Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-06-28

not to take the chance Of a race then and
there, and she so outsailed the Laverock
that when Commodore Stevens got into
Cowes. although he offered all sorts OF
wagers. he couldn't get on a race. he
did, as already stated in these columns,
sail in the race around the Isle o. wight,
open to yachts of all nations. August
%, for the 100 guinea cup and won II:
The America was then sold to LORD
Blanquire, who cruised on her in the
Mediterranean and sold her to LORD Benz,
berton. Then boat builder purchased
her. who took care, in rebuilding parts OF
her. not to disturb her lines. He sold
her to an Englishman, who raced her IN
English waters and then took her TO the
West Indies and back again to England
where, Just after the beginning OF the
civil war. her owner took her 70 one oa
our gulf ports and sold her to blockade
runners. She was chased into the st.
Johns river by federal gunboat, and IN
order to avoid capture she was SUNK.
She lay at the bottom OF the river 10.
five years. when the government raised
her and fitted her up for practice ship
ping for the Annapolis naval cadets she
was condemned in the early seventies and
bought by Ben Butler, and it is stated
that she has remained In the possession
of the Butler family ever since.
One should realize how the cost OF our
yachting supremacy is mounting In leaps
and bounds. In the early days boats
In fact, the Countess of Dufferin, back
in 76, was the first boat thus specialiy
built and she probably cost about
$50. OOO On our own side, the foca-
hontas. in 81. was the first boat that was
admittedly constructed for this race, but
by the middle of the sos boats were
being built and designed solely for the
attack and defense of this cup. James
Gordon Bennett and Mr.. DOUGLASS put
up something like $4,000 for the Pris-
n lou
Gen. Paine well over $4,000 The Thistle
and Mayfiower probably cost $oO,OOo, out
in 1893 the expense of Lord DunraVen
ran up to probably $15OOO0. and the cost
of the boats built for the defense began
to go up in like measure By 1899. when
Linton essayed his first Shamrock. a
close friend of his says that the whole
tra1saction cost him close to $4OO.OOO
Our defense in that year must have cost
well over 100000. and now race really
means an expenditure of at least hair
million dollars.
DR.. Charles L. Dana. in his address to
the School Masters Association, made
the statement confirming Mr.. Burt in the
Independent and Prof. Perkins in the Yale
Review, and, in fact, probably admitted
by the National Council Of Education,
that while the American schoolboy Is as
far advanced at ten as those of England,
France and Germany. he loses two years
between that and the age OF fifteen or
sixteen. He proposes to catch up these
years by the readjustment of studies and
schedules and asks why child should
at his period of most important educa-
tional development stop his studies early
in June and do nothing until late In Sep
TENDER except attend ball games and play
with his schoolmates' sisters. He further
states: I'VE need not give up our ath-
letics: we are no more athletic than the
English. But we must teach our children
to know something thoroughly, to dllti-
vate the powers OF inhibition and atten-
ton (this is the master key Of education),
and 1t makes little difference whether in
doing this we use Greek and Latin or
nature study and economies. Only make
the boys work long enough and hard
enough until thew really learn something.
Now as a matter of fact 1t is just the
kind of education that our athletic sports
furnish. You may be fairly sure that no
American university today who has not
found it necessary to learn a few things
at least with absolute thoroughness. Day
after day Of steady grind and no reward
unless he masters his subject. Further
more, the coach or captain will accept no
excuses, pardon no absences from this
curriculum save for real illness. So on
the whole, even in the minds of these
great educators. the athletic system fur
nishes training well worth while.
Lord Northcliffe said upon visit to
this country: 81 had never seen any
thing antiquated in the United States
until I saw this foot ball match today
rugby foot ball with its tiresome
scrimmages, which eutwore the British
public many years ago. The men play
ed brilliantly-in fact. I don't remem-
ed better. Rugby foot ball is played
now, I believe. only in some remote
regions of South Wales and New Zea-
land"
And certainly It begins to look as If
out in California, the only place where
rugby foot ball has hold in this
country. the game was not giving sat
fsfaction, particularly in respect Of
these points. the tiresome scrimmage
and kicking into touch. the diff g1lty
in their rulings and the injuries that
accompany really serious playing of the
game such as that exhibited by the
AIlBlacks last fall upon the occasion
whelmed Stamford and Berkeley.
Roscoe Fawcett, the sporting writer
Of the Oregontan, says: TT was the
visit Of the Australian All-Blacks last
midriff. The All-Blacks disproved every
reason for advance Of rugby's existence
in America. The reasons given for
originally adopting rugby were as fol:
lows: Devoid Of fatalities. More open
than American. More men used per
game. More interesting to spectators.
Less monotonous. More comfortable
suits. Fewer injuries. More club teams.
International matches made possible
No time out for downs. Practice less
strenuous. No coaches necessary. Men
learn individual skill instead of signals"
He gives no less an authority than
William Donald. graduate manager at
the University Of California, as saying:
I'm my opinion the scope of rugby is
too narrow for college competition"
over" continued Mr.. Fawcett, mot as
missionaries, but to sustain world
wide reputation. they went through the
California teams like a herd of wild
buffaloes stampeding across an alkali
tackles under the old guards-back
formation was mere play compared to
what the California fuilbacks had to
put up with defending their goals
against the A1l-Blacks. This terrible
rugby. killed Peter Ogden. fullback of
the Victoria team. and caused four
brain conclusions during the BLACKS
stay in California. II the Rugby Union
had kept the Australians there a while
longer there would not have been any
athletes left. 1t was practical rugby
under tho letter of the law, and 1t dis
proved practically all arguments for
which 1t had been foiste1 on the public I"
The truth Of the matter is that in rugby
fully as much Of the time as the play
is stopped for downs in the American
game, and those who have followed II
realize this now. They also realize that
the rugby suits would be impossible in
the fall. except in California climate:
stitutes, whereas In the American game
often as many as twenty men are used