New-York tribune., 1908-02-10
COMMENT ON SPORTS.
OLYMPIC CANES FUND.
Neu,s and Viescs on Current Topics,
amateur and Professional.

n mQICuT ana Il fof Cc"eof'
au- ,,,,,eseion seems to have arisen In
some quarters concerning the fund which is be
ing raised by the American Olympic conn''ee
20 aefray the expenses of the teams which VIII
represent this country at the Olympia In hhe-
land this wear. Our correspondent writes that he
would feel disposed TO make a subscription IL ne
thought it would aid in sending representative
lawn tennis team and not be used exclusively for
The track and field athletic team. A well known
oarsn1an expressed himself in much the same
wsy and said that there feeling in rowing
circles that general athletics was being played
UP at the expense of other branches of sport
Nothing is further from the truth. it is the
hope and desire of the American olympic COM
nnittee that this country shall be we'll repre-
sented in every branch Of sport the Olympic
programme and that so far possible the gen
eral fund will be used 70 make this condition
possible. Just how this fund will be divided to
insure the best results has not be definitely de-
cideG, as much depends on the attitude that
those interested in the various branches Of sport
take looking to a proper representation for their
particular line. The lawn tennis players, the
golfers. the oarsnen. the rif1eInen and such 9TH
ers for whom competitions will be held must do
their part toward creating interest and provid-
ing the money to send their teams abroad or
suffer the consequences Up to this time those
who are interested in track and field athletics
have done about all the work. and the money
subscribed to date, me $500 can be traced
10 theseforts being made TO send as strong an
athletic team to London as went TO Athens In
1905. when the Olympic championship was won
by the United States
III must not be forgotten that track and field
Afhletlcs form the foundation on which the OIyrn-
pia Is nased- The games Will attract more gen.
eral Interest than all the other competftions mn
together in all probability for the reason that
they VIII be held in the immense stadium being
hulis Tor the purpose, before the biggest crowd
perhaps IN the history of modern athletic con-
tests The golf the lawn tennis the rife shoot
ing, the rowing, the tennis the SQUASH
etc. etc. must be held apart and by the very
nature of the competitions with the exception Of
the rowing will fail 10 attract the throng as not
appealing to the desire for a conflict that is
waged and fought out step by step stroke by
stroke from start TO finish The Olympic
satta will be second only to the games, as row.
ing is close to the hearts of Englishmen. who
turn out in vast numbers the trials of
speed and line the Henley course over practi-
cally every foot Of the Journey. For this reason
cial effort to send two representative
crews abroad, and there is no question that 1t
viii be done and that the pro rata share of the
general fund viii be available 10 defray the nee
essary expenses. The American Olympic COM
mittee has easy task on its hands, but fortu-
nately II is made up OF who represen-
fative American sportsmen and who VIII work
hard and earnestly to do the best that is pos
sibIe for this country with the material and
s.1ax. a<-,rI Not
20 unanswered. as S5oo0o is needed, and the
sooner if is subscribed the quicker the commit
tee can make its plans and carry them 10 a sue
cessf,ll conclusion. Every sportsman in this
country should take lively interest in uphold
ing the prestige of the United States In the field
of sports and those who cannot give their ser
vices should subscribe their mite TO the fund II
q good cause
II seems a pity that the governing bodies
Of lawn tennis and golf I'm this country took
such a neutral position when appealed 10 FOR
assistance by the American Olympic committee
1t begins TO look if any representation the
United States will have in these lines OF sports
would be due entirely to the individual efforts
Of particular players Judging from reports
abroad lawn tennis viii hold q forward place
in rhe Olympia. and it has been suggested even
thai the contest for the Davis Cup which went
as not TO detract from the Olympic tournament
which will be played at Wimbledon on July {
and the following days Women's singles. men S
singles and mems doubles on the programme
and a country may enter twelve competitors
in each event Players will not be allowed TO
take part unless entered by their country. The
covered court championships have been fixed
for May at the Queens Club. II H l. Doher-
" returns TO the game and represents England
among others and y. E. Brookes Of Australia
The singles champion. Of Great Britain, and A
= Wilding his partner last year in winning
,he doubles championship, return 10 defend
their titles and enter the Olympic tournament
his country should be represented by its best
and strongest players. There may be some eX-
c,se for the lack Of interest in golfng circles
here for the Olympic tournament at Deal, as
for some reason hard TO explain many of the
leading golfers abroad resent the action of the
English committee in instituting champion
ship of such pretensions. while leading au-
thoritv is quoted as saying: 1T does not ap-
peal 70 us as attractive or desirable from any
r,oir.t Of view and IF it is advertised as a
worlds championship. or by any such preten-
,f-,s designation or If il IS in the least degree
subsidized or engineered by trading interests
our leading amateurs will have nothing to dc
With II This position is in striking contrast
"a that taken by the Henley stewards. who have
nIsoed their own pet Henley regatta second to
the Olympic regatta by barring foreign crews
for one wear so as TO make the latter event first
IN public interest.
casner whitney president Of the American
olyupjc committee has the following to say
I'm the current issue of The Outing Magazine
about the recent opposition to the appointment