Never in the annals of progress has the necessity for indulgence in health-giving amusement been so imperative as at the present day.
The conditions under which labour is performed are such that the state of the labourer's health, is of prime importance. No matter what instance we cite: be it of the printer, painter, factory hand or foundry man; each must cry "Fresh Air!" and get it, or else cry off in the struggle for existence. Much more so is this the case with those whose occupations are sedentary: the clerk, the tailor, or the shop assistant; to them, the untainted air of the open country is the Elixir of Life, without which they cannot partake of its pleasures, and must inevitably become but units in a very hum-drum existence.
Much has been said in favour of football as a corrective for these evils, and let me say at the outset, that although holding a brief for another remedy, I in no wise belittle its value. Indeed, in a district like ours, where the game enjoys deserved popularity, I should be ridiculed, and rightly so, for my foolishness. On the other hand, I am not one of those who look upon football as a pastime without blemish; and I shall now try to briefly and, I hope, impartially compare the game with cross-country running, the disciples of which are more popularly knowns as harriers.
During the last twenty years cross-country running has attained considerable popularity, and those who once regarded the sport as a form of madness, have since been forced to admit that there is method in it. Only a few years ago it was almost unknown in Liverpool, but to-day - Saturday, those who care to make a journey to Prescot will find the Liverpool & District Cross Country Association are holding their great annual meet, when three or four hundred runners will take to the fields. It will be a motley crew, but ask any one of the runners if he enjoys the sport, and you will meet with such a glut of eloquence as would convert the most hardened sceptic.
The objection which some take to the sport is that it is too great a strain upon the physique. This is no doubt due to their confounding it with track work. But such persons forget that cross-country running, though more sustained, is not by any means so violent: and that in this, as in all other things, it is the pace that kills. Football is, in essentials, very much the same, but perhaps does more in training the eye and teaching control of temper. Its most obvious disadvantages are the risk of physical hurt, there being very few matches in which some player is not more or less seriously injured; and that the players are not kept on the move all the time, their efforts being spasmodic, whereas in cross-country running they are continuous, thus removing the liability to chill. Of course, football provides a more steady supply of excitement, although that afforded by the inter-club contests of harrier clubs is very considerable, and in racing competitions is unquestionably of greater intensity. From this I think it may be seen that the value of cross-country running is not as yet sufficiently known, or it would have received a greater need of recognition than it has hitherto been accorded. We are, therefore, pleased to welcome the inauguration of a harrier club in our midst.
Those who would indulge in football, will find that most of the convenient grounds of the district are already occupied, but this cannot, of course, happen to the harriering community, environed as we are by tracts of admirable country. I have indulged in the sport myself, and therefore feel qualified to speak of its delights. What is there more exhilarating than to be one of a pack of thirty or forty gaily attired young men, taking an easy spin across the green fields on a nice wintry Saturday afternoon, clearing hedge and ditch with a bound, sometimes going with a jog trot and sometimes at a good walking speed; for let me not forget to say that the pace is made to suit the poorest of the company, and with experienced runners in charge, there is little likelihood of one's abilities being overtaxed. I heartily commend this form of sport to all who would acquire health and pleasure at the same time, and especially to those who are in the habit of standing on the line of a sloppy football field instead of playing themselves. This, it is, which causes consumption and kindred ailments, and the practice cannot be too severely deprecated In running, knowing not the trammels of a football boot, you get a sense of freedom as of the air around you. The lungs are cleared. The staying powers are improved. Elasticity of limb is acquired. An edge is given to the appetite. All these things in turn being conducive to the mental and moral welfare of those who devote themselves to the glorious sport of cross-country running.
Ends
Source - Wallasey News - Saturday, 07/10/1905 by SLB
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