Evening star., 1924-09-10
BY LAWRENCE PERRY.

IL was question of judgment, but
never has mistake in this respect
been so marked For a day later the
British four was beaten quite badly
by scratch American team. This
naturally affected interest so far as
the general public was concerned
Yesterday the game was declared
on and then off several times before
1T was finally decided to postpone the
hrst match until tomorrow
Interest may revive and a bumper
crowd attend this game, but just now
1t does not look that way.
Polo Class Sport.
Polo is more completely class
sport than any other outdoor game
To succeed as a polo player a man
must have the means to pay prices
Tor mounts that are prohibitive to
the average horSeman and he also
must be financially and socially
eligible to affiliate himself with or
ganizatiOns which specialize in the
game. Further, it iS necessary that
he be engaged in some profession or
business wherein his absence from
the office through injury or tourney
play will affect neither his interests
nor those of persons who may be
dependent upon his commercial. pro-
fessional or mercantile activities.
man without means who is a
lifelong association with horses, and
for the same reason fine polo
player, will be able to indulge in the
game through the patronage of some
wealthy polo enthusiasm, but he is not
likely to make much out of himself
outside of polo.
The Game of Society.
1t is absolutely the game of society |
In its civilian aspects it is essentially
= part of the social panoply, and only |
the advent of the motor car and the |
consequent turning of the attention
of the younger generation from
horsetiesh to gasoline has kept down
the number of players outstanding in
the international sense to a mere
handful.
Still speaking from the civilian
standpoint, polo never can be any
thing but what it is today game
for the few who have been adequately
favored with the good things of life,
or who have been associated with
the game in professional cauacity
as pony seller, polo manager at a
hunt club and the like.
In the Army conditions differ. Polo
was introduced into England from
India as service game, and even to-
day with few exceptions the best
British players are soldiers who have |
oughbreds.
Rapid Advances Made.
In this country in recent years the
Army has gone in for the game on
4 wholesale scale, and while the War
Department has not gone broke in the !
matter of purchasing mounts-cav-
airy stock has been depended upon in J
most cases-rapid advances have been |
made in technique and quality of |
horses.
The victory of the United States |
Army team over the British army |
team last year in the first interna-
tional service game was an extraor-
dinery achievement and did more for |
service polo in this country than |
most persons realize.
At every cavalry post and many |
posts quartering other branches of |
the service polo now is being played, |
and, while the game does not ap-
proach the Meadowbrook standard it |
is none the less good, nippy polo. |
And as more mounts are bred in |
the interest of the game the quality
is bound to improve.
Game Gaining in Colleges.
Through the interest of the War
Department, polo is fast taking hold |
in colleges, mounts and equipment |
being furnished to the Officers Re-
serve Training Corps in schools |
which have fallen in with the Gov |
ernment's plan of military education. |
1t is regrettable that upon gradua- |
tion most of these young men who |
developed brilliancy in the game as
undergraduates will find it eco |
nomically impossible to continue in |
polo, even assuming their entrance
into the work of the world would |
find them with an appreciable amount |
of time on their hands to give to
the game.
AS to the international series which |
begins tomorrow, no close follower /
of polo can see anything other than |
victory for the highly specialized |
American team.