340 CENTURY OF ENGLISH FOX-HUNTING 



the duty of the recognised leaders of sport, as, 

 for example, the stewards of the Jockey Club, to 

 ask the State to take such measures as, in their 

 opinion, would promote these interests. It may be 

 said that it is the duty of a government to promote 

 the welfare of the people. Such is one of the 

 favourite obiter dicta of political theorists who would 

 ruin all private enterprise by the frivolous interference 

 of the Legislature. So far English common sense 

 has proved itself to be an effective defence against 

 the abuse of sport. Our national love of fair play 

 is sufficient to prevent favouritism. In matters of 

 sport all men are equal, from the prince to the 

 peasant, and nobody would dare to use his private 

 influence for his own personal benefit. In this 

 respect sport embodies the quintessence of Socialism, 

 for it makes no distinction of persons, nor does it 

 recognise the political opinions of its votaries. 



If we regard sport merely as a recreation common 

 to all classes of society and to all shades of political 

 opinion, we must assume that it is a safeguard 

 against class warfare and the tendency of difference 

 of opinion to develop into vehement animosity. 

 In France, previous to the Revolution, sport was 

 confined to the aristocracy, and the plebeian classes 

 were forbidden to participate in it. I will not assert 

 that if sport had been common to all classes the 

 Revolution would never have taken place, though 

 I firmly believe that it would have been devoid 

 of those sanguinary atrocities which disgraced the 



