The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-07-06
SPORT oF PRESIDENTS.

1EAerclSes
 Persons interested in the big game hunting trips and the daily athletic ex- ercises of President Roosevelt need only to examine the records of former presi- dents to learn that he Is by no means the first chief executive to spend his vacations and leisure hours in the pur- suance of sports. On the contrary, from President Cleveland back to our first president, the resident of the White house who has not practiced some sort of outdoor diversion is rather hn ex- ception than otherwise. No more ardu- ous fisherman and duck shooter could be imagined than President Cleveland. Ae his home near Buzzards Bay he spent every moment of his leisure time in his fayorite pastime. With the rod and reel. It was a common thing to see MT. Cleveland out to catch the proper tide even before dawn and his skill is said to have been equal to that of any of the old shellbacks in the neighborhood when it came to playing "a bass.
 Even while in Washington MT. Cleve- land frequently sought relaxation from bAhC hi 0AltN6 Q1 lllO OtllSC 0y lclhllls1. to his gun and hunting along the shores of the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay for duck. Nor was President Cleveland the first to dignify this ground, which is popularly called the presidential hunt ing preserves President Harrison went duck shooting along the shores of these waterways and hunted every foot of them clear to the sea. All sorts of wild duck abound in this district. among them canvasbacks and besides these quail, pheasant, snipe and wild turkey are to be found President Harrison was fairly good shot with a gun, but his first venture proved slight ly disappointing, for he mistook black pig belonging to a negro for a raccoon. He offered at once to settle for the pig, bnt the patriotic owner de- aclined on the ground that he had been highly honored by a president of the. United States shooting his pig, and that the proud distinction would be handed down from one generation to another in his family. President Harrison never took much to horseback riding nor to field sports, but with shooting he fell more and more in love as he became older. He even shot duck from a sneak box" an achievement of which any duck hunter may well be proud
 Before George Washington became General Washington he hunted all over this same ground. After he became d general he had little time for hunting and shooting but he was passionately fond of horseback riding and was con- |sidered an excellent horsenan even dur ing the days when numbering stage coaches were responsible for much rid ing in the saddle and when horsemen were plentiful. Once in the presidential mansion, however, President Washing ton rarely found opportunity to indulge himself in his favorite pastime, but when he did he rode as near as time allowed to the scepe where as young. man the crack of his gun had reverber- ated along every foot of the big water front.
 Curious to say, fond as Presidents Cleveland and Harrison were of the waterfront, neither of them ever found pleasure in swimming. President John Quincy Adams was by all odds the swimmer president of the White house. Next to Benjamin Franklin he was the
 best swimmer of any public man in
 Washington. President Adams was was a remarkable walker, and fre- quently he combined his two hobbies, Often he rose long before dawn, walked as far as Georgetown. where he had a secluded nook, and, stripping plunged into the Potomac. Then after long. |refreshing swim he would dress and walk back to his home where he ar. rived by break of day, ready for what ever came.
 President Roosevelt's recent trip into
 Yellowstone park recalls a similar va |cation which President Arthur spent in I the same park, accompanied by Gen. eral Phil Sheridan. President Arthur was especially fond of camping, and hunting, and fishing, and on one occa- sion was hundred miles from where he might have been reached by tele-
 graph wire. Bass and trout were Mr.. Arthur's favorites He is said to have
 been remarkably expert at casting the fly, and once when on visit south, the fishing club of Louisville presented him
 with an exquisite rod, suitably engrav- ed. and of this the president ever felt especially proud.
 President Garfield was another of. our. presidents given to the pursuit of sports He did not care for fishing, however. Hunting was his pet diver sion. But aside from this he took as lively interest in all sorts of field sports, especially i'll the national game. baseball. Billiards was another favor E ite diversion with President Garfield.
 During his administration a new bill Hard table was placed in the basement of the White house, and here he played almost regularly every afternoon. President Garfield was also very fond of horseback riding. Taking him all in all, he was probably the most all-round
 sporting president, for rlo matter what the sport, he felt at least q mild inter- est in it.
 As might be expected, among the ear- ly presidents horseback riding was the chief diversion. In their day sports had not been developed to the fine point of