Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-05-31

ticalIy all made here, and the business
amounts to something like SO, 000 900 a
wear to the trade. This is looking at
the other side of the sport, but the
point of view is not an unimportant
one.
The clubs in and about New York are
in number almost legion, and they are
preparing busily for champio' ship
events Practically the season begins
with Decoration day, the month OF fine
weather before that date being given up
to practice playing. OF course, play
begins earlier south. The Washington
tournament for the pionship of
the Southern States was held in the
middle of May. Tomorrow the New
York tennis club will hold its spring
games, and from now on TO the end OF
the season in October there will be a
tournament every day-for not a sum-
mer hotel of any size is without its ten
mis- courts, the smallest villages have
their clubs, and matches and return
matches are shrewdly relied upon to
keep up the interest in the game.
Undoubtedly the success Of tennis is
largely due to the fact that men and
women can play it together. For flirta-
tion purposes it may not quite equal the
sedate and sluggish game of croquet,
but for judicious combination Of sport
and opportunities for tete-a-tetes. It's
equal has never been invented. Indeed,
tennis is the ideal ladies' game. As it
requires agility rather than strength to
play tennis, there is no reason why
women should not play quite as well as
men, If it were not for the perpetual
handicap of skirts. AS it is, an active
young woman is about match for a
stout and middle-aged man, with equal
practice, and some of the best women
players can hold their own with any
but the very best men. This is test
not to be recommended, however, as the
practice Of playing with one of the
other sex rather tends to break man
up, as he is divided between his gallant
nv and his desire TO excel. Thus it may
easily happen that man will show up
in better form at the end of season
with mparatiyley little practice with
men than if he had considerable careless
playing with women. Championship
games are. of course, always between
players of the same sex.
Since Sears, of Boston, who was an
extraordinary tennis player, met with a
disabling accident, the honors of the
game have rested with the Brooklyn
players, Henry w. Slocum, Jr., son OF
Gen. II. w. Slocum, the champion oil
1889, and Oliver s., or collie" Camp
bell, the present holder of the cham
pionship, both having played at Pros
pect park in past years, though MIR.
Socum is now a member of st. Georges
club, of New York. There is perhaps
no place in the country where better
provision is made for tennis playing on
a large scale. than at Prospect park,
and there are few days in spring or
summer where a considerable number
of games are not going on there stimuli
taneously.
Badminton came to the front last win
ter as an indoors game, for which it was
well adapted by the smallness Of the
court required. A tennis court is rs feet
by 27-wider than an ordinary city lol
and nearly as deep. The badmintor
court is only A feet by 20, and can be
recommended for home game where
space is very limited. The net i:
shorter and higher. The short service
| line is feet inches from the net. The
| base line is Is feet inches farther back
on either side. The net itself is l6 feet
! long and feet high in the middle. Ia