Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-27

Russia and England, and while armistices
were in operation, the Russian and Eng
ltsh officers fraterniZed openly, as did the
men of both armies. At the close Of the
war some of the Russian officers became
SO enamored with the sportsmanlike quail
tiles of their British foes that several Of
them emigrated to England. and lived
and died there solely to be able to go in
for that most glorious of sports-racing.
A notable emigre was Prince Solkytoff,
a rich Russian nobleman, who came over
and got together a magnificent stable.
training his horses at Newmarket. His
name became a household word in the
annals of the British turf. and when he
died few years ago no man was missed
more nor more lamented, as a sportsman
than this Russian. Even today some Of
our principal racing stakes are named
after him.
I have friend in Russia, who is cham
berlain to one of the grand dukes, and he
is the moving spirit Of trotting in Russia,
which is a sport in that country Of great
magnitude. In fact. Russia, easily leads
Europe in trotting meetings and trotting
as pastime. He was quite indignant
with me at dinner party because I did
not know the first, second and third
Of our horses that had Won the English
derby in different years, and seemed to
think that my education had been sorely
neglected. AS far as he was concerned
one had only to name any particular
year and he would tell them to you. and,
what is more, he would name the sire
and dam of nine out of ten. How's that
for keenness on sporting matters?
Russia is a great country indeed Tor
both racing and trotting. I saw a good
deal of the track trotting in st. Peters
burg. owing to my friendship with the
court official. Nearly all the trainers and
drivers in the trOtting races are Amerf-
cans, as are also quite a number of the
fiat race trainers and jockeys. MOSCOW is
the principal center of horse racing: 1t
has one big meeting in the summer last
ing three weeks. Some good racing Is al
ways certain, and the Russians having
purchased such great English derby Win
ners as Galtee More and Ard Patrick the
stock is the most fashionable" possible.
These two horses cost the Russian gov
eminent about 100000.
France has gone ahead so much in every
branch of sport that to this can be partly
attributed that entente cordiale. which
thought, say twenty years ago there
would have existed such firm friendship
between the two hereditary foes. / will,
not touch on the point how the union was
an inevitable one, and I will be content
to say 1t was accelerated, as L explained
the other day, by sport
Take all the terms which have become
part of the French sporting vernacular.
They are English words, for which Eng
lands neighbOrs have never bothered to
find a French equivalent. I am quite
sure that in three generations time half
the inhabitants Of Paris viii be able to
speak English, although the French are
proverbially as bad as the English in
learning a foreign language.
In my notes / have the privilege of
putting down there should always be the
modest endeavor not to be too dOgmatic,
but 4 cannot help repeating suggestions
as food for thought that sport does the
strongest passive missionary work in
bringing about harmony between two
countries varying in racial temperament.
and sport of all sorts Is necessity to