288 MINOR EVILS OF THE RACE-COURSE. 
panied by their wives, daughters, or other female friends who 
may be under their care. Drinking is then carried to excess, 
followed by dancing in semi-darkness; and it is needless to 
say how baneful such a form of dissipation must be to men 
and women who are, it may be said, in a measure entrapped 
into it. Sobriety and modesty often become mere remin- 
iscences. The restrictions I have named would do much 
towards stopping this lamentable practice, and would turn 
into a real day’s pleasure for the poor man, what is now too 
often an outing he can only look back upon with regret. If 
to do so much be beyond the authorities, then the magistrates 
should interfere ; and if they, too, are powerless, then surely 
some true lover of racing holding a seat in Parliament would 
bring forward a bill for the purpose, if only the matter were 
agitated. 
My observations on these matters are not intended for a 
moment to attach blame to clerks of the course and others 
for evils which in many cases were pre-existing. Indeed, 
these officials as a body deserve a large meed of praise for 
strenuous efforts, often successful, towards reform. Nor 
would I have it supposed that the race-course of to-day is 
worse than the race-course in times gone by. Indeed, if we 
examine the subject, we shall probably find that we have 
much less to complain of in this respect than our forefathers 
had. 
In the beginning of the present century, Newmarket not 
only abounded in touts of all kinds, but in other degraded 
characters, who stood on no trifles in the commission of 
actual crime. These miscreants were tutored to villainy by 
men who because of their superior education and talent were 
worse than their tools, So widely spread was the mischief, 
that the turf showed signs of decline if not of absolute 
