Daily globe., 1883-08-19

eDces that Men can See Without Glasses
Statements which have recently appeared
in type would seem to indicate a decline
in the estimation of sport and sporting
men on the part of the public?
The question was put to Fred Engelhardt,
the well-known sportsman and writer, with
a view to elicit an opinion of value upon q
subject which is as interesting as it is be-
logged.
Mr.. Engelhardt looked amused, and said,
"Well, if you have come to get an express
sion of my ideas on this question
for publication 1 will give it cheerfully,
because think it the duty of every hon.
orable sportsman to correct erroneous i'm
pressions affecting the cause, and will
certainly lose no opportunity to point out
the good to be derived from the rapidly
spreading interest in sport on the part of
the public"
The object of my visit was to hear what
you had to say in reply to disparaging
statements published, in which the integ-
rity of sporting men in general appears to
be Questioned.
Rejecting a moment Mr.. Engelhardt
said: II think I see the drift of your ideas.
will give You brief, bat pretty general
review of how sport stands with the people
to-day, and promise to cover your in
tended questions at the same time"
Seeing prospect to obtain sound and
valuable statement of facts, Mr.. E. was
requested to proceed, and his utterances
are given verbatim as follows:
SIN the first place there IS a great hue
and cry over hippodroming. I know that
is one of your leading questions. Now,
believe that the increase is IN the sus-
picion on the part of newspaper men who
are but partly conversant with facts and
circumstances, and the cry is taken up and
carried along by unthinking people, the
majority of whom don't even know the
meaning or intended meaning of the word
h1ppodrome, but who merely repeat it in
connection with sporting event because
they think it gives them an appearance of
smartness and Of knowing more than others.
The word 'hippodrome," < (means in
brief, according to Webster, q circus for
horse races.) There is certainly no sense
in applying this term to boxing, wrestling
or rowing, whether it is an exhibition or
competition. The implied use of the word
in connection with so called sporting
event is intended to describe it in 'terse
term as a fraudulent pretence, perform
ance misrePresented Tor the purpose of
obtaining money-to put it in its full
strength-under false pretence. The word
was first introduced in its present intended
meaning by a writer on sporting subjects
to denounce and ridieule certain pre-
arranged horse races of which there were
pleanty at that time. The term as thus
applied, quickly found its way into the
sporting vocabulary aud is now used with
little or no discrimination. I mentioned
that 1t does not necessarily follow that a
performance is dishonest because the
participants therein know beforehand
what their reward will be. Two or more
men may come together in trials of skill,
strength or endurance, or all combined,
and earnestly and sincerely strive for
supremacy, although they may divide
the gate money, and there be nothing else
at stake. l do not mean that this is
always the case, but it is just as probable
as that contest is fair in which there is
purse or stake, because if the partici pants
are in collusion they will pre-arrange the
result as we'll as when there is definite
sum to be won as where there is only gate
money to divine.
1 certainly do not advocate or defend
gate money speculations. On the contrary
| believe in strict adherance to the laws of
sport and we'll established rules and wages;
| but what l object to is that all the odium
should invariably recoil upon the men
whom the people come to see, and nothing
! be said of the management, with which
most of the blame lies. The parties who
get up a match, race, regatta, or whatever
it may be, generally make their announce
ment in as strong a manner as possible to
attract the masses, and these people but
seldom consult the participants in the ad
vertisements as to what should be stated
| in the preliminary announcements. 1
heartily condemn every thing in the form
of put up job"-to use another
of those popular bits of adopted
English, which mean nothing and yet so
| much. But, while a prearranged affair,
| which is called a contest, in which it is
agreed that one certain person shall win,
| and by the result of which certain other
parties are made losers without chance
to win, is unmistakably deliberate theft,
and should not alone meet with unq ualiied
condemnation, but also with punishment.
Such disgraceful affairs should not be con-
founded with performance in which
| there is an earnest and honest contest, not
withstandidg the fact that there is nothing
at stake. Yet this mistake is made every
day. Everything in the way of q sporting
entertainment is now called hippodrome
without sense OR reason. Why? 1t is
simply the o d case of ''mad dog"
You ask if there was not more honesty
in sport in the olden times? No-not
| bit Sporting is on better footing in
every way than it was before the war
Where there was one race horse then there
are twenty now; for every 500 invested in
racing establishments, tracks, parks, etc,
in the past there are thousands invested
now. Sport has become a fully recog-
nized and highly proper form of public
amusement, and in localities where there
are no large associations controlling i'm
portant events, parties frequently form
| temporary associations and get up pro-
gramme of horse races, or regatta, as
much with view to attract the attention
of the general public to that locality as
for the purpose of making money out
of it. Associations and these special offer
ings of prizes and inducements are be-