CAUSE OF DETERIORATION 65 



Clarke, no bookworm or goody - goody, but a 

 military man of high reputation, says : ' That 

 there is far too much betting in Australia, that 

 betting encourages the spirit of gambling, and that 

 that spirit must exercise a most demoralizing influ- 

 ence in many directions.' It has certainly de- 

 moralized the thoroughbred. I must say, however, 

 that I rather admire the tender way His Excellency 

 puts it. Betting encourages the * spirit of gambling.' 

 It always seems to me that betting is gambling. If 

 not, what is it ? 



But if betting only ' encourages the spirit ' of 

 gambling, none the less, according to the words 

 of Governor Sir George Clarke, does it tend to 

 undermine the whole basis of Society. The 

 mode of horse-racing adopted necessarily causes 

 ' sprinting.' Sprinting necessarily causes the breed- 

 ing of ' sprinters.' The breeding of sprinters has 

 ruined the breed of English thoroughbreds, and 

 another half-century of breeding for sprinting will 

 probably breed it out past redemption. As the 

 breeding of sprinters and ' the undermining the 

 whole basis of Society ' go largely together, so the 

 renovation of the English thoroughbred and the 

 preventing of much of the undermining of Society 

 would also go together. Verbum sap. As Lord 

 Beaconsfield said, * I am on the side of the Angels,' 

 I am for breeding a pure breed. And I think Lord 

 Beaconsfield would try to stop the breeding of 

 sprinters. Since writing this, and after it was copied 



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