THE WORLD OF SPORT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 166, 19 December 1914, Page 7

THE WORLD OF SPORT.

SPORTSMEN' AT THE FRONT. A journalist just back from Paris tells 'of how he met two sporting celebrities ■ 'on the boulevards. Tod Sloan and Jack Johnson. The famous jockey is driving motor-cars to and from the front for the French Red Cross. Jn normal times he runs a saloon off the Avenue de l'Opera, j but he says that nobody lias much time I or inclination for saloouing nowadays. I .lack Johnson is being chaffed over the fact that our British Tommies have given I his name to the biggest of the German ! shells. The tremendous nigger takes it I as a compliment, though he is far from being a pro.German. "Ah," he said, "you ' bet I'd like to coax the Prussian Guards I into the ring and hand them out a black I eye, all round." Georges Carpcntier is I attached to the Flying Corps, and I hear that lie is one of the intrepid airmen now I natrolling the sky above Paris in regu--1 lar beats, like a policeman, on the looki out for German "doves." Those sports I men who are left in London, which I means those who are too old to be at | the front, have heard with regret the I names of many well-known Belgian I sportsmen who have fallen in the fight- ' ing. The champion cyclists have suffered severely. Among those who have caught a German bullet arc the Belgians Tliys and the brothers Bityssi. The first-nam-ed won the Tour de France competition only this year. Among the French cyclists, who will ride 110 more, are Poulain and fiarigan. The swimmers, Estrade, winner of the swim across Paris, and Perraysons, are also among the dead, and Lavagardc bus been severely wounded. Perhaps the saddest of all is the fate of Andre, the splendid young giant, who was France's high jumper, and most brilliant Rugby thrcei quarters. He seldom failed to score a try .in the Internationals. Early in the war, Andre, distinguished himself by a magnificent act of gallantry and feat of strength. lie was with a party of French infantry, who were (surprised by Germans in a narrow street of a French town. The Germans called 011 the Frenchman to sunvnder, but Andrewas not of that mind. He lSd a charge against the Germans which resulted in i the escape of all the Frenchmen, who remained standing after Hie tussle. Andre was the last to make good his retreat, .. which he did after laying out a prodigous number of Germans and capturing their standard, with which he sprinted as he never sprinted on a football field, hack triumphantly to the French lines. Our own sportsmen rejoiced to hear of Andre's feat, for which lie was promoted, I believe, to the rank of lieutenant. But now the fates have been j unkind to him, and he has fallen in the vanguard of a desperate French onslaught 011 the German lines somewhere in the Lille district. But no sportman could desire a better end,and Andre assuredly has neither lived nor died in vain. Tile list of our own sportsmen ' who have filleH the casualty list is now a formidable one. Some of our i | brightest and bust lads will never see England again, or, if they do, will never be fit again for the sporting field. But they wouhl be the last to regret or repent their sacrifices. Their efforts have helped to vindicate the tradition of old England and to justify the sporting spirit of her sons.