The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-26
The Coming of Golf.

The expected has happened. Golf has at
last reached Indianapolis For the last half
dozen years or so it has swept up and down.
the Atlantic States like an epidemic, until
not to know how to play golf was to be
behind the times in that element of society
which is given to athletic sports. For some
reason not explained it wended it's way
west slowly, but last year it arrived in
Chicago, and now, according to a veracious
chronicler of current events in that city,
it absorbs the attention of the very best"
and of the 'second-best' people there. 1t
took long jump on to Denver, and is also
heard of on the Pacific coast, but only at
this late day has this engaging game found
enough friends with the courage of their
convictions to form a club in the Indiana
capital. Whether they were discouraged
from an earlier attempt by the unfortunate
result Of the effort to establish fox hunting,
or rather, anise-seed-bag hunting, as a So
ciety function is not known. In that case,
it will be remembered, the rude jeers of an
unsympathetic populace SO disconnected the
public-spirited, but too sensitive, young men
who had organized the chase that they
went into retirement and swore great purple
oaths to the effect that they would never
again try to lift Indianapolis out of it's
provincialism and make it an up-to-date
town. Happily the contamination then
sought is brought about in another way.
Golf is here and Indianapolis is up to date.
Being here, it is not to be treated with
the ribald disrespect that the fox chasers
encountered. Anyone who ventures to speak
lightly Of golf is deserving of severe re-
proof, and the Journal stands ready to
administer it. Golf is a real nice game;
al
says so. 1t is true that iconoclastic people
who hold nothing sacred aver that it is
merely the vulgar game of shiny with
variations, but Skinny is modern in COM
parison. Golf has a history. 1t is supposed
to have originated among the shepherds of
Scotland, VINO amused themselves by knock
ing pebbles around with their crooks"
The first games on record were played in
Scotland in l640 1t slowly increased IN
popularity in Scotland until 1911, before
reaching England to any great extent, when
it was taken up by the royalty in England
and was so well thought of that it inter-
fered with archery, and for the common
people the law was made prohibiting the
game, which necessarily retarded the prog
ress of the game. Even now it is only
played by people of leisure like the sheD-
herds of old, and though no law forbids
general indulgence in it, it is perhaps well
that it is hedged round with certain for
malities else it's destinations would draw
busy men and women from their duties
and leave the work of the community UNI
done.
Put while all people of proper local pride
will be glad golf has come, it must be admit
ted that those who do not play will have
some trials to endure. For, strange as it
may seem, there are some people, even
those of leisure who will persistently de-
cline to walk over miles and miles of ter
ritory for the purpose of knocking balls
into holes, just there are a few people
who do not care for baseball and retdse to
sccot about the streets and highways on
bicycles. Nevertheless just as they
have had to hear about baseball for these
many years and have had wheel talk dinned
into their weary ears from every side, so
they will not be able to escape golf talk
They will have to get used to the links"
the green the drivers" the spoons,
the "cleeks,' the 'niblicks,' the "putters,
the "caddies'' and all the rest of the cabal-
istic lingo. And they will have to encoun-
ter the ''gush" Of the golfers and listen to
long accounts of games their hearers do
not understand and do not want to under
stand. But they should not complain. 1t
is a part of the tax they pay for living at
the end of the century when fads prevail.
If they will not take up the fads they must
at least stand in their shadow. They may
as well smile and be glad they are alive,
glad that people who play golf are so easily
pleased and glad SO innocent thing has
arrived.
-s-o-s---
A city plain has its disadvantages.