The morning journal-courier., 1908-02-24

ton of a large gathering. The more the hall fills up the better the quality Of the sound of the balls. The balls are less likely to sound right in an empty ! ' hall especially a barnlike hall. Yet this does not mean that the hall should be stuffy and the air vitiated. l When Hoppe made his record run of BOT in Orchestra Hall in Chicago the atmosphere was clear and perfect ly adapted to good billiards. There Was a good yentilating arrangement. and previous to the game the place had been ventilated, but without eX- posing it to the chance of being cold or insufficiently heated when the time came for the game 1 should say that Madison Square Garden, Concert Hall in New York, Orchestra Hall in Chi cago and Horticultural Hall in Phila- delphia are the three best suited to championship billiard contests
 'I have never seen billiard room in a private residence that was properly equipped with regard to sound. Archi- tects apparently haven't studied the subject I have heard men in their homes say they couldn't play as we'll as they could in some of the big Broadway rooms, and the reason Is their private rooms are not as well adapted to playing. l remember many years ago when Vignauf was over here Ipracticng. He complained that he couldn't play at all. He moved to an other room, but with identically the same tools, table. balls and cue-and the move made all the difference ilN the world"
 ITO change the subject. what style of game do you find hardest to ref cree?" Mclaughlin was asked.
 The 1S:2 game" was the reply. There is finer work in 1S.2, more close playing than in any other game, and you have to watch closer
 The billiard referee has to know where to stand; that is another point in the business. As for myself, l take my stand where I can best see the work, but with regard to the specta- tors, and if l can so manage it do not shift until the players shifts. l know what the player is planning to do as well as what he is doing at that imme- diate moment, and l take my stand accordingly. l like to carry the player along, as it were by the way I do my calling. The tones or the voice have their effect. l was refereeing an anna tcur game once when the player turn ed to me and requested me not to call so loud. That was nonsense. Loud and I i,,lo wifi, ira i,,i 1, 1r- a player more than low. droning mo- notonous calling of the count.
 The referee should know just how far to let the spectators go with their applause. Every player naturally likes applause and to have his work appre- ciated, but he doesn't want much of d break in his work and the applause
 must not be prolonged. If the pause is more than momentary or distracting ! of his play and to have the adjustment of his stride and plans upset
 '1 have always contended that the balls should be wiped twice during the progress of a match game. The profess sionals won't agree to this and don't
 have the balls wiped at all. but they
 would play better if they did. l sup
 pose they are afraid the other fellow
 will get the better of it, but there ought to be fixed rule for having : the balls taken up and wiped at cer- tain periods, no matter what may be : the state of the game at the time It $ would be better, too if the profess s sionas would adopt the amateur plan s of having the referee do all the call ! ing of fouls and not wait for the op-
 posing player to make his claim. It's { better to leave it to the referee. The T player can't get his claim allowed if c there is no foul, and in case it was s not up to him at all to rake the claim r he could take his scat and stay there l without bothering to move around and y watch his opponents play.
 |. Are the attendances as large at the c big matches as they were twenty-five q years ago? They are not. The only way $ can account for it is that there was 0 more sporting interest in matches ir
 the old days. New York Sun