RACKHAM 



RADCUIFFE 



with twine and covered with white 

 kid, one inch in diameter and one 

 ounce in weight. The server (or 

 hand-in) stands in one of the ser- 

 vice boxes, striking the ball on to 

 the front wall above the service line 

 in such a manner as to cause it 

 to drop, either with or without 

 hitting one of the other walls, be- 

 hind the short line on the opposite 

 side of the court. The opponent 

 (or hand-out) who awaits the ball 

 behind the short line must return 

 it before it touches the floor twice, 

 and the ball must strike the front 

 wall above the board denoting the 

 playing line, in the return. From 

 this point of the game the server's 

 business is to return the ball in a 

 similar manner ; this continuing 

 until one or the other makes a 

 fault. The game consists of 15 

 points or aces. 



There are several English cham- 

 pionships in connexion with 

 rackets : the open championship 

 (singles) for all classes, established 

 in 1820 ; and the amateur singles 

 championship, dating from 1888, 

 being the most important. The 

 governing body is the Tennis, 

 Rackets and Fives Association, 

 founded in 1907. See Fives ; 

 Pelota ; Squash Rackets ; consult 

 also Tennis, Lawn Tennis, Rackets 

 and Fives, J. M. Heathcote and 

 others, 4th ed. 1897. 



Rackham, ARTHUR (b. 1867). 

 British artist. Born Sept. 19, 1867, 

 he was educated at the City of 

 ^^^^^ M ^^^ 11 London School. 

 He studied at 

 the Lambeth 

 School of Art, 

 became a mem- 

 ber of the 

 R.W.S., and 

 was soon well 

 known as an 

 illustrator of 

 books. One may 

 cite especially 

 his illustrations 

 to Peter Pan, 1906 ; Alice in Won- 

 derland, 1907 ; and Wagner's Ring 

 librettos, published 1910-11. 



Racking. In metallurgy, the 

 first or an early stage in the treat- 

 ment of ores in certain mining dis- 

 tricts, Cornwall, for example. The 

 ore is thrown on to an inclined rack 

 of stout iron bars, upon which it is 

 washed with water to remove ad- 

 herent clayey or other worthless 

 rock. See Mining. 



Rack Rent. Term applied to a 

 rent which is equal, or nearly 

 equal, to the annual value of the 

 land or tenement. It is commonly 

 used to signify an excessively high 

 or extortionate rental, and the 

 term was frequently associated 

 with certain abuses in land tenure 

 in Ireland. The Towns Improve- 



Artbur Rackham, 

 British artist 



nient (Ireland) Act, 1854, defined 

 rack-rent as " rent which is not 

 less than two-thirds of the full 

 net annual value of the property 

 out of which the rent arises." 

 See Rent. 



Racoon. Small carnivorous 

 mammal, related to the bears. 

 Racoons are confined to America, 

 and include two or perhaps three 

 species. The common racoon 

 (Procyon lotor) is about 24 ins. 

 long in body, with a tail about 

 10 ins. in length. It is a stoutly 

 built and heavy animal, covered 

 with thick, greyish-brown fur, the 

 tail being ringed with black ; but 

 it varies much in size and colour. 



It occurs in N. America, but is 

 rarely seen by day. It makes its 

 home in holes high up in the trees, 

 only coming down at night in 

 search of food ; it feeds upon small 

 birds and mammals, fish and fresh- 

 water mussels, and occasionally 

 varies its diet with young corn and 

 fruit. In the colder districts it hi- 

 bernates during the winter, but re- 

 mains active in the more S. regions. 

 Its fur is valued in the trade, and it 

 is vigorously hunted and trapped, 

 with the result that it is no longer 

 numerous in many districts. In S. 

 America the crab-eating racoon 

 occurs. See Coati. 



Racoon. Common variety of the nocturnal animal of 

 North America 



Rackets. Top, left, plan of court. 

 1. Players in position, player on 

 left waiting to receive ball served by 

 the other player. 2. Backhand ser- 

 vice. 3. Forehand stroke 



Radautz. Town of the Buko- 

 wina, Rumania. Situated 32 m. S. 

 of Czernowitz, it has manufactures 

 of machinery, paper, and leather, 

 and is noted for horse-breeding. 

 Pop. 14,000. 



Radbertus. Medieval theolo- 

 gian. Born about 800, he became a 

 monk at Corbie, in N. France, and 

 there he passed his life in teaching 

 and study. He was for a few years 

 abbot of the house, and he died 

 about 860. Radbertus made a 

 reputation as a theologian by his 

 work on the Body and Blood of Our 

 Lord, one of the 

 earliest works 

 on the subject 

 o f transubstan- 

 tiation. 



Radcliffe. Ur- 

 ban dist. and 

 market town of 

 Lancashire, Eng- 

 land. It stands 

 on the Irwell, 8 

 in. from Man- 

 diester, with a 

 station on the 

 L.&Y. Rly. The 

 buildings include 

 the old church of 

 S. Bartholomew, 

 restored in the 

 19th century, 

 and the modern 



