The New York herald., 1876-09-13


an important feature. When Thackeray' s
"Pendennis" was young fellow boating
had not vet made the furor it afterward
created, and tandem driving was the only
outdoor amusement of young men. Lord
Byron played cricket and hockey, it is true,
but games of strength and skill were anti
quated and uninteresting. Rifles had not
vet been made which could carry missile
into the bull's-eye at the distance of a
thousand yards A quarter of a century has
seen the growth of the new order of
Olympic festivals, but in that short
time it's history is succession of
surprises, especially in this country.
Ten years ago base ball was our ''national
game" and we neither knew how to row nor
to shoot. The change which has taken
place could scarcely have been wrought by
any power short Of q magician's wand. In
the international rowing contest at Phila-
delpha Yale overcame the Cambridge crew
and the Beaverwycks defeated the famous
crew from the Thames. In two successive
contests the American rifle team beat the
Irish rihemen, and our news this morning
shows that they are in a fair way of coming
out victorious over oil comcrs. Moreover,
the interest in these matches of strength, of
skill and of dextcrity is not inferior to that
felt by the Greeks in the Olympic and
other games. Men of character, of
wealth and Of fashion do not disdain
to take part in the sports of the
epoch Judge Gildersleeve leaves the
bench to shoot at Creedmoor as Cylon forgot
for the moment his schemes to make himself
tyrant of Athens to run in the foot race at
Olympia. The new order of Olympic festi-
vals has taken deep hold on the imagina-
ton of the men of this age, and it is by such
contests as the one to be decided to-day that
this healthy movement is best promoted.
The federation of the world may not be ac-
complished by the parliaments of men of
which Tennyson dreamed, but by contests
like these the nations will be bound in the
spirit Of union as etfectually as the Olympic
games supported and sustained through
many centuries the spirit Of Hellenic unity.
The Sesurrccted Saratoga Convention.
Mr.. Ritchie, called ''Father Richie" in
the later years Of his life u famous demo-
cratic champion in his day and generation,
and for something like a third of century
editor of the Richmond Enquirer in its pros
porous and palmy days-the same Richmond
Enquirer which has just suspended pub
lication--had q trick of ending great
part Of his articles with the French
phrase Nous uerrons-the only French, per-
haps, of which the redoubtable Thomas
Ritchie was master. But he kept his small
stock bright by constant use, and it grew
into habit with his contemporaries in both
parties when they had speculated on some
doubtful question on which they were as
much at sea as their readers to wind up with
"NOMs rerrOns, as Father Ritchie says" In
default Of anything better we must borrow
the noted Virginia editors phrase and apply
it to the Democratic State Convention
which reassembles at Saratoga to-day. AS
Tennyson once sung of Napoleon III.
1t is true we have faithful ally,
But only the devil knows what hc means.
So we may say of this democratic Conven-
ton that only the devil knows what it will
do. But, Nous uerrons-"W shall see
A more bcwildered set of delegates never
assembled to make choice of candidate
under difficulties They come together with
q sincere disposition to retrieve the great
blunder perpetrated at their former session,
but they do not know how to set them
selves at work They all feel that the
party has been damaged by their late
.fdSco, and the unwelcome news from
Maine has no tendency to allay their sense
of danger. But will they act wisely? Will
they select good candidate to take the
place of Seymour? Whom will they nomi-
nate The only answer we can give to
these questions is Nous rerrons. We shall
know in the course of the day whether this
perilous reassembling of the same Conven-
ton which SO egregously bungled its work
before will restore hope and courage, or
whether the mismanaged, deceived and
bewildered New York democracy will jump
out of the fryingpan into the fire. Nous
uerrons.
However the democratic leaders and
organs may attempt to disguise it the party
is in critical condition. They had q clear
perception of the difficulties of the situation
when they brought such pressure on Mr..
Seymour to induce him to accept. 1t was
precisely to escape the danger, distraction,
imbecility and confusion which would
attend n reassembling of the Convention
that they besieged Mr.. Seymour with such
persistent importantly, and even at one time
entertained the mad purpose of keeping
him at the head of the ticket in spite of his
were many democrats who thought that
even this expedient would be a lesser evil
than the hazard of calling the Convention
together again to Nominate another candi-
date. Its first meeting showed that Cover
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