New-York tribune., 1919-02-16
Controlling Bodies Had
About Reached Agree
ir.'
mental W ar's Beginning
By Fred Hawthorne


the European horizon, back in 1919,
and we of the world of lawn tennis
were revelling in Davis Cup matches,
enthralled by the super brilhance OF
players like the great and beloved Nc
Loughlin, the cold, methodical Norman
Brookes; the mighty giant, Tony Wild
ing, now in a soldiers grave; the daz-
zling, astounding Norris Williams. and
the fiery. flawless court general john
ston our thoughts were ali of lawn
tennis and of how We could better the,
great game.
For many years America and Eng
land France, Australia, Canada, and
sometimes little Belgium. had been
meeting on the courts of the world in
competition for the massive bowl put
into play by Dwight F. Davis. Ger
many and Austria also sent teams to
represent them. but since the Hun and,
his allies have been placed outside the
pale of civilization by their acts dur
ing the war just ended and will, there
fore, not be permitted to challenge for
the international trophy for an in
definite period we need not consider
them in any future mention of the
! blue ribbon event of the courts.
tween the tennis playing nations the
matches were conducted under no set
standard of rules of the game, except
as they applied to the deed of gift
framed by Davis when he gave the
cup. That is to say. unere were no
rules of lawn tennis" governing the
playing of the game all over the
world. .'
Rules Coincide
In the main, of course. the American
rules conceded with those of the Eng
lish association, as did those of Aus
tralia, Canada and France, but there
were certain differences that presented
ditficultles upon OCCASION and the con-
trolling bodies among the different ma
tions had about reached the point, in
1914. where an international set of
rules was to be framed, when alorgss
came the world war and drove alIxs
thoughts of tennis out of cverybodyasss33
head. ssi
Most men of reasonable mind wiI1 !
agree that duck is a duck, whether +
it "quacks" in a London back yard, in +
Melbourne, Australia; in Brittany, in /
Brussels, or down on the big duck
farms on Long Island. Why. then.
should not an amateur in this country
be an amateur in the British Empire
or France or Belgium? For no reason
on earth, apparently, yet he is not
The English look askance at some of
our amateurs; the French are polite
and say nothing; the Australasians ac-
cept matters as they are, and we, for
our part find it difficult, sometimes, to
distinguish between the different
"shadngs" Of the British definition of
what constitutes an amateur in lawn
tennis
OF course, this is all wrong and it
ought to have been adjusted years .
ago, but it has not been, so the lawn .
tennis duck in America is still re- .
garded as the ugly duckling" in Eng
| land, and vice versa. But now there
, promises to be an end to this para
/ doxical situation, and the conclusion
Of the war is going to give the needed
T opportunity for readjustment
AT the meeting of the United States
; National Lawn Tennis Association.
held in this city q week ago Friday,
; George Townsend Adee, president of,
that body, informed the delegates that
the International Lawn Tennis Fed
! GRAFTON, formed in the latter part of
1913 on the other side of the ATLANTIC.
for the express purpose of standard-
izing the rules of the game and the
eligibility of those who competed in
international matches, had taken on
new life and would begin to functions
this year. =
Kaiser Spoiled Federation
\ All the tennis playing nations had,
been invited to become members ofs
this federation al the time Of its ines
ception, but the Kaiser went mad bee
e fore matters could take concrete
/ shape, and the Entente Allies have
a been so busy tanning the Hun beast
= in the last four years that the federar
O ton lapsed into a state of coma.
: According to Mr.. Adee, the United
a States has been invited to join this
t international tennis governing body.
as have all other nations intereste6@
d and it is probable that constructive
work will begin this summer Within.
S the next twelve months, then, We may
0 expect to see the rules Of lawn tenSs
: mis- made uniform all over The world..
not only as they apply to the plaNing-
Of the game, but also as to those who-
Il arc eligible to take the cour.s in
: competition for the Davis Cup.
+ The influence of such world gov-
u erning body over the sport is bound 70
c be farreaching The nations Will be-
e brought into closer unity no vexatious
{ questions as to Interpretation of ruleS
&c will crop out, and there will be no feeb-
IS ing, even though hidden, to the trua
{ amateur status of a competing player,
be he from the homeland or from overI
II seas. =
/ It is we'll that no competition for the.
II Davis Cup is to take place this year,
Nations that have been graphing in b.
death grip for four long, desperates
years are in no mood to resume thE
friendly international battles of thG.
courts until they have had at least a.
breathing interval in which to recoveF.
their normal poise. We have suffered
ho *vio 4La+ 49,