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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (July 12, 1914)
I 111 1 urn The Omaha Sunday Bee Magazine Page r- , ,. . , . - .- ' tl . j The Fblo Victors jarred EngWsSnobociacy; The Amazing Story of the Most Unwelcome Triumph Ever Won by English Sportsmen Lady Wimborno, Who Now Laughs in tho Faces of tho Snobbish Westminster "Blue Blood" Set. SfDCRET chapters of history, even of social and sporting history, are far moro Interesting than those which are open for all to road. The apathy, the open hostility, of English society toward the polo toam which came to Now York this (year to fight for tho cup has boon In explicable to tho goneral public, not only In this country, but In Europe. But this attitude is all made clear in some secret chapters of English soolal life which aro faoro presented to tho publlo for tho first time. From those chapters it Is seen that tho aristocracy of England places its own importanco first, with patriotism and sportsmanship playing a bad last. English society would rather have lost tho cup than to have had It won by the Wimborno team. Tho beautiful Viscountess Curzon was ono of the bitterest foes of tho team, and threw all hor influenco over to tho Westminster crowd. Polo has always boon tho sport of kings and millionaires. It has novor been a gamo, especially In and about New York and In England, for thoso whoso Incomes stopped short of five figures. $ An aura of oxtravagant wealth, of subllmo aristocracy, 1ms always surrounded tho gamo. Tho men who playod in tho tournaments In this country and England must bo of tho purest, bluest blood. It had always been thus, and thus, thought aristocratic England, It would al ways continue to be. In accordance with this bollef, after losing the polo cup to tho Am erican "Big Four." Harry Payno Whitney, Larry Waterbury, Devor eux Mllburn and Monte Waterbury, the aristocrats of England, headed by the Duke of Westminster, sent three years in succession a team to win it back. This toam was purely of the aristocracy. Each time it went sadly back to England In uttor rout The American "Big Four" played all round thorn. Last June, when tho defeated team reached homo, England decided that she had had enough. Sho, or rather tho aris tocrats Duke of Westminster nnd his friends, had' spent half a million to win the cup and, lo, tho team re turned without a game to its credit. Thereforo tho Duko and England said: "We have had enough. We will not competo next year. It is too ex pensive." But lower down in the social scale were several men who wanted to sor. that cup brought back to England. From out of this group strodo tho oalthy, but not so aristocratic Lord WImborne, and with ono throw ho lung his gauntlet in the faces ot 3ritlsh and American aristocracy. "I'll fiend a team to America, and I'll send ono that will bring back tho cup." And at onco English eocloty was split in twain. Tho ultra aristocrats lined up with tho Duko of West mlnlsttr, whtlo of course thoso who dearly lovo a lord, and moro dearly still, lovo a duko, foil In lino with the Westminster clique. Thoso who placed sportsmanship above class sided with Wimborno and hoped him luok la forming his team. As tho financial backer, Wimborno was given tho prlvllogo of Inciting tho mon to servo on his team. Ho began of course, by asking thoso who had formed tho Westminster teams. Ho ABkod Lord Wodohouso. "Mo lord" refused, bocauso ho had personal buslnoss affairs to koop him In England. Ho asked tho fa mous Captain Cheapo. Tho captain hommod and hawod, and finally said: A'fully sorry, but I have appoint ments with my tailor which will keep mo In London during May and Juno." Ho aBkod Captain Vivian Lockott, V. . th. douBty Lockott regretted that his roglmontal duties would prevent his playing. And so It wont, every man who over had any connection with tho Wostmlnstor foams refused tho Wimborno bids. Tho British ana American public wore frankly puzzlod. Why? Why? They kopt asking. And the "why" Is now explained. Lord Wimborno, millionaire and sportsman, that ho Is, Is not Of tho samo "rank" as Wostmlnstor and i,.,e?dB 11,8 Present tltlo, that of WImborne, dates back only a few years, and worso than that, ho took tho Ashby St. Lodgers title, when ,AWn? r,a?od to th0 Peerage in iii;mA?d th0 '"K or that famous ?!itI,tlo,.by..a mnh thy considered a social climber, was too much for tho wmi. of, aroat Britain. The Ph,,m 18 "ected with the un urchin and Quest families does not holp him with tho West- minster crowd. These "Littlo Englanders," as nudyard Kipling would call them, scoffod at Wlm homo's "lovo of oport," "It is only a social stepping stone," said they, when his offer was made. Deep In their aristocratic souls thoso mon of Westminster's, thought that no one In England could play polo but themselves. They laughod at the idea that Wim borno would succeed whore their duke had failed. Tho history of the forming of the toam will not rankle. In England's heart. Tho King of Spain Invited tho Wimborno players to use the royal grounds In Madrid. Ho took an active interest in their practise games; frequently ho played against them again he playod with them. Tho Westminster crowd looked on aghast. "Well, Alfonso may bo a king but ho Is no aristocrat," said they. When tho players roturned from Spain they found English Boclety ar rayed against thorn. They found the wealthy sportsmen wero actually crying down tho team