Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-06-09
Out-of-Town Talk.-Fourth sitting

"It appears" remarked Sykes, who had
just picked up The Every Day ForerUn-
7,er, "that the Prize Bat of the First Con-
gressional District is TO remain awhile
longer in the keeping of the Manchester
Clab. /, for one, am glad of it; and L
hope that every Club that makes chal-
lenge will come out Just as the Clippers
did-not that am at all partial to the
Ondawas, for am not, but it is time the
whole thing was stopped. In fact" added
Sykes, growing warm, as usual, "the whole
thing has degenerated, and, if may be
allowed the expression, the whole tenor
OF the Game is base :" "You are too fast,
as usual" said /, "and have not consider
ed that our young men must have some
thing of the sort for exercise. The fact is,
we as a Nation have too few Holidays,
toe few national sports, and while it Is
true that All play and no work makes
Jack mere toy we are tending to the
other extreme-'All work and no play
forgetful that by so doing we are making
Jack dull boy. The velocipede is pref
ty much foored, and Base Ball is tending
the same way, both of them martyrs to the
all-powerful Utilitarianism of the Age.
And-will you believe it /? but yesterday
heard man of means and influence op-
posing the observance of Decoration Day,
taking the ground that the majority in
community cannot afford the time, on the
principle that Time is Money A critical
state of things we must have reached, if
the poorest citizen, even, of this country
cannot spend two hours in year decor
ating the graves and honoring the mem
ories of those but for whom the rich,
even, would not hare a country. No!
Let us have more holidays rather than
fewer, and let the boys play Ball, and
they will work all the better after it.
That's ma doctrine" "No sort of objec-
tion," replied Sykes, "to their playing
Ball, provided they will keep the Game
pure, and not allow it to be accompanied
with all sorts of vice. Bat the fact is,
they can't do it Everything is carried to
extremes nowadays. Every amusement,
harmless in itself, perverted to base uses,
and smoking. drinking and betting are its
inevitable attendants. We can't even do
as our less enlightened ancestors used to
dance all night, and go home with the
girls in the morning,'-for when morning
comes we are unable, some of US, 10 go
home at all, without help, much less TO
help any body else home. 1 am sorry
that such state of things must needs be,
but so it is, and the only remedy for it is
for Public Opinion to discountenance
such extreme proceedings, and try to in
augurate the reign of Moderation and
Sobriety. Hence 1 hope Ball-playipg
will be discountenanced, at least so far
to put check on its attendant evils, and.
if this can only be accomplished by every
challenger's getting badly beaten, well
and good. And so, with no i'll will to-
ward the Clippers, and no partiality for
the Oudawas. am not sorry that the
Game resulted as it did" 81 should agree
with you," said l, provided one defeat
would stop the thing, but Yankees, you
know, don't give ur SO easily, but always
try again" "Well let the Clippers try
again, if so disposed, I'll bet"-"HOld "
said /, lyon don't believe in betting, so
don't practice it," And here Sykes teok
bis leave, remarking that it was difficult
thing TO make Theory and Practice work
together. J.