The New York herald., 1874-07-18
How Our Oarsmen Train.

How Our Oarsmen Train.
While Mr.. Bergh and other well-meaning
persons have been for o long time active in
dog, the agile cow and the sucking dove, there
is one line Of their duty which they seem to
have entirely overlooked. High up the Con-
necticut River, far from the roar Of the ocean
and the din of cities, there gathers annually
race Of beings from various parts OF the land.
hooks, live quite alone All are bent or
purport to be, on getting good and
cultivating their powers so that they
may do good. Such is their laudable
purpose. All claim to be intelligent, and
some no doubt are. Some, in bygone days.
have even filled high places, while others have
sunk to the lowest depths, few even having
gone to Congress for it should be known that
this thrifty community is mobile, is, in fact
ever changng--that its members never stay
together over four years, but then scatter far
and wide. While together several have fallen
into the habit of getting daily into boat and
moving about from place to place. They did
80 last year. They moved their craft SEEM
ingly so fast that their neighbors in the hill
country deemed them giants and boasted of
their prowess. They became elated. Boldly
they sailed down stream and gayly drew their
boat into line with many from divers places.
1t was q rash venture. Side by side with the
others they kept for a little while, but only for
little. Then they were left far behind, and
they went away home sad and sorrowing
Their grief is not yet assuaged, for one Of
them only now thus mourns -
Our daily system OF training after we got to
Sprngh I'D was To get up at SIX o'clock; before
breakfast take u three-nile walk, after breakfast
a siX-mle walk anu Immediately on returning
six-miie pull after dinner q siX-mile walk then
pull DISK miles as soon as the wax was over, then
walk o three m les after supper. We were
never allowed To rest between the walk ana pull
and always got INTO the boat tired. AS to Ou.
tOoo, stae bread and beei was about the whole OF
1t once In while potato ana little butter; no
milk. no vegetables, no fruit We suffered most
for want of water, OF which we got tue least pos.
sible quantity. one OF me fellows used to hang
Uenin1 on the walks and If he saw spring ned
cut across lots ana steal 60 d INK; but mos! OF
O'Clock and dragged ourselves out about SIX.
That they could maintain such habits and
that through weeks Of broiling summer heat,
without shelter from tho MONDAY sun, is sur
prising enough; but is it not simply astound-
ing that in an enlightened land SIX young
men could be found 80 absolutely blind to
what they were about and its effect upon them,
as to continue long under such regime? And
they, too, men occupied in obtaining liberal
education and who had been at school all their
lives? A three-mile walk before breakfast,
when for thirteen or fourteen hours nothing
has been taken into the stomach, would use
up most men, at least the rest of that day, but
to add to it fifteen miles more walking and
twelve miles of rowing, and this for men utterly
unused to either-for farmers, when there is
mile or two to go, hitch up-they do not
walks piece Of folly almost incapable of
excuse. What wonder that one day toward
the end 'four men vomited as soon as
they got out Of the boat - That
next day they could only crawl about,
and some were seriously i'll !" The wonder
is almost that they lived to tell the tale. One
would think that single glimmeriny spark of
New Hampshire common sense and indepen-
dence would have kicked at such treatment.
If this is the fashion in which the professional
we rejoice to see this year-he aud the student
part company 1t is such mad work as this
that will bring boat racing into swift and
deserved disrepute. There are sensible ways
of training a man for test of his physical
endunnce-carsful, judicious exercise, ample
sleep and abundant, hearty food will add
weight to the thin man, toughen the stout one,
and keep and increase the vitality in both
but to feed him on meat and old bread, and
nothing else; to work him when he loathes it,
when he is tagged till he can hardly crawl
mewling infant ought to know better