The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, DECEMBER 30, 1901. PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENT.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 301, 30 December 1901, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, DECEMBER 30, 1901. PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENT.

The work that has been so modestly staried in Gisborne by Mr Macdonald's IRailh Depot is, in view of Uie articles that are appearing in leading magazines, worthy of more attention than many people have supposed. In the number of the Review of Reviews just to band there is an article on “What Sp.ndow has done,” and this being the holiday season we may well commend the remarks to the attention of parents and young people. Wo propose to

give the main portion of the article in fid! : —lt seems but the other day that Sandow was merely an attraction at the music-halls, when he made his debut *as the modern Samson and typical Strong Man. Since then he has suddenly developed into an almost Imperial institution. Among other things, he inspires, if he does not actually edit, a monthly magazine called “ Health and Strength lie is recognised by the trustees of the British. Museum ; he opens schools in various . parts of the metropolis ; he offers a £lOllO prize and takes the

■Albert Hall as the only arena large enough to’ accommodate "the thousands who take part in his competition.

Anti not content with all this, lie aim? at introducing a vital modification it to the education of the youth of the Umpire. Twenty or thirty years age lie was a delicate youth, as far re-

moved as possible from the ideal physical man. He was taken to Rome by ho, father, and there conceived the.idea which has dominated his life. The stent effigies of proud, manly beauty, ami of superb physical development to him came like a revelation, 1-Ie asked his father how it was that no such men as these were to lie found nowa-

days Mis father replied that the Ancients cultivated the body, but that the Moderns devoted most attention to the it minds. Sandow determined that he would emulate the Ancients in devoting more attention to the development of the body, and he set to work at once upon himself. lie was hut a poor specimen to start on. Like Prcs:dcm. Roosevelt, it has been dotibiruj whether he could even he reared, but. as with Roosevelt, (he typical roughrider of the West, so Sandow succeeded ir converting himself into a superb tine of physical perfection. lie made a study of the subject scientifically ; he applied it practically, and as the result he was able to pose as the best illustration of the results that would follow from the scientilic culture of the body. 1 tow successful he has been is to be interred from the fact that the trustees of the British Museum this vear requested him to permit a plaster east to ire made from his living body, in order that it might: he exhibited at Eolith Kensington. Sandow differed from all oilier strong men who had ever appeared on the music-hall stage in proclaiming that what he did anyone could do it they would but accept his teaching and follow his example. Such a message came to many like a glad evangel of hope. The result is that at this moment lie has 00,000 pupils of all ages and conditions diligently practising me culture of the muscles and the development of tne I,l.civ. Among these pupils he has men as ’old as eighty : but the majority are young people and in the prime of iheir youth, who wish to make themselves' physically fit for the continually increasing ’.druggie for existence. 1 'nun 'those who stain! on tin.- of the throne down to the employee ir, the rirv goods store Sandow counts his enthusiastic disciples. Lord Milnet has never been an athlete ; but he took with him a Sandow instructor when be returned to Africa. The ore-

■: (i':• t- 1v- ; .■. -i: '•.j l . • s<l ;v - •• i.i’A :i v. : ;i i..r ev y c i.:M ;;i i.'ii .*:y -.-hoi'U ,ii h-..-’ :M !:! IMI ■ j. i;! <■ \ci C i <_• l-vcry i!av j 1 1? tii'i' i;i>> witi.t ii:« nyiundsium—i.e oli.icct' rather to gymnastics as they aie practised. What lie wishes to see is physical exercise rationally directed to t!.“ improvement of the physique of our town-bred people. Those whohave grad'iattd in the school of Sanu ina inf ai m that by follow mg his ic*-i< iiiiiEr and putting their mind into t.he work, they tan deveiup the 11111scli s of their arms as much in twenty iiiinute- as a blacksmith will strengthen then, by swinging his sledge-ham-mer for ten hours. The system has l/'fii tried at the Orphan School at Watford with meal success. Thehe icimaster thus describes the result of the experiment winch has hern conch • ted there “ The boys of this ins,ii.tton have been doing Sando’.v's p 1 \sa a! culture exercise twice a week ior two years. The improvement in then physique is most noticeable. They don't slouch or have the Institution’ droop. Their breathing is perfect at all limes, and they have powers of c,'nuance which are usually the subject ni special culture. They are well developed, no part, being neglected, and tin; improvement in stamina seems to mve a power of resistance to disease, [.ducatioiially, the system helps to pi ntucc attention and concentration; H is interesting, and causes eagerness to know the why and wherefore of c-A-h little detail, for there is no pari of anv exercise but lias its raison d'etre.' The hoys are well set up, and muniv fellows. ” The Review adds “ Considering the enormous proportion of recruits who were rejected as physically unlit iti Lancashire and the mill districts, it is indeed good news that a system has been devised by which wc 'can arrest the bodily degeneracy of out race. . . . .Sooner or later our

1 tilers and governors will have to wake up t(, the fact that it is 110 use eiide.ivi ring to expand an empire abroad, if tae men upon whose shoulders it rests are dwindling year by year.”

The Mararoa arrived at Auckland from Gisborne at ton o’clock yesterday morning. The lion. James Carroll will meet the deputation from the Chamber of Commero to-morrow morning at 10.80.

