The evening times., 1900-01-22
The Fox Hunt.

The latest refinement of the fox-hunt
comes from France They are Using auto
/ mobiles instead of horses. and, of course,
/ aniseed instead of the fox. Ii is not
known whether any substitute for the
hounds has been discovered or not, but
perhaps an automatic barking machine
could be attached to the horseless car
riage.
Fox-hunting is a sport which has never
been widely popular in this country. Some
sportsmen hunt their fox on foot and there
are a few districts where the English style
of riding 10 hounds finds favor but as a
rule. the American sportsman takes his
pleasure after another fashion. On the
whole. this is Indicative of at least as high
a standard of civilization among Americans
as is to be found among Englishmen. But
whether we ever adopt the English ideal
of sport or not. it is unlikely that We shall
put on this latest French fashion. The
American sense OF humor is too keen for
that.
1t has been thought by some observers
of our society that game preserves in
America would follow the accumulation of
great fortunes. and that we should have
a landed aristocracy founded on a pluto
cratic basis. The game preserve is one
of the small things which would only be
possible under an American aristocracy-
IL it became common and was kept up after
the English manner. So true is it that
straws show which way the wind blows
that this insignificant matter of hunt
ing is one of the most significant differ
ences between American and English civ
ilization. 1t may be stated with absolute
certainty that the fox-hunt. or anything
which corresponds with it, will never be-
come our national amusement, identified
with the American as with the English
country gentleman. The cause of this diff
ference lies deep.
The English fox-hunt is the outgrowth
of some centuries of social growth based
on the feudal system. When it was inau-
gurated-the custom of riding to hounds
came, like other sporting customs, from
Normandy-the nobleman owned the lands,
and the peasant had no right to object to
anything that his lord chose to do to him.
IL the horses trampled his whole crop of
grain he could not protest; If the foxes
preyed on his poultry yard he had to pro-
tect himself as best he might, without set
ting traps. The hunt. composed of gen.
tlemen and ladies. could go where it Liked
and do what it chose. There was plenty
of money for that pastime, whether the
peasant lived in hut ft for a dog or not.
OF course, as time went on, the injustices
of society were reformed, and the harsh
system of things softened, and the peasant
secured some of his rights; but the great
estates remained, constructed especially
for the amusement OF their owners; and a
country arranged on that principle cannot
be remodeled in a generation, even if any
one wanted TO do it.
In this country it has been different We
have never had any feudal system, and
land has been divided, for the most part,
to suit the needs of the many instead of
the convenience of the few. II ANYBODY
went on a fox-hunt, everybody might; and
il the farmers fields suffered, he could |
bring the matter up in court. This made
fox-hunting too expensive and trouble
some an amusement to be INDUCED in |
lightly; SO the rich man took to private
cars. yachting, and ball-giving, which in
yolved no lawsuits, were exclusive pleas |
ures, aud could consume all the money he |
cared to spend In the South, where |