The Athletes and Athletic Sports of Scotland

RUNNING. 73- minutes forty seconds is good time fora mile on soft turf and a small ring asat Inverness. How HANDICAPS MIGHT BE ABOLISHED.— Letthe first prize be say £5 if the race is won in 4 minutes forty seconds, and let the prize be increased for every second under 4.40, say 2s. 6d. per second for first five seconds, making the prize at 4 min. 35 sees., £5 1zs. 6d. For the next five seconds under 4 min. 35 sees, let the prizebe increased 5s. per second, making the prize at 4 min. 30 sees. £6 17s. 6d. For the next five seconds under 4 min. 30 sees, let the prize be increased 10s. persecond, mak­ ing the prize at 4 min. 25 sees. £9 7s.6d. For the next five seconds under 4 min. 25 sees, let the prize be increased £1 per second, making the prize £14 7s. 6d. for4 min. 20 sees., with £5 per second under 4 min. 20 sees., and Xio per second under 4min. 15 sees. Let the secondand third prizes be on the same principle, and at the same time letthe prizes be diminished for every second over 4 min. 40 sees., down to a minimum of £1 for five minutes. Then there would be no cutting up of the money beforehand, nor arranging the order at the finish. It would put a stop alsoto seeing the prizes falling to a rabble of third, or lower than third-rate men, with ungainly style,struggl­ ing painfully tokeep upthe speedof a funeral procession. They would give place as prize-winners to trained athletes exhibiting all that is graceful in style, with splendid speed andendurance. A clock having four large dials with second hand going the whole round ofthe dialper minute, would show to all spectators whether time or distance was having the best of it. The first year there would be excitement enough to see if any one would beat 4.40, and by how much. In after years the best previous time could be exhibited on a telegraph board, sothat the com­ petitors would be running not only againsteach other butpracti­ cally against the best men of former years, so that the runner making a new record would have a double victory. As the second hand, " unhasting, unresting," neared the best time of former years, and the leading runner gettingnearer andnearer 5