The herald., 1894-01-29
FEMININE ATHLETICS.
Dianas Who Hunt, Fair Fisher Women, and
Players OF Golf, Tennis and Hockey.

Players OF Golf, Tennis and Hockey.
A review of the athletic sports and
pastimes in which women are becoming
prominent is most interesting in review
and most encouraging in prophecy of
the new and stronger womanhood of the
future. There are women who stalk
and shoot, and fish, and there are others
who make profession of some particu-
lar game whose names at once remind
us OF tennis court or golf ground. Aft
er Mrs. TYacke, the bravest Diana Of
modern dase, and one or two other Eng
lish women who have shot the bears in
the woodland, come the women who
have stalked and killed the red deer.
Stalking may be hard, rough work, re-
quiring an unusual amount of endur-
ance, but there are plenty of English wo-
men who possess the strength and de-
light in the brief stalking season. In
this country we'll known huntswoman
is Mrs. Will Allen Dromgoole, writer
well known to the Boston literary set,
who has cabin in the Tennessee noun
tains, with portieres and window hang
ings of fox and coon and bear skins and
ornaments Of antlers from the deer she
has shot herself. Many English wom-
en-, too, are as good with rod as with
a rifle, and the list is headed by the
Princess of Wales and her daughters,
all of whom are good salmon fishers.
The Duchess of Fife has fshed regular
ly on the Dee all the autumn with much
success, having caught between 30 and
40 salmon. To handle heavy salmon
rod we'll and to make cast of some 40
or 80 feet of line so that the fly shall
alight on the water within few inches
of the desired spot require a great
amount of strength as we'll as much
practice.
Lawn tennis dozen years ago was
the resource of every summer girl, but
now in many country places in England
the most deserted corner of the pleasure
grounds is the lawn tennis court. $50
ciety has ceased to firt with lawn ten
mis-. F." 1t may see the century out, but
every year it will be played less by those
who have no particular facility for it
and given over to the champions.
Golf has taken the place of tennis,
and it is capital exercise for sinews and
muscles, is not extremely fatiguing, and
in England can be played both in winter
and summer. The game is played in
large grass covered space with tiny balls
and odd little hooks or clubs, by means of
which the ball is propelled over the
ground. The art Of driving these little
balls from one hole in the ground to an
other is by no means 80 easy as it looks,
but it is by no means impossible to the
woman who does not lose her temper
when the ball gets into bunker"
and has the good sense to wear suitable
and comfortable clothing. Golfing wo-
men are said to be more enthusiastic
over their favorite game than half the
men who play on the links
Hockey is another favorite game, par
ticularly with English college girls,
though it is rather rough. 1t is played
on smooth, level reotangle, with the
players divided into groups occupying
the two ends of the grounds. A stick
with thick knotted end is used Ia
knock the ball from the opponents end
of the line. The Thames has ladies'
"eight, 2" too, which attracts considera-
BILE attention. The members of the crew
are all neatly attired in white, with ties
and hat bands of Leander cerise. They
pull light craft, and their rowing is
remarkably good, with the proper time
and body swing. Wellesley college
girls, too, have crew, well trained and
doing pretty work with the oars, while
every class has its chosen eight in
training during the season. Intercol-
legiate boat races between the women's
colleges may be a feature of the twen-
tieth century SO near at hand and which
is already known as the woman's cen
tury.-New York Sun.