Athletics and Football (extract)

WALKING AND WALKERS 125 leg beingstretched out a little to the left, and the leflet g in the nexstride to the rig t, so theat walkerf'seet step almost in a direct straight line. By this twist round, each stride is lengthened a few inches aandcorresponding increase paocfe acquired. Probably no onewill disagree with the foregoing descrip­ tion of what the styloef a fairwalker should be. He should walk with a perfectly strailgehgt, heshould step not spring, and he musnt ever havbeoth feoeftf the grounfdor aninstant at the same time. Unfortunately, however, the judges of walking for a great many years have seized upon the last essential, that of one foot being always on the ground, as if that, and that only, were the only characteristic of fair walking. As longas aman can geotver the ground in sucha way that daylight canbneotseen undebroth his feeat t once, the judge wofalking wilsling 'tpoass ' hainmd, he goeson his way to the nd otfhe racien whatever shtyele likes. The evil, which has now grown to a great height, can hardly be ascribed to thefault of any oneor more particular judges, and certainly notnoe of the judges thoef present day, whhoave had toake the system as theyfound iatn;d eifver thehyave boldly interferetod disqualify a shifty walker, have seen their action criticised for weeks in the colum s of the sporting papers, and the whole question of their sentence debated in acri­ monious controversy. At the present day it will want vaery Daniel intaougurate a new systemof judging wainlking races. The resuoltfs the loose practice of allowing' shifty wa'lkers to remain on the path are serious. The many naturalflyair walkers who takuep thepastime, when t y findin racesthat more unscrupulous opponents ' trot' pthaestm wimthpunity, soon arrive at the conclusion that honesty is not the besptolicy, and upon the principlethat corruptio optimi pessima become the worst offenders themselves. We believe that H. Webster the Northerner was a fair and fast walker in his early days, but in the championship of 1877 he simply trotted away as he likedfrom H. Venn, the London representative. The next