, 1881-01-14
RACQUET.
Formal Opening Of tho Club.Rooms on
Michigan Avenue.
How the Game Is rtaycd, and lis At.
fractions.

Yesterday afternoon for the first time the
now cu,,rt-buI1tinR of tito Chicago llacquct
Club, organized some six or elHltt months
ago. was thrown open to public inspection.
thirty or InorD gent1tnlen responding 10 tho
Meatty-primted Invitations to be present. A
humber OF lauIcs were nlsu included III tho
list Of visitors, Tile opening wis n
very soclablc md enjoyable affair,
but partoolk nf no for.nalIty. H.
visitor could come III and nj once ,nnko llinl-
self thoroughly Mt home, stroting through
tho nently-nppointed apartments, watching
ga1no Ut racGucts, trying hnrd at tenntns,
Or slipping wfiIr md uatinE saIatl at q little
table where two oillclous colorcl servants
wcro waiting to servo MI WHO cnmo lip, Mr..
Samuel johnson. President Of tho Club, was
everywhere present, OF course, trying his bust
10 make every one feet at e0so, nr,A patiently
explaining to all tho uppnrent mysteries Of
TINT very smplo gnh,u Of rIcqucts. Ono
visitor, WHO came III while MI in,pronlptu
racquet match wis In proHrcss. created Il
os %"ns2 'rS|s W,at y 10 ~ t'0 devil are those f''
Tic EaIle OF rnc0ucts ts comparatively. .ur-
knOwll III this country, tllorc being hui four
N NNeo.'rtsn n w United Ssates,Lln Bositnll,
from tho French. hut is probAbly more pop
ular lii Great Britain now tllat anywhere
'ric Chicago Racquet Club building Is n
substantial, though not M Imposing looking,
three~st0rictl brick structure which stands
bnck soine. distance from tho street at
No. 1e5 Michigan nyenue.. 1t can hardly bo
salu to bc, co'npleted.-the ,bowting-s'lleys
sill sill d"ing service there, Tic % reception OF T
audience room Is fully appoInted, however,
n,'d IT! very elegant style, H'hl everything II
completed So fur ls the gntlles are concerned.
TIL! n0wLiNts-ALIEls
nro on tllo first floor. The rnc1uet-colrt,
slress}Mg-rnoM.s, ETC., Are Oh tile second fnnr,
while III tho third floor Is the receptlon-roUul,
the baek OF which oyerlpol1s tho racquet
court, the walls Ut which run from the Sec
onA ilonr to tho roof.
II being prDbnbla tint only few people
know how ractiue!s nre played, q. brief nX-
plul,atlUn lnuy iint be out Of plnce hers. The
s f y fsy f s i!fE sss " sfSIs as4r 9a fw,, fay
| II principally In the fnct that 1t, one the hand
Is cmployGd to knock or tlrlve the little ball
While ~ tile other RACQUET Is used, The rue
Win q network, of stout eords stretched
4uet court (of tl'e Chicago Club is. tboi't3t
&t2 feet,-twlce rs Mng rs It. + Msae,-a.M
"front vail" To- tho "back. wali,'' md
all four Of tho walls run up to tho roof and
aro without window or opening Of my klud
except tftat tllere fS n little door Tor tho play
wall through, which tho SPECTATORS IN tho elc-
yatesl audience room ean watch The game,
this opening being protcGtctl by n wire
screen. The floor y marked OH into three
! " square, aud two at the back Ut equal size.
! Surprising two lnen nre playing tic game:
Each tnkes Ills station IN one Of the buck
courts, and the ono who "serves" lltstdrlvcs
ana nbovs y certain ine., Tho ba!l rcbouM!is
mud tho other player, II tie ball falls within
front wall, hitting eltlaor on tho ..i!y" OF o.,
nRntn, lfslIo does mt full he in turn Is nj
lowed to "seryu" nn1 make point, prOvit..
cd, after he l,as driven tho ball to the front
tho front wall. IL other words. after the ball
lins beon "scrycd" tl,p player who makes tic
last drive Or play Is allowed 70 seryu next or
r. scGrn anothor pnlnt. The bnll Is some
Lines kept OIL tho 70 for wonderfully long
t!lne II the plnyers are experts, and It
Is tlen that the .E,line becomes exciting.
l'll0 gnDle affords the finest kind of physical
exercise, oHt Tor one 10 become proficient IN
1t lio must have quick cyo and very agile
sIr. Albert Murphy, OF Cork, ireland, wllo
Is visiting. fl Chicngn+ and Sir. Theodore
a2 ax1y Of afesn }es G YeTe T arS tS st Il to s pay
thing Of an EXPERT IN Ills way, and had ilo
difficulty in benttng Mr.. Sl,elilou who, com
pared with the visitor. Is nil AMATEUR. The
aS o% 0SMfse Ms rpy HG a. as Esry ws fHsatfs1q Fa9
matched this time, and tic Interest III, tIleo
ts0t1lo Increased accordingly. Several others
of tho Club also tried their hands Mt tic
Whilo racquet was going on up above, the
boWllilK-tsleys were MtfGrding amusement