Page
WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT'?
THE CHINA MAIL, MONDAY, OCTOBER 1958.
The Secret "Sport" No Laws Have Stopped WHEN COCK-FIGHTING WAS
SCHOOLBOYS' GAME
Neisticale sport has held a more evil and universal fas- cination than cock-fighting. It was well-known to the Grooks and Romans, and has long been a favourite pastime of the Malays. New York caught the fever in the 19th century, after it had been part of British history for hun- dreds of years.
Cheror' legions probably irught fighting cocka with them and the snort was firmly e tublished In England by the Middle Akes. A writer in 1174 fercribed how schoolboys look their "Cocks of the game" to
masters every Shrove Tuesday
Tal spent the morning watch- th the birds fight in the school. house.
This custom continued until the end of the 18th century and provided casy money for choolmasters. They were able to claim ony runaway or cowardly cock and also TO celyed a a payment known as the "cockpenny".
A Scottish statistical review of 1792
reverds that the income of a certain master in County Ross was implemented by "rockfight
which are erunt to one quarter's payment for each scholar"",
duos,
The Law
The sport, however, was far hem being only a children's partinue. I became wide spread among people of all classes that Parliament passed Kislation as early as 1305, to Jout an end to it,
of the bird cut to allow more was to chase the maddened effective thrusts, The battle animal on to the bridge and might be confined to two birds, then into the river and out or between any number who again over the muddy fields fought on untli only ала beyond. survived.
Tried To Stake
J
Circular cock-plis were built in enclosed spaces everywhere, such as Inn-yards, schoolrooms, or the stables of big houses. Special arenas were built in London, one by Henry VIII near Birdenge Walk,
Another cock-plt, occupied part of the site of Drury Lane Theatre in the reign of James 1, and Charles II built one in Whitehall. There was also a St James's Cock-Pit Royal in Park for many years.
ай
the
Whether cock-lighting can be excused or not, there was possible justification for pastime of Throwing at Cocks. A bird was tied to a stake and missiles were thrown at it until idled and provided the winning marksman with A dinner. This practice went on regularly from the early Middlo Ages until the end of he 19th century.
It was not only the doubtful pleasure of seeing the birds night which made cock-fighting owned a great number of ferre birds and wagered thousands of pounds at the fights,
But no laya have yet suc- eceded In stopping cock's popular. Wealthy men often Drhting. Cromwell tried vainly to do so in the Commonwealth Act of 1054, but even after its further prohibition in 1849, tho sport continued to flourish wecret.
of more
than
FL1
11
There seems no way of ending cock-fighting. As recently as September, 1930, heavy fines were imposed on 38 men and women for conducting cock- fights in a lonely part of the English countryside,
MR BUTLER SAYS TORIES WILL "DE-TEDDYFY
11
TEDDY BOYS
BRING
BACK THE
CAT
WANT
WE
BRING
BACK
THE
RACK
"We've just boon do-bagged by do-Teddylied Taddy-Boys."
| LIMELIGHT MEETS A MAN UNRUFFLED BY SUCCESS
The monk didn't even
raise an eyebrow
AT MR. WILSON'S LATEST ‘SHOCKER
I can now be stated,
without fear of con-
relief to Mr Wilson and
by THOMAS WISEMAN
Most of
>
SANDY WILSON ---
Not a second Novello.
them were
Betting Ring tradiction, that Sandy Even poor enthusiasts, report-Wilson is not a second ed Stamuel Pepys, put bets of Ivor Novello: which will territory, was for many people what happened, I've worked it
an unforgivable lapse. As it out. £3 or 4 on each battle. The
enormous walt Disney had cock-pits brought out the worst come as an in the nature of the crowds, as they gambled, swore, drank and fought amongst themselves.
Fighting-cocks were not the Order viamos sacrificed for the tho mob. entertainment of Bears, bulls, rats and even mon- matched against
were
In April 1805, some 34 cock- fighting enthusiasts were fined London and in 1938. Our Duty Friends League compiled a dossier containing the names hundred breeders and trainers of fighting cocks and patrons of the sport.
