Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-03-04
BY NINA CARTER TABB.

THE Masters of Foxhounds Asso-
citation of America has just
sent out the 1885 book to mas
Il tiers of recognized hunts. AS
only masters get these books, with
rules for fox hunting, etc, am going
to tell some of the rest of you what it
Is all about. told you a few weeks
ago that this organization was found
ed by Harry Worcester Smith in 1907.
On the evening of February IA of that
year Louis Batter, Westmoreland
Davis, r. Penn Smith, Harry Worces-
ter Smith, Henry G. Vaughan and w.
Austin Wadsworth met at the Wal
dorf-Astoria Hotel. in New York City,
on the invitation of Mr.. Smith. and
formed the Masters of FoxhoundS As
ISOLATION of America, adopting con-
stitution and bylaws following gener-
ally the lines of the similar English
organization. The following officers
were then elected: President w. Aus
tin Wadsworth; chairman of the Hunt
Committee, Harry Worcester Smith,
and secretary-treasurer, Henry G.
Vaughan. These officers, together with
WeStmoreland Davis, Edward Crozier,
r. Penn Smith, Thomas Hitchcock,
jr; Charles E. Mather. A. Henry Hig-
ginson and John r. Valentine, were
proposed for a Hunt Committee, but
no further action on their election was
taken. On the evening Of May IS,
1907, Thomas Hitchcock, jr.; Harry w.
Smith, Henry G. Vaughan and w.
Austin WadsWorth met at the Knick-
erbocker Club, in New York, and made
some revision of the constitution and
bylaws as drafted at the previous
meeting, the principal change being
the substitution of an Executive Com
mittee to manage the affairs of the
association in place of the Hunt Com
mittee.
The purpose of the group was to i'm
prove the breed of foXhounds and en-
courage fox hunting, holding field
trials for foXhounds, registering packs
of foxhounds, packs of barriers and
hunts, keeping for reference maps of
the fox and drag hunting countries of
America, and settling disputes in re-
gard to the same, with authority to
hold real estate and other property in
furtherance of such purposes.
The association was to be composed
of masters and former masters of fox
hounds of organized hunts. Members
at large of the governing committee
were to be elected from districts,
namely, New England, New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Della
ware, Virginia and the Middle West.
The association now has original
authority and jurisdiction in all mat
tiers pertaining to organized hunting,
registration and recording of hunting
country by filing maps, recognition of
hunts, changes or disputes in regard
to hunting country and the conduct
Of organized hunting in general.
The Hunts Committee of the Ma
tional Steeplechase and Hunt Associa-
ton is composed of 10 members, of
whom 3 are elected annually by the
board of stewards of the N. S. and
H. A. and the other by the recog-
nized hunts, according to districts
named above. This committee eXer-
cises jurisdiction over all matters per-
tdluulS W uIulG IdCllle, rate ueetlIlSS,
the issuance of gentleman riders GER
tificates and of qualified hunters GER
tif1cates and amateur racing activities
in general. The Masters of FoXhounds'
Association, the Hunts Committee and
the American Horse Show Association
work under reciprocal agreement
and are complementary to each other,
so that the three bodies form tri-
bunal for what might be called the
government of sport. There are now
in America 125 organized, registered
hunts. OF these % are in Virginia