The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-09-18

Oxford, writes as follows to the New
York Tribune:
LONDON, August 30.
[ take the privilege Of an old cor
respondent to send you few remarks
on the late international race, though
by the time you get this probably
everything that can be said about il
will have been said. If any excuse
IS needed, YOU must find it in my pc
cullar positiOn-that of referee-and
my consequent unequaled oppor-
tunities of observation.
And first, let me express my own
great pleasure at the very favorable
impression which your men have left
on every one here. We have had for
the first time, 50 far as / am aware,
4 large enough sample over at one
time Of your young men belonging 10
the classes hich frequent unlVersl-
ties TO enable US thoroughly to realize
and appreciate the sort Of stuff those
institutions turn out on your side Of
the water. Of course, every year we
have individual students from Harv-
ard, Yale and other colleges, over in
numbers but what you want to enable
you to judge ofthe tone and influenced
such places is to see, not Individuals
but groups; and 10 those Interested
IN such studies, and lucky enough to
be able to avail themselves of it, the
opportunity offered at the White
House, Putney, during the past six
weeks, has been luable-for there
were not only the crew and the two
spare oarsmen, but quite number Of
young Americans, past and present
mem ers.of Harvard, friends or ac-
1uainta of the boating men, whom
you me the quiet, high walled gar
den Of 9 White House, or on the
river during the practicing. And no
one can have so met them without
carrying away the most pleasant re-
collections. They are fine, manly,
straightforward set, as quiet and mod
est as any.youngsters OF their time of
life In ouroWn good university sets,
and yet with plenty of ideas, aud not
the least given over too exclusively to
athletics. [ have for many years held
that the more the two nations see of
one another the more they will like
each other, and the better it will
be tor tie world; and certainly the
1869 visit Of the Harvard crew and
their friends has nightly strengthen
ed that belief.
To come, however, to the crew as a
crew: When / first saw them, fort
night or so before the race, they look
ed as fit as men could lOOk-eyes
clear, skins bright, aud not an ounce
Of spare flesh on the lot. l had a
great treat at my first introduction.
for by Mr. Blaikie's invitation [ went
UP with him ana several old Harvard
men in their little steamer close be-
hind the boat, from Putney to within
a couple of hundred yards of the win
ming post. L was struck at once by
the very great nervous strength which
the men showed. Man for man, and
allowance being made for weight, l
believe they would prove decidedly
stronger than their opponents.
[ was also struck, and puzzled, at
the great pace they got upon their
boat, and kept up; for they did not
pull in tho form we all believe IN,
and they did not keep good time.
There seemed to me to be more in
diyidualitv about their work than
any Oxfor,i or cambridge coach would
allow and ! believe, now that the race
is over, and one has had the chance
of watching them carefully in the
supreme struggle, that this Is really
where thei- weak spot was found
Each man had small peculiarities Of
style of his owl which interfered
more or less with the perfectly ma
chine like uniformity which we hold
TO be absolutely necessary for getting
greater speed cut of wood on water
The suppression of individuality
weakeus a nation, but it strengthens
boats crew. | take it If Ia our lit
tie steamer, which was always In
easy speaking distance, there had
been a competent Harvardian author
lied to peg away with, Two, YOU'RE
quickening," Bow, YOU'RE quicken
ing Eyes in the boat &c., &C.,
over and over again, and if this had
been done constantly throughout the
training, an important number of odd
secan ds might have been knocked off
on the four mile course. Coaching
of this kind, simply addressed to
uniformity, would have had no bear
ing on the style, which would still
have remained entirely in the dis
erection Of the strJRe; but it would
have given the siyle chosen the high
est chance. The stroke can not pos
sibly.do it himself for it requires the
most constant and exact watching
The men can not do it themselves, for
they are generally unconscious of the
minute faults to which IL should be
addressed. The eozswaiu can not do 1t,
for <too low, unless he can stand
up In boat, feat which, since the
days Of rigyers, is not much prac-
tjced besi1e5, he has his own work to
do. In fact, such coaching can only be
given by some one not IA the boat,
who eau devote his whole faculties
to the task Your men really mustn' t
+ despise OF neglect it when they come
over again. They are so absolutely
first rate, ~ strength. staying power,
aud pluck (hatit is . thousand pitties
7 they should throw away q point in
cont a 'atively tritling matters. l say
nothing Of what | believe to be more
material point, the catch at the begin
ing of the stroke, and the compar-
atively shallow sweep of the cars
through the water, with which Ok
ford pulls, and which l believe you
I will come to. Every inch of the oar
which dips above the blade is lost
mower. To these axioms / believe
your mcn may go back converts. But
TO come to the race day.
have been familiar with our river
for a quarter of q century, aud have
seen most OF the great races duriue
that time, but anything approaching
the scene CT Friday last [ have never
witnessed. You will have bai enough
however, o descriptions of the crowds
on the banks for the whole four miles
and of the roar of great multitude
which followed the boats from one
end OF the course to the other. We
shall never see the like again, and