The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-13

summer resort, al coach-and- -FOUR,
bowling along Respondent with the
gay toilets of the women and the liv-
cries of the statuesque grooms, is sure
to be followed by what the cockney
called "h'admiration h'amounting to
have" Nothing else gives the same
impression of wealth, of luxury, of
sportiness and of general good time.
They are sufficiently common now
adays, but twenty years ago there.
were none of them; that is, none of
them correct in every particular, for
let no one think that the noble art
of coaching is without its lore which
regulates the smallest details of the.
turnout. The late August Belmont it
was who first set before the delighted
and initiative American public the
spectacle of a. really truly coach,
hoarses properly matched, harness
Just right, and grooms correct in their
liveries down to the last, least button.
Nearly a quarter of a century ago that
was, and to-day there are more coach
es and more eagernesS for the sport,
twice over, than at any other time.
It is no light matter to choose the
horses for an up-to-date coach. To the
ordinary, common-or- garden spectator,
a coach is vehicle drawn to the toot-
ing of a horn by four horses; but end
less care must be taken in selecting
the four They must not be thor
oughbreds, of course, or they would
never be able to draw the load at
steady trot, and they must be a long
way removed from those animals
whose strength has made them
clumsy. They must match, TO
a hair, in color, and what is more
difficult, they must be equally well
mated in disposition. The wheelers
should be just half a hand higher than
the leaders; and, most important OF all,
they must be able to trot steadily, un :
varyingly, their eight or ten miles an
hour. Then, with proper liveries and
harness (the latter not too snowy you
have a coach-if you can pay for it.
If the very thought of sitting aloft
guiding four noble animals is fasci-
mating, what must the realization be!
No wonder that society women are
turning their attention to coaching. 1t
is a rather to be lamented fact that
the American woman does not add any
very marked degree of sportiness to
her acknowledged charms, If sportiness
is to be considered a charm, as few are
gcing to dispute in these strenuous,
athletic days. 1t took the coach to
tempt them, but now that a fair num-
Der of society women handle the rib
bons in the art (no very easy one, as
may be imagined), and this season will
see more such turnouts with women on
the boxes than ever before
Of women drivers perhaps the very
best is Miss Helen Barney, a favorite
niece of William c. Whitney, who is
shown in the illustration making
short turn in Central Park. Not many
women drive in the city, and Miss Bar
ney is the head and front of these.
Could anything be more dashing than
the way in which she sits and handles
the ribbons, keeping a watchful eye on
her wheelers the while? This summer
Miss Barney will be at Newport, where
she will spend much time on the box
seat of a coach.
Miss Barney's rival for the leader
ship in this sport among women is Miss
Kate Carey, but this enthusiast does
not drive in the city Her stunning
turnout is to be seen among the roads
about Lennox every summer. Another
Lennox coacher of distinction is Miss
Marion A. Haven, who is shown in the
Illustration. Miss Mills, the daughter
of Mrs Ogden Mills, is another enthu-
siast who does not hesitate to tool
coach even in the city.
One of the first converts to this de-
Iightful sport was Miss Helen Bene-
dict. who is now Mrs Tom Hastings.
She was very devoted to it, and her
teacher, William c. Tiffany, was ex-
ceedingly proud of the style of his pu-
pil. Around Meadowbrook Mrs. James
Kcrnochan may sometimes be seen on
the box of a coach, and Mrs. j. E. S.
Haddon and Miss May Bird are yet
others who tool along the roads of
Long Island. In the neighborhood of
Long Branch, in the summer. Miss
Norma Monro may be seen guiding her
four in good style. Mrs. Alfred Wander
bilt is not sporty" woman, but she
is fond of going out with her husband,
who is devoted to coaching (partly on
account of his health), and one of the
illustrations shows her sitting beside
him on the box of his private coach.
There is no doubt, say the horse au-
thorities, that interest in coaching, and
indeed all sorts of sport in which the
horse takes a share, is on the increase.
Automobiles are many, but they do
not Dust the horse from his traditional
place on the affections of mankind
and womankind, too. There is more
coaching in Philadelphia, almost than
in any other city, and in the neighbor-
hood of the Brookline Country Club,
Boston society people galore may be
seen on their coaches. 1t takes money,
but, given a sufficiency of that, there
seem to be few better ways of spend
ing it than in setting up a strictly
correct coach and delighting mot only
the lucky drivers, but also the less for
tunate wayfaring man with it's style
ri Inurard