Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-07-27

"Reminiscences Of mawick.

lHawick News
NV STAY in IlaWick was comparatively
short, yet IL was long enough TO enable me
20 see all the towns festivities; 10 witness
the Common Riding; TO behold, with feeling
akin to anlaZemeni, the tussle for the nanG-
| ba', PLAYED I'm q storm Of slcet ana snow; TO
| attend many cricket and football matches,
'cycIc races. annual sports OF the various
! clubs, and 20 take part In the mllder excite.
ment OF Sunday-sChOOl, home.mission, and
other pic.nics. Long enough. too, was NV
sojourn among the " sons o! heroes 10 make
| a pretty extensive acquaintance with these
same sons. not 10 mention the daughters.
and 10 have many heightened ramble bv
TeVOt's silver streams and the more tuIbrl'
lent Sltrig aud BOlthwick, varied 10y an oc-
casiOnal excursion among The bills. Health
ful, liie.givng times those, aud now looked
back upon with no regret, but rather with a
faint hope that some o! them may be renewed
for at least a short holiday season, "FOr /
liked auld Hawick." and was kindly treated
there when | was stranger in strange
land. and thus il happens that | sec your
newsDapef and read the dOings oil your town
with interest, even though many years have
gone by since | sOiOurned amongst you.
II SO happened that the first 81 your festi-
walls witnessed by me was the ba' contest-a
contest well calculated 10 inspire the incOmer
with the idea that be has been landed among
a strange people, whose ways, like those OF
the heather Chinee, are peculiar. To see
men. Young and middleaseG. struggling on
the banks OF and IN The Tevoit swollen by
heavy Iains) and amid a storm OF sleet and
rain, for possession OF ball which was as
often in the water as out Of it, is 4 sight you
DO not see in every town. II matters not
which side won that year, or whether it was
q draw-one thing is certain, that 1t drew
down upon maya Onessoyere cold; and. in
addition, drew a considerable gathering into
the public bOuses IN the evening, where the
game was played over again with variations
more striking than agreeable. For the pub
licans are wise in their generation, and the
ba's were that year generally supplied by
them in the hope. doubtless that by casting
mot their bread) upon the waters they would
receive it again before many days.
Then came the Common. RidiEg-the great
er part OF which | witnessed, beginning at
the snufi.takiDg on the hn0we. AT that
time the hussing Of the colour was not per-
formed with the same dignity as now per-
taips to the ceremony, and | missed the
operation, which. so far a. can be remem-
bered, was performed IN a public house.
Compared with The ba', the Common Riding
there may he, but the general principles OF
the festival are most laudsbe. Old customs
are DYING out all too quickly amongst us "a
people, and it Is well to find that
in some communities these are cherished
still, and flourish in the face Of coed deal
OF opposition EXAMINATIONS against na-
tional festivals seem 10 be sure way OF
pcrpetuating them, and about the lime To
which / refer these fulminations were nu-
merous and wcighty. Public interest. too,
was languishing, and it seemed as II the
Common Riding, like many other things,
was TO die 3 natural death. llsd its oppo-
nents been content 10 let II alone their de-
sires might have been gratifed, but they
seemed unable 10 resist the temptation 10
give it 4 parting kick, and from that
time 1t seemed TO gain fresh force and
visor. Was il an edict OF Council, or
what? Something OF the kind, but ever
since, TO Judge from the reports. the festival
has grown in public favor. rse-racing IS
not in my hEc, though enjoy gallant strug-
Gle for prominence, whether The contestants
be horses or men, and IN horSe-raclng you
have both. | never lay odds, and my gam
bling is limited to a mild sweepstakes on the
Derby, which ! always lose. Perhaps 1t is
lust as well thst II should be so, for, were
it otherwise, there Is no telling how far
astray success might lead me. That being
so, K can well be conceived that
the loud-voiced boot-makers who frequent
race-courses aud make tie place hideous
with their bowling are unmtfigated
nuisances in my estimation. and ought to be
forbidden TO ply their trade. There IS a
straight tip 10 the Race Committee which
will not be booked. Besides attending the
race-course and seeing "a much o, the sport
as possible, / also witnessed the games OH the
Haugh, and in the wrestling bouts took much
interest, though the manner in which some
OF these were managed Induced the onlookers
stronglyt0 suspect that the STAR had been
quietly arranged at some previous meeting
OF The parties. This IL one OF the evils 30
much calculated to bring our national sports
into contempt. One cannot witness foot.
race. wrestling match, horse race, or
football match, and be certain that the men
have not arranged the affair beforehand. 1t
must be the outgrowth Of that professional
ism 80 much In vogue nowadays, for II GER
tainly was not so rampant in times when
professionals we're few and amateurs many.
So far as can recollect, the business OF that
year finished up with the visit 10 the most
10 the morning. may be mistaken in this.
but thai IL the last thing which Is stamped
upon my memory. The cornet, accompanied
by some OF his supporters, was there. Many
assembled to the summit OF the mysterious
mound only TO be rolled down again. The
fun was more boisterons than pleasant for
John Barleycorn was plaisly in the sscead-
ant. One Of his disciples stood en- the
top Of the monnd and iiourished his emblem
10 the shape OF black bottle. A few there
were who reached the magic circle and par.
took, but was not among the number. AS
wended my way home, with the shouts Of
the jewellers ringing through the fresh morn
ing air, thought Of The Latin pfoyerb, Dulce
est deSipere in loco On Ia pleasant TO be merry
at the proper Itime), and wondered II 5o'eIeck
on June morning cane within this cate
cory. Notwithstanding all this. so peculiarly
constituted Is human nature that, were the
opportunity given, l should gladly 90
through Il aiiagain. D, temporal o, mores