McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1884-01-10
RACING IN THE ANT1ponzs.
Scenes Around the Melbourne Grand
stand
Fan F'ranclsoo CHI onicle.

| Fan Francisoo Chronicle.
By noon the hill above the grand
stand was thickly covered with pie
turesque forest of humanity; it looked
still in the distance, but was as unrest
ng as beehive when approached
This was the democratic place-admis-
sion two shillings-and it was decidedly
the best point from which to see the
course. 1t is an artificial hill built by
the committee (they could afford it on
their receipts of 100000 year,, and
there was plenty of room on it, even
when occupied by some 10000 people.
The babies could freely roll down its
turfy sides while their mammals were
lost in admiration of he costumes on
the lawn below, where they intend those
babies shall promenade with the best
when they grow up. The scene from
this hill was wonderful. Beyond the
high-priced lawn and Enclosure was the
great ''fiat," on which an ever-moving
multitude stretched away into the dis
tance until they looked like industrious
ants. But when the bell sounded they
massed themselves in twinkling along
the course and became an organic
whole-a long curViug anaconda.
When q race was over the momentariy
mOtionless monster broke up again into
| bits and WAS soon distributed over the
plain.
What can say of the grand stand ?
Probably $4,000 people were therein
or thereabout, mostly in cOstliest cos
| tumes-some of these imported for the
| M N nf 70
| Tie wonder of it, Credulous travellers
sometimes tell US of Hindoo jugglers
who conjure from the floor bush
which clothes itself with blossoms while
the spectator is gazing, and it seems as
if some magic had evoked this Victoria
Regia, whose petals were brilliantly
arreyed ladies' The dresses were finer
in general effect than in detail. But
criticism was disarmed when one saw
the happy, beaming and generally intel
lIgent face of those so finely decorated.
1t was pleasant tolsee 30 many people,
evidently of humble origin, who had
grown rich enough to indulge their
tastes in matter of 80 much moral
importance as dress. There is some
thing to be said for that remark of a
Frenchwoman, that t'the conscious
ness Of being perfp city dressed affords
q satisfaction not to be obtained from
the consolation of religion" That sort
OF satisfaction was visible in every fem
mime face on the grand stand and its
lawn, and what is anybody else's pref
erence compared with theirsP The
whole race course, its environment and
arrangements, can only be described as
awork of art. Their completeness is due
chiefly to the Secretary of the Victoria
Racing Club, who tells me h9 knows
nothing whatever about horses and
racing. If this gentleman could only
succeed in reducing or regulating Off 1t
Is incurable) the betting mania, he
ought to 60 to England and teach them
there how to make q race an enjoy able
holiday. EPSON knows nothing of
these careful preparations of tables for
| luncheons, or of the regiment of boys
that remove all bottles and refuse from
the sward in large baskets.
l had nearly forgotten to say that
there was some racing yesterday, too.
Several times managed to turn from
the human attractions and observed
small islets of variegated caps and sash
| eS uO2LlnR arOunu Inc peal-Snaptu
course, dark streaks of steed5 beneath
them, foam of dust in their wake.
Each horse and rider were fixed in one
Centaur form, and it was not without
beauty. But even the strained sinews
were less pleasing than the continuous
murmur that accompanied the mufled
drum-beat of the hoofs, rising through
all the scale-the single voice of the
| hundred thousand-to break at last in
a wild cheer to the victor. In that
cheer 1 joined inwardly, but it was with
elation at bsholding such vast con-
course of human beings, with shining
faces and glad voice, forming together
magnificent picture of human health,
wealth and happiness framed in the
scenery Of fresh and prosperous land.
- o