The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1884-02-29
RACING IN THE ANTIPODES.
Scenes Around the Melbourne Grand
Stand.

| Stand.
BY noon tho hill above the grand
| stand was thickly covered with pict-
uresque forest OF humanity; it looked
| still in the distance, but was rs unrest
| ing as beehive when approached.
This was the democratic place--admis-
sion two shillings and il was decidedly
the best point from which to see the
course. II 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 il, even
when occupied by 10000 people. The
sides while their mammals were lost in
admirationsof the costumes on the lawn
relows vt ne they mend. 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 "flat," on which an ever-mOving
multitude stretched away into the dis
lance until they looked like industri-
Gus ants. But when the bell sounded
they massed themselves in u twinkling
along the course and became an organ
ic whole-a long curving anaconda.
When race was over the momentarily
mOtionless monster broke up again into
bits and was soon distributed over the
plain.
What can say of the grand stand?
Probably 80, 900 people were therein or
thereabout, mostly in costliest cos
tumes-some of them imported for the
occasion at cost OF from fl00 to f500.
The wonder of it! Credulous travellers
sometimes tell us of Hindoo jugglers
who conjure from the floor q bush
which clothes itself with blossoms
while the spectator is gazing, and it
seems as if some magic had evoked this
vast Victoria Regia, whose petals were
brilliantly arrayed ladies. The dresses
were finer in general effect than in de-
tail. But criticism was unarmed when
one saw the happy, beaming and gen.
orally intelligent faces of those so fine
ly decorated. 1t was pleasant to see
so many people, evidently of humble Or
igin, who had grown rich enough to in
dulge their taste in a matter of SO much
moral Importance as dress. There is
something to be said for that remark of
FrenchwOman, that 1.-THE conscious
ness OF being perfectly dressed affords
satisfaction not to be obtained from
the consultations of religion" That
sort of satisfaction was visible in every
feminine face on the grand stand and
its lawn and what is anybody else's
preference compared with theirs? The
whole race-course, its environment and
arrangements, can only be described as
work of art. Their completeness is
due chiefly to the Secretary of the Vic
toria Racing Club, who tells me he
knows nothing whatever about horses
or racing. If this gentleman could on
ly succeed in reducing or regulating Gf
it is incurablc) the betting mania, he
ought to 60 to England and teach them
there how to make q race an enjoyable
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.
had nearly forgotten to say that
there was. same racing yesterday. too.
Several times 1 managed to -turnE from
the human attractions and observed
small islets of variegated caps and
sashes floating around the pear-shaped
course. dark strcaks of steeds 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 mutlled
drum-beat of the hoofs, rising through
all the scale-the single voice Of the
hundred thousand-to break ut last in
a wild cheer TO the victor. In that
cheer | Joined inwardly, but it was with
citation at beholGing sIch II vast con-
course of human hyiacs, with shining
facas and glad voice. forming together
magnificent picture OF human health,
wealth and happiness framed in the
scenery of fresh and prosperous land
~ ID. COnWGy in S. +. Chronicle
Q