more honest than he
had found it.

FOOTNOTES:

[6] _Private Life of King Edward VII._ By a member of the Royal
Household. D. Appleton & Co. N. Y.

CHAPTER XIII.

The Prince as a Sportsman

In his devotion to the "sport of kings" the Prince of Wales followed the
excellent example of Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth, Charles I, Charles II,
William of Orange, Queen Anne, the Duke of Cumberland, George IV, and
William IV. He represented in this respect an inherent and seemingly
natural liking of the English people. With them the manly art of war,
the physical excitements of chivalry, and tests of endurance in civil
and foreign struggles, have been replaced by the games and sports of a
quieter and more peaceful period. Riding to hounds, steeple-chasing and
the amateur or professional race-course represent a most popular as well
as aristocratic phase of this development. The Prince of Wales, early in
his life, took a liking to racing in all its forms and encouraged
steeple-chasing at a time when it was neither fashionable nor popular.
He became a member of the Jockey Club in 1868. It was not, however,
until 1877 that his afterwards famous colours of purple, gold band,
scarlet sleeves and black velvet cap with gold fringe, were carried at
Newmarket in the presence of the Princess and before a great and
fashionable gathering. Five years later His Royal Highness won the
Household Brigade Cup at Sandown and thenceforward his interest in the
sport was keen, although it was not till some years afterwards that he
established his own racing-stable which, in 1890, was placed under the
efficient management of Lord Marcus Beresford.

During these years the Prince lost a good deal of money, though the
amount was never known or even truthfully guessed at, but in 1889 his
horses began also to win. In that year he won L204, in 1891 L4148, in
1894 L3499, and in the next four years a total of L57,430. In 1892 a
Royal stud was founded at Sandringham and there _Persimmon_ and _Diamond
Jubilee_ were bred. The Derby of 1896 was perhaps, the most historic of
English racing events. Attended by a crowd of three hundred thousand
people, raced in with horses owned by such generous patrons of the turf
as the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Westminister and Mr. Leopold de
Rothschild, watched with unusual interest by the crowd, it resulted in
the most popular victory in the history of English sport. The Prince had
fought hard for this blue ribbo