The New York herald., 1876-02-04
he Cambridge Response to the
American Challenge.

AS we had surmised, and as our special
dispatches show, Cambridge follows Oxford
in declining the challenge of the Inter
collegiate Rowing Association. The whole
tenor of the past dispatches and letters
shows that both would really like to come
and meet our student oarsmen on their own
waters. They see, apparently even more
clearly than our men, that the occasion is
unusual and that none so good is at all
likely to come again before their rowing days
are over. The expense need not annoy
them, for it is not proposed that from the
moment of their landing they shall be
troubled with any On the contrary, they
will find themselves guests in the full mean
ing of the word, and very welcome guests at
that. The one difficulty is Henley. They
have arranged for it, expect and are expected
to be there and should no more have been
asked to ignore it than our students should
in similar plight the University race. 1t
furnishes ample ground for the present re-
fusal
The prompt response which the HERALD
correspondents question met yesterday
oarsmen will probably send us first class
crew, and their request respecting graduates
being allowed to row should receive consid-
Grafton. The objection of the Dublin oars
men we hope to see, also, in some shape re-
moved The prospects generally begin to
brighten.
Happily there is abundant time yet, and
we renew our suggestion of yesterday. If
the Regatta Committee have not powers suf-
ficient to enable them to forthwith forward an
invitation pressing them to row. not IN skies,
but in fours, let them write to the thirteen
clubs, showing the exigency of the case
and asking such powers at once. Then they
will bring about the race they wish almost
beyond q doubt What is one of the princi-
pal contests at Henley but four-oared one
Thus each university will have its very
team which would row here already made up,
fallen entirely together and in the very best
shape to begin with They do not want to
be annoyed by having their builders get
up sixes-craft they never yet built even
one of-and then to be hampered with bring
ing two distinct and complete outfits across
the ocean. strong probability is ex-
pressed that one, if not both, of them will
row in the Centennial races, and when the
rules of the latter already sent over Europe
allow only fours, they will naturally wonder
why four should not suffice for both
races. They can thus be sure of
four first class men and no weak spots,
and so equally can we. They will find the
steering on our broad courses, all distinctly
laned with flags of their own university or
nation, delightfully."- easy compared with those
they are cramped into on their own narrow,
tortuous Cam or Isis. No hidden currents
or eddies, as on the tidal Thames, to confuse
and annoy But rowing the students at
Saratoga Lake-on the grandest track in
America, if not in the world-all can go to-
gether right afterward to Philadelphia, and
there, ten days later, share in the chief contest
of all, that beside which even this of their own
will be secondary where the Atalantas, Ar
gonautas and Beaverwycks the London
rowing men, Liverpool, Kingston and
French crews will doubtless, be waiting for
them, with million people to look on-the
open four-oared race for the amateur cham
pionship of the world.