10 APRIL 1886, Page 3

The Oxford and Cambridge Boat-race was rowed on Saturday, and

was won by Cambridge, after the best race for many years. The crowd was as great as usual, but the interest in the race as a great event is obviously dying away. That is not to be regretted, for though boat-racing is one of the best of sports, the enormous importance given it invests it with an injurious charm. Not every one is able to believe in the extraordinary dictum of the Times that a trained oarsman must have the mens sana in eorpore sano. Rowing is healthy if you have no liability to heart-disease, but why a good oarsman cannot be a fool is not so clear. Are there no stupid watermen