The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-07-19
Boat Racing VS.. Vitality.

interest sufficient to entitle it to a COMPARE
son with the Oxford Cambridge contest which
annually absorbs the attention of all England
and attracts to the banks of the Thames enor-
nous crowds of people,as eagerly intent upon
the struggle as if the fate of nations depended
upon the result. Eleven colleges were rep
resented at the American races, nearly all of
whose friends presumably cherished hopes of
victory. The lovely little city of Springfield
was crowded with mass of visitors from the
best classes ofsociety, representing the high
est grades OF culture. For term of time
ranging from 16 m. SO sec. Yale's time, to IS
m. SO 1-3 sec., Trinity's time, the crews put
forth physical efforts testing to the last ex-
tent their wind muscle and nerve. With spec
ial reference to this eliminating agony, their
habits of life, diet and exercise had been di-
rected for year past; and very natural aud
pertinent enquiry arises concerning the adj
yantages and disadvantages of this class of
competitions, comparatively new in this coun-
try, although old in England.
The usefulness of physical culture is too
obvious to be discussed and all institutions,
practices and enthusiasts which tend to pop
ularize and make general wholesome train
ing of the body are commendable. The body
is beautiful thing, which should be appre-
ciated cared for and developed to its utmost
perfection. These athletic contests are I'M
doubtedly of great service in awakening in
terest in the subject of gymnastic exercises
which will be for the good of the community
at large, even if the apostles in the cause suf-
fer.
The question whether these young gentle
men, who stand as the opponents of physi-
cal culture, are or are not martyrs to the
cause, is very interesting, and to them
selves and their friends, a very important one.
From physiological point of view it seems
that they must suffer injury from this excessive
training The formation upon the body of
great coating of muscle for special and tenn
porary use must subtract largely from the vi
tai powers and functions. as it is to certain
extent an abnormal and artificial growth. 1t
is rapidly acquired by a series of exercises
specially directed to its attainment, and thus
differs essentially from the muscle which
comes gradually of regular and natural exer-
else OR labor. Nature resents and Furnishes
p interference with her settled courses such as
that of the athlete who suddenly forces him.
self into a condition of great muscular eff
cheney, and as suddenly relapses into lazy re-
pose when the crucial test is past.
The empirical proofs of the correctness of
these conclusions are abundant. The case of
the great English oarsman Renforth, who
died of entertaining at st. John, when appar
entity at the highest point of physical devel-
opment, is sufficiently recent and prominent
to be familiar; while only this week at these
very Springfield races, Ellis Ward, promi-
nent and well known oarsman, after leading
his antagonist in a single scull race for nearly
two miles in splendid style, suddenly stopped,
the oars fell from his grasp, his head sank up
on his breast and the race, so far as he was
concerned, was over. Verdict of the ex-
perts-sTrained too much" In nearly every
great race somebody in some boat breaks
down and no one can tell how neaf many
others, who have sufficient nerve to work
through to the end, come to similar
catastrophe. Nearly all the contestants,
however, finish the struggle without
public collapse and go. to private life
with systems impaired to degree exact
ly proportionate to the intensity of their train
ing They have had sufficient vital force to
in many cases will have enough stamina to
rally with the kindly forgiving aid of outraged
nature and become healthy men; while in
many other cases they Will carry to the grave
the effects oftheir reckless waste of vitality
They over draw on Natures bank, which
sometimes, especially when such drafts have
been often presented, promptly dishonors
them; she usually, however, honors them,
but holds against the spendthrift balance
which lifetime of care and effort may fail to
pay.
1t is held by many persons that an unusual
development of the bodily forces has demon
alizing effect upon the mind and soul; that it
tends to brutalize its possessor and blunt all
his higher and finer perceptions and instincts
Wilkie Collins portraiture of this effect in
"Man and Wife" is a wonderfully vivid and
striking illustration, but we think it is hardly
sustained by actual experience. The dstin
guished oarsmen, runners and cricketers of
the English Universities have quite frequent
ly been equally distinguished for scholarship;
while many divines of undoubted piety were,
in their college days, famous athletes. The
young gentlemen, who rowed at Springfield,
are quite generally of high standing on the
books of their respective colleges and we pre-
sumo their morals will average well.
Mind and soul fare well enough in this busi-
ness; it is the body which suffers. Let US
hcps that the vacation upon which they now
enter will bring health and healthful strength
to these martyrs to the cause of athletic
sports, whose brave young hearts were strain
ed almost to burstir g in the last fierce effort
4 for victory at Springfield. At all events we
may congratulate them that during their pc
Rod of training they were debarred from to-
bacco, spirituous liquors and pie, which pre-
sents very substantial compens ltion for the
evils we have portrayed.