Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1889-06-01
BASEBALL IN ENGLAND.


The 'sThundsrsF'' shows How the Brltons
Regard the Game.
Every body is now asking his friend
In doubtful kind OF way what he
thinks of baseball. Londoners are, or
ought to be. now in position to give
their verdict upon this important ques-
tIon. The Chicago and All-America
teams have performed four times in
London before large crowds Of specta-
tors-at Leyton 5000 persons watched
the game. Our visitors, therefore, can
not complain that they have been treat
ed with indifference, whatever judg-
nent is passed upon the game they in
troduced to us Most Londonors who
take any interest OF all in sports have
considered it a duty to pay the base
ball players a visit, and so inform
themselves fully and truly upon the ma
ture Of the game, keeping their. minds
open and purged, 30 far as possible,
from all passion and prejudice. We
are not prepared to say that it is alto
gether possible to Judge without pteju-
dice game which the Americans have
presumptuously preferred to cricket
Apollo might have listened to the pipe
OF Marsyas with equanimity and even
with pleasure had he not known that
Marsyas was setting up as his superior.
But let us try to forget and forgive this
and Judge baseball on its merits. One
Of these merits is that it is not spun out
over two or three days. Ameri-
cans, who are so busy that they
can not find leisure for cricket, man
age to find it for a game which a
single afternoon is sufficient to decide.
As for the essentials of the game, 1t
would be singular If they did not strike
some chords Of sympathy in the Eng
lish breast, considering that they are
the same as those of ''rounders" "
'Rounders" was once much played on
every village green; even now it enjoys
considerable vogue as Sunday amuse-
ment in the outskirts OF London, and
several of our metropolitan public
schools find ''rounders," or variety Of
the game, peculiarly we'll adapted to
their Jagged Fairgrounds Conse'
quently we must have latent affinitieS
for base ball. But OF course the Amer
lean game has developed greatly. One
OF the chief pleasures Of the school
boys life used to consist IN ''scorching
that is, picking up the ball when the
adversary had missed striking it and
singing it with unerrlng aim at his re-
treating form. The base ball Is nearly
as heavy as a cricket ball, and conse-
quently it can be we'll understood thai
this pleasing feature has been elimin
ated, and the most divertlng incidents
Of the game are the feints Of the run
nerS attempting to run from base tC
base. The pitcher, known in ''round
ers" as the feeders" the batsman and
the catcher are specialists, just as W.
find some cricketers pre-eminent il
bowling. batting or fielding. In fact
base ball is a science.
Whether it is worth taking tn,
trouble to acquire this science il
another matter. Baseball, as candi
date for entrance into the list of British
sports, labors under the disadvantag'
Of finding the field nearly full already
of more or less scientific games, ii
which the youth of our islands arr
drilled while yet at school. At tn,
same time we must admit that the de
mand for athletic games is so brisk tina
baseball may possibly appeal to SOM
tastes. some pockets, or some Oppor
tunities which the present supply 0
Open-air amusements fails to satisfy
Many new games have been invented
adopted, or revived in these island
during the last ten or twenty years
lawn tennis, hockey and lacross,
among the number. The last men
toned every body knows, was an i'm
portation from Canada, introduced b.
two exhibition teams of Canadians ant
North American Indians. It is an ag,
for devising new games, borrowing
foreign and furnishing up old ones. l
the ghost of FOUNDERS" is sneakinl
about anywhere he will aid and abe
the efforts of the base-ballers to re
habilitate him. 1t would, moreover
be pleasant If we were enabled to meo
tie Americans in some other sports
besides rowing, yachting and athletics
London Times.