The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-07-17
The Growth OF Manly sports and
Exercises I'm America.


Exercises In America.
To the lovers of manly sport the inter- Uni
versity boating regatta on the Connecticut
River at Springfield today will be of the
highest interest It is little better than
twenty years since the first race of the kind
was rowed in the United States. when Har-
ward beat Yale on Lake Winnipiseogee.
From that date, with but little intcrmission,
rowing has STEADILY advanced in favor among
our college youth, and the fact that eleven
institutions, bringing out fourteen Crews
have occupied training quarters along the
beautiful river for weeks past and will contend
to-day shows that it is the pet athlesic sport
of our Universities. The example of the two
great English Universities, Oxford and Cam
bridge, has doubtless done much to stimulate
our youth but the science of the oar
has been taken up here with vigor
which is all American. It is unnecessary
here to enter into any discussion Of the "style''
of rowing which is least injurious or most con-
ducive to sp ea; in fact so long as muscle and
stamina are differing quantities in young men
each style will have its champions What we
wish to see is that whatever style may be
adopted, the conditions OF boat racing will be
such as commend them to the more sober
thinking physicist as to the most enthusiastic
undergrad that ever longed tor victory in his
freshman year.
The healthy mind in the healthy
body is the ideal of the modern student,
as 1t was of the ancient, and nowhere more
than in Amerlca should this be fostered and
encouraged. The young men who study
Greek and Latin have every scholarly induce
ment to cultivate their bodily strength, if
they only con picture to themselves the
competitors in the Oiympian games of
which Pindar has so sweetly sung.
To be sure, they had no boat races
there, and the six-oared "shelr' and the slid
ing seat were things that had no place even in
the poets imagination. But the building up
of q muscular, agile frame, that makes man
80 selt-helpiul in his bat. le with the world,
was the motive of all the games, as it should
be with our young men to-day. The long
training to which the Greeks subjected their
athletes, and the perpetual muscular education
which the Romans bestowed on their gladia-
tors show that this high cultivation of the
physical forces is not to be reached without
care, perseverance and self-denial Unfortu-
nately, the specials of that period did not
preserve diurnal notes for us of the 'form" of
the men as they trained for the wrestling,
leaping, running. boxing and quoit-throwing
but as Hercules is reputed the founder of the
strength and energy was high one. in fact
the highest, as he who looks upon the exhumed
antique marble torso of the hero will
confess. Nature, however, has wisely
declined to place Herculean strength
within the possibilities of every one, and it
is, therefore, matter Of interest to all young
men that they should discover how far it is
prudent to push the development of their
muscles without injuring their health. From
statistics carefully compiled by IN old varsity
SOAR" in England, it has been established that
the training, severe as it u.s. has not mate
rally impaired the health of those who rowed
in the annual races over very long period.
1t must, of course, be remembered that the
two Fights are the manly flower of the Univer-
sites, and as such they should enjoy longer
life-average than their fellows. But it is un-
doubted that even where subject has been
reputed of the highest grade of bodily
strength the training process has been fire.
quently overdone, with evil results, which tell
not merely in the particular struggle for the
sake of which it is endured, but throughout
Hercules for half an hour, only to find one self
prematurely decrepit Tithonus for the bal
ance of long life, without any friendly
Aurora to turn one into grasshopper
The evils of entertaining in the matter of
boat racing are well presented in the sad case
of Ronforth, who died at the oar in cham
pion race; and, indeed, the curious case of
Ellis Ward, who failed so signally in the race
with Biglin at Springfield on Tuesday, is very
much in point 1t may be mentioned that
our correspondent Mr.. Blaikie, himself
famous University ''oar," dwelt particularly
upon the superfneness with which Ward had
been trained, and gave his opinion that Wards
condition was too "fne," even for o shorter
spin. After six minutes and ten seconds of
racing work he flung up his hands and be-
came blind for space. The doctors said it
was vertigo, but the conclusion generally will
be that il was entertaining first To all young
men ambitious to Feather themselves into
fame these should be serious lessons. Rowing
is fine exercise, bringing all the large mus
cles into play, and is beneficial in moderation
to almost every young man in ordinary health
Before course of training is undertaken,
however It should be assured that heart and
lungs are perfectly healthy. Tendencies to
disease in the heart may, under the trainers
severe coaching, be developed into the disease
itself, and rheumatic and pulmonary diseases
are frequently brought into deadly activity by
l.