| Show TOO FOND OF GOLF British Officers Do Not Let L t War In Interfere Interfere Interfere With Sport ugh Sutherland S d la hi Philadelphia North American Amen Among the cheerful phenomena of 01 the day the British officer has baa attained a conspicuous con place While gloom op oppresses oppresses presses the British taxpayer yer as so he be computes the costs mets eo ts of conquest the gallant man nian at the front is not disturbed He te Is a prisoner of hope condemned to tight inglorious battles for his country miles from the theo comforts o of ef f home ome and he does that with a proper enthusiasm lum hut but he also snatches recreation loR In the intervals of ot warfare and his 1118 enthusiasm m in this pursuit It te is even greater greeter It must mt be admitted tl that in the Brit isher WIer the sportsmans Instinct is high highly highly highly ly d eloped and with excellent effect UJO his bill character as u a man and a asder d er But when w n he be persists in play Ing lug golf soil in the country be he be than Type Trpe he is a Text And unappreciative civilians preach L Lupon upon J hint him m as thus The oon Th fact tact of 0 the tile case is that most of out our officers are fonder er of golf and cricket than duty Only last week wk two Beers Boers went to one of ot our outposts near here between two blockhouses and left th their Mr ir horse horace and took our fresh ones without any of our picket p kd knowing about it And again SOUK Ie were playing golf golt when they were told the enemy was around Ih hS finished hed their game and then gave ord orders TB s to fall rau In but br Boer liner had exchanged their ho horses sea and all got away aay our men not n t being beins able to f illow on the Bo Boer r h That Tat b Is the tit tiC that t fj I I Ic c n on From from South th Africa to the St James Jam Gazette Gi garrison n towns represent serif t a state of things utterly U J opposed to the idea ides of a vigorous prosecution of the war Numerous officers o m hi possession of staff billets are snugly ensconcing themselves in oom bungalows obtaining g lodging Instead tead Jn of fieh fiek al allowance allowance a lowance In fact tact the liberal allow allowances allo allowances ances to officers in South Africa seem to counterbalance their desire for the end of the war Wr Sport is all aU very well In its way but on active service the care of golf golC links Jinks and Dd tennis courts not ex X officers r ability and attention while the thousands thou ands of ot polo l nd racing pomes kept by officers eIleen throughout South Africa fed OR 01 0 government ra IU rations raDons Dons might profitably be used to aug augment augment ment mont the r I tl supply of re remounts remounts mounts mounta to the mobile columns From Froma a letter from front South Africa to the liOn Xon don Spectator Here is hilarious the Lou Lon London Loudon don populace parading through the streets prom time to ta time roaring Rule Britannia Britons never neer never i never shall be staves slaves and the officers at the front rent pursuing golf balls over the windswept veldt while inconsiderate erate Boers Doers round up their horses S An orderly rides furiously across the plain to his officer who is leading an attack on the ninth hole flings himself from from rom his horse and breathlessly ly reports repots that the Boers Doers are ar raiding the camp Whereupon Cap tate tain th the Hon Algernon Fitzmaurice leaning on his niblick regards him coldly through his glass and replies Very good my man ily My to the lieutenant and say I expect to hole out in three and will ivill be with him hint la In a half hour And tell teU him to keep the Boer Boor men off the links Away goes the orderly in a cloud of ot dust and Captain the Hon Algernon Fitzmaurice poising his brassie lassle pre pro prepares pares res to drive across a watercourse hazard If anyone thinks this sad plc lure ure is overdrawn he is respectfully referred to the letters printed above I I had the pleasure of observing an ip tance of the British B officers in tn rad passion far tar sport Pretoria Was wab taken it will be remembered aft after after er or a steady advance from with something g like Uke fifty enga ments in fiftysix days and the forCes sat down to rest The Boers Bo rs r to tc the northward and eastward but remained a constant threat to th out outposts ut posts poets of the town 3 Within a week the officers officer hud h d ar arranged arranged I I ranged to hold a steeplechase st ste and men m r were sent to the flat at valley on tte th watt wt of the town to lay layout out the course courso cour Ditches Ditch were went d dug gt walls erected and water jumps built On the day Field FJeld Marshal Mar Lord Roberts Roberta with his glittering staff the Hou Rou ie 1 of Lords rod e out to the Held fo followed lowed by nearly every officer icer o in the entire force There were w about out a entries f for foi the steeplechase and as they swept around the threemile course s mg zag out in the open opel and closing into thundering masses eS at the Jumps thought of t war was wa forgotten In n U the of the sport Quite Q a 1 number cf ct the th men came croppers an officer of the Bengal lancers broke his cellar colar tone r rn several and it was waB a II very vel pleasant affair A day or two twe later word ord was a d aha 3 ha tha ma a whole 1 ol of the tr Scots Greys G y I think had been lJ n rOil t ip t P PaM pM and aM M captured by the Iere ten to ti miles of the town This inc Ino ent crested created not quite so 80 much general h ii terest as the steeplechase Far b be It from me to presume to cast aspersions upon u n the British officer He Heis HeIs Heis is a gentleman of the most engaging personality brave generous and will willing willIng ing lag to fight while there is breath in him for th the honor of his hii country and his regiment But the most tumble humble observer ob erv r is ii privileged to remark that the tbt Boers Boors cannot be whipped ed with wUn golf clubs nor patted into submission with tennis rackets |
