The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-05-03
THE LONDON TIMES ON TIE GREAT

lne lOllOWlAS eultOrlal article:
The prophets of enlightenment and progres
must sometimes be little sore at finding that hr
man nature does not show that steady advanc
which they would attribute to it. The broad assel
ton that men are the same in all ages and all tn
world over is certainly fallacy which will fin
acceptance only with cynical minds, but, on tn
other hand, refOrmers must not expect to change II
! too quickly. 1t may be that in some Darwinai
lapse OF ages the Ethiopian change his ski
ana the leopard his spots and it may also be that
| Tune VIII come when men will lose all interest il
tnelr own oones and muscles and value each other
soiey according to the power of the brain as tested
py competitive examinations. But that time has
not yet arrived. The Quakers were much aston.
iShed that within three years after the peaceful
gatheiing ol 1901 their countrymen should have
rushed INTO war with the alacrty of Caffres The
philosophers of the last century could not under
stand how the people who had been penetrated nv
the gentle teachings of ROsseau should shout with
triumph when the charrettcs passed to the guilo-
tine. 80 the representatives of responsibility, re-
tnement, progress, education, social science and
all the other ameliOrating distractions which are
IN vogue, will be somewhat disconnected by the
fact that two great divisions of the Anglo-Saxon
race nave been worked to the highest pitch of ex-
cltement by the prospect of two haif-naked men
pounding each others countenances for some hours
IN meadow. The low, the disgusting, the immo-
raj practice of priZe-fghting, as we have been ac.
customed to consider it, has suddenly resumed its
interest for, we may truly saw every class
OF the population. If an Archbishop and n
Chief Justice had met on Tuesday evening
we will venture to say they would moi
nave talked Tor ten minutes without some
mention OF the "Champion' and the "Benecia Rov "
The Times, which cannot neglect any subject of
national interest is forced for once to dedicate it's
columns to the ''P. r." Muscle and bottom. clever
hitting and neat stopping, must be recorded like
debate on the Budget or the Swiss demonstrations
against France; for the fight of the 18th of April
1850, is great national event, and has been ac
eepted as such by inhabitants of two hemispheres
TOR weeks the general knowledge of society re
spectlng 1.-THE noble art of sef-defence" has been
on the increase. But short time since we wore
most OF us painfully ignorant on this great subject
Living In state of utter responsibility, many of
US were unaware that England had Champion or
else thought that the office was hereditary in The
family OF DymOke. The public bouses in tho ro
glon OF ST. Martins lane and Leicester square were
then vaguely known disreputable haunts instead
OF being, as now, sources of important Information
and centres OF the deepest interest The nortro;ts
of the two antagonists in every variety Of styIo
from the penny wood-engraving to the neatly eve
cuted photograph, have stared us in the face from
shop windows for the last month. In fact peonln
have in spite of their better Judgment, been
brought to take an interest in pursuit usually as
Sociated with the most offensive characters and the
most vicious habits. All this has been BROUGHT
about by the fact of an American pugilist coming
over to fight an Engshman. National rivalry and
the curiosity regarding a singular spectacle have
overcome in a day all the intellectual and moral
teachings OF generation. The fasidous public
OF the reign of Victoria have for once been carried
back to the days of their fathers when sCorinthi-
ans attended the encounters of Cribb and MoIyneux
An enlightened foreigner passing along the Strand
on Tuesday afternoon must have been STRANGELY
puzzled. Crowds thronged the streets and pressed
against the doors of the newspaper offices where
the sheets, wet from the press, distributed to
eager buyers. On every countenance there was an
expression OF excitement, violent discussions were
going on, and triumph or chagrin was in the air of
each. What could it be about a.? Such an assem-
oiage was hardly witnessed when the crown of
Louis Ghlllppe Tell into the gutter, or when the
Allles stormed Sebastopol. Surely Louis Napoleon
had threatened the Rhine, or at least the British
CaDlnet had fallen victim to some internal feud !
NO; 1t was simply that two professional gladiators
had maued each other for two hours that morning
and the newspapers were publishing the narrative
with more or less felicity of slang To see this
encounter a large body Of people had started from
town before dawn, in a train supplied by a deco
rOus and dignitied railway company and thouob
the whole civil force of the South of ENGLAND were
on the alert, the fight had taken place The CON
tnental stranger might well wonder at the civiiza
tion and the administrative system of the cou1
in which he had arrived But il is not or1y,
strangers who astonished at the occurrence Of
such an event in advanced stage of civilization
Many excellent persons among our own country
me n are shocked at the outbreak of passions and
the sudden revival of tastes which il was thournt
that education had banished from society We are
asked how it is that such proceedings as those of
Tuesday pass without the denuncatiOn of the nub
lie press-why the conniving Executive the abet
ting railway COMPANY and thp whole hand of c,or
temen who assisted at the terrible SIGHT arc NOT
held up to reproach as they deserve Wn onsuor
that the very unversality of interest akpn in Tho
fight is proof that the eyhib;tion cros difrat f
others of its kind Tbousands of roorIo ranL a.
narrative we published Yesterday who nrohabIy
had not for wears or perhans in their lives norn:
ed the details of prize-inht Their cnrioS;+ NOS
reused not by prize-fphtinr generaIIv mt h
the circumstances of this sinols ancnmnfior W.
l.
faded glores of the prize ring The feeling i thaf
the whole affair is an anomaly as much as tha
Eglintoun tournaments: that one such disnlav is
enough, and that the pugistic fraternity must not
expect magSterial iorbearance if they attempt tn
repeat it. As to the argument that prize fighting
is n disgrace to civilization, we will merely OBJ
serve that there other institutions equally
odious to the moral sense, and yet cherished by
monarchs, blessed by priests, smiled upon by la
dies, and shouted for by mobs. standing army
Is IN the eye OF philosopher only an assemblage of
Hayerses ana heenans. Take that of France, for
instance, ever ready to cut the throats OF any num-
Der ol people, foreigners or countTymen, at the
oruer oi single man. 1t has ITS rules and tradi-
mons IKE the prze-rlng, and the chief of these is
that 1t should accept as "the enemy" any nation
or any body OF men pointed out by its commander
II the old Adam, the savage element of our nature
IS to Ind vent, we had rather it should be in &
boxing match in a meadow than in the invasion of
a neighbor's possessions in the name of patriotism
ana glory 30 we VIII take men and their nature
the fight for the cbampionship' Whetbar if be
a battle between pugiists on a county border. or
a war between empires for the supremacy
of Europe, men will interest themselves
in the struggles of strength and courage. Nor
is poor Tom Savers standing up AGAINST his
gigantic antagonist, and coming up round after
round to receive punishment" an unworthy OBJ
ject of admiration. These men display in their
miserable trade qualities which a better field
make individuals and nations great. That amid
1ahaupharv nd nd
these virtues of courage, endurance and fair play
should be cultivated and carried to their CHEST
point, shows that there is indeed soul of goodness
in things evil. England and America have many
a better arena for rivalry than the boxers ripG
but still nations without great qualities couId not
have brought together two men WILLING To mass