The New York herald., 1876-08-16
American Outdoor Amusements.

in America OF late years has had percepti-
BILE effect for good All outdoor games
are immensely popular, and the reports
published daily in the HERALD from all
parts Of the country are looked for
as eagerly as those Of finances, foreign
wars and the bear garden in Wash
ington. Trotting and running races, boat
races, yachting cruises, polo, pedestrianism,
swimming, Scottish games, rifle and pigeon
shooting, wrestling contests, cricket, base
ball, make our American summers brilliant
The Saratoga boat races and the great
matches at Philadelphia attract more people
than did the Olympian or the Pythian games
of Greece. The nation cannot have too
much open air recreation, which is essential
to both its mental and physical health, and
every new sport deserves special welcome
from those who are interested in the thorough
culture of the race.
Thirty thousand persons recently attended
the Buffalo race course to see the contest
between the famous old mare Goldsmith
Maid (who now wears the crown which Flora
Temple resigned) and the stallion Smuggler,
and though they missed an exciting race, for
Smuggler would not trot, they were re-
warded by the extraordinary performances
of the Maid. She trotted in 2:16, 2:15 Ia
and 2:15, making the fastest three consecu-
tive heats on record. Here is an illustration
of the progress made on the American turf
in the last ten years and the interest which
the public takes in that superb sport. The
time which Goldsmith Maid has achieved is
unparalleled, but it has been almost equalled
by dozen horses Judge Fullerton in the
2:17 All Of the wonderful achievements of
Lucy, American Girl, Lulu, Fullerton and
others on the trottipg course, and the run
ming of Mate, Madge, Tom Ochiltree, Freak
ness and others prove more than exceptional
merit in horses. They show how the aver
age of speed in American horses has been
raised of late years. till now a mile in 2:20
is almost common on the race track, while
many good roadsters think little Of mile
under 2:3O, in private trials. The speed of
American horses has beee greatly improved
by scientific breeding and training, and
every stable owner and farmer profits by
the increase of value. This development
results chiefly from the popularity of racing
as a national amusement, and those who
look on the turf as merely On idle sport
have no conception of its usefulness and
influence.
If the turf has added to the wealth of the
country by developing SO remarkably the
stability and speed of the animal upon which
man most depends for labor and pleasure,
athletic sports have equally advanced the
physical standard of the race. Twenty
years ago America was almost destitute of
organized amusements in the open air. The
turf was then almost alone. Butt it is very
different. Our colleges are famous for their
physical contests in rowing, ball playing,
&C., and we believe that the culture of the
mind is directly aided by the intelligent
culture Of the body. The Greeks had the
finest poets, the profoundest philosophers,
the grandest dramatists, the noblest sculp-
tors and the bravest soldiers in the world,
and they also had the best athletes. Their
civilization was founded upon free and
thorough physical development. The stand
ard of physical culture was almost ideal.
1t was their magnificent training in all
the sports of their time that enabled them
to repel the Persian invasion, to rule from
Athens and Sparta the legons of barbarians
around, and it was their perfect health as a
people that produced Pericles. Themis-
tocles, q Phidias in sculpture, and an
Eschylus and Sophocles in poetry.
For these reasons we are glad to see the
great impulse given of late to outdoor
sports in the United States. Every village
has now its boat club or its ball club, and
the benefits are perceptible We are grow
ing wiser in our generation, and the fine
physical culture which was looked upon
once as mere relaxation or waste of time is
now recognized to be national benefit and
an individual necessity. Every new game
that employs the body and the mind
together adds to the collective strength of
the people, and we repeat that there is no
athletic sport worthy of the respect of man
in which intellect does not play an essential
part. The brute strength of Ajax was more
than that of Achilles, but the fiery spirit OF
sAchlles, in frame of steel. made him the
terror of Troy and the saviour of the Greeks.
---
ONLY A BARITONE The artists of Baireuth
are only human after ALL and Wagner has to
encounter all the ills that artistic tbroats are
heir to, notwithstanding the halo of divinity
that surrounds the personages of his music
drama The hoarseness of a baritone has
interrupted the performances of the "Ring
of the Nibelungen," and ''Siegfried," which
was announced for last evening, is post
poned for twenty-four hours. Let Strakosch
and Maretzek take courage. Even at Baireuth
the singers exercise an influence over the
impresario, who was to do away with the
tyranny of the vocal artist And only .