PEDESTRIANISM.

Evening Star, Issue 3879, 30 July 1875, Page 2

PEDESTRIANISM.

To the Editor, Sib,— ln reading your issue of this evening. I came upon an extract from the ‘Thames Evening Star’ referring to several well-known pedestrians—both amateur and professional—and was much amuted by the bilious tone assumed by the writer in commenting on their performances. I should like to see him explain m what respect he runs down Deerfoot, who is admitted on all hands to have been the very best long distance runner who ever stripped in E M Brla The faot of his having run 11 miles 790 yards within the hour on the Bromp. ton Cricket Ground on 27th October, 1862, in a race in which White of Gateshead, Brighton, and one of the fastest runners in England started, speaks for itself, especially as the represent tative of ‘Bell’s Life* was timekeeper. Mr

Morgan, too, the present amateur champion of England, cornea in for a share of this splenetic writer’s abuse. In competing for the championship a few months’ ago Morgan walked the seven miles in a few seconds over fifty two minutes, and there can be no doubt that if he had gone en he would have done eight miles within the hour, a feat hitherto regarded as impossible. ‘ Bell’s Life,’ too, in its report of the race, declares his “ style though peculiar, to be perfectly fair. ” As I have always taken a great interest in athletic feats in the Old Country, and being anxious to see of what stuff Colonial boys were made, I was induced to go and see Young Scott s recent performance at the Queen’s Theatre, and although I am not an admirer of such long and arduous tasks as walking 100 miles in twenty four hours, yet, in justice to the pedestrian, I must state that he covered the distance in a thoroughly genuine manner, as I saw the whole of the performance myself, being only abssnt about forty-five minutes in the morning. I can bear this testimony with an unbiassed mind, as I had aot bet a shilling on the affair. The suspicion apparently entertained by this Thames writer, of any average walker having to walk unfairly when going at the rate of four and a-half miles an hour, is something ridiculous. What would he say if he witnessed some of the performances of Perkins, who has walked a mile in six minutes twenty seconds, and quite fair at that ? It is not at all likely that we shall ever see any one as fast as Perkins out here, but I have no doubt our pedestrians will improve both in running and walking as the Colony grows older, and truly there is room for improvement. I enclose my card, and remain, Nunquam Dobmio. Dunedin, July 28.