Many nobles were on the list, and the Home Once took no action. The League, how- ever, took out summonses and fines totalling £350 were in- posed on people for taking part in a cock fight in Westmorland. on the Scottish border. It was alleged that the eyes of one vafirtunate birt had been penetrated by the spurs of its opponent,
They were led by a ribbon Quite often these terrible bedecked amazon known as the spurs have been shod with Bell Queen. If the bull would Etcel or silver to make them not run it was beaten until it more deadly, and the plumage did. The object of the hunt
snarling dogs. And keya
At Stamford, Lincolnshire, a bull
with Franfcnstelu. tamed up disasters."
Buccess would appear to have The critics who felt obliged inspired a degree of pessimism treat-sauericraut post-humously-to Mr
Novello, who can hence forth stop turning in his grave.
Mr Wilson's Valmouth is long way from Ruritania.
streets every year, on November
was turned loose in the NO BLUSHES
13, hunted by dogs and a shout- ing, singing mob of men and women armed with clubs and stoves.
Lasso
Jasso
The New Perfume
by
Jean Patou
HER SECRET ARM....
Now on sale at all Dispensaries, Perfume
Counters and Department Stores. Sole Agenta: K. Caudron & Co. French Bank Bldg, Brd Floor — Phone 27639
D
Instead of blushing maldens there are over-avid natrons. Mr Wilson's characters will
nphrodisincs gather
In the spring again. But ines are out. His leading character is a coloured masseuse; not a very considering some of the perks Novelloish figure especially
of her job.
Mr Wilson's third musical has shocked the crities, which is
to be shocked on
- 2011
have
טנם
Menu
overy
Schnitzel
day. heroine has become a German rights of the novel Lolita by
This and girl played by Hildegarde Neff. Vidimir Nabokov.
undoubtedly, one of the most unfimable books ever published -tanking, la this respect, with Mr Henry Miller's Tropic of Copricorn and Trople of Cancer.
studio
INEXPENSIVE
up to in un eminent Sunday: news=
behalf of in Mr Wilson; his other current Also Wiener their public
perhapa project is a play about his own frankfurters. taken their responsibilities too generation the young men whe Those additions which have seriously; the public isn't nearly come down from Oxford after as shocked. During this week, the war and were deprived of been made to the traditional
ot the publicity their n monk, on night off, went the
misery lunch
It is not even necessary to The play, enjoyed it merited by the advent of those restaurant had become urgently have expensive. German loca- The novel, first" pubilatied in to see
necessary now that five of the tions in order enormously,
to get the pro- Paris-by the same people who and never raised upstarts, the angry young men.
German eyebrow.
What Mr Wilson feels about for British productions have table
atmosphere, put out the Henry Miller sagus German atars in them.
The producers of this Alm Arst came to the attention of Though Mr Wilson's musical his generation is that they are
simply sent a stills cameraman English readers when Graham is by no means as decadent as to tranquillised they don't oven
With Germany providing one to take hundreds of photographs Greene named it as one of his has been hinted, it is unex-
realise they
lost. Ho
of the best film
These putstanding novels of the year markets in of the Berlin skyline, pecied If you make the mis- hopes to finish his play within Europe, producers are falling lake of expecting from Mr
a matter of work. Wilson another Boy Friend. He himself does not fec! "That was a phenomenon," particularly lost; he enjoys his said Wilson, "I can't expect to success with a gourmet's relisit. Herr O. W. Fischer stars in I understand that Jane a novel which it is not legally repeat that and I wouldn't try. The only thing that ruffies The Lorelet; Herr Hardy Kruger Auston's Prido and Prejudice I have worked out a sequel to the clogant Mr Wilson-pink stars in Bachelor of Arts: Herr is going to be turned into a The Boy Friend which I might spirt pink socks, bow tle, black Hortz Buchholz stars
musical. Which prompts the do as a straight play.
suede shoes, narrowing grey Bay. Herr Curt trousers in the comment by brought in to replace Peter Finch question: What will they be some of the critics that his in Ferry to Hongkong. Now turning into musicals next?
rielt has Grand opera? latest tunes in Valmouth are Fraulein Hildegarde not as good as those In The wood rule in the film Subway in
been given the Margaret Lock Boy Friend.
the Sky.
