The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-06-07
Weston and Pedestrianism.
8 [St. Louis Republican,

tSt Louis Republican,
The ewgYorkers have been running wild
over the attempt of Weston, the pedestrian,
| to walk five hundred miles in six days. 1t has
been the fate of Weston, ever since he began
his career as professional pedestrian to be a
| failure. Not that he has not performed some
remarkable feats on his feet, but because his
vaulting ambition, which o'erleapt itself, has
led him to attempt some Improbable exploits,
which generally failed of contamination. This
| last effort, though o tremendous fight of pluck
and muscle against old Father Time, is not an
impossibility, and we have NO Doubt there are
men living who could accomplish it. There
were professional walkists living q score SO
of years ago who could have achieved the task
hich, after all, does not equal Capt. Barclays
| thousand miles in thousand consecutive
hours. Weston's match was one of six days.
while Barclays feat covered period of forty
| one days and sixteen hours, an accomplish
ment which, while il demanded more endurance
than speed, imperatively required also that
| the mile should be honestly performed in fifteen
minutes.
Five hundred miles in six days means nine
| teen daily walking hours, aud FIVE hours for
rest and refreshments, giving the pedestrian q
| minutes for the completion of each mile. which
| does not equal i've miles an hour Weston
lasted through 430 miles-the last mile being
gallaRtly done in 10m. 53s.-aud then, we are
told, "a deadly pallor overspread his face, and
he lay back in his chair helpless as an infant"
He walked gamely throughout the six days,
| but fell short of the accomplishments of his
| count on his promise, which does not speak
| very highly for the calculations of his own
powers. He is said to have blistered his feet
on the second day, and attributes his failure
to the neglect of his trainer to properly attend
| to them, which, without pun, is very lame
excuse. Notwithstanding all this, however,
Westons match will be emembered with
honor on the roll of pedestrian fame, his per-
Torrance of lis miles in the first twenty four
| hours being, perhaps, the greatest achievement
on record, considered as contest for fair toe
| I No H..
| ed under such mixed circumstances of the SEN
sationally favorable and the hyscally unfavor-
able, performing as he did in an enclosed arena,
with the sitting pressure REQ. OF thousand people
| speed and endurance was not made in the open
air, where the circumstances would have been
] so much more favorable for success, we cannot
| understand, unless, indeed, the whole thing re-
solved itself into an affair of gate money,
| which is highly probable Trotting and base
ball have been VIGOROUSLY connected with
ball is dying, ank SO it will be with tsis new
popularity of pedestrianism, so long as it is
limited to Kinks and arenas with gate money
attachment.
tranism is for the higher development it will
bring to the muscles, lungs and improvement
of the general system of our young people,
aud when it fails in this and is given over to
the gamblers and gate-money sharks respect
ability will stand aside and let ruhianism take
it.. 1t will be some time, we hope, before this
muscular reform, go happily begun, wilde
scend SO low, and meanwhile let us do what
we can to encourage in the West what has
been commenced with such grand flourish of
legs in the East purse or two, or a silver
cup given at the Fair, to be held after three
successive winning years, for running and
walking races of ten and two miles, would do
very much to inaugurate desire among our
young men and youth for athletic sports. We
do not want any long winded affairs like this
professional gate-money tramp of Weston, but
if we can only induce our boys to run and
jump aad walk against each other in friendly
competition, we shall confer an incalculable
benefit on toe generations after them