The sun., 1908-04-19
NOTADLBSVHOWURV.OARSNEN
MORE FROM ROWING THAN ANY
OTHER OUTDOOR SPORT.


has produced more distinguis he d men th,,
rowing, and this is true both In America 1m
England. Ifthe history Of boating In AmSro,
from its infancy we're traced, II would h,
found that long string Of prominent nw
| rowed here and there az times on the dthsrso,
varsity crews, Because the sport Ia much
older in England the list is longer and. any.
way. the chronclers have kept closer trGek
| Of the notable cases.
up to 1917 the Blues At Oxford and oam.
| bridge for the most part turned their attention
to the Church, but 1871 marked the advent
| OF " H. Grenfell. now Lord DeSboroufA
who rowed for oxford, He subsequently
| turned TO distance running fencing noun.
| tain climbing and big game shooting, and
| practically opened mp new record Inc
! Immediately afterward came soldiers Blues
| such as f. NJ, Beaumont. Il, !, Spurrel and
] Ducker Mclean, who died a hero in South
. Africa Then there were lord AmpthnI
I Governor Of Madras mad temporary yiceroy
OF India, and Sir Charles Ross, inventor Of
the Canadian military rife. In commenting
on the old rowing "Blues, the Field says
Rowing asks in the hrst place for much
In the strength Of mans character. In that
respect II has not changed since the day
when II was first determined, Al the his'one
meeting Of the Cambridge University Boat
Club, February 90 1899. that Mr. Snow oi
81. Johns be requested 10 write TO Mr. S'ani.
forth, Christ Church. oxford proposing 10
make up a university match
The boat race Of to-day demands al aasi
as much self denial as did the first race Of
nearly eighty years aRo. In the second
place. compared with other forms of outdoor
exercise and enjoyment. rowing demands. OF
need demand. no great amount Of time II
used TO demand even less, Obviously, then,
II would be a recreation which would ht
likely to appeal In years gone by TO the OF.
ford or cambridge man Of brains and muscle
an nXious 10 spare as few hours as possIb.
away from his work, and to spend those hours
in A manner which would give him hard
exercise. There was a time, indeed, when
the rowing man was always a reading man
II this is no longer generally trua, and II
there have been cases IN the last twenty NJ
thirty wears when men have gone up 10 the
university merely to row, without carnE
much whether degree Ia to follow the boat
race IL is still the fact that rowing and read.
ing 60 together naturally,
THE records Of the boat race then we're
certain from the beginning 10 contain
number Of names distinguished 10 almoE
every held Of original work and thought
hut the records Of the earliest university
boat races and especially the first race are
really astonishing in the distinction OF tba
personalities Of the crews. The crews OF the
arst race the outcome OF SHOWS challenge 70
his old schoolfellow Staniforth, are almost
list Of deans and bishops. In the Oxford boat
there was TooRood, aiterward PrebendaSI
Of York who truly filled his place, for hs
rowed lust under fifteen stone; there vas
Garnier. afterWard Dean Of Lincoln, Fro
mantle Dean Of Ripon, ana Charles Wads-
worth. Gladstone's tutor and Bishop Of St
Andrews In the Cambridge boat Baylord
became Chancellor Of the Diocese OF Man.
chester: Charles Meriyale was Dean OF ~
and the historian Of the Roman Republic
and George Augustus SelWXnt desuneq 70 %
an e example as Bishop first OF New Zealand
and afterward OF LiChheld. No other boat +
race has equalled the first In such a list OF dis
But But II the Church is the keynote Of The (
records OF the first race the crews Of ne nsu
twenty or thirty years are at least eauali dls-
tinguished in the law courts First ana ioIe-
most in 1899 comes william benol Ply
Rolls: two years later George Denman, Priyy
Councillor and Judge OF the High Court ID
Is4s the greatest rowing man OF all and one
e the S best S EnFG ., STyss Ey%srd SnS SsSH
Ten, SfterwSrd lord Of Appeal and last q
the great Ave, in 1857. Lord Justice y
Smith, In one particular more distingulsneo
seniors for none Of the other four had 70
face quite such an unhappy predlGame,nn'
as fell 10 the lot Of Mr.. A. l.; Smith in ne hls.
