The Washington times., 1901-08-05
HENLEY FOR THE BRITISH.
Sentiment in Favor of Excluding
Foreigners in the Future.
Only the Dread of Appearing ChurI-
ish and CowardIy Prevents Immc-
diate Restriction of the Regatta
to Home Crews of England.

2 ish and CowardIy Prevents Immc
S diate Restriction of the Regatt
4 to Home Crews of England
f LONDON, July 2t.-In the letters to tn
| Times and other newspapers discussin
I | the question whether the Henley rogatt
= shall continue open to foreigners or not
those who say not are distinctly NOR
numerous, and their names individual.
! more weighty. than the other side. From
Rudolph Lehman. DIR. Wane of Eton
! and the Warden of Radley downward
| most of the men well known to the pub
lie rowing men have maintained tina
Henley is not the place for internatona
contests, and the press has agreed Will
them.
Before saying anything of their reason:
for this opinion. the views of the few who
have publicly opposed them may be dis
missed in very few words. First and
foremost comes the argument that having
once let the foreigners compete it viii
now appear case of funk to turn
them out. Some few say that as LeandeI
year by year absorbs all the best rowing
material that comes down from the two
| universities. other clubs have no chance
| against them, and therefore it is well
| that a good foreign crew should come
| and make the famous club fight its hard
| est to keep it's place.
| With regard to the funk argument 1t
is perfectly certain that this and this
| alone has kept Henley open to foreign
| entrants up to the present time. From
| the first there was strong feeling against
| allowing them, and this feeling has been
growing constantly stronger. Now that
| the question has been tackled fairly and
squarely in the open, 1t seems quite plain
| that only the dread of appearing churlish
| and cowardly prevents next years regatta
being settled one for Britishers only.
The arguments of Lehman, Grenfell,
and all the other advocates of a purely
British Henley are easily summed up.
Henley regatta was instituted, as its origi-
nal constitution states. solely for the pur-
pose of encouraging university metropoll-
tan, and local rowing. To admit foreign
competition, it is argued, will prevent the
regatta from fulfilling Its purpose. II a
foreign crew rows against an oxford col
lege. Cambridge college, London club,
or a Dublin club or college 1t is impossible
to prevent the public from looking upon
the race as an international one. Instead
of a foreign crew rowing against, saw
New College or London, the event is look
ed upon as the country from which the
visitors come against England. There is
already 4 certain amount of discomfort
at the position of Leander. 1t Is argued
that Its all-absorbing nature prevents the
other metropolitan clubs from renewing
their strength, and that in consequence
the Grand is generally a gift for them.
similar state of things has been the
case from time to time in London Rugby
football. Tins, OF course, Is strictly
amateur game.
The Harlequins, Richmond, BIackheath.
and other clubs have from time to time
been so popular that one or another OF
them has had the pick of all the good
football men that came to London after
leaving school or the universities. But 1t
has been found that this corrects itself
in time. and that, the same dogs,
every club has its day, the net result
working well for the game. And the
same condition is looked for at Henley
don, and other rowing clubs. Only it is
urged. If Henley is turned into an inter-
national regatta there will be no hope
for this. If the Grand Challenge Cup is
TO be looked upon as the amateur cham
pionship event of the world for eight
Dared boats, then some club must be kept
strong enough to defend 1t against all
club of course as things are
now must be Leander And here comes
the difficulty. The injury. 1t is argued. to
British amateur rowing. II the Grand
is to be considered an international cham
English rowing men naturally
want to retain 1t. not for this or that club, |
but for England. Then some one club or !
another must have good a crew as can /
be got together. That is to say, Leander |
must have first call on all its members.
At present Leander men who are quail |
fed to row for an oxford or Cambridge |
college and are wanted by their college. |
row for their college. Leander does not |
take them unless the college does not |
want them.
The natural tendency would be to alter |
this If a foreign crew threatened the |
n md hg h.. t...l
college rowing. Few things, II is found, |
benefit college rowing more than sending
a good eight to Henley, whether 1t is sue |
cessful or not; II deprived of one or two
OF their best men college would not feel |
SO inclined to go to the expense of Henley.
For another thing, it is urged that Hen
ley Is not a fitting course on which to
row championship race in particular
Ii is too snort.
Another argument is this: At present
the colleges and clubs at Henley go in
for several events. Members of an eight
will be rowing in one or two events as
eights, In another as a four, in another
as pair, and so forth. AS all do it. and
all train In the same way and to about
the same extent. 1t makes the contests !
a fair trial of their relative merits, and |
At the same time benefits their rowing all |
round. But foreign crew only enters for
1ne event trims and practices solely with
A view to that one event and does not
allow Its members to fatigue themselves !
by taking part in other events. To meet
MS successfully the English crews would
nave to follow the same policy, and that
$ contrary to the whole aim and object,
lot to mention sentiment, of Henley.
The bulk of English oarsmen, in short
do not want to change the character of
the regatta from its present combination
Of rowing and picnicking to a serious
matter OF rowing such as is the annual
Oxford and Cambridge boat race. Take a
I1eander eight, for instance, and the men
IL are young fellows of inde-
pendent means with a few starting in
some profession. Three weeks Is all they
are to give to Henley. A fortnight together
before the regatta they consider enough
But of course, ii Is not enough II they
are TO meet crews who have been in train
ng for weeks or months for one particu-
ar race. And the same applies to other |
clubs and colleges. The question is are
hey to alter their ideas or not? They evil |
iently do not want to. They would pre- |
Ter that an international race should be |
made a distinctly separate affair and |
owed on another course, Putney to Mort
AXE to wit. At the same time anyone who
knows English athletes knows that IL |
would not be easy to get up such an in
men will train readily to row
against one another. and when that race ,
8 over the winner has no desire to gain |
resh laurels. He is quite content to wait |
or next years race against the same op- |
and is strongly disinclined to Civ |
ng the time and trouble and expense Of |
raining to meet another. Englishmen
10 not care for too serious an element to ,
inter into their sports and the word in
ernauonaI has "a portentous sound