INFLUENCE OF FIELD SPORTS ON CHARACTER. 103 



The first of these is hero-worship. The best player in a village 

 club, and the captain of a school eleven, if not for other reasons 

 unusually unpopular, is surrounded by a halo of glory which 

 falls to the successful in no other sport. Great things are 

 expected of him, he is looked upon with admiring eyes, and is 

 indeed a great man. ' Ah, it is all very well,' you hear, ' but 

 wait till Brown goes in. Smith and Robinson are out, but wait 

 till Brown appears, then you will see how we shall beat you : 

 bowl him out if you can.' His right hand will atone for the 

 shortcomings of many smaller men, his prowess make up the 

 deficiency of his side. Or look at a match between All England 

 and twenty-two of Clodshire, watch the clodsmen between the 

 innings, how they throng wonderingly round the chiefs of the 

 eleven. That's him, that's Daft, wait till he takes the bat, then 

 you'll 'see summut like play.' Or go to the Bat and Ball after 

 the match, when the eleven are there, and see how their words 

 are dwelt on by an admiring audience, and their very looks and 

 demeanour made much of as the deliberate expressions of men 

 great in their generation. Again, see the reception at Kenning- 

 ton Oval of a ' Surrey pet ' or a popular amateur, or the way in 

 which Mr. Grace is treated by the undemonstrative aristocracy 

 of Lord's, and agree with me that cricket teaches hero-worship 

 in its full. What power the captain of the Eton or the Win- 

 chester eleven has, what an influence over his fellows, not merely 

 in the summer, when his deeds are before the public, but always, 

 from a memory of his prowess with bat or ball ! There is one 

 awkward point about this ; there are many cricket clubs, and 

 therefore many captains, and when two of these meet a certain 

 amount of difficulty arises in choosing which is the hero to be 

 worshipped. In a match where the best players of a district are 

 collected, and two or more good men know^n in their own circle 

 and esteemed highly, there play together, who is to say which 

 is the best ; who is to crown the real king of Brentford ? Each 

 considers himself superior to the other, each remembers the 

 plaudits of his own admirers, forgets that it is possible that they 

 may be prejudiced, and ignores the reputation of his neighbour. 

 The result is a jealousy among the chieftains which is diffi- 

 cult to be overcome, and which shows itself even in the best 

 matches. 



On the other hand, the effect of this very hero-worship which 

 I have described, is to produce a harmony and unity of action 

 consequent on confidence in a leader which is peculiar to cricket. 



