AMATEURS

WE have received from a correspondent, "Amateur," a long letter-containing, however, too many personal allusions to warrant its publication. The gist of the letter is simply this, What constitutes an amateur at billiards? and, does the fact of being a proprietor of a public table make a man a professional? Our correspondent informs us that the proprietor of a large hotel was objected to by one of the players in a handicap on the ground that he was a professional. The question as to the "good taste" of this proceeding, as well as the fact of the "disgust and indignation" of all the other players at the objection, has nothing whatever to do with the subject. The fact is, that it would be as utterly impossible to give a strict definition of the term "amateur," as it would be of the word "gentleman."

As, however, we have been asked to decide the case in point, we will at once inform "Amateur" that we have not the slightest hesitation in saying that the objection is frivolous. At the same time, however, it should be borne in mind that it is quite impossible to draw any hard and fast line. We will take the case of licensed victuallers. Say two men in partnership keep a low public-house in Ratcliffe Highway, it would be possible step by step to proceed up to the height of the shareholders of some immense West End hotel whose interests are entrusted to some retired army colonel. So, too, among amateurs, it would be possible to rise step by step from a billiard-marker who rented a room to the shareholders of the Alexandra Palace Company, who, we presume, indirectly take a share of the money paid for "the tables" in the capital billiard-rooms at that establishment. The question, Who is an amateur? is one that can only be answered by common sense and knowing the full particulars of each case. Of course, when a man evidently makes his living by keeping billiard-tables and letting them on hire, such an one is evidently a professional. Or when a man makes his living by playing exhibition matches, or helps to make his living by so doing, he is clearly a professional. On the other hand, a man might keep a public-house, even where there is a billiard-table, but so long as he kept a marker we see no ground for regarding him otherwise than as an amateur.

The fact is, in all questions relating to amateurs there is the same undercurrent difficulty. Many consider the term "amateur" synonymous with the term "gentleman."

The real facts of the case are quite different, and, as we have before pointed out, there are many amateurs who are not gentlemen, and many gentlemen who are not amateurs. The old definition of a professional was one who earned his living by manual labour, as in all athletic exercises he had a clear advantge in the every-day use of his muscles over those who gained their living by sedentary work.

This definition, like all others, had the drawback of its being impossible to draw the line as to what employment was sedentary and what muscular; for instance, machines like engines clearly require muscle in their composition, but it is not so clear that machines like watches require it. It is evident, however, that this definition would be quite inapplicable to billiards, where heavy muscular work would more probably be a drawback to good play than otherwise.

There is one more point in connection with the billiard amateur question worthy of attention, and that is, Does playing a match for money, in which the money is staked, make a man a professional? If there is no charge for admission, or the player has nothing to do with "the gate money," we do not see why it should.

In fact, every case must be regarded in a separate light. It would be manifestly absurd to call the two undergraduates who contest the inter- university match professionals because five shillings is charged at the door in order to help to pay the necessary expenses of playing the match in London. Perhaps the best definition we can give of a professional is, one who systematically makes billiards a means of increasing his income. It may be said that this would apply to those men who play billiards and pool, to win, and live by it. We undoubtedly consider these men professionals, and that, too, of the lowest class, as they pursue a line of conduct to which, we are happy to say, the leading professionals never stoop.