New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-12-26
BEST And SECOND BEST

BEST And SECOND BEST
"Let the best. wnw is a concession OF
selfish Human Nature to the llaw of eternal
fitness. We are tnquestionably living in Oh
Age of Emulation, though in this respect We
may not differ from all that have lived before
us. Ere the Invention Of gunpowder, war was
not much moro than monomacby. To use a
modern cOllpquiaiism, in battle every man
"went for manOther man. and the best man
won. The gentle knight pricking DER the
plain, catching sight of another gentle knight
audaciousy tricking DER the same plain, put
spurs to his horse and his lance in rest, and
took the gentlity out of that knight. or was
himself endorsed and pacifed with a battle-ax.
Amid the scenes of rural peace, stout VII
layers wrestled on the green. or cracked each
Others thick crowns at single-stick. Virgins
made Csmillas OF themselves, and ran races
for prize smOcks,. while lusty men cOursed in
sacks or defiantly grinned through horse
collars. The philosophy of the whole is that
whatever is worth doing at all is worth dong
WELL whether it be wrestling or swimming.
boxing or running, fiddling singing, eating,
drinking, playingat ball or billiards or quoits,
or upon the oaten straw. The Olympic Games
are eternal elsewhere than in the sounding
strophes of Pindar, who had his little contest
too in singing, and was compelled to yield the
crown to the beautiful Sappho. So the world
is kept spinning. There is not a haberdasher
who will not tell you that competition is the
life of business he likes it and he doesn't like
it; he Welcomes It, and he makes wry face
at it. The two men who are always wanting
to 20 to Congress from the same district are
the dual type of all humanity.
Occasionally, however, emulation appears
to be specially lively and epidemical. Accus-
toned to observe whatever is going on in this
world, we confess that we do not remember
more challenging competing, defying time
than the present. The very air is thick with
miscellaneous Boosting. Newspapers TEEN
with the advertised assertions of somebody's
ability to do something better than somebody
else. The sufferings of Mr. Bergh, who has
taught himself to- feel toward all bruised crea-
lures as bruised with them, must just now be
beyond all moral aInica to relieve. The
pugilists, to begin with, are all mad to be
bIueng and blacking each other. Jim This is
everywhere challenging Billy That for so
much side to fight on such day, or to
fight instantly at catch weight, SO that one
might naturally suppose that these singular
creatures did not care to live except with
broken noses and eyes shut up in sable.
Then there are tho milder athletes-the Lanes
and RchardsOns-whO prefer to wrestle, and
whose sport would seem harmless were it not
for the betting ind 1.-THE bullying and the
drinking. Then there is the dreadful dog
fght-white Prince and brindle Dan. Brooklyn
against New-Jersey and neither beast more
beastly than the drunken and demOniac men
who egg them on! Pleasanter to the moral
palate is it to read of q foot race in Rhode
Island-6O yards fairly run by the victor in II
seconds! Encouraging is it to hear of Catholic
priest vigorously and successfully interfering to
break up a trutal prize fight in Winchendon.
And what an aroma of innocence, after all
this gcpowder is thore about the great
checker. cattle in. Boston between two ambi-
tious lads, Hack Greek meeting White Greek,
with 40 drawn games and only 8 won-a very
moving story! ct base ball we need make no
specnl mention. That orb is revolving cruelty
into somebody's stomach all over the country,
and many a CHAMPION is philosophically weigh
ing victory against an impaired vision. SO it
"bosops e'er incline, towards immortal glory's
"throne." Thus sang Mark Akensde. bard
who in his own day competed for laurels, and
by no means thought his own verse small beer.
1t must be- admitted that in some of these
competitions, and more especially in those
which are OF a p1gilistic and geological nature,
there Is sometimes lack of urbanity and
decoruIn. Still the SpOrtive Fraternity might
take it smiss if I'VE should refer them for an
example of genilemanly demeanor to our
National House. of Representatives We
confess that we have our doubts. 1t may be
polite to cab man "a cur it may be only
Pickwiekian to tsll him that he is "a liar" it
may be well bred to pronounce him IAN ass y
1t may be parliamentary to proclaim him "a
"scoundrel." But still we have our doubts.
In former times +he newspapers of the country
wara tho admiLtal oxDOsitors of the noble