CHASING AND RACING 275 



Interludes of jigs (Atavistic fancies recurring from a long 

 line of Hibernian ancestors). But I am wandering — 

 revenons a nos moutons ! 



This little excursion to the abstract leads me to say 

 a few words as to legitimate sport in general, as dis- 

 tinguished from pastimes and contests. 



Our term " sport " covers too much ground, as 

 does its corollary " sportsman." My definition of 

 ** sport " for what it is worth, is " an occupation where- 

 in man, with or without the aid of trained animals, sets 

 forth to find his quarry and to kill, or otherwise account 

 for it, in a legitimate manner.** Any one so engaged 

 may be termed *' a sportsman." 



Per Contra, A youth who spends his spare time 

 (and what a lot of it, too !) watching professional 

 football, and betting thereon, may imagine himself a 

 sportsman, but most assuredly he is not ! Nor is he 

 who goes to race meetings and criticizes jockeys, when 

 he himself would not throw his leg over a trained race- 

 horse for all the wealth of Ind. 



There is the " National Sporting Club." What 

 a misnomer ! The institution has nothing whatever 

 to do with sport ! Its chief, nay, practically its only, 

 function is to stage boxing shows. 



Now boxing is not a sport, even for the principals 

 engaged. It is " a competitive pastime," a most 

 excellent one at that, making, as it does, for skill, pluck, 

 and physical and moral endurance ; but as for the on- 

 lookers, who do not possess any of these desirable 



