We have heard several reasons alleged: Because they cannot; because they see nothing in it; because they have not enough patience; because they dislike the consideration of angles, or contacts, or strengths, or side, or screw, or follow, or, in short, anything technical; because the tables are too high for the majority of them; because the game is not suited to evening dress; because they would have to practise to excel and they would regard that as waste of time, and so on and so on.
Already The Billiard Player has received letters on this subject, and here are a few points that have been made:—When play is going against them they (or some of them) retire to their seats grumbling; they have never a good word to say about either their opponents or the playing conditions; the cloth is either like a ploughed field or a skating rink, and the balls are like eggs. On the other hand, one does read of Inman terming Smith "a wonderful player," and of Smith saying of Falkiner that "he doesn't know how good a player he really is."
These are two discussable points in the elucidation of which readers of The Billiard Player may be able to assist, and perhaps they may also be able and disposed to suggest others. That is really the sort of thing that this journal is in existence for.