We have all heard of the reward promised of old by a certain king to the man who should invent new pleasure. The reward has been earned since then, no doubt, but in the face of the Wise Man's saying that there is nothing new under the sun, it would be rash to suppose that any now pleasures we may have experienced are as new as they seem. Invention thus difficult, the reward has come in course of time to be bestowed almost. entirely on the adaptor, or, in other words, the wan who introduces previously discovered pleasures to places which but for him would know them not. Sometimes, unfortunately, the rewar Jong time in coming, and sometimes it never comes at all, That the latter fate will not attend the latest enterprise of this kind in Shanghai—General Mesny's Olympia Roller Skating Rink—ia sincerely to be hoped. The pastime is not a new one. Mention of it carries one's mind back to the days when "zinking" was a craze; when men in skin-tight trousers and women indued themselves in appallingly tight dresses and wore their front hair in "bangs." 'These, and rinking " too, have long since departed to' the home of dead and gone fashions, But roller skating, as distinct from the craze exp word " rinking," had some innate merits and still survives the poet says, thos Jearnt to dance, maj curves and the nicely balanced body of t!
lished roller skater equally show us of the gi of motion and pire the naturally clumsy—whose name is legion—to be clumsy no longer?
The rink was formally opened on Friday night last but not with much eclat. Owing mainly to circumstances over which the management had no control, ings partook largely of th fiasco, About a thousand invitations had been issued and there was a large attendance of residents of both sexes. From nine till a quarter to ten they had nothing tobe but defend themselves against the sit around in rows and ing, which certainly looked and lanterns in the brilliant li very well with its gay decorations of
electric are lamps. The Town ind was present but certainly might have dune more tu relieve the tedium of waiting. The visitors themselves could not skate, for the plo. reason that the skates had not arrived, owing to the delay of the steamer by which they were expected. Fil ly Professor Wyman appeared and for twenty minutes am the with some clever exhibitions of his ski An effort made by Gen. Blesny to get up an expected; firstly because. nobody cared to impromptu dance failed, asimight have been begin, and secondly because it was too hot for such exertion as dancing. Another professional connected with the establishment gave some amusing "clown" skating followed by some clever feats, including a somersault; but @ second invitation to dance met with no response, and the spectators began gradually to disperse. Afterwards sume of the visitors had a little skating with afew pairs of skates which happened to be on hand. The arrival of the full consignment of these necessary articles is expected by the next Japan mail, and from that time the Rink will be open daily to the public.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.