New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-07-02
TIE COLLEGE RACES.

The college boat races on the Hudson ana the
Thames this week leave many questions unset
tied; but now. III former years, one fact Is
conspicuous, namely, that iii England the nauii-
cal prophets are able to estimate i'll advance
the merits and chances of rival crews with Tar
more accuracy than is attained in this coun-
fry by those whose business it is to find out
what is going to happen. At PoughkeepSle on
Tuesday the sO-called experts generally expect
ei Cornell To win, and do not recall that a
single one of them had good word to say for
Syracuse. Nevertheless, Syracuse achieved two
notable victories with an ease which made the
dangerous experiment Of permitting two Cor
nell men to row in both the freshman and the
university race a poor excuse Tor Corners d@-
feat. At New-London Nale's prestige an" the
deliberate Judgment of most practiSed ohserv-
ers caused it to be generally assumed that Har-
ward would fail again in the chief event But
nobody thought, or. at least, had the courage
to say, that the university contest would De Il
procession rather than race. procession II
certainly was Yale took the lead at the start,
steadily increased it with every stroke and won
as She pleased She finished seven lengths
ahead, and apparently might have doubled the
interval if there had been any need Of extra eX-
ertion. We venture TO say that in England such
q disparity of power skill, or both, between
Oxford and Cambridge Fights would have been
clearly discerned and confidently proclaimed by
tie critics long before the race.
The chief advantage which English sporting
writers and other trained observers possess lies,
we suppose i'll the fact that the English uni
versity crews are trained to row practically
the same stroke so that their proficiency ac-
cording TO an accepted standard is the thing
to be determined. In this country there are
almost as many strokes there are crews,
and il must be admitted that established
superiority cannot be safely claimed for any
one Of them For a good many years the sue
cessive victories Of Yale crews trained by Cook
or in strict accordance with the principles
which he had impaired produced strong con-
viction in many minds that the true scientific
stroke was the stroke which he taught his
pupils. But then Courtney appeared upon the
scene, and the Cornell opponents of his ideas,
If they did not shatter, severely shook the faith
which Cook had inspired In the pre-eminent ex-
cellence of his system. though, to be sure, the
canons of Cook and Courtney do not vary wide
II at some points. Now, however, the young
men from Syracuse, under the tuition OF Ten
Eyck. have triumphantly exemplifed the pos
sibilities of a radically different stroke, while
Cornell coaching has proved bitter dlsappO1nt-
ment TO the Harvard oarsmen. The striking
success of English crews In international races
seems on the face Of things to demonstrate the
superiority Of the English stroke, which COOK
imported with slight notifications, thirty years
ago; but the proof cannot be regarded as abso-
lutely conclusive for the reason that the voy-
age and the difference in climate are g serious
handicap TO the visitors
We remarked at the beginning that many
things have been left IN doubt by this years
intercollegiate boat races, but presumably there
is no difference of opinion as to the manage
ment of affairs at New-London. All published
accounts agree that it was extremely faulty.
II full authority had been vested IN the referee
and he had exercised il with good Judgment
all three of the races might have been rOwed
on Thursday. Yet II must be said that spec
tators sometimes fail to consider all the ele
ments of such Il situation. Oarsmen who have
worked hard for many months and by great
self-denial have fitted themselves to take part
in single arduOus and brief contest cannot be
blamed If they object to rowing under I'M
favorable conditions. They can hardly be ex-
pected to think exclusively, or chiefly Of the
convenience of the impatient multitude. More
over, a great responsibility rests upon the ref
cree In a football a baseball game bad
weather is an annoyance, but not a peril. If,
on the other hand, a racing shell were swamped
by rough water, with fatal consequences. the
man who had ordered the disastrous attempt
TO be made would be condemned without mercy
by the very persons who call a postponement
an outrage 1t is easy to be wise after the
event. In this instance it appears that greater
degree of wisdom before the event might rea-
sonably have been demanded.