Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1906-09-26
SPORTS x
BASEBALL IN ENGLAND

Reports from England indicate that
the attempt now being made to pop
ularlze baseball In that country Is real
izing considerable measure OF sue
cess. Similar attempts in the past, Gf-
ter promising fairly well, have
dwindled into complete failure, but the
Rhodes scholars seem to be putting
real life into the present one, and 1t
is not improbable that few years
hence the great American game VIII
rival cricket as q summer pastime. IL
this should come about. baseball Will
enjoy the unique distinction Of being
the old form OF athletics of wide pop
lularity in Great Britain which Is not
motive TO the soil. Football, cricket,
golf. lawn tennis, rowing. bowls and
POLO are British games. and sports.
such as horse racing. hunting. cours-
ing aud boxing are likewise the out
come OF British love of outdoor life.
England Is. indeed. the home OF sport
and athletics. and has taught them and
still teaches them to the whole world.
| Teams of English footballers and
cricketers tour In Europe and North
and South America. giving exhibitions
Of their skill the famous Corinthians.
every one of whom Is either an Oxford
or Cambridge graduate, will be seen
in Canada and the States this fall. the
: best horseilesh In this country and on
the European continent Is Of English
stock. the majority of the best jockeys
In France. Germany. Austria and Rus
STA are Englishmen. English sport
! has conquered In many countries. and
curious evidence of this IL found in
the fact that the English names and
terms Of the different games are In
practically universal use, Germans who
play Mt football--to cite one instance
speaking of goal" "kick-off." throw
in" pass "half-back and centre
forward. and never think of adopting
| German equivalents. The spread OF
English sport must have played a no
inconsidernble part In the spread OF
the language.
And now the time seems to have
come for England to learn something
from two or three of her erstwhilc
pupils. Her cricketors have learned
from Australians the Tick of "swerv'
ing the ball In the air: an American
jockey. the celebrated MIR. TOD" Sloan,
convinced her horsemen that there was
something to be gained from the use oi
the short stirrup: and last winter the
New Zealand Rugby football team
astounied and delighted the land with
II display of methods which players a'
home had not even dreamed OF. For
three or four years past there have
been complaints In certain quarters
that cricket Is becoming stale and
stands In need OF reform. What Ii
wanted. II Is 'arfuer IL more snap. and
rs baseball has features not unlike
those Of cricket and condenses the in
tercst into much shorter space OF
time, the American game is thought to
have an excellent chance Just now Of
earning popularity. But though base
ball may ind great favor, cricket will
remain king oil English summer pas
time That Is certain. Like golf, II
can be played by men at almost any
ago-Dr. Grace. who must be nearly
sixty. Is still making plenty Of runs
but II has more fine points than golf
and. unlike the game Of the links. has
charming spectacular attractiveness
The charge that cricket is slow Is q
superficial one, the mere fact that tn,
game takes, as a rule, two or three days
TO decide being wholly beside tn,
point. The true crickcter watches Tho
bowling, the playing and the fielding
OF every ball with full appreciative in
terest; II is the man who does moi
understand the game who finds II ted
ious. Few Americans understand II
and many OF us are wont to express
surprise that vast crowds OF people
should assemble on English grounds
day after day TO watch such an appar
entity dilatory game. But we must re
member that to the British people
cricket serves as II were. as a reaction
from football. For exactly eigh
months every year-Scpt. I to Apr!
30-millions OF Britishers take an al
most fevcrish interest in the great win
ter pastime, and when summer come
round the demand is for somethin;
restful. Perhaps nowhere is crlcke
followed with such keen interest as II
Manchester and Sheffield, great citlc
which palpitate with industrial an,
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