The New York herald., 1874-07-01
How the Rising Generation EndcavOr to
Perfect Their BOdieA
yE WORK OF ATHLETIC CLUBS.
Performed by The Ca!edonians, Turner's
\ and Young Muscular Christians.
HIPPODROME ATHLETICS.


biceps and to expand the chest in every hamlet
Il ON Maine to California, and The number OF ath-
letlc organizations that are being formed every
day in all our Atlantic seaboard cities Is SIMPLY
beyond calculation. The young American mas AZ
last turned his attention to the culture
OF his body, and II the steam IS kept
up in this fashion for thirty years our
next generation will compare with those Marcy
Greeks who contested breast to breast IN the
Oympian games and smote the Persian slaves Nv
Salams died Tree men in the rocky gorge Oh
ThermOpyl9. No more weak lungs, naDDy arms OF
wobbhng legs is now the watchwOrd Of our young
men, ana all who wish well for the future OF the
race will wish them good speed IN their attempt.
AMATEUR ATHLETES.
To be an amateur athlete. IN the truest sense OF
the word, is worthy ambition Tor any young man,
and he cannot be otherwise than benehted by
moderate use Of the members OF his body. Per-
haps no other athletic movement tDaS the worId
has ever known equalled In extent and progress
the base nall movement from Its first inception to
the stare which 1t has now reached. Keen OBJ.
server OF athletic sports said 10 the writer the
other day that he positive that If he leaned
over the roof OF any building on Broadway and
sneuld drop a brick at random among the crowd
he would bet 100 to that ne would kAl o member
OF base ball CLUB. On Decoration Day
at Prospect Park, Brooklyn and. Of course, there
Rad to be 'ninesn from one hundred and four clubs
TO ieep the games going. On every side athletic
organizations are beng formed and grounds are
being prepared and laid out to SATISFY the cravings
for physical excellence. 1t IL true that very many
thousands indulge in manly sports, not having any
higher ideal than the simple qualification OF the
physical sense, yet there Is a higher standard for
all who desire to attain 1t.
THE TURNER GYMNAsTS
Among those who are specially noticeable as
amateur athletes are the young men who belong
to the New York Turnverc.n or Turner's Associa-
tion, which has Its nail in East Fourth street
Here pupils exercise every day, apd the Turner's
number many hundred members. But of active
athletes that is to say young men who can perform
feats OF the gymnasium or arena, there not
more than about eighty. The Turner's are very
good as rope climbers and on the parallel bars,
and are very clever in the trapeze acts,
but as Il general thing they do not
train correctly and are not tit for pro-
lOnged eXertlon Two OF their best men,
ChristOper Meller and Louis Kramer are excellent
gymnasts, but although OF small stature, each
weighs over 100 pounds OF course it should be
clearly understood that this article only those
who will not enter into any contest for sums OF
money or Tor prizes or will be spoken Oh In
many athletic contests the Turner's have carried
on prizes, and In tbeir last annual games he'd IN
New JeI sey the connection was excellent and
spirited throughout. At the Hpprodrome on FRI
day evening Mr.. Kunze, member Of the Tui-
ners, carried of the grand prze, gold
medal, TOR rope climbing having got to tue
height Of So ieet So incnes. Forty leet
.pra,9nt .ne rape aGne nd s oi cnnos aone
Mr.. Miller in the Turn Halle in private exhioition
Mr. f. Stelnbuch OF the Turner's, who weighs 147
pounds, has htted in a tournament two dumo bells
weighing seventy-hve and elghiy pounds, and on
away Irst hOnurs. In raising the body with one arm
MIR. Otto Schlessel performed the ieat with great
dexterity., But In yauting the prize generally
goes to the Caledonans, for here comes IN the
fact that the Turner'S do not train long enough to
be able to vault to any great height. me lurners'
Association Is ramlted all through the word, and
was founded about seventy years since Dy jam,
the great German apostle VI muscle. Ihey are
often seen IN the streets and on estVal Gays tnese
Turner's their shirts white linen coats or jackets
and linen trousers and wearing red sashes around
their bodies. that color being favorIte one with
al German athletes
THE NEW YORK ATHLETIC CLUB.
The first nucleus every formed Dy The gentlemen
athletes this city occurred six years ago at
the KnickerbOcker Cottage in sixth avenue, Wnen
Messrs. Curtis, Henry Buermeyer and Van Wyck,
and some other gentlemen, gathered tOgether IN a
little private room and formed themselves into whlt
is now known as the first athletic amateur club In
tne United states. They have prospered exceed.
the Academy. and in other places, IN when
they have proved their mette, ana nave
nS ina, thst s'ae1es GaH raise
dumb bell or run mile In good tlMe he need nos
be iOul IN language or rowdyish In behavior
which we're opened with great success to The
public on Monday. The Atnietic Club has about
12O members, and its headquarters are at Woods
Gymnasium, in East Twenty eighth street.
where they have baths and all the pal aphernaa OF
the amateur athlete. This club has also q BOAT
house and several fine shells on Haf lem River. and
thus It ls rowing as well as an athletic CLUB The
members are generally merchants, professional
exceptions q fine bodied lot OF young men. Among
the members OF the Athletic who have dlstin-
meyer, Elliott Burrls William b. Curtis, George
Thompson Daniel NJ. Stern, George L. Brown,
Louis Cohen. X. W. Rathborne, W. =. Sinclair and
others BueTmeyer Is SIX leet one inch In height
and weighs about 1876 pounds. ne can be put
dOwn as splendid club swlnger He has raised
but only once-a 100 pound dumb bell in each
hand. william B. Curtis, one OF the earliest mem
bers OF the club, has llited $500 pounds
done Dr. Winshlp lifted ,. 700 pounds and Mr. 4pra
nam A. Butts, OF ONO, lifted 2.737 pounds. Mr..
Buermeyer has lifted with the nand strap 1900
she lone hand lift" curtis has raised 1880
pounds and Buermeyer l,loo pounds This ls big
Oi the stun tnar the New YORK Athletic Cluo is
composed OIL Cohen and Stern, both members
oil the Athletics, are good 200 yard runners.
and Elliott Burrls has displayed remarkable speed
on more than one occasion while there. One OF
the men in the United States-he Is a clerk In the
Manhattan Gas Company, and has put up bell
weighing $50 pounds--lt is said may have
trial with the strong man known rs Kelly, who Is
said to think nothing of lifting 200 pound dumb
bell. The opening OF the grounds OF the
Athletic Club marks new era for the
amateur athlete, and any one who will pay a visit
TO the headquarters OIL the athletes at Woods gym
nasium and take q look at the amount OF hard
work and skilled exercise whicn the crack men OF
the clubs go through each day in order to attain
perfection in manly exercises will come away
with an impression that great benefit is coming
slowly mt surely TO American physical MANHOOD
through the efforts OF these amateur associations
under whatever name they may do their work.
THE STRONG MEN OF SCOTLAND.
Chief among the clubs OF this city given
TO athletics Is the one which has its head
quarters IN the very comfortable ana cOsey club
house IN Sullivan street. and which is known as
the Caedonlan Club. This organization is CON-
posed solely of Scotchmen and their sons born in
she United States, and is well known to New YORK
ers who have 80 often witnessed the members, In
ali the pan0py and paIaphernala OF the Gael,
marching through the streets to the wild and mad
denng music OF the screaming bagpipes. This club
Is about twenty years Old, and has in It's ranks
which number over 100 men. quite large num-