The Washington herald., 1908-03-08

lege. a Quaker institution backed by his
family, when he got the idea in his head
that he wanted to be somebody in ten
mis-. He persuaded his father. who had
made all his other sons stay in college
until they had graduated. 10 let him quit
college, and from then on. until hc won
\ the national championship. two years
ago, he gave himself up wholly 20 lawn
tennis. When in college he was only a
passable. though a dOgged player, and
was frequently beaten by lother student
devotees OF the game
Harold Mccormick sOn-in-laW OF John
ID. Rockefeller. and before that event
famous in Chicago as a scion OF the
reaper family, and his brother Stanley
held the Western championship for
doubles in 1893 Harold is easily Chica-
gos wealthiest and most prominent de-
votee Of the game He and Ward Bur
ton. whose riches have been made out
of dry goods sold in Minnesota. were
/ once matched in the Western tOurna-
ment About half an hour before their
turn 10 play. the ChicaGoan got a bad
attack OF nerves. scrambled into his
tennis suit and hurried out 10 a court
10 practice by himself. He lost.
Ward Burton a Crank"
There is not a greater crank" over
the game than Ward Burton Every
year he turns over his summer place
| fronting on Lake Minnetonka, 70 the
folk who run the Northwestern tourna-
ment. This Is one Of the great society
events OF the Northwest, people turning
out 20 it by the thousand. many OF them
who own places on the lake going 10
the tournament in their private yachts
! Burton is also distinguished in his part
OF the country as the only yachtsman
who. blindfClded. has sailed a yacht
through the legion OF little islands OF
Lake Minnetonka. a distance OF ten miles
1 FOxhan Keene. famous on two cont
nents as a polo player. a huntsman. a
I racer or automobiles. and a gentleman
! sportsman generally. IS, OF course. some
/ thing Of an adept at lawn t>nnis.
/ Walter Damrosch is only an smateur.
/ to use his own words, but yle game
/ makes him forget ali about his seri-
Gus work, and that Is why he plays
/ 10 whenever he gets an opportunity
Capt Henry McCrea, in command Of
the battle ship Georgia. now Of the fleet
| sailing 'FriscOward. reaches for his rae
I Quet when he leaves ship. He and the
/ late Admiral Sampson were once the
navy champions in doubles.
Mai. Gen. Wesley Merritt retired in
1900. after making an enviable record for
himself as fighter In The civil war and
on the plains. has been no mean tenpis
player IN his day: he is now seventy-Ctle.
Brig. Gen. Thomas II Barry. who was
appointed 10 West Point In 1873 by Rob
ert Barnwell Roosevelt. an uncle OF the
Presidents. is sometimes summoned by
the army's Commander-in-Chief 10 a ten
MS battle. The President has found the
general no mean antagonist. The latter's
lawn tennis days in Washington date
back to the second Cleveland administra-
ton when he was detached from his regi-
ment for duty in the Office Of the then
Secretary OF War, Daniel s. Lamont
Lieut. Phil Sheridan IS another repre-
sentative OF the army who has crossed
racquets with his Commander IN Chief,
but. it is said. not with so much success
as Gen. Barry.
LRrned Played the President
The present national champion W. A..
LaTned, knows by. experience that the
President can keep a fellow playing IN
championship form hustling hard. A
summer or two ago Larned was especial
ly invited TO Sycamore Hill to play ten
mis-, and with Mrs. Roosevelt as an inter-
ested spectator, her husband and his
guest had many a hard fight on the grass
court, with the score not always in
Larneds favor.
Larned has been a lawn tennis per-
sonage for something like a decade and
half Now thirty-six years old. which
is rather a ripe age for "A champion.
Larned has been titleholder three times.
in 1900. the following year. and last year.
when he realized his ambition TO be ten
mis- champion three times, after losing
in previous tournaments on the final test
Larned did not play tennis in 1885, he
went 10 war against the Spaniards in
stead This is one OF the reasons why
President Roosevelt takes a keen inter-
est in the champions tennis fortunes.
Copyrighted. 1905 by Dexter Marshan)