with himself as the object of a cowardly mob's unreasoing frenzy. He must stand in the midst of a team of recalcitrants like "Patience on a monument, smiling at grief," listening, until patience ceases to be a virtue, to the jibes and jeers and innuendoes of all before imposing the fine authorized by the rules.
Do you wonder that, during the evolution and development of our national game, the umpire problem has been so difficult of solution? Are you surprised, with such a requisition of heaven-born attributes, that now and then an umpire fails to measure quite up to the standard of perfection called for? Do you regard it as passing strange that, in the half-century of professional Base Ball, difficulty has been occasionally experienced in finding men equal to the requirements of this most exacting position?
But I have not mentioned nearly all the attributes demanded of every umpire. Until, in the course of the development of the game, the double-umpire system was introducd into certain leagues a few years ago, it was required of the umpire that he should be not only Omniscient, knowing everything about the game; Omnipotent, having power to control players, rooters, spectators; but he must be also Omnipresent, standing behind the batter, to judge of balls and strikes at close range; behind the pitcher, to watch for infield plays; at first base, to decide when base runners beat the ball; at second base, to determine the result of a slide or a double; at third base, to note if the runner touched that sack.
When I visited England in 1874, with competing teams of star ball players, the severest criticism I met
