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still exists in the breasts of their descendants, and is not, as 
many have suggested, all used up yet. No, I am proud to 
believe that many of our own finest qualities ave heirlooms 
bequeathed to us by our ancient Norsk ancestry. In bringing 
my paper to a close, though I am well aware that mountaineer- 
ing no longer requires the apologies and arguments of its votaries 
to defend its very existence as a sport, as was requisite only a few 
years ago, I will merely say, as a mountaineer, I firmly believe 
that the sport of mountaineering is better calculated than any 
other to bring out the best and highest qualities, to make a 
mere person into a true man in the highest sense of the word, 
to make him sound in limbs and lungs, to stimulate the growth 
of muscular fibre, and to implant in his breast the maxims of 
patience, unselfishness, sympathy, endurance, sobriety, courage, 
true heroism, and, above all, true love and veneration for the 
great Creator of all.” 
A number of drawings were exhibited to assist the hearers 
in following the description of the mountains and the direction 
and character of the ascents. 
‘“THE FROGS” OF ARISTOPHANES. 
By J. LANGFIELD WAED, M.4A., February 12th, 1884. 
It is now 2,288 years since the citizens of Athens flocked to 
their Dionysiac Theatre to witness, criticise, and adjudicate on 
the play by Aristophanes, entitled “‘ The Frogs.” Their decision 
was favourable, and it received the first prize and was repeated, 
owing, as the reporter of the time says, to the excellence of the 
political advice tendered in a particular part. It has not been 
honoured by a representation in recent years amid all these 
revivals of the ancient drama. There have been shown in the 
last two or three years the ‘‘ Ajax’”’ of Sophocles, the ‘‘ Electra” 
of Euripides, and the ‘‘Agamemnon” of Aischylus, but the 
greatest interest has, no doubt, been excited by the reproduction 
_ of the “‘ Birds” at Cambridge; these plays are fairly repre- 
"sentative of the genius of their respective authors. It must be 
borne in mind that while the tragedies may be brought very near 
_ their prototypes at Athens, may affect a spectator now much as 
they would affect one at their first performance, may in short be 
considered as permanent; in comedy, on the other hand, there 
is much that is evanescent ; the jokes, excellent somany thousand 
years ago, are getting stale now; we do not understand as an 
_ Athenian would the personalities, attacks on rivals, Attic slang, 
or the brilliancy of the parodies, but still we can enjoy the 
burlesque of the story and laugh with those who laughed at the 
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