494 



RECREATION. 



The line-up follows: 

 K. A. C. (3). Position. N. Y. A. C. (i). 



Van Cleef Center D. Reeder 



W. Reuss Forward Davis 



H. Reeder Forward Douglas 



Handley Half-Back Wenck 



King Goal Webb 



Neuss Goal Johnstone 



If all accounts be true the Knickerbocker 

 Athletic Club intends to make things a lit- 

 tle bit interesting for the New York Athletic 

 Club this season. A vigorous bid is to be 

 made on track, field and water for cham- 

 pionship honors. The New York is no 

 longer to have a sinecure, and it is evident 

 that her athletes will have to wake up if 

 they wish to hold their present honors. 



The amalgamation of the Knickerbocker 

 and the New Jersey Athletic Clubs has been 

 the prime reason for this revival of the 

 sporting spirit among the adherents of the 

 " cherry diamond." They have always had 

 to contend against one great drawback, the 

 lack of proper training quarters, and this 

 vital necessity has been supplied by the 

 boathouse, track, etc., of the New Jersey, 

 club, at Bergen Point. It is safe to pre- 

 dict that the Knickerbocker will forge rap- 

 idly to the front, and make the club contests 

 well worth seeing. 



In the July, August and September num- 

 bers of Recreation will be found illustrated, 

 and highly interesting articles on the com- 

 ing international yacht races, on golf, cy- 

 cling and other timely topics. Watch for 

 them. 



WORKING THE RAILWAYS. 



The fever of " striking " the railroads 

 seems to have taken the form of an epi- 

 demic. The latest addition to the ranks of 

 those who look upon the roads as " good 

 things " are the Massachusetts oarsmen 

 who have been the means of introducing ia 

 the Massachusetts State Legislature a bill 

 making it mandatory on the part of the rail- 

 roads to carry racing shells free of charge 

 when requested to do so by 5 persons. It 

 is reported that a number of prominent 

 oarsmen of national reputation favor this 

 arrangement. Recreation would be more 

 than happy if it could think that the whole 

 matter was only the product of some fanat- 

 ic's irresponsible brain, but the scheme 

 really seems to have been taken up by cer- 

 tain gentlemen who should know better. 

 It is a question of justice. The railroads 

 have as much right to fair treatment as any 

 individual. If such a bill were passed it is 

 not unreasonable to suppose that a busi- 

 ness house might send a large amount of 

 freight on its drummer's tickets as bag- 

 gage. Just because a shell is light in 

 weight, and could easily be made to come 

 under the baggage carrying limit of 5 

 tickets (500 pounds in New York) is no 

 reason why the railroads should be made 



to carry them as personal effects. An ordi- 

 nary 8 oared shell, or 4 oared for that mat- 

 ter could not be put in a regulation baggage 

 car. An 8 oared shell fills completely, and 

 for almost the entire length of the car, the 

 aisle of a regular sized passenger coach. 

 An 8 oared shell cannot be placed on a flat 

 car of ordinary length. Then the question 

 of the value of the article carried enters the 

 controversy. A good cedar or paper 8 

 oared shell costs in the neighborhood of 

 $500. It is ridiculous to suppose, or imag- 

 ine even for an instant, that any sane per- 

 son could ask anyone whether individual or 

 corporation, to undertake solely on the re- 

 quest of any number of persons, without re- 

 muneration any such risk or trouble as is 

 involved in the transportation of a shell. 

 To college men especially the railroads of 

 this country have, in the great majority of 

 cases, been most courteous and kind. It 

 is to be hoped that the representative of the 

 We"ld Boat Club did not appear before the 

 Massachusetts Senate railroad committee 

 with the sanction of those interested in 

 Harvard's aquatics. 



IN GENERAL. 



The general outlook for outdoor sports 

 seems to be unusually bright this season. 

 Last year the war put a stop, to a great ex- 

 tent, to all the preparations for field and 

 aquatic events. Almost unprecedented ac- 

 tivity will be evident among the devotees 

 of golf, and the game is undeniably the 

 favorite sport for '99. Cycling is not dead 

 yet by any means, and many new riders will 

 be seen on the roads this year. Tennis will 

 be played largely, but no international 

 matches are likely. Rowing will be a great 

 attraction, as is shown by the extensive 

 preparations now being made for the Pough- 

 keepsie, Harlem, New London, Philadelphia 

 and Boston regattas. The crews to go to 

 Paris in 1900 will undoubtedly be chosen at 

 these races, and this fact alone will add 

 great interest to the events. The outlook 

 for field and track athletics is good. Then 

 to end the season will come the international 

 yacht races. This brief review of the com- 

 ing athletic season shows one thing con- 

 clusively, and that is we are learning how to 

 get more pleasure out of life by relaxing 

 more and more from the cares and worries 

 of business, and seeking pleasure and enjoy- 

 ment in our sports, and healthy exercise. 



The New York Cricket Club has made ar- 

 rangements for private grounds, and it 

 seems probable that the club will have a 

 home of its own this year. The officers for 

 the current year are : 



President, Dr. C. H. Hornby; Vice- 

 President, D. A. Monroe ; Treasurer, H. S. 

 Sandall ; Secretary, E. de R. Boughton, 

 No. 43 Cedar Street, New York; Captain, 