and betting against It. Such a stato of affairs had novor been known in "sporting" England. In evory way possible tho "aristocrats" did tholr best to keep tho Wimborno team from living up to its challonge. The nowspapers in England nnd America wore filled with roports of tho rottennoss of tho chnllengors. It was frequently stated that tho challenge would be withdrawn. Thoro was no doubt that tho toam needed strong players. Captain Lookott had already, much to tho chagrin of tho Westminsters, offered himself to Wimborno and been ac cepted. Ho looked bothered whon over anyono asked him why ho had gone over to tho enemy, but refused to tell Then at tho eleventh hour, when oven Wimborno despaired of getting a strongor team, word camo that Leslie Cheapo was to play. And lo, Captain Choape appeared on the team during Its last week In Eng land. Wostmlnstor was wild. Ho boratod Cheapo for having lost his social sense." Cheape shrugged his shoulders. "Can't holp it. Tho War Department ordered me to on pain of being sent to Africa" Tho publlo did not know those socrot chaptors It almply wondered at Locketf and Cheape's change of heart The truth was that tho War Department had ordered both men to play for tho "honor of tho flag," or else get ready to servo at an Isolated African post! With this fear at their heelB was it any won der that Cheapo and Lockott not only Joined tho team but played as thoy had novor playod before? But oh, tho shock to English society whon the "climber's" team won that first gamot And oh, the greater shock when It won the second I "Could anything cut more deoply the crust of tho aristocratic Westminster crowd than having that cup captured by tho WImborne crowd I The fickle fanoy ot the public voored Immediately to tho Wlm borne's, and In tho twinkling of an eye, all men wero talking affection ately of "Our Wimmy." If Lord Wlnfoorne wont Into this cup con test as a social game, he has played so well that not ovon the West mlnstor crowd can keep him down any longer. Not even tho fact that ho was foolish enough to ask for tho Ashby St. Ledger title will weigh against him any longer. With the winning of the cup he has won England, lot Westminster do or say what ho may. Of course, that ele ment which calls the duke their "over lord," will turn tho cold shoulder to tho victorious Wim borno, but the rank and fllo at last realizes that oven tho "Sport of Kings" can he played by "com moners" and England has learned that It Is better to win by "rod" blood than to lose by "blue" blood. It Is woll known that tho reason William Buckmastcr, tho greatest polo player in England, was not ask ed to play on Westminster's team last year was because he was a "commoner." Buckmastorfs social position not coming up to West minster's standard, kept him out of the team and his absence last year Viscountess Curzon, Foremost Among Aristocratic English Beauties Who t Joined the Duke of Westminster in Deriding the Polo Pretentions of "Mushroom" Lord Wimborn. Th Defeated American Polo Team Prom Leftto Right: Devereux Milburn, Rene La Montagne, Monte Waterbury and Larry Waterbury Who Share with the Duke of Westminster the Social Discomfiture of Having Been Beaten Through the Enterprize of the "Unaristocratic" Lord Wimborne. Copyright. 1914, by tho Star Company. Great Britain nights Reserved was largely the cause for their do feat, so said polo experts. But "social position flrst,,"'is the Westminster slogan. This samo attitude has been held to a great extent by the players here in New York. The Polo Asso ciation has always given the "mil lionaire crowd," headed by Whitney, the first choice when making up & team. Because this year the asso ciation would not take In the news, red blood eagerly clamoring at its doors, tho cup went back to Eng land. New blood, strong, young, un excited nerves are needed on tho American team. Let tho American Polo Association take notice of tho lesson Just taught England. If the cup comes back next year, it will bo won by "new red" blood, not by tho vitiated blood of the present prominent players. Is France the "Drunkest" Nation WHICH Is the "drunkest" na tion? At the fourth Alco hol Congress, Dr. G. Bcrtll Ion tried to answer the question by showing that France consumes proportionately an enormous quan tity more Intoxicating liquor than any other European country. Tho figures, regulated on a basts of the number of litres of pure alco hol consumed per inhabitant a year, work Out approximately as follows: Franco 5 gallons Italy 3 gallons Belgium 3 gallons Switzerland 3 gallons Denmark 2 gallons Spain i 2 gallons ' Germany 2 gallons Great Britain 2 gallons Sweden 1 gallons . Russia li gallons This table affords a great sur prise In that Italy and Spain are usually looked on as the least In dulging countries. Dr. Bertlllon's figures do not, how over, 'fairly answer the questlota, "Which Is the drunkest country?" Great Britain, despite the strik ingly low average, probably pro vides as much, if not more, inso briety than any other state. The beer-drlnklng countries aro Germany and England, and the wine-drinkers aro France, Spain and Italy, and if the latter actually consume more alcohol per head, they don't show it so freely. On the other hand, the saddest stato of affairs prevails in Belgium, where absinthe has become practi cally the national beverage. It has often been asserted that the phys ique and morals ot Belgians make them tho least attractive people in Eurooo.