The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-08-31


influence over New Englanders thsmsslvea
Harvard has educated Boston, Just a. Boston
has educated the United States. The best
culture Of the nation II there Nor was 1t other
than natural impulse Of the training OF this school
that 1t should challenge our own oxford to an ISSUE
which, though Of merely physical training had the
browning merit Of admitting an exact comparison
between the competitors. The Harvard Of the
best families Of Massachusetts,, although one Of them
nominally halls from the Sandwich Islands. 1t is
understood that this Is due to an accidental migra
ton OF his father but three 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 wore the straw
hats familiar to all. The Harvard men mad white
scarfs around their foreheads, with covering for
the crown Of their heads, and their Jerseys were
cut away above the shoulder 80 as to allow
the freest action Of their arms. After little
delay a 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, ahi ahi
ah The Oxford boat looks torpid by comparison,
but 1t compels admiration by the perfect evenness
Of its stroke the iron and steel like and the almost
superhuman regularity OF its movement. The
energy of the Harvard men was magnificent, but
there sort Oflutter even at the outset. Never
theless they got ahead and they were dong i've or
six strokes more to the minute when they cleared
their antagonists. II what Is were sure presage OF
what will be- their victory was certain. but time was
the essence Of the struggle Take young fellow Of
twenty-five, such as many Of US have known aud
may know, his pulse knows no change, his thews
are as OF brass, he looks out upon the
world with eyes that have no shadows,
he might live to be hundred, but 1t
Is million to one that he does not Time will beat
him. It was with Harvard at the moment OF their
greatest hopes The experts shook their heads. It
was still 10 to l. Not third Of the course had been
rowed when oxford began TO overhaul their antago-
nists, and going under Hammersmlth bridge the
oxford bow was In q line with Harvard No. 8.
The Harvard stroke oar evidently knew as well as
everybody else the conditions Of the game, ana
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 unsteadiness Of his
crew only more apparent. Once more. however,
"Ah ali ah ~ burst from American lips, but the
dreaded enemy crept on, got fairly abreast, and
| forged ahead.
| Something has been said OF a 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 expe-
rence but we are disposed to reject the suggestion
90 unfounded. Certain, at all events, It is that
there was nothing to compensate any error Of this
| kind for the little oxford coxswain was as fault
| less as hts men.
Meanwhile the oxford boat got two three. ap-
| parenty four lengths ahead. The Harvard crew
stuck calamity to their work, although they were
''sn abroad" as regards time, when an absolute
novelty was seen. to the establishment OF those who
| were following The Harvard ooxswan was seen
| to drop bis right hand into the water
| and splash 1t IN the faces OF his men.
| This manruvre was repeated two or three times,
ana It Is not too much say that something like
spasm of horror thrilled the breasts Of the ortho-
| dox at the sight. The predomnating thought, it
must be SAID, was not 80 much astontshment OF the
novelty as at the confession 1t applied that the
race was hopeless The winning post was in
sight, oxford was thee lengths ahead, and,
''parring accidents" nothing could save the
event. 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
| lengths-but the victory remained unaffected in
character and circumstances.
The match and its issue afford no inapt illustra-
ton of the difference between the two nations.
The Englishmen were heavier and the English
coxswaln was lighter than the Harvard coxswain,
but 1t must remain entirely doubtful on which side
| the mere balance OF strength inclined. AS IOr gal
iantry, energy and pluck, Harvard showed an ex-
ample we may humby hope to equal but which we
cannot exceed. rhe victory was victory OF edu-
cation, and here the advantage was all on our
side. We live, not In rowing only, closer
ufe The competition Is sharper; the lessons
| Of the past are more searching and more
exact The margin of our lives is 80 narrow that
every possible economy OF strength has been utilized
during successive generations. Rowing Is with US O
science. Il has been developed bit by bit by men
who have made it their business and
| knew that on the contests before them
the smallest wrinkle told Thus 1t happened
| on Friday that the oxford crew knew
precisely the limits OF continuous effort. They knew
where TO abstain as well as where to abound The
advantage is however. perhaps not without III
drawbacks, for 1t may be that nations, like men
shoud have some reserve OF natural endowment
which should be- 1t were, not brought into tlagt
40 as TO be better able to meet the days when The
proqress of others shall have equalized the benefits
Of training.
Dinner Of the London Rowing Club to tn,
Boat Crews of the Oxford and Harvard
LONDON, August 30-Evenlng
The London Rowing Club this evening gave
grand dinner 10 the oxford and Harvard Universe
ties boat crews at the Crystal Palace. The 0xfor
crew was represented by william alone, Will
the Harvard crew was represented by smmonds
. Fay. Lyman, Bass, Rice, Burnham and BackiC
!. The party though private, numbered more tina
. 100 persons Including Charles Dickens and Thoma
q Hughes ex-member or Parliament.
Charles Dickens, IN proposing the prucip