The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-14
CTR NATIONAL GAME.
\ Conscicut ious British Attcnps 70
Underst and and Account for II.

pie oy analyzing TIE character. even the
technique. Of TIE sports which so grip
.helr interests and so Eealthfully. as
rule octupy their leisure hours. case
In point Is TIE great spectacular EXPOSE
ton OF baseball wh!cE his Majesty the
king ard large assemblage OF his sub
jects viewed on Thursday with wonder
and interest.
Bas bail Is Americas national game.
IL Is also sociological index tp the
American character as sure In It's results
as American literature or daily habits.
England curiousiy enough. has nowadays
at least two national games cricket and
football Probably the latter should be
studied as n pair Of vanities rather than
as one. And Of course these three games
are an Index to the English character.
II would be straining new hypothesis
to urge that such expressions OF peo.
pies nature are complete or hnal. They
give Eimpses at times revelations, OF
some salient characters. that In all but
It is something Of a sociological picture
already.
The American people has behind II the
development. under different conditions
from our own. OF several centuries.
priori. that 10 long enough to produce .
real differentiation OF character. and even
Of physical type. We speak Of the Amer
lean people some day men OF science
may speak Of the American race. That
period. again. has been sufficient for the
evolution Of definite varieties OF popular
pastimea II In interesting to notice that
not till the organization Of the States was
fully established did this athletic evoiu-
ton become definite. Nation building
leaves no time for play. But early In
the nineteenth century men Of sporting
genius. II the phrase may be allowed.
saw In boys game. which was not
FOUNDERS. but rather an American variety
Of II. the mak!ngs Of great popular pas
time II was just at the epoch when Eng
land was developing from the old par
ent elements Of all supplemented games
her own first national game OF cricket.
Now II was quite possible for baseball
to have developed on cricket lines ana
cricket on those Of baseball. But un-
doubleday what prevented this ana mas
made the two games what they are was
the respective temperamsnts OF the two
peoples.
The familiar characteristics Of baseball
are. generally, rapidity OF action and
multiplicity OF action, ev,ry player IN
do ng something throughout the game.
whether mannuvring. moving throw'n~
or hitting; and the cooperation Of the
players Is extraordinarily well developed.
The game is like living chess In which all
the pieces are moving at the same time.
The scheme Of the game. along and about
the diamond" orientates this concerted
activity and every one knows his posi-
;iCn TO an inch. Both the ''coacher," who
does not play hut gives n generals orders
from near "frst base" our point" and
the Catcher" who is our wicket keeper,
organize the manGuvres OF the helders.
The catcher and pitcher" who corre-
spends to the bowler though his bowling
Is throw with a swapping wrist, have
perfect under standing and Y code Of Sig
nails
These latter details bear the hall mark
Of the American genius for organization.
That genius Is undoubted. as both battle
fields and business operations have proved.
one may say OF IT that II develops every
element IN scheme which II able to serve
IL II is thorough and exhaustive.
The mpetuous rush Of the game
there is neither waiting nor marking time
nor playing out tine-expresses, as II
was produced by. the American rapidltv
Of nervous reaction. the res'lessness and
that go ahead quality which IS affection
ately. as 1t were. termed hustling when
this character Is In action Il OF course
produces critical and thrilling moments
both In the diamond" and In the wheat
pit" No dull moment ever intervenes
Time is money. and baseball match
occupies scarcely longer period than an
English football contest. The crowded
hour OF glorious life" IL surely an Ameri-
i can ideal
In It's rapId!ty and concerted excitement
English football resembles baseball. II 10
proven bal that cricket Is too slow for
Americans. Hut the popular enthusiasm
~ Englishmen for football makes us
pause. II would seem that. II cricket Is
slow, the English prefer slow game in
summer and a fast game In winter But
baseball has It's season from April TO Oc-
tCber. 1t seems as II the phlegmatic Eng
lshman were being "speeded up At any
rate complaints nave been m1dr o
cricket Here there Is an American In
'nu I.p Nd for of lot In,
various games and athletics Americas
workmanlike methods and capacity for
getting to the heart of a game. and con
sequently OF playing II without pause or
dead points, have impressed our players
al home.
The proverbial Engllshman. slow to act
and of great silence. is disproved by the
crowds who watch the football cup ties.
He is passing. But racial differentia-
t!cn remains and the American will a.
ways be quicker.
The technique Of baseball Is profoundly
Interesting TO the student OF the dynamcr
OF games. Some thirty years ago the
bowling. or rather pitching" was revo'u-
tionized. II was then made legal TO throw
the ball. Hence the wonderful arrnor
OF proof which the Catcher wears But
mere pace sen CAV. way to graduated
pace and swervlng. Never In the history
Of sport has the human hand shown such
control over an implement as the hand
of a pitCbSr over the flight OF the ball.
Much superstition has gathered round THIS
and many fabulous performances. cork
screw swerves, swerves reversed, jumping
balls. and so forth. are on tn. lips ~
crowds. Being allowed no run. rs the
bowler Is at cricket, the pitcher has
brought TO fine art the mechanism OF
stance and delivery. The same In true
4 OF the batter. who has to deal with fun
pitches only, very different from bouncing
balls, The attitudes Of these men are
revelation to cricketers
The fielding liz world famous. Since the
fielder has several wickets 30 to speak
AZ which he may get man out. and snce
the space behind the batter IL foul
ground" and unused. there IL less space
to cover and more effective work to
achieve than In the cricket field. So the
fielder plays with "ali ~ himself" a won.
derful embodiment OF all round muscu-
larty In motion,
This spells the thoroughgo,ng analytic
genius OF the Americans. which has mad.
game Instead OF allowing II to make
/ itself II also spells their keenness on
ANYTHING worth doing. II was curious
reflection that an American game was
viewed by an English crowd. American
baseball is more than half played BY the
. crowd itself There Ia "a sort OF secondary
game played by telepathy around the pia y
on the field. Between the two Ia the