Editing W. G. Grace (section)

===So-called gentlemen===
[[File:W G Grace and Bobby Abel.png|thumb|upright|''[[Entr'acte (newspaper)|Entr'acte]]'' cartoon: [[Bobby Abel]] to W. G. Grace: "Look here, we players intend to be sufficiently paid, as well as the so-called gentlemen!"]]
At the enquiry in January 1879, WG and EM were forced to answer charges that they had claimed "exorbitant expenses", one of the few times that their money-making activity was seriously challenged.{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=127}} The Graces managed to survive "a protracted and stormy meeting" with EM retaining his key post as club secretary, although he was forced to liaise in future with a new finance committee and abide by stricter rules.{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=127}}

The incident highlighted an ongoing issue about the nominal amateur status of the Grace brothers. The amateur was, by definition, not paid, and the dictum of the amateur-dominated MCC was that "a gentleman ought not to make any profit from playing cricket".{{sfn|Bowen|1970|p=112}} Like all amateur players, they claimed expenses for travel and accommodation to and from cricket matches, but there is plenty of evidence that the Graces made more money from playing than reimbursement of actual expenses, and WG in particular "made more than any professional".{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=108}} In his later years he had to pay for a ''[[Locum|locum tenens]]'' to run his medical practice while he was playing cricket; paradoxically, he had a reputation for treating his poorer patients without charging a fee.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=112}} He was paid salaries for his management roles with both the USEE and the [[London County Cricket Club|London County]] club.{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=162}} He was the recipient of two national testimonials. The first was presented to him by Lord Fitzhardinge at Lord's on 22 July 1879 in the form of a marble clock, two bronze ornaments and a cheque for [[Pound sterling|£]]1,458  ({{inflation|UK|1458|1879|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-2}}).{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=127}} The second, collected by MCC, the county of Gloucestershire, ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' and ''The Sportsman'', amounted to £9,703 ({{inflation|UK|9703|1896|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-2}}) and was presented to him in 1896 in appreciation of his "Indian Summer" season of 1895.{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=159}}

Whatever criticisms may be made of Grace for making money for himself out of cricket, he was "punctilious in his aid when (professional players) were the beneficiaries".{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|pp=73–74}} For example, he altered the date of a Gloucestershire match so that he could travel to Sheffield and take part in a Yorkshire player's benefit match, knowing full well the impact that his appearance would have on the gate.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=74}} [[John Arlott]] recorded, "it was no uncommon sight to see outside a cricket ground":{{sfn|Arlott|1984|p=6}}

<blockquote>''CRICKET MATCH<br />Admission 6d<br />If W. G. Grace plays<br />Admission 1/–''</blockquote>

On another occasion, when [[Alfred Shaw]]'s benefit match in 1879 was ruined by rain, Grace insisted on donating to Shaw the proceeds of another match that had been arranged to support Grace's own testimonial fund.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|pp=73–74}} 1879 was a wet summer and, after the same thing happened to Ned Willsher's benefit match, Grace took a select team to play Kent a few days later, the proceeds all going to Willsher.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=74}}