Athletics and Football (extract)

RUNNING AND RUNNERS in years, and were not included in the championship programme until the summer meeting of 1879. In the very early days of athletics something of the nature of a steeplechase or long hurdle race wasalways included in a programme, and naturally so, for the impromptu races and matches from which the sport arose were often from point to point over a piece of country. But as athletics began to reach the artificial stage, and the natural runner was unable to keep pace with the trained athlete in his spiked shoes on a cinder-path, steeplechases began to drop out of fashion except where they were retained to please spectators ; for the British public, in the true styleof thosewho rejoice in gladiatorial shows,like to see somebody or something coming to grief or rendered ridiculous. The result was that for manyyears the steeplechasewas considered as forming the comic part of the entertainment at a meeting, and the managers of sports made huge water-jumps which it was impossible for anyone to clear, so that the lookers-on might see runner after runner tumble into a filthy pool and emergemuddy, bleeding,soaked, and groaning. However,not even these silly exhibitionscould spoila sport in itself admir­ able ; for nothing can really be a prettier or surer test of a combination of staying power,agility, and pluck than a race of some distance over hurdles or obstacleswhich are not too highor broad to prevent the runners from having a chance of clearing them. As soon, therefore,as the paperchasing move­ ment, which is described elsewhere, had taken firm hold of the athletic public, steeplechases at athletic meetings began to regain popularity,the distances selected being from three-quarters of a mile up to two miles, but seldom over the latter distance. We are sorry, however, to see that the old form of steeple­ chase, with impossible water-jumps and prodigious prickly obstacles, is still retained at some meetings, in order that the public may laugh while the miserable performers wallow in the mud or make uglyfaces when they may happen to fall back into the brambles or furze, and we must confess to thinking still that the best steeplechases are those across well-selected