The Athletes and Athletic Sports of Scotland

96 ATHLETIC SPORTS OF SCOTLAND. dancers. Up toa certain age, say twelve,they shouldbe classed by themselves, after that they should be entered in the open competitions. A boy or girl of from twelve to fourteen years of age, can be trained to dance as well as any man. It is difficult, therefore, to see how an exercise thatcan be performed as well by boys and girls can be a manly exercise. The display of medals by dancers of late years,has madethe winnersof medals for feats of real merit ashamed to put them on on the dayofa Highland gathering.The twoor three plain medals of a soldier hero whoformed one of the thin red line atBalaklava, or who rode intothe "jaws of death" at the charge of the Light Brigade, make but apoor outward show beside the brilliant display of silver medals—some gold-gilt even—on the breast of a man whose most heroic feat of arms is cutting more orless graceful capers (becoming enough in a boy, ridiculous for a man) over a pair of swords flat on a board. Yet the^e is more real honour attached to one such soldier'smedal than to all the medals ever given for dancing. Many of the best dancers are averseto this silly display of medals, othersagain—not the best—are so fond of it that at times, when placed first in a dancing competition, they buy a medal to commemorate the great event. First -class athletes andpipers, who have won medals for athletic feats or music, that onlya few, or perhaps notanother man in the world at the time could equal, either do not wear their medals at games, or feel when they do wear them that thehonour that is justly attached to medals so won becomes valueless, when they see men who never did a performance of any kind, above the most commonplacemediocrity, with an equal orperhaps greater display.