Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-07-28
Athletic Sports.

ANHitir Np"itSs
The necessity of bodily work to the healthy
development Of both mind and body is now
very generally understood. That the fire..
quent use Of every muscle is essential, not
only to its growth and power but also to
prevent its actual wasting away, is estab-
lishcd as a physiological axiom. This ne.
cessity for use is imperative, not only for
the muscular system but tits equally impor-
tant for the proper nutriment, growth and
maintenance Of all the animal tissues. II is
unfortunate, therefore, that there should still
lingor in the civilized mind a chunky relic
Of that barbarous contempt for useful labor
which came down to US from the time when,
wild in the woods, our naked fathers ran,
and leaving all drudgery" (the familiar
term for productive industry to women and
captivcs, occupied themselves and kept their
bodies in trim by the chase and slaughter Of
each other, and the rest Of the wild beasts Of
the forest Nowadays this barbarous SEN
timent which has enriched our language
with the terms "clod-hopper," and " base
mechanic" is found mainly among the idle
rich folks, and those weak-minded working
people who initiate them. Since il has been
understood that disease and early death is
the primal curse attached 10 ideness, those
who believe it to be letting down of their
dignity to use their muscles in adding any
thing to the store Of good and useful things
in the world, have shown great interest in
what are called athletic sports. They are
about the only thing left--now that the wild
beasts are mostly killed off, and private war
fare is not alowed-by which an aristocracy
can keep its noble flesh from rotting off its
bones. Raised above the necessity Of eating
their bread in the sweat Of their faces, the
good people who despise the men Of the hoe
and the hammer, yet have to do some kind
of work, in order to keep themselves alive.
The more utterly unproductiye this work is,
themore suitableit becomes for their purpose.
In our universities and colleges these
athletic sports have taken very strong
hold; so that foot-raoing, ballplaying, row
ing, and the like, are now as much a recog-
nized part of the course in all "first-class,"
or would-be frst-class institutions, of that
kind, as the classics and mathematics. As
these schools are now conducted, something
of the sort is really necessary. As recrea-
tons, associatng enjoyment with bodily ex-
ercise, they are beneficial to youth every
where pending the time when the real pleas
ure Of useful work can be developed by the
right education, which we look for in the
long future. We are no "Gradgrind !" we
believe in pleasure and in the enjoyment of
everymoment of existence as the birthright of
men. But so far as this birthright has been
lost it can never be restored TO us until we rec
ognize the great truth that real enjoyment is
rigidly proportioned to use, and that conse-
quently the highest pleasure comes from the
highest usefulness. The truest Christian in
faith and life, is always the hardest worker
and the happiest man.
When the pride of wealth and a spurious
culture tries to free itself from this duty,
and to substitute unproductive for produc-
tive work, as means Of health it is very
apt to run foul of the old fact that there is
no way of lodging the devil The spirit Of
easta bound not to work for living but
DESTROYS OF enjoying those pnyslcaI dressings
attached only TO honest labor, finds the task
not so easy as it seems. There is no more
competent proof of this than the universal
tendency of athletic sports TO defeat their
ostensible purpose, and lead directly to men
tai and moral deterioration, terminating in
actual vice. As carried on in our colleges,
they defeat their purpose of strengthening
the body by the extremes TO which they are
pushed, under the stimulus Of the spirit of
selfish competition and emulation they in
evitably beget. Almost all these college
athletes become hopelessly broken down in
body, mind and morals. The competition
in seconds of time, ounces of weight and
inches of distance, is 80 sharp that every
power is strained to the utmost, and the
weakest spot gives way. So much time and
thought is given to these sports that none is
left for profitable study. The association
with "sporting men" and professional
athletes Of low character, leads to a fatal low
ering of the moral standard. The sharp
competition nullifies all the pretended benc-
fits of the sport, not only for the champions,
by Gripping them, but for the rest by leay-
ing them so far behind in the contest that
they lose all interest and fall out of the
game. In fact, only those of naturally
powerful and well-developed physique have
any chance in these sports, as they are
usually conducted. Instead of strengthen
ing the weak, they really weaken the strong,
who had acquired strength in useful labor
II is noteworthy fact, that the victors in
these games are usually young men from
the industrial classes, thus showing that use
fnl work can develop more strength than all
the training" for special purpose that
can be had. This is illustrated by the tri-
umph OF the Massachusetts, Agricultural
crew in the college boat race of two years
ago, and quite as much by the triumph of
Cornell University at the recent Saratoga
regatta. j. Y. Ostrom, stroke and captain
OF the victorious Cornell crew, is a carpenter
by trade, and has supported himself at the
university by working at the bench, helping
about the farm and taking care of one of the
buildings The Springfield Republican says
further of this crew, that " most ofaem come
from country homes, ytiR Of The rim and piqor
'ehich hard trork from youth up brings, and
free from the too often lazy, deleterious effects
Of city life" We italicise in this extract the
words that point the moral we are after
The effort to divorce work from its uatu.
raj concomitant, useful production, not only
fails OF its ostensible object, but THREADS,
like every attempt at the evasion Of iixius
laws, TO moral corruption. Not only is study
sacrificed (who ever heard of crack college
oarsman in after life p, but dissipation is
almost inseparable from the whole business.
The recent college regattas, etc., at Saratoga,
furnish forcible illustration. The leading
man Of Saratoga is John Morrissey, ex-bar.
tender, ex-prize fighter, ex-congressinan, and
present chief gambler dividing this honor,
perhaps, with Jay Could, of America. lie
Is also the great patron of the inter-colIeei.
ate sports, because he is shrewd enough to