Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-04-10
Base Ball in England.

Prom the London Times, March Is
Everybody is now asking his friend in a
doubtful kind of way what he thinks of base
haN. LOndOners are. or ought to be, now in a
position to give their verdict upon this i'm
portant question. The Chicago and All-Amer-
lea teams have performed four times in Lon
don before large crowds Of spectators-at Lev
ton on Saturday e,OOO persons watched the
game. Our visitors. therefore. cannot COM
plain that they have been treated with indiffer-
ence. whatever judgment is passed upon the
game they introduce to us. Most Londoners
who take any interest at all i'll sports have con-
sldered II duty to pay the base ball players a
visit. and so inform themselves fully and truly
upon the nature of the game, keeping their
minds open and Purged. so far as possible
from all passion and prejudice. We are not
prepared 10 say that il is altogether possible
10 judge without prejudice a game which the
Americans have presUmptuOus!y 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 base ball on
It's merits. One of these merits Is that il is not
spun out over two or three days. Americans
who are so busy that they cannot find leisure
Tor cricket. manage to find it for a game which
single afternoon is sufficient to decide As
for the essentials of the game. il would be sim
gular II they did not strike some chords of sym-
patEy IN the English breast. considering that
AA4ts are tLt same as those Oh ''TOunderS.'
Founders was once much PLAYED ON every
village green; even now IL enjoys considera-
bic vogue as a Sunday amusement in the
outskirts of London, and several of our
metropolitan public schools find round
ers. or a variety of the game, peculiarly well
adapted to their tagged Fairgrounds Conse-
quently we must have latent afinites for base
ball. But of course. the American game has
developed greatly. One of the chief pleasures
OF the school boys life used to consist in
hat h. I'LL
the adversary had missed striking it. and sling
ing Il with unerring aim at his retreating form
The base ball Is nearly heavy as a cricket
ball and consequently it can be well under
stood that this pleasing feature has been elimi-
mated. and the most diverting incidents of the
game are the felnts of the runners attempting
To run from base TO base. The pitcher. known
IN FOUNDERS" as the feeder" the batsman
and the catcher are specialists, just as we find
some crlcketers pre-emlnent i'll bowling. bat
ting. or fielding. In fact base ball Is a science
Whether II Is worth taking the trouble to ac-
qulre tins science Is another matter. Base
ball, as a candidate for entrance into the list of
British sports. labOrs under the disadvantage
OF hndlng the field nearly full already of more
or less scientific games. IN which the youth of
our islands are drilled while vet at school At
the same time We must admit that the demand
Tor athletic games Is SO brisk that base ball may
possibly appeal 10 some tastes. some pockets or
some opportunities which the present supply
OF open-air amusements fails to satisfy MANY
new games have been invented adopted or
revived IN these islands during the last ten or
twenty years-lawn tennis. hockey and lacrosse
among the number. The last mentioned. as
everybody knows. was importation from
Canada, introduced by two exhibition teams of
Canadians and North American Indians. II il
an age Tor deylsing new games, borrowing for
eign and furnishing up old ones If the Ghost
q FOUNDERS Is sneaking about anywhere he
Will aid and abet the efforts of the base balers
10 rehabilitate HIM. 1t would, moreover be
pleasant If We were enabled 10 meet the Amer
leans in some other sport besides rowing, yacht
ing and athletics