New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-10-24
FOX HUNTING IN AMERICA.

GroRGs r. WAXING, Jr.. DEFENDS THE SPORT.
From letter 70 Inc Nation
Public comment, even in Newport, was rarely az
preciatIve, and not seldom riGlcue had fS iuil
ling he suggestion that 10 CHASE poor httie
fox WAS Rot a manly occupation was perhaps the
most usIal form of dISapprobaiion. ~ " drag
is some times AIRED h rrng traiet over ne !eds me
pack was called II e q Teens Countv / sh HOUNDS.
and the kennels HeutngnauSeD." OibeT uncDinph-
mentarv comments aid expressions were ccmnon
As matter of fact, they may have been Jus ned by
exccp 0uai incidents of the season. In realtY, 1t
seems To me- when consider the conditions under
which il WAS carried on, the hunting OF the pass
self TO those who know the sport II Eng ahu' as
very successful adap- alton OF the processes OF iHa
sport 10 oar very different conditions. lHe i'N
element was It's feeblest feature-a feature Whlcd
might with advantage have heen omitted here, as u
Is 10 the celebrated drag-hunt OF he Life OuAfds
at W indsOr. The fact that tie foremost riders
could rarely at what point the ioX was lei out
of the bag indicated tha the running was as inter
esilng before after thar event. Since the uOpnlS
OF tbe chase were gwen H"' ~ ne T.. a.
the death and tokens Of success, bus quite az the
discretion of the master of the hOunds-aS often Ia
ladies who came late on TO the held as 10 men "Eo
had come in the front thgbt-the sentimental OBJ
lection IL the cruelty ot the paStime could not be
offset by the technical need for a pr'Zs 10 be run
for Ina reality the fox was a very small and unlE,-
portant part of the whole affair, ana his en'lTe al
sence would have done 10 harm.
The m0dus operanGi may be thus deScr bed:
little time before the hour for starting the Grag n
anise-oied rag or other strong-Seenied substance,
yideucet red herring i tEaled aciosS the country
by attendant, W no lays the course according 10
ms Judgment aud according 10 ilS IFS NC
tlons-easy OF difficult, tine case may be-for "a
distance Of five SIX miles. AT the Lour Tor The
meet the ruaGs IN every direction IN the vicinity
ara crowded with all manner OF vehicles, and Win
such gathering of mounted men, women AMI chill
Creu As America sees ON no other occasion. Lqnes-
TRANS OF ali degrceS-doWn 10 tae faIHe- boy on
pl0u gh- horse binder bride and mp 10 The laiest
thing IN English outfit-nn The roadSdes. Pes
entity the master Dir. GriS1OlG couple II WIlp-
p,rs-iR and halt dozen Others of the Hunt, al. ~
rod N ile hounds.
these there are iron twenty 10 thirty: They are
En- giish fox-h0unds, but not OF the hlGh,s! type
After n short halt they are led IL heid At some
distance from the crowd o. carriages, where the
drag has been STATED. and are soon away on the
scent. Sometimes nearly a hundred riers follow
10 the point OF starting, ana perhaps haf OF TINS
number as far rs the fact ience-thv otnels taking
To such roads most likely 10 lead IA he d'rvC-
ton of tae run. he frsi sin Jump generally thins
out the crowd If horse men IL from thirty 10 forty.
and OF these only fifteen Or twenty succeed IN keep
ing reasonably close IN the pack. The others often
await their turns AT the gaps and breaks, until they
tail further and further TO the rear. he hiieen OF
twenty who pretend TO nde straight do nde Tt
markedly straight. Here are always some young
women among them and some III le BOYS ana thel
al show a nerve IN taking their fences, ana bold
Less aud GOODNESS Ia all their work that cannot lie
too mucl admired. Indeed. ! have seen dozen
person. IL the field here VINO would rlde IN the iront
rank in any hunt Ia England, where the difficulties
are rarely greater.
The horses are quite worthy Of their riders. and II
is really astonishing TO bow naturally ue Amer
lean horse Of good blood takes 10 cross county
work Ga several occasions | saw gTCea Virginia
and Kentucky horses, actually out Tor the nr>t time,
GONG among the yerv besi quite 20 the end OF the
run-,ahilg the Suhcst fence Ike old siagers, ana
with a. muca enthusiasm for the work a. though
they had been regularly trained 10 IT, Before the
ruu is half over the real reid rarely numbers more
than twenty. but most of these Keep their place
through The Whole ~ IL
When the hounds near the end of tho cOurSa OF
the drsc fox usually young one i let out 81 a
bag anu Is soon run down. DE farce of ul>tTb-
ming the brush the mask and the pads among tie
aI H.. foot. a trsFfan rrst
and with 10 especial reference 10 the route bI
which or the prumptneSs with Which the field hes
been reached-is then gone through with, aud the
hunt The Carcass l. torn anu 1evouTea nv the
hounds, and all hands turn iowa nome. intie -
general; muddy coat oT two. ana cut ol >craic
on = horses leg 10 tell If fails aud blunder> but
there Ea> rot been a serious msLap tbs season, nor
Is any one now the worse for q fail III 1879.
The Inference would seem natural taat such I'M
munilv from injury must indicate al easy country
bur this Is far from being the case stout stone
wall four feet hieh. with firm. broad caPstone, Is
never easy jump. No man ever rides nj such
fence with a certainty OF safe Iandlns. these
fences are by means frequent yeg there Is rarely
q day when from one 10 hall dozen such. or worse.
are not taken by a dozen or twenty riders. | saw
Ihree such stone walls fully four and a half fee;
high jumped IN quick succession bY eight oT ten
horsemeu. tIve-feet walls are rare but have seen
one such wall successfully taken Ii Il said that one
leap was made over wall five fec seven inches
high measured from the taking-of place, but this
did not see. have seen horses IN the neiG mere
that / think would be equal oven 10 that
Ii is frequently asked. What Is the good Of II
ALI Why not be content with a brisk ride a
Christian road Why risk life and limb and horse
flesh in such nadcap crosscountry racing after fox
hounds and a pooT little fox'f' IL seems 10 me
that the answer is easy 10 hnd; Simply because life
and limb and borseieSh never feel their full power
aud value and delight until they come Ia the hunt
ing field and are put 10 he most vigorous and tx
haratIng use The saddle is infinitely better than
the buggy. But the saddle rs only half enjoyed
until ~ turns from the roads and takes 10 the fields
and fences hot pursuit, not OF poor little fox
he ony leads the uHcertsm wsy-but Of the quick
recurring adventure ana hazard which other
peaceful exercise affords
Nor does the good of II all stop here. II takes
men, sud women tor, out o. their arul-c hairs aud
their and teaches them lesson they never
forget-tbe lesson of fresh ar, vigorous effort |
thrilling phvsicai excitement. quick and cool Judg
IBenf aud all else that COMES of the best develop
neni IF horsesnsDshnp. More than this, 1t gives =
new AMBITION 10 the young aud affords . mast
wholesome substitute for tDc usual aims Of seden
tary American youth. Even the farmers sons OF
Rho1e Island getting out their erandiaihers
saddles ana joining IN revival which promises
TO grow into a reform. Inree years ago. after the
summer population had gone. a hOrseman was rare
slgbE At Ncwpart. Now men and women and boys
and snr.s riding in every cfrecIlon and horse
IBansh,p promising 10 become general here As II
Is ii England.