Upwards of forty remounts for South Africa have been purchased by Mr Campbell Thomson, the prices ranging from £8 to .£l9 per head. The monthly mounted parade of the East Coast Mounted Rifles will be bold at the Drill shod on Thursday morning at 10 o’clock.

A meeting of the sheep-farmers of tho three counties is convoned for Friday afternoon at two o’clock to consider tho acquirement and immediate re-opening of the Gisborne Freezing Works. Common, Shelton and Co., Agents for the Shaw, Savill and Albion Co., are advised that tho “ Delphic ” advertised in our columns to sail from Wellington on the 20th February will be fitted up to carry third-class passengers this voyage, and early application for berths is advisable.

During tho passage of the steamer, Takapuna from New Plymouth to Onehunga, a passenger named Stewart was, through the pitching and tossing of the vessel, knocked oil a seat on which he was sitting and sustained a fracture of one of his legs. On arrival of the boat lie was admitted to the district hospital.

One Gorman shipping firm (says an exchange) has been compelled by the low freights obtainable to lay up nineteen of its vessels, and they arc all at present in dock at Hamburg, while a large London house is about to put five of its smaller steamers out of commission. The principal cause is tho excess of tonnage ; there is too much tonnage for tho present condition of freights. Captain Sowden, who for many years had command of tho White Star Company’s steamer Delphic, and who resigned his position last voyage, was tho recipient of a handsome silver salver from tho White Star Company at Liverpool. The presentation was accompanied by a letter expressing regret at the loss of so valuable an officer, and wishing him every success and prosperity in the future.

At Waimate a man named Alexander Price, a carrier, about 00 years of age, was burned to death in his house on Wednesday night. How the house caught fire is unknown. It was all ablaze when discovered, and after the fire the charred trunk was found in the kitchen part of the dwelling, deceased having evidently been lying on tiro sofa. He was last seen at six o’clock in the evening, sitting on his doorstep reading a paper. The unfortunate man lived alone, having separated from his family some time ago. An inquest was opened, and adjourned till Monday.

We regret to record the death of Mrs Mary Williamson, wife of Mr James Williamson, head of the slaughtering staff at Messrs Nelson Bros’. Works, Taruheru, which took place at her residence on Saturday afternoon, The deceased lady, who was much respected throughout the district, was forty-throe years of age. She is a sister of Mrs W. Sandlant, of Gisborne, and her parents reside in Auckland. The funeral will leave her late residence at two o’clock this afternoon for the Makaraka Cemetery. A notice appearing in another column requests all members of the Turanganui Lodge of Druids, of which her husband is a present member, to attend the funeral, the brake leaving the Lodge at 2.1.3 p.m. A picnic party that went up the Waimata Biver on Christmas Day had an experience which should serve as a warning to persons visiting the locality in question. Having selected a shady and pleasant site they prepared for dinner, but before a start was made the party decided to visit some friends who were camped a few hundred yards away. During their absence a couple of pigs, scenting the dinner from afar, came upon the scene and demolished everything in

the eatable lino, adding insult to injury by breaking a great deal of the crockery and chawing the best part of the linen tablecloth. When the party returned they saw one of the animals vainly endeavoring to shake a cream-jug oil' his snout, but it do! not succeed in doing so until the jug wis broken i:i pieces. A child a year old, which was «■! r;> under one of the trees, was left untouehc i. Si-:rm-. rs will he inter?--‘v! in t!-<

folio", h.;; pom ph from last T .ur-sdny ' LyUrl-..:. T.u.es s—“ That C.mleibu; will have m- look to her lamvds hi

matter el me quality of her Lit sheep it she is to hero ahead of the North L-latvl product, is e\; kneed by what to he place at the Addis.gm;) market. A ,-nsignmen'. : f Line e.i cross we titers, a birh h t • only b.- -.1 lank- 1 from the North Island on 'ikies i.iy, wc re it up to au.-ti ..t, and met wtihi keen competition, being eventually soid at prices ranging from los to lGs 9d. It wa- not until after they had been sold that many of the ‘■onlookers became aware of the fact that they were not Canterbury sheep, and this speaks volumes for their quality.” The Hawke’s Bay Herald adds that these were Mount Herbert sheep, and that 9s per head was the best offer procurable locally for them when they left Hawke’s Bay.

The Northern Union Steamboat Company’s offices at Helensville were discovered to be on fire at one o'clock on Friday morning. Tile railway hands living opposite ran over, and wore only able to save a few articles, the fire srn -iding to the store adjacent, the carpent-:-hop, and the providore’s stores. Messrs Stewart Bros, being sent for succeeded, with help, to cast off the Hand?. Isle and the Sterling from the wharf, as tiie goods .-lied was in great danger. By great exertions the fire was suppressed at the goods shed, and part of the providore’s stores was only saved. Two iron safes, coutaining the company’s books, were dragged from the burning debris, and cc-oled with water. Everything in them was found intact, but much charred. Only a small amount of money was in the safe. There was but a

small insurance on the property. The damage is about .£750. The cause of the fire is a mystery. Mr Iladrili left the offices safe at half-part two p.m. Messrs James Stewart and White were there for a few minutes at four o'clock in the afternoon, and left al! secure. No employees were in afterwards,