The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-12-23
ATHLETICS IN AMERICA.
from the Londen Field. Dec. II

business to be a characteristic of the Anglo
Saxon alone 1t is true that the name of the
Russian. Mr.. Junker, occupies prominent niche IN
the temple Of athletic fame and that other similar in
stances might be cited; but these merely isolated
cases. examples of individual prediction and not OF
national taste. To other races indeed. the Anglo
Saxon love of athletics appears at least incompre
hensible when week two since. Cummings.
the pedestrian. ran an almost impromptu
match against time in Paris. the French
papers, in referring to it. were careful to insist
that all the spectators were Engshmen. and though
French and German youth do in most go
through of gymnastc training. this is widely
different from anything that in this country
derstand by the term athletic sports" With the
last form OF contest however, popular to the
verge of excess both sides OF the Atlantic it is
only natural that in it. as in other tests of skill,
strength and endurance. there should be certain
feeling of international rivalry that the records
both sides should be subjected to keen but friendly
scrutiny and that the Americans should be DESTROYS
not only of equalling. but Of SURPRISING. the per-
formances accomplished in this country.
1t is rapidly getting for of years
since the Mincing Lane Athletic Club gave the
sary impetus to the revival of athletic competitions
in their present form in England. In America they
of much more recent growth. If our memory
States was held on November II, 1868, at the
Empire Skating Rink, New York. The floor was con-
crete, that the of ordinary running shoes
impossible; the sprint was seventyve yards instead
of the now stcreotyped hundred; the distance was
in nine seconds, and the other performances
good as could reasonably be expected
from novices. ana were III some instances
better than tho corresponding performances in
athletic sports have increased marvcously in popu-
larity. 'From 1870 to 1885,. says recent American
writer the subject athletics began to creep and
at last to walk in 1876 it was healthy infant in
the spring of 1877 it developed and fourished in it's
robust manhood; while in the autumn it reached the
topinost round of the ladder" sufficient period
has therefore elapsed-a sufficient number of
men have devoted themselves to the pursuit of ath-
letcs-to give our cousins Atlantic an oppor
tunity Of learning to make good times and of put
ting record performances worthy to take rank with
those accomplished in this country and that they
have availed themselves of this opportunity
will desire to question. The difficulty is that
of their recorded times little too good to be
copied without the suspicion OF there being a mis-
take somewhere. An extraordinary performance, OF
whatever nature necessarily in the first instance sug
gests certain amount of discreet doubt 1t requires
to be confirmed by incontrovertible evidence before
it be accepted genuine and il this is the
with feats accomplished in our own country, much
more must ii be so with those which are performed
at distance of thousands of miles, where the
ditions and surrounding wholly unfamiliar to
1t is true that our scepticism regarding things
American has more than once been proved to be
founded. No believed that the America would
vanquish crack yachts until she did it, that
formances they credited with until they came
to this country and astonished us by what they
ceeded in accomplishing. And, of course,
the mere fact that no Englishman has yet
done certain thing is no reason why
that thing should be impossible: No English
man has yet hundred yards in nine and
quarter seconds. but the veriest sceptc will admit
that the evidence that the American, g. Seward did
so is irresistible. STILL athletic contests in this
country of such frequent occurrence. they
cite much interest and so much attention is d.
rected to ali connected with them that Englishmcn
fair ly enfitl ed IN ASSN af least
among their countrymen are able to run, and do
know something about the time that race between
occupy. And there q be no question that
among athletes on a. side OF the Atlantic
that the times in which sprint are frequently
reported TO be run in America are erroneous. An
isolated instance. II properly authenticated would be
Loyalty acccpted but when we ind times that mate
rally surpass the efforts of our best athletes and that
it is commonly believed amateur runner at pres
in training and but few professionals could make
repeated with frequency that is suggestive Of black
berries in September. il il for wonder that
they do not mud credence. we may take as an eIam-
difficuty--the number OF American amateurs who
said to be able to do 100 yards in ~ seconds At the
Der last in the final heat OF the 100 yards Mr.
r. L. La Montague is said to have done yard inside
even time while Mr. Lafon, who second, is cred
tied with being inside 10 1-5 seconds !" and Mr..
Saportas, who third. was only beaten by foot,
we presume he may be considered to have made the
same time. The last named gentleman however is
those who il reported to be able 10 do 10
onds dead; SO is Mr.. Wilmer; 80 is Mr.. H. II. Lee.
Now, here we have four American amsteurs. each of
whom is it is asserted capable Of performing feat
that no English amateur now running has ever yet
ACCOMPLISHED in public and the very number is of
itself of suspicion that there must be mis-
take somewhere. OF course, we impute no inten-
tonal deception and the most likely solution Of the
whole matter appears to be dinerence IN the method
of timing.
II is observable that it is only in walking and
sprint races that the Americans do such wonderful
performances in running races at longer distances
they are far behind US. leading American paper
has recently admitted that their walking records
untrustworthy; that there remains only the ques
ton of the seemingly marvellous performances at
short distances. And it is precisely in these
that skiful timing is both most important and most
difficult The Americans claim that, owing to the
frequency of trottng i'll their country and the
very great importance OF an absolutely accurate time
record, they have developed large number of edu-
Gated and experienced timekecpers. But they will adj
init that we have in this country at least few men
competent to hold watch; and it is just possible
that their rotting keeper accustomed to flying
start may not he the best in the world to time
race III which the competitors start rom state OF
rest. well known and experienced English athlete
has recently asserted that in the heats OF sprint
which he Witnessed i'll America, the runners al
most invariably got of before the pistol, and IL
flying start is tacitly allowed in sprint, as it ex-
pcity is In trotting matches the whole discrepancy
In times would be accounted for 1t is possible.
again. that the timing may purposely be carried out
on a different method. In this country the recog-
nizcd plan is to start the watch from the flash Of the
pistol possibly American timekcepcrs are in the
habit il the men steady the mark when the
pistol is fired, OF waiting until the foot comes TO tho
ground, which would be quite sufficient to account
tor d fraction Of a second.
We have desire to he discourtcously incrcdu-
lous. We have vivid recollection Of the difficulty
there was in getting amateur races in this country
properly timed and of the long controversy !hat
took place on the subject of amateur timing few
years ago Even the difficulty has not been
tirely solved and IL would be to find ground for
cayil in the times which were officially given for
some Of the races that were recorded in our own
columns last week. Ii, however, require con-
firmatory evidence of reputed marvellous per-
forinances which occur as it we're within our
own ken, may be excused il We re-
fuse to receive inherently improbable American
times without further proof. For part. We
believe that difference in the method Of timing is at
the bottom of the whole matter. II, however the
American champions are 30 good ~ our cousins be-
licye 1t o pity that OF them does not visit this
country. We assure him of cordial welcome:
he would make clean sweep of all our scratch
races, and by means sure that, at first at
any rate he would not ind himself allotted start in
handicaps in which best sprinters had entered.
Cnrtalult he cnnld make heavily for in