Mower County transcript., 1869-09-16

On the bottle whose seal You last brOkC.
Twenty years was its age. did you say?
Twenty years? Ab, my friend, 1t is truel
All tho dreams that have flown since that day,
All the hopes that in that time passed away.
Old friend, I've been drinking with you
Selrttro nlisttllanu.
RACES IN THE PAST.
"Ton. Brown" on an English Univer-
sity Boat Race.
The following graphic account of boat
race between some of the colleges of the
University of Oxford will be read with spec
ial interest at the present moment. It is
from MIR. Hughcs's well-known and popular
oolleee-bcck, 'Ton Brown at Oxford. -
For the benefit of those unacquainted with
tho difficulties of boat-racing on the Isis, it
may le said that tho narrow breadth ofthe
river prevents two boats rowing abreast
The custom, therefore; is for one boat to
chase the other, and when it succeeds in
coI,lng with it. Or humping it. it OBJ
tains it's place on the river. The champ
ion, therefore, of the Isis, is the boat which,
by dumping" has displaced all.it autag-
onists, and which is sufficiently rapid to
prevent all others humping it.
THE FIRST BUMP.
The crew had had their early dinner OF
steaks and chops, stale bread, and n glass
and u half Of old be er apiece, at two o'clock,
in the captains rooms. The current the
ory Of training at that time was-as much
meat as you could eat, the more underdono
the better, and the smallest amount of
drink upon which you could manage to live.
Two pints in the "a hours was all that most
boats crews that pretended to train at all
were allowed, aud for the last fortnight 1t
had been the nominal allowance of the St.
Ambrose crew. The discomfort Of such a
diet in the hot summer. months, when you
were at the same time taking regular and
violent exercise, was something very SER
ious Outraged human nature rebelled
against it; and I take it, though they did
not admit it in public, there were very few
men who did not rush to their wtter-bot-
ties tor relief more or less often, according
to the development of their bumps Of con-
stiehtiousIesa and obstinacy. 10 keep to
the diet at all strictly involved a very re-
spectacle amount of physical endurance. I
am thankful to hear that our Successors
have found out the unwisdom of this as of
other old superstitions, and that, in order
to get man: into. training for boat race
now -a-days, it is not thought of the first
importance to keep him in q constant state
of consuming thirst, and the restlessness of
body and sharpness, Of tnmper which thirst
generally induces: - = =
Tom appreciated the honor of bel@ III
the boat in his first year 50 keenly &at hi
had almost managed to keep to restraining
evcntful day hid arrived was in most
uncomfortable state of body and disagree!
able frame of mind. He fed away from
Diogeness flute, but found no rest. He
tried Drysdale. That hero was lying on
his back on bis sofa playing with JACK, and
only increased Toms thirst and s9ured his
temper by the viciousness Of his remarks
on boating, and everything and person con-
nected Herewith, above oil, onsMiller, who
had just come up, had sStsered~ them the
day before. and pronounced the crew gen.
orally, and Drysdale in particular, ''not half
trai4ed."",
ghteJ .yas fp3ft!ed 'es usual. Tom
looked in at Tie captains door, but found
him hard at work reading, and SO carried
himselfoff, and, after vain hunt after 4iesA
OF the crew, and even trying to sit down
and read, first novel, then a play of Shak-
.spearo, withno! success whatever, wander
cd away out of the college, and found HIM
self in five minutes, by natural and irre>
sistibla attraction, on The university barge:
There were half dozen men OF SO read
ing, the papers and group or two Discus
sing the coming races, Among o.her
things, the chances of St. Ambrose's max
ing bump, the first night were weighed.
Every one joined prai5ing the stroke, but
there were great doubts whether the crew
would live up to it. Tom carried himself
on to the top of the barge to get out of
hearing, for listening made his heart beat
and his throat dryer than ever. He stood
the Gut, the strong wind blowing his gown
about. Not even a pair. oar was to he
seen; -theig great event Of the evening made
the river solitude ut this time of day. -
Only ono or two, skiffs were coming home,
impelled by reading meD, who took their
cOnsttutionals on the water, and were COM
ing in to be in time for afternoon chapel
The fastest and best of these soon came
near enough for Tom to recognize Hardy's
stroke; SO he left the barge and went down
to meet the serpitor 1T his landing, and ac-
companied him to the St. Ambrose dressing
room.
At last the time slipped away md the:
chaplain and Miller mustered them at ,tf6
gates and walked off to the boats. j dn1en
other crews were making their way ii the
same direction, and half the undergraduates.
OF Oxford streamed along with them d Thu.
banks of the river were crowded; md the
punts piled rapidly backward and forward.
carrying loads of men over to tho sB@k
shire side. The University barge and III
other barges were decked with flags. and
the band was playing lively airs as the St.
No time was lost in the dressing-room.
and in two minutes they were all standing
in flannel trowsers and silk jerseys nt the
landing place. ,H-',
You had better keep your jackets on"
said the captain, ''we shan't be off yet"
''There goes BraZen-nose."
"rhey look like work, don't they?''
''IAe black and yellow seems to slip
along so fast. They've no end Of good cof-
ors. I wish our boat was black" ss;~.3
"Hang her colors, if she's only stiff in
the back, and don't dip"
"Well, she didn't dip yesterday. Atleast
the men on the bank said So" -
''rhere 60 Balliol and Oriel and Univer-
sity."
'By Jove, We shall be late! Where's
Miller?"
'In the shed getting the boat out. Look,
here's Exeter"
The talk of the crew was silenced for
the moment, as every man looked eagerly
at the Exeter boat. The captain nodded
to ervis with a grim smile, as they pad
died gently by.
Then the talk began again.
s'How do you think she goes?"
'.NOt 80 L..dly. TheJ'xe -ory strong in
the middle ofthe boat"
s:Not bit of it; it's all lumber"
"You'll see. They're better trained than
wo are. They look as fine as stars."
$50 they ought. They're pulled seven
miles to our five for the last month, I'm
sure"
''Then we shan't bump them"
"Why not?''
Don't you know that the value of pro-
ducts consists in the quantity of labor
which goes to produce them? Product,
pace over course, from If1ey up. Labor
expended. Exeter, 7: St. Ambrose, 5. You
SEQ it is not in the nature of things that we
should bump them.-Q. Z. D."
'What moonshine! AS if ten miles be-
hind their stroke arc worth two behind
Jervis!'
''Why, my dear fellow, it isn't my moon
slime; you must settle the matter with the
philosophers. only apply universal law
to " particular case!'
Tom, unconscious of the pearls of econ
olnic lore which were being poured out for
the benefit Of the crew, was watching the
Exeter eight as it glitlcd away towards the
Cherwcll. lie thought they seemed to keep
horribly good time.
"Why won't Miller let us. start? Almost
all the boats ore off"