The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-12-01
BRITISH
MINISTER A
SPORTSMAN
Sorry Hs Didn't Reach Hare
BefOrs Football Season Had
Ended.


New York. Dec. i.-sir Henry Mortimer
the new British ambassador to theT nited
States. spent Sunday as the guest OF
Clarence w. Bowen at No 5. East 6srd
street. He attended church with the
family in the morning and received and
made calls in the afternoon. He was
delighted with all he saw. He will leave
for Washington this morning.
Sir Mortimer Is an example OF the
finest type OF Englishman. He is fully
six feet tall and OF powerful build. yet
SO well proportioned that he does not
seem massive. There is dignity in his
carriage. yet he is sagile in his move-
ments as any college athlete. 1t is rs
corded that his age is 50, bnt he has
the appearance OF a man in the early
forties. Lifelong devotion to out door
sports has kept him young
His coloring. despite many years in
India, Is fresh and ruddy and there are
few strands OF gray In his dark brown
hair and sweeping moustaches. His
blue eyes are keen and bright-the eyes
of sportsman as well as of a diplomat.
broad high brow, strong nose OF the
Roman type and a powerful chin, backed
by massive jaw, give him the appear
ance OF one who would fight forever
rather than abandon a principle. Yet
his manner is kindliness personified and
he has most winning smile He speaks
quite without accent--the speech OF the
English university man. f s
The new ambassador has been zeal
GUS sportsman since boyhood. He hrowed
in England. but as he went out 10 India
a quarter of a century ago he had to give
up that sport. He has played polo con-
stantly, and IL he chooses to play will
easily take rank among the best men In
this country. Football he played untp
he was 40.
CURVE BEYOND THEM
II regret very muchs' he said, ito
learn that I have arrived at the close
OF your football season. I am anxious
TO see your game. study It. and compare
IL with ours, from which II varies In
many of its features.
II am much interested I'm your game
of baseball, too. which am told is much
quicker and more exciting than cricket.
One detail OF your game has for years
seemed wonderful TO me, and that is
pitching the curved ball. To an outsider
the idea seems quite impossible, but Of
course II is well vouched for. Your
pitcher eeems to stand nearer to the
than our bowler does at cricket.
"A bowler. by holding his finger on
the seam OF the cricket ball at the mo-
ment Of delivery. will give 1t a cut or
spin. so that II will bound at tangent.
but the curved ball is beyond US"
IL Sir Mortimer desires to study the
curved ball, as IL is pitched in America.
he will not have to go outside the diplo-
matia~corps for information. Sir Chen
tung LANG Cheng. the Chinese minister.
was said to be the inventor Of the curve
at the dinner given to Sir Chentung at
the Lotos club Saturday night. Timothy
l.. Woodruff, who was attending Phillips
Exeter college while Sir Chentung was
student at Phillips Andover. posted
President Lawrence. Of the Lotos club.
on the minister having invented the
curve while at school. and In HIS address
OF welcome he referred 10 the debt OF
gratitude which the United States owed
Sir Chentung for the discovery.
After the dinner the Chinese minister
did not deny the statement but said.
smiling:
IL will not claim to have Invented the
curve ball. Such a claim might be dis
puted. / Will say however that when
returned 10 China after my college
course I knew little Latin and less
Greek but a great deal about baseball,
curves and ALL"