New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-08-31
NEWS.
GREAT BRITAIN.
TIE HARVARD OXFORD RACE.

tic. and the story of the day will be one of the
first things which the youngster still at school
whose name has been only just put down
fol- the next vacancy at the old Oxford house of his
father his tutor will appropriate to himself Ii
will be radiation Of the University; another page in
that book of many stories in which Oxford appears
as the flower Of the nation, and the nation has the
stock bearing that cODsummate flower Nor will
Harvard have less reason to commemorate the
gallantry of her Harvard too, is epitOme
of national history. The English tTavelor must be
strangely compounded. especially if he acknowledges
any obligation to University in his own land, who
not interested in this Cambridge Of the New
World. 1t is nearly $50 years since the settlers in
New England founded the University on the banks of
the Charles River in grateful imitation of that other
the banks of the CAM where their spiritual
received their early training 1t is $50 years since
the piOus Harvard, himself old Cambridge man,
gave it the endowment (which has immOrtalized his
name Ever since Harvard has been the Alma Mater
of New England it's brick pile of living rooms its
substantial granite library, its old halls, adorned
with the portraits of successive Presidents and other
distinguished members, its chapel oppressive with
severe divinity, all enoOmpassed about with UNI
brageOus elms and spreading lines, are veritable
refreshments to the European visitor for they speak
of past welded to the present in a country where
all else seems to have been duly created by the men
of to-day. They exercise too, corresponding intu
ence over New Englanders themselves. Harvard has
educated Boston, Just as Boston has educated the
United States. The best culture of the nation is
there. Nor was it other than natural I'M
pulse of the training of this school that 10
should challenge our own Oxford to an issue,
which, though Of merely physical training, had the
cTOwning merit of admitting an exact comparison
between the competitors. The Harvard men are of
the best families of Massachusetts, although one Of
all hail from he Wi Ielauls
is understood that this is due to accidental mgra
ton of his father but three OF four years since,
and like his comrades his BIRTH his education and
his descent connect him with Plymouth Rock.
Our men appeared In the ordinary Jerseys with
short sleeves reaching about third of the way from
the shoulder to the elbow and were the straw hats
familiar to us ALL The Harvardmen had white scarfs
around their foreheads, with no covering for the
crown of their heads and the Jerseys cut away
above the shoulder so as to allow the freest
action of their arms, After a little delay
start is made, the Harvard crew
have jumped away and are putting forth
wonders of power The superficial view is entirely
in their favor The Americans in the two steamers
are wildly excited and give peculiar cheer, Ah!
ahl alp The Oxford boat looks torpid by COMPARE
son. but it compels admiration by the perfect even
ness of its stroke the iron and steel like and the
almost superhuman regularity of its movement.
there was sort of flutter at the outset Never
theless they got ahead, and they were doing five or
six strokes more to the minute when they cleared
their antagonists II what is sure presage of
what will be- their victory was certain; but time
was the essence of the struggle. Take young
fellow OF %, such as many of US have known
and may know-his pulse knows no change, his
thews are as of brass he looks out
upon the world with eyes that have no
,soI,k 10 ha hup Int
is million to one that he does not. Time will beat
him. 1t was so with Harvard at the moment of their
greatest hopes The experts shook their heads. 1t
was still 10 TO l. Not third of the had been
rOwed when Oxford began to overhaul their antag
onists. and going under Hammersmith Bridge the
Oxford bow was in line with Harvard No 3.
The Harvard stroke oar evidently knew as well as
everybody else the conditions of the game and seeing
that everything depended upon keeping his crew in
their position of advantage, he made desperate
squirt, but the effort though CALAMITY seconded made
the essential unsteadness of his only more ap
parent Once more, however, "Ah! ali! sh" burst
from American lips but the dreaded enemy crept
on got fairly abreast, and forged ahead. Some
thing has been said of mistake on the part
of the Harvard coxswain, and had 1t happened
nothing could be more pardOnable, seeing that cox
SWANS are absolute novelties in Harvard e1pe-
rience but disposed to reject the suggestion
as unf0unded. Certain IL is tnat tneTe was noJhlhB
70 compensate any error of this kind for the little
Harvard coxswain was as faultless as his men.
Meanwhile the Oxford boat got two or three, ap-
parently four lengths ahead. The Harvard crew
stuck calamity TO their work, although they were
all abroad as regards time, when On absolute
novelty was seen, TO the astonishmtnt of those who
were following. The Harvard cOxswain was seen
10 drop his right hand INTO the water, and
splash il in the faces of his men. This
maneuyer was repeated two three times,
and il is not too much to say that something like
spasm of horror thrilled the breasts Of the orthodox
at the sight. The predominating thought, it must
be said was not so much astOnishment at the nov
elty as at the confession it applied that the race was
hopeless The winniDgpOst was in sight, Oxford was
three lengths ahead and, barring accidents nothing
conld save the result. man rowing lady in gig
did. indeed at the last moment, pull across the Ok
ford boat, and this deprived Oxford OF at least
two lenRths-but the victory remained unaf-
fected in character and circumstances The
match and its issue afford inapt illustra-
tration of the difference between the two nations.
The Englishmen were heavier, and the English
coxswan was lighter than the Harvard cOxswan. but
It must remain entirely doubtful on which side the
mere balance of strength inclined As for gallantTy
energy, and pluck. Harvard showed an example
we may humbly hope TO equal, but which we cannot
exceled. The victory victory of educa-
ton, and here the advantage was all on our
aide We live not in rowing only closer life.
Che competition is sharper the lessons OF the
mast are moro searching and more exact The
margin of our lives is so narrow that every posi-
Bile economy of strength has been utilized during