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JOCKEYS NOT SO BAD AS PAINTED. Sensible Remarks of English .Clergyman Who Preaches to Band of Them. London, Eng.. August 3. A volume of sermons preached to jockeys Is a decided novelty. The popular idea of a Jockey does ncft associate him with church going. Yet. according to the Rev. R. S. Swann-Mason, who for a long time preached every Sunday evening In the chapel attached to the king s training establishment at Newmarket, Jockeys arc not only quite as moral, but quite as religious as any other class of men. A selection or these Sunday evening "Straight Talks to Stable Lads" has just been published under that title and excellent, straightforward, manly little sermons they are. The king and queen have lKith accepted copies and Lord Marcus Bcrosford, who looks after his. majestys racing stud, contributes a preface, in which he welcomes the book as a useful reminder that jockeys and stable lads do not lead, as most of the public imagine, "a peculiarly godless life." "I assure vou." said Mr. Swann-Mason yesterday. "I often used to have as many as forty boys at early communion. -and the whole lot of a hundred were regular attendants at evening service. Richard Marsh, the kings trainer, is keenly interested in everything that touches the welfare of those whom he employs, and as there is no church near Egerton House, he built a chapel specially for them. I was glad to have the opportunity of getting to know them. Now. as curate of Christ Church. Mayfalr. I preach to the owners, not the riders, of race horses, but 1 value the chance I had at Newmarket of seeing a side of life which few people know anything about, and of which they have old and erroneous linpressions.- "Boys begin to le trained as jockeys from the age of 13. Thev begin as stable lads, and. of course, they all hope to ride. The idea that their association with racing has a bad effect Uon their charactersthat they are a blasphemous, loose living, gambling lot is quite wrong. One always finds it in goodv-goidy stories, but it is ludicrously unfair. "Naturally, jockeys have sporting tastes. They are fond of hunting and shooting and boxing. But they bet very little and they play cards very little. Manv of them are careful with their money. I know ouc," still, riding and doing well, who is worthy more than 00,000. He saved steadily and he made good Investments. He does not bet at all. "In after life they do well generally. Many become trainers. Some take to stecplechasing when they get too heavy to ride on the fiat. You dont often hear of. thorn; coming to grief. That is Wonderful when you consider that they are poor lads to begin with and at an early age are earning thousands a year. To show you that it is not an occupation regarded as undesirable by those who know. I might mention that the bishop of Dover not long ago sent a boy to Mr. Marshs. He had lieen a page, but lie wanted to be nmong horses. The notion that jockeys are "bad lots" is based ujkti utter ignorance of their ways." Mr. Swann-Mason. is an athletic young man himself, a county cricketer, and evidently a preacher with a "live" and attractive style. It was his broad common sense and his ample, human manner of approaching questions of faith and morals which appealed to his unusual congregation.
