Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1875-07-19
SPORTING.

. 9
Affairs q tbe world. BY the matter con-
tanned At present in the daily papers. he
would conclude that this busy, steady
word was beconing er1zed over the
feats Of strength and the trials Of skill
IN which men are DOW engaging. Rife
men in Great Britain. yachts on the sea,
boat racing on rivers and lakes base
ball elsbs in every park. trOtting and
racing Of horses on thousand tracks,
fcats Of strength, peiestrianisn, Pugil-
ism and many other things are minister
ing 70 the tastes Of the spOrtive eharae-
tiers Of this and other countries During
the past week, al New England and
much Of the country west. ran Wild over
the college regattas held at Saratoga
All the sports, betting characters and !
CAmDIers Iu nc CUuuUFy were Uu', I
ready 70 win or lose. as fortune would
have it. The most important boat-rac-
inr was that Of thirteen crews from as
many colleges. conteDding for prizes al
Saratoga on Wednesday II was esti-
mated that 10000 people gathered to
witness the contest and after day Of
expense, anxiety and fatigue. the vast
crowd were satissed. or dissatisfied, with
the discovery that the boys from the
Cornell Institution Of Ithaca, y. y, were
able 70 get their boat past finish line
IL IA seconds quicker than the other
competing crews. Four or Eve other
boats were close up, and all made the
distance in very short period Of tine
As trial Of skill in rowing and =
feat Of strength. this was really = grand
affair, and those who witnessed II re-
j0ioed greatly in tie sport But Ekat Of
the other side? What Al expense Of
time, money and muscle What poor
COMPENSATION For months these col
lege boys have labored, dieted, suffered,
that they might be beaten BY the wiz
ming crew. The tine spent the energy
exhausted, the money lost figures UP :
great sun. Saratoga, noted as q sport
ing town and the home Of the grea'
American sportsman and gambler, John
Morrisey, makes much money out Of the
affair. Many other places suffer loss OF
account Of il But worse than the pe
euniary losses and the injury done L
the health Of those engaged, Is the de
morahzing influence Of all sporting o
this character. All games are exciting
and the excitement leads TO betting
gambling and dishonesty. MOrrisey'i
'.gilded saloon" was visited by thou
sands, and many fellow who attend
ed this great regatta, was lured into BET
ting and gambling by the very POPULAR
" Of the thing in such place and sue
q crowd as met at Saratoga
The proper and healthy development
Of muscular strength IN man Is necessa
". but when it is developed that it ma
minister to a depraved taste in other
the practice Of making athletes Is D,
advantageous to a community or Il
world. The ancient Greeks and Romal
might have been better soldiers fro
their engaging in all manner Of muse
lar exercises and sports, but IT was 4
long after the formation Of the anpi
tbeaters Of Greece and the Coliseum
Rome. before these nations began 70
cline and when We convert America
to sporting grounds. it viii take but
short time to carry 1t back toward pm
tive bzrbsrism.
II athletic sports Of temperate char
ter could be had without run. r0El
ism and gambling, they might not
Questionable: but 50 long as the pres
system leads 70 these things. all pers
who have at heart the general Welt
Of the country ought 70 disoouutena
them.