thk Hasterton Eorough Council has renewed tlio license oi the Theatre Royal, but while .doing so it i bas warned the lessee that any repe- i tition of [lugilisuo encounters of a grossly objectionable character will ' lead directly to a cancelment of his ' permit. By this it is meant thai brutal exhibitions must not take place. In taking this step the Council is wise; indeed it is open to conviction that they might wisely have gone a step further'and have , prohibited this form of entertainment altogether. Actiun in this direction ] would havelostlbelesseebetlittle, and have protected the public considerably, for us a rule tho contests are either mere door money affairs, in which the result being pre-arranged the whole affair is a misrepresentation, or on the contrary, being genuine combats, become an exnmple-of uncontrollable and savage sloguing from which one ol.the competitors has to retire in a pitiable condition, after undergoing the disgusting and revolting- process of beint;" knocked out of time." If the evening's performance indicates signs of haying been compounded, subject to a tacit understanding batween the pugilists,tbere is adjsgracefitlplamour, and the publio says it has not had its money's worth. If, on the contrary, the tight goes on "to a finish," even many of those present have to almost shudder at iho repuc;nant turn the affair is taking, and they feel annoyed that they ever allowed themselves to come and witness such a degrading spectacle. , . • ' . To defend these pugilistic encounters on the ground that, being an exposition of the " noble art of self defence," they are of an educative character, is simply nonsense. No one can gain any useful knowledgo 61 boxing on any such occasion. The better means of acquiring training in that quality is in the institution of a properly enuippiJ.d gyrnnasium under a respectable' and qpli'fed' director, a propef use if 'he dumb bell, the Indian club, and gymnastic app»"* tus in general, leading up to instruction in boxing, Thg ptudy of the art under these conditions is by no means all play, for there is much to learn, but knowledge otitis acquired under the very best conditions, .Not only is the student thoroughly trained in the qualities of self-reliance,, self-control, and endurance, but he feels a coulidence ! in himself which be did not possess before, and also an acquaintance with (he principles of boxing more complete than could possibly he got by any other mean?, Education in the use of the foils, too,'probably comes within this course of. tuition, and there again coolness, quickness and other charuiv . teristics aro developed, Let a young fellow undergo a proper courße of training of this kind, and ho would himself despise public exhibitions of the olflss residents here p invited to attend. His own knowledge noujil tell him that; they were as ft rule both useless and objectionab'e, That Mas«

terton is not-die; only town which Buffers '■ under thasV inflictiuift, the 1 following extract from the Auckland j Herald, clearly . indiaateß. The opinions it gives are admirably ex . pressed and are worth quoting' in ' detail;- '•. > ' "■ We have lately been treated to some \ exhibitions of the "Noblo Art of Self ; Defence." On all occasions the largest hollfl we have are filled to overflowing with people who confessedly take pleasure in seeing two men beating one another till one o£ them is knocked insensible That it is defensible by. many arguments goes without saying. The qualities of fortitude in endurance, patieno-i in Buffering, courage, pluok, and agility are said to be stimulated, and it is for these laudable onds that all thatorowd assembles; jußtashorsoraoing develops a superior breed of horses, and thisju the reason for.whioh the, racecourse is maintained, Some of the otherpastirocs of days past, which disoarded in these, effeminate times, such as dogfighting,, badger bating, the cockpit, and even atill the bull-fight in certain' oorners ol civilisation, have also their dofenders because of their inspiring the onlookers with admiration of jiluok and'detormin. ation; but it is a striking answor to the arguments in favour of .thorn all, that their patrons and admirere, who have been moulded by their beneficial influences, are uniformly the least reputable of the community, The exhibitions recently given at the City Hall of this " noble art" attracted to them every larrikin in tho oity who, was able to borrow or steal the prioe 1 for admission, and a more disreputablo gathering could not by eny possibility be brought together, in Auckland, Now, the question whioh forces itself is,' is this an exhibition that should be tblor, oteil in Auckland* The city is full of effort for not only elevating the tone of sooial life, but eradicating. the - brutality that seems ' instinotive'inthe more,degraded of our fellow beings, anifhero we have in full swing i in the midst oi'oll an institution directly stimulating the hoodlum instincts and creating a population of larrikins. The law covers it-with, its protection,'and society does n: t appear to frown on it, and yet this beating of tho human form into a shapeless - and insensible moss must be exactly the training that is needed 4o fit a man for f murder. By ancient usage, which modern experience has not. cancelled, a; butcher is not permitted tp.Bit on a-jury trying a question involving human life, it being con-. sidered that familiarity with the shedding ' of blood even of the lower, animals makes him insensible to the sanctity oi human life, and yet vre tolerate an exhibition, not of the subjection oi the lower animalß to suffering but of a man being pounded and smashed into the verisimilitude of death; and we wonder that there are hoodlums, ' That such a scene should'be enaoted in J Auoklandisa disgrace to our civilisation.