toric struggle Of 1850 when the Ihame
was swept with a binding snowstorm on the
morning OF the race and the tideway was N
rough that Cambridge suggested postpone
ment
shipped good deal OF water At ne dsr
Cambridge more than oxford for they had
the worse station But It was the steamer
which finished Cambridge. altogether Ia
three OF them actually had the III manner
with their wash The Cambridge corsvLn
still held his boats nose stralgnt, aun w
crew went rowing ahead until they diSnpeaIIu
II was a horribly cold bath for eight Of ins
crew. but for MIR Smith II was somethnt
more for. like the dock hand hauled through
the water by ENGINEER McPhee In one oi Ny,
KiDling's best stories by the way, ne oog.o
not swum Fortunately, a life belt thtoWu
by the umpire preserved future Lord iustln.
1T was 10 the four survivors Of the lye
Oxford aud Cambridge Judges that nc dlnne,,
OF 1897 was given in the Trocadero restauIaH
an occasion Of many interesting comlpapr
stated that ont OF the Blues who had nsen
part in the nfty wears racing no fewer tlau
i73 had taken orders. IN 1897 tue nnmOelbs
were not 80 precisely estimated. but, thpuN
the proportion Of clergy was not so hlauI
the com pany at the dinner was distingulshed
In almost every denartment oi puOnc IVY.
Besides the four Judges and other laVksm
and Members Of Parliament there were ns In,v,
Bishops and thirty-two other clergy, among
them three public school head masters, w
!, j. Hornby. provost OF Eton. nr "HIi
head master OF Eton. and DR. Way, hesu
master Of Rossall =, l
when will be the next annivsrsary q
COn tulatOFv mapting Of old HIuee' "
would he interesting " there happened
be another gathering before 1929. vhlch ~, NJ
mark the hundredth wear OF the race
altered statistics and changing tendenCs
Of the after lives Of those who have roVeo
for their universities would make an enaIo.
lng study. Indeed a comparison ne.TssS s, az
the careers adoDted by the Blues oI lneu'
ffty and the Blues Of the last ffty YEAR ="
the race would be. II Ia not too much 10 "''
an addition to the history Of the nation g.,
1t would be particularly interesting
trace the effect on the rowing and onS
athletics Of the universities when 'umCeJ
time had elapsed 10 take a general view
he Oxford Rhodes scholars, Though uu
Rhodes scholars would not be the nIN n, iD,
siRners' 10 gain a Blue. Thai dlSln.J,g,
,nheres also, for VI WaddinPton Prime
Minister Of France and French Ambassca,J
lained the Chancellor's media! a. Camor'u''
md rowed for his university IN lNN -,
4 distinct change has come over me tt, So.n
position OF the crews during the laN lu.u
Years or so. and though the causes tot tr
change are many one OF The CHIEF confluI.us
rauses is plain enough. Many more I,.,,.I'v men ,Jv
The competition for a place In the unlVeLM,
boat Ia Immensely greater. When roHIu4
Nae the recreation OF the reading man ~
almost OF the reading man alone, me ah..y,
vas no less great. but the numbers onI "
Ehom tho crew could he chosen we're ~,
'iderably fewer. In a later day the nresltnoT
)f the Boat Club has been able 70 chooseLv,.
very wide circle indeed and the conSNluenSSs
las been for aspirants To the unverNly -"
o specialize moro and more In rowing a.p.s
The old double Blue. which mnant mem"'i
,hip OF the eight and the cricket eleven
now an impossibilty There has beer "
iouble cricket and rowing Blue for my.
,ight years; But, and perhsps as !. oUp oTI n