something that "dear Ivor" was DISASTERS
well-mannered to
do. That the author of The Boy Friend, to which every Boy Scout could with impunity take us Scoutmaster, should trespass on Tennessee Williams's
ז"י
want to examine what happened to those happy Anal- curtain marriages of tho Twenties when they got into the Thirties, I know exactly
ROUND-UP
SAUCIEST THING
TUIE raid on St Nazaire in 1842 is described ns, "the satteles
thing since Drake" ty Brigadier C. E.. Lucas Phillips in his book "The Greatest Ruld of All just published by Heinemann. The Brigadier tells of a Yorkshireman-Mr Tom Boyd, D.S.O. of Hessle who was then a R.N.V.R. Heutenant in command of motor launch. His job was to torpedo any enemy vessels that gave trouble during the assault. He ranged the river bank under a hall of fire, attacking given positions and firing torpedoes at a German guardship. When another motor launch was sot on Are Boyd went to the rescue. Although his ship was repeatedly Hit, he continued rescue operations until ordered to withdraw. His was one of the few Constal Force craft to return safely to England. DROVE BUSES
CURVIVING London husmen, veterans of the 1914-18 war who drove their buses in France, are having their 44th Annual reunion dinner in London this month. There are 38 of them. Only three of them are still working as bus drivers, One of them is Dll Morton, now aged 90, of Hampstead, who was one of 80 bus drivers who went to Belgium with the Royal Naval Division August, 1014. They landed at Dunkirk and drove to
Antwerp where they were greeted by Sir Winston Churchill, then Mr Chur- thill, First Lord of the Admiralty. Twenty-four hours later they had to retreat after burning their buses to prevent them falling into the hands of the enemy. OLD AIRCRAFT
HISTORIC aircraft housed at the R.A.F.. Station at Hendon,
North London are to be repaired and maintained by a group of volunteers, the Royal Aeronautical Society announce. There are ten planes in the collection, the oldest being a Bierlot Kia of 1910, The guiding principles in maintenance will be preservation ruther than renovation, so ensuring that the craftsmanship of an earlier generation is not lost.
DOWNPOUR to rememBER
TN a two-hour storm last month more than 8,000,000 tons of.
water fell over Greenwich, Lewisham and Woolwich, states A London County Council report. It was estimated that to carry away the water at the rate it fell in these boroughs alone would have required about five times the combined capacity of the eight main outfall sewers of London, the equivalent of a river as wido as the Thames at Westminster flowing four feet deep at three miles an hour. Nearly 300,000 tons (about 70 million gallons) of water were pumped five" and a half hours into the Thames from the Deptford pumping station. Storm water from kil) the - Council's. pumping stations was pumped into the Thames at the rule of 2,000: Fiona e minute..
On this subject Mr Wilson is. unequivocal. "I know they are good," he said. "As far as I am concerned they're better than the whole score of My Fair Lady."
FRANTIC
For the stars there
is a
new
have now been
blown over themselves to sign up the great size and provide the back- paper. best Teutonic talent.
drop to the film's action,
+
Jurgens waa
Producers are frantically
EYES OF ENVY
When it was discovered that Mr Greene was recommending
permissible to - bring into England, there was understand- able embarrassment in some
quarters,
The story was about! a 40- year-old man's obsession-with "nymphets"--girls of toto 14.
And Mr Nabakov, In" the tradition of French' publishing, had left very Hittle to the reader's Imagination.
In Hollywood it is being said and this must have become a
looking through old scripts- to Hollywood hos been casting sco 1 they can be given a envious eyes at the box office classic, of understatement that money-spinning German slant. returns of the Brigitte Bardot there will have to be some Subway in the Sky, as a staze Rims all over the world. changes before the book can play, was set in a penthouse in Observing that nothing succeeds be filmed. New York and had Margaret like sex, American producers But authar Nabakov te Lockwood 19 the English are now determined to outdo presumably not worrying. He heroine. For the film, the the French in daring themes. Elands to of Pinewood action has been transferred to
make, 250,000. from This week two American pro- the deal. gastroncanle
a penthouse in Berlin and the duceTY acquired the screen
➡(London Express Service).
POST-MORTEM
ON
'BLACKPOOL'. *CHUCKING-OUT' INCIDENT
League of Empire Loyalists.
You know, this is going to hurt you more-
PUBLICITY