Evening star., 1909-05-01

olacK race type even to the SharpS In the
press box. and when he merely whispers
the word ''robber'' to his companions in
the box the umpire out in the middle OF
the yard can't help but hear him.
Just now none of the foreign ambassa.
dors happens to be base ball fan, al
though Mr.. Jusserand, the French ambas-
sador. used to take In game occasional
". But the lesser diplomats-the at
taches. secretaries and so on-still turn
out in droves at the Washington games.
and most of them become enthusiastic
when they master the intricacies Of the
game.
Baron Speck Won Sternburg was often
seen at Washington ball games during his
residence here as German ambassador.
The baron was brought up I'm England
and was a frst-rate cricketer. He learned
the inside kinks Of the American game OF
ball many years ago while he was in
Washington as an attache of the German
legation. and he finished by acknowledge
ing that base ball was far better and
more scientific game than cricket. He
became SO fond Of base ball that he often
expressed himself as wishing that the
Germans would take up the game.
Sir Chentung LiangCheng. the prede-
cessor Of WI Tingfang as Chinese am
bassador to the UHited States, took In all
of the Washington ball games that he
possibly could make. 1t used to sur
prise strangers to see the handsome
Chinaman sitting in state in one Of the
boxes Of the Washington ball park. gen.
orally with his young son and few OF
the attaches of the Chinese legation
around him.
One afternoon in the spring of 1905
Sir Chentung Liang-Cheng was thus en-
throned in his box when a number OF
Daughters of the Revolution-the organi-
Zation was holding its congress here at
thu ffrnQ-fnnk I'm adfOfnfn0 hnY
The Daughters opened their eyes when
they saw the bland Chinese ambassador
in the box next to theirs.
1T must bore him frightfully, don't you
Think" whispered one OF the Daughters
to gentleman in the box. How can SO
involved and distinctively American a
game as base ball possibly interest a
Chinaman. when he knows nothing about
the games to give himself a chance to
study out, in the open air. the problems
Of his ambassadorial Office"
The Daughter of the Revolution had
saw. to her astonishment. the Chinese
ambassador draw a regular base ball re-
porter's score book from beneath the
folds of his robe and begin to make
score-keeping hierogyphs in the proper
columns with a tiny gold pencil. And
then she distinctly heard Sir Chentung
Iliang Cheng observe. in excellent Eng
lish, to one of the attaches with him:
Pretty punk hit. that. and it really
ought to go for an error for the infielder.
but / guess I'll give 1t to the batting
boy and let him fatten up bit, seeing
that he's whitfield twice already"
"why wha-a-a-." the Daughter OF
the Revolution began to stammer to the
gentleman escorting her party. But he
broke off her inquiry by putting in:
oh. that's all right. you know. Sir
Chentung is one of the swellest and keen
est cranks we've got, you see."
But" said the sstonished Daughter.
"he seems to know the game-and he Q
Chinaman!'
well. reckon he ought to know the
game" replied the escort. You see. he
pitched for a New England college team
more than a quarter OF century ago,
and there's a story. or legend. or some
thing. that he struck out eighteen men
of an opposing team one day. Oh. yes:
he knows the game some"
Sir William Van Horne, the Canadian
builder Of railways, who was born in Illi-
nois and worked as a railway telegrapher
out there In his young manhood. used to
attend the games when he was in Wash
ington. One afternoon, also In that
spring of 1906. he attended a game here
in company with some attaches of the
British embassy. A snobbish young New
Yorker. who had been educated at Ok
ford, was sitting in the next box. and
one Of the attaches introduced him to Sir
William. The gilded youth thought 10
make a hit with the distinguished Ca
madam with whose history he was not ac-
quainted, by leaning over to the Ameri-
can-born knight and saying to him:
"Stoopid game. base ball. compaiuhed
with cricket. don't you think, Sir VIII.
lam?"
Sir William bestowed a slow. compre-
Cix fha
New York and then replied, with the
greatest maginable deliberations:
lon the contrary, / think that base
ball has got cricket skinned fourteen diff
ferent ways from the ace"
And the gilt-foiled youth from New
York was silent for the remainder of the
session. CLARENCE l.. CULLEN.