The Athletes and Athletic Sports of Scotland

7° ATHLETIC SPORTS OF SCOTLAND. Olympic games, and always retained the first place, and atthe present time^ some amateur athletic meetings consist almost entirely of footracing, while tens of thousands will assemble to see a single race between two noted runners. In the North of Scotland running is often confined to three races, ashort race,a hurdle race, anda long race. The further South as a rule the more running. HANDICAPPING .—Sincehandicap races became so popular in towns, they have been introduced into most athletic meetings in the South, and have fora considerable time h ld a prominent place in the programme at Inverness. Now handicapping in anything is utterly opposedto the spirit of our Scottish games, and no Committee of Management of any gathering ought to countenance it in any event. Our representative Scottish gath ings areintended to bring together the best men at everything, and the first prue ismeant forthe best performer at each event, whether in athletic, musical, ordancing competitions. This is so self evident as to require no argument. Could anything be more absurdthan to give the firstprize inpiping toa piper who could with difficulty play a tune, and pass overa M'Coll ora M'Lennan 1Or to give the first prize to an ungainly dancei and pass overa M'Neill or a M'Kenzie? Or to give the firs^ prize in hammer-throwing or stone-putting to the worst throwei or putter, andpass overthe best? Or in a race whereall starte level to take no notice of the first three, ten, ortwenty menwh" completed the distance, and award the prizes to three of th worst runners who come straggling in tens tohundreds of yard i n t h e r e a r a c c o r d i n g t o t h e l e n g t ho f t h e r a c e ? Y e t t h i s i s j r o what is done in effect when men with a long start getthe prize in handicaps. What is or ought to be aimed at by the pr moters of representative Scottish gatherings is to raise th standard of excellence of Scottish athletes, musicians, an dancers. This can be brought about only by inducing eaci competitor to try his best, and rewarding each according to th merit of his performance. But handicapping has the effect o