Norwich bulletin., 1921-01-28
(writ,en Specially for The Bulletin.)

1t came to me with a distinct but
rather pleasant shock when well-to-do
friend remarked one day last summer
That for his part he had no patience with
cutters. He had to play the game, Of
course. His social and financial position
practically compelled him to. But he
was always glad when he could md et-
clse 10 give It the go-by. When he
couldn't, he hilariousiy welcomed q thun-
der shower which, perforce. put stop to
it
Bat why this hetsrodoxys" queried.
Isn't the game good exercise. and isn't
en2rise in tho open air the one ,sck.tns-
Up specially recommended for the tired
business man OF commerce.
Exercise? Oh, Lord, yes, It's exer-
else" he reslie'l. al drove fifteen milee,
y-s;ardag, to the Shropshire links and
played three hours and got myself into
iierapiration and caught cold. didn't
want 20 so, but my city guests did; aud
would have felt uncomfortable II hadn't
sO-ss ak~@x. too. But l woull much
~ata4r have stayed al homo and hoel nas
toulaIoes Say, you ought to see thaae
tsHlniess I've got some as big - Ten
sEnnAis and ss smooth as a baby's cheek !
But thny>re getting weedy and the
s:5unn n-sAs stirring uns
Infer" said 1, that you regard
hoeins IN your garden az fun and s.Lf-
ing as lahor?"
verify" was his prompt response
I'D much rather play with hoe Ia my
own pea saA--n than work with a rnashie
on saSie clubs links. It's more pleasure,
and a good deal eas1er, In the long run. "
Is-aline only the other day a skefeh
% tie life and work OF Root, the world
famous "bce-rnan," q sent nce In il fs-
called wildly ting last summers cA1o ST.
sation with my gulf-despising ilstEhbor.
II seems that Mr.. Root Inns sev9 al hof.
h;es all OF which he rides with pleasure
and profit. One of them is bee culture.
Another is gardening. His daughter Il
quot ed rs saying OF him:
He can extract mole pleasure from q
combination of hoe, garden soil and
growing crops than other men can find
on ideal links with the most expensive VI
golf sticks"
So it seems there are at least three al
us-Mr. Root, my rich neghber and Johf
Farmer. For am proud to be counted
as one Of tbs unfashionahle, unconven-
tional and perhaps outlandish minority
which prefers the hoe to the golf stick
When you conAss to think of IL. though
are we really minority? isn't 1t the
golfers who are the true minority? In
deed, ISN'T it their consciousness tina
they are the select exceptions who car
afford to wear amazing clothes, buy cost
ly clubs. drive miles on miles to the link,
in high powered cars, tip caddies ans
other attendants lavishly and keep ex
brilliantly priced whiskey in their locker
ISN'T it. after all. this sense of selec
exclusiveness which gives amateur golf
ers their unduly exalted opinion of them
selves?
What Is "labor7" IT might perhaps b.
defined as work which one has to do TO
money.
What is play" as pracffced by golf
srs. ct al? 1t Ia work which one doesn'
have TO do and which he spends none.
for the chance of doing
They are both work Indeed, as far a
athletic sports are concerned, they ar
almost invariably as hard, often harde
work than that done by day laborers a
their enforced tasks. ~.
Baseball and football are both NOR
violent and more exhaustinG work thai
hoeing potatoes. But there are thousand
upon thousands Of young men who lool
upon the grueling strain of football O
baseball practice as an unalloyed delight
hey revolt from the potato patch Wit
equally unalloye6 disgust
rs tending potatoes, yet there are thot,
sthds OF men, no longer young or eve
souPgish who would as soon think q
cookinS their own meals and washin
their own dishes as of raising their ow
tomatoes; but who will play golf 70
nour after hour, day after day, and thin
they are having q dickens Of a good tim,
Probably they are. aAs a man think
IN. 80 is he" But the question the
arises: Why don't they think sensibl
about play as about other things?
When the subject Is approa% hed wit
Intelligence from the side Of reason, II
hard 10 see why anyohe should considc
violent exertion on b Ill field or a go
lFBko play" while the same man n
Ssirds violent excrtion in q corn field G
potato i'3tch as Tabor"
The only apparent distinctions betwes
the Two are that the hard work of II
eA-callei games is done for no visib]
useful purpose, while the less hard wor
OF garden ami field is done for a man
farly useful purpose. Also, that pla
c1~s sF1nsEhing. while work earns sem,
.Sfns
Ar purpos<sessness uaalesaasss Al
Tt~e really more amusing to men this
~saSdE4st.y, usefulness and acconplisj
nSGif Put the question In that bald W.
an$ you'll laugh at the uuestioner for
srSy. But, bald or not, isn't that "a
s.S4sinent Of the question: Tear OF 4
Urspr<ngs OF fashion, strip It 10 Its bop
Pc cS- and hrw else would you cut b
IN itDeN tIero il nothing more sTv-i,
shent putting iron than about h no.
itOcntng more attractive about a basebr