Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-01-03
WORKMEN'S GAMES.
WAYS IN WHICH BRITISH LABORERS
AMUSE THEMSELVES.
Coursinx. Rat Killing and Bird Singing
Matches-Nost the North Countryman
Loves Vigorous Sports and Those in
Which Dog Is Principal.

zIatches-Iost the North Countryman
Loves Vigorous Sports and Those in
Which Dog Is Principal.
A cynical Trenchman who claimed to
have closely studied the subject once an
bounced his conclusion that the British
workman's chief sport and almost sole
amusement was beating his wife. His die
tum has been widely accepted, until it has
come to be almost an axiom. But it does
the British workman injustice. Not all Of
his class are bad as this would make out,
while the majority are fertile in amuse-
ment resources. Taking them as whole.
it is likely that no similar class in any other
country has such varied resources Of sport
or is SO jealous in its pursuit as the Brit
ish workman.
Perhaps it is in the colliery districts that
sport, III all its peculiar forms, most -four
ishes, for Golfers usually have more spare
time than other rough manual workers, and
used to have much more money. Here some
event or another may be seen any day of
the week, Sunday especially, in which usu-
ally the Golfers dog his chief instrument
of entertainment, is the principal figure.
Rabbit coursing, one of his principal
amusemtnts, has u recognized place among
the standard sports Of Britain, and receives
great attention III the sporting press. Dog
racing is another favorite sport in the
north. The course is usually about ECO
yards long, and the races in handlcaps, are
run off in heats. The dogs are trained to
race at highest speed and exert themselves,
without rider or other inducemcut, as
much a8 does a race horse. The owner of
each animal plants himself in the course
just past the finishing post and urges his
animal on with shouts, imprecations and
wild gesticulatiors. The animals are slip
ped at one end and tear down the course at
hottest speed between the throDgs of eX-
cited spectators, allowing nothing to divert
them from the effort TO be first past the
post. Hog racing handicaps arc regular
attractions on Lancashire racing grounds,
and the stakes run Fl ON 500 TO 500, or
even $500.
Rat coursing is another popular pastime.
Advertisements in newspapers and posted
Oh bilboards and fences may regularly be
seen, announcing that some public house
keeper will give s. to be coursed for at
rats by all classes of terriers, fighting dogs
barred" A sweepstake is made with the
stake offered and the entry fees, and the
whole affair conducted with much formal
ity and solemnity. The referee and the
rats are furnished by a professional rat
catcher. 4 dollar a dozen is the average
price for rats A long stretch Of green turf
is incosed and boarded up a foot or two III
height for q course. The rat catcher has the
rats all together in "a sack, and he deftly
snatches one out with his bare hand and
losses it into the inclosure. Two dogs are
slipped in after the rat has had short
start, and the first to kill wins. The rats
are usually very nimble, and the dogs need
to be clever as well as swift.
Plain rat killing divides high honors with
rat coursng as q well patronizcd game
among northern British sports" a match
usually arises out of discussion over the
merits of two dogs, but gate money Is
charged, betting books are opened, and
when the event is called it has developed
into an affair as exciting as a horse race. A
match is usually for 20 rats Il side. The
rats are starved, so as to make them wiry
and fierce. The whole 20 are turned into
the pit at one time, are made to run around
for few minutes, then the first dog is
turned in. the referee touches his stop
watch, and the sport" watched by hun
dreds of human eyes, begins. The dogs are
trained to their part, and often 20 rats are
killed in less than 20 seconds. The other
dog is turned in with the remaining 90
rats, and the victory is dependent on COM
parison of the respective times occupied by
each dog III killing its quota.
Trail hunting by dogs is another popular
sport. 1t is conducted on the same general
plan as are .he anise bag hunts by our fash
ionable fox hunting clubs, except that only
the dogs take part i'll the hunt, and the first
dog in at the death gets the igurative brush.
A hilly stretch of country is chosen, and Il
swift runner trails an anise bag over "a diff
cult route, up hill and down dale, through
hedges and over high stone fences, ending
in long, staked out homestrctch. The
dogs are let loose and they follow the trail
at full speed, persstently and ardently, I'M
til they come in II yelping squirt over the
homestretcb to the finish. This is an at
tractiye sport, and a good trail hunt is worth
seeing.
Bird singing matches are another protni-
nent amusement. 1t is not an exciting
sport to the uniuitiated, but to the north
ern British workman, with his money up,
it is intensely exciting. The birds. in cages
covered with q screen of cloth, are placed
side by side ON Il table, or hung together on
the wall of n room. At a given signal the
cloths are removed and the contest begins
Not whisper is heard in the room, crowd
ed as it is with an excited audience. First
one bird chirps or trills or bursts into
song, and then another. Or perhaps one
or all remain persistently silent The con-
test is in heats of so many minutes each
and is decided on "A mystifying basis of
trills, chirps, MARBLES and various oddly
named and dis 'ingJtished notes. Sometimes
"a too eager owner will ehirp or otherwise
encourage his bird, which brings down n
storm of profane eXpostuiation and may
precipitate fight
Brass band contests are n form of amuse-
ment in which the whole community may
share. They are scarcely peculiar to the
north, for now almost every large Sunday
school in an English town has a brass band
organized among its members. If not a
brass band then drum and fife corps,
which is unlike the corps familiar in this
country in that the proportion is about one
drum to half dozen or more flies. Most
villages of Importance in the north have
their local brass bands, and local contests
are frequent. while occasionally there will
be national contest at some seaside re-
sort. They are n source of delight to the
British workman, to whom the main inter-