Year: 1868

| when the time comes at which they ought to
go home must be taken back without in any
way annoying the Papal Treasurer All this
is very WELL It is very wise on the part of
the Pope. aud If his friends here wish to make
Rome barrack we can have no objection.


First Day Of the Spring Meet;ax ni
| Jerome Park.


| The 9th of June had been appointed for
the first day of the Ascot races and for The first
day of the spring meeting at Jerome Park.
A violent rain storm postponed the latter for
twenty four hours. Otherwise we should have
again shown how nearly the Atlantic telegraph
has brought together the Old World and the
New World by publishing simultaneously
accounts of both these fashionable race meet
ings.


The meeting at Jerome Park opened yester-
day most auspiciously with day so bright and
cool as to duplicate that which old George
Herbert called "the bridal Of the earth and
sky" After the cleansing rain the city itself
wore holiday air, as if in honor Of the day,
while the Central Park and Jerome Park
looked their loveliest. The verdure Of
their grass and foliage was intense;
their spring and early summer flowers
bloomed gayly forth, and the finest
effects of all the modern improvements in land
scape gardening were admirably illustrated in
both parks. The birds sang merrily, and even
ii they were as unconscious of the festive occa-
sion as were the swans ON the picturesque
lakes and as the parked deer, this by no means
seemed to be the case with the spirited horses
which were driven swiftly over the winding
avenue that led through the Central Park
J towards Harlem Driven single, tandem,
double or four in hand, sat walk, at an amble
at a trot, at q canter, at hand gallop, at full
gallop and at full speed, bearing horsewomen
or horsemen (very few, indeed, of either, or
pulling behind them drag, jaunting car, han
som, buggy, sulky, chaise, carryall, phaeton
barouche or coach, the horses moved as if they
shared with delight the unwonted excitement
Of the occasion. Almost every kind Of
vehicle was represented in the throng
that from the Fifth avenue gate to the
gate of exit encountered the too narrow
avenue of Central Park and stretched beyond
in uninterrupted procession to the entrance of
Jerome Park. Our landscape painters would
have found choice studies for pictures on either
side of Macomb's Dam bridge, and both land
scape and figure painters would have found
ample material for the canvas within Jerome
Park itself, with its animated scenes.


| If the races which are elsewhere fully de-
scribed, were less exciting to veteran turfmen
than the good old-fashoned three and four
mile heats, they were, nevertheless interesting
and highly creditable and appeared to give
great satisfaction to most of the spectators.
Those same Old-fashOned three or four mile
heats, after all, are far better calculated than
short dashes, however brilliant, to secure bot
tom as well as serviceable and prolonged
speed, and thus tend directly to increase the
aggregate Of our national equine wealth by at
length quadrupling or qllintupling the present
value of the five million horses in the United
States.


Experience has shown that nothing tends 40
effectually as racing to keep up an excellent
breed of horses for purposes of direct utility
as well as exciting amusement. Even the IN
successful racer may become an admirably
improved hunter, or cavalry horse, saddle
horse, or coach horse. Thus the entire stock
throughout the country may ultimately share
in the advantages of the special pains taken to
improve and train the race horse.


Many persons are opposed to horse racing,
on the ground that all it's acknowledged ad
vantages-the gayety and prosperity to which
the social gatherings at the race course greatly
contribute; the circulation of money which
it occasions by benefiting directly and
indirectly vast number of occupations,
stimulating trade and affording employment to
industry, and the positive, unequivocal good
which arises from 1t as an exhilarating recrea-
ton, particularly in commercial community
like our own, in which, until recently, the chok-
ing cares of business were rarely relieved by
healthy outdoor amusements of any kind
that all these advantages 'are but as dust in
the balance when compared with the guilt and
misery that arise from gambling and gam
bling they erroneously regard as necessarily
and inseparably associated with horse racing.
They therefore applaud Southey's bitter dia-
tribe against horse races. "HOrse races
said Southey, ''excite evil desires, call forth
evil passions, encourage evil propensities,
lead the innocent into temptation and give
opportunities to the wicked" But the Oppo-
nents of horse races forget that the horse Is
no more than pretext, like anything else, for
gambling the passage Of rival steamers
or rival yachts across the Atlantic, like to-
morrows weather, like impeachment or the
result of an election. The argument, If argyll
ment it can be called, proves altogether too
much. Anything about which men can gam
BILE might be denounced with equal justice, or
rather injustice.


London Journalists probably do not err in