Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-11-06
Use and Abuse Of Athletic exercises.

New York for the Astlcy championship
belt, the Rev. DR. Eggleston, pastor OF
the Church of Christian Endeavor, in
Brooklyn, preached to "a large congrega-
tion upon the Use and Abuse of Athletic
Exercises" DIR. Eggleston took for his
text Ill. Corinthians TX. "a. lie spoke as
follows: / do not intend TO make n spir-
itual application of these words in the
liberty which ! allow to myself in this
pulpit TO preach what relates TO the con-
duct of life, ranging from the convcn-
tional standard which excludes many
topics from the pulpit. / will tonight
follow in the direction of your thoughts,
and speak on the use and abuse of ath-
.etic exercises. A man is at discount
II he has not the right sort of body.
There can be no healthful or wholesome
action of the mind or the moral perccp-
tion II the physique is enervated. There
have been great men with weak bodies,
but no man Is ut his best without physi-
cal strength. a man like John Ran
doIph, irritable and cxcitable. il bril-
liant for ''short head" TO borrow "A
sporting phrase, but hc cannot last.
The rule is, to weaken the body is to re-
duce the mind, and men great with fee
BILE bodies would be twice as great with
strong ones. A Keats burns out; pro-
ducing Mt twenty works which should
have been deferred until he was thirty
or forty. There must be an equation OF
mind and body and n proper balance
kept. There cannot be any happiness
without health.
But we go to work in many ways TO
Systematically break down health. Send
ing children carly TO school is one of the
most effective ofthcse methods. Child
hood abhors quiet as nature does vac
uum," says one, but children are put in
school and kept quiet; it puts an extin-
guisher upon them and lays the founda-
tion for future misery. The CRYING
shame Of our times is the weight and
restraint we put upon children. Busi-
ness men here have no rest; they 90 like
heads upon poles. bent forward. As n
foreign lady said, men run in New York.
We do not walk enough; the street car
is an enemy To health. Muscle is not
to be cultivated Mt the expense OF brain.
Garry physical culture too far and the
brain is drawn upon. Men like Dir.
Winship, all muscle. frequently die sud
denly. There Is too much muscle in
our colleges now. The boating men
cannot learn anything else. rs see.
Their sports show the character of
people. In their Olympic games we SO
viz vi Allf NtlfFhH ONtT lilt
Romans. The latter, in their gladia-
torial contests, showed the Internal depth
of barbarism in which they were sunk.
The Greeks had no tremendous test of
endurance for six days; no gate money
or bookmaking. They offered no prize of
money value after the first few contests,
but gave the victor in foot race n sim
pie wreath of myrtle. How difTeren;
from the knightly tournaments Of the
middle ages or the bull batting and cock
fighting Of our forefathers, But bru-
tality Is not absent from our sports We
are not content, as the Greeks. TO have
contests in running or wrestling only,
but must see men prove their endurance
by walking. | have had that universal
human interest in walking matches 10
know how the score stands. ! see the
good in pluck and tremendous endurance
and cannot help admiring il. The ever
lasting hold on which keeps men up to
their work Is 10 be admired wherever
seen. But when their calling out Of all
the forces Of human nature Is allied with
gambling and betting I'VE see how bru-
talizing it is. Such n scene "a that In
front OF the Herald Office of four hun
dred or five hundred persons watching
the bulletin, and when 1t stated that
'iazael is going groggy and complain
ing severely of his knees" putting ,heir
hands deep in their pockets because it
affects them there. is not n noble one.
II isnot sport worthy of the patronage
of the noblemen of England or the gen
tlemen Of America. II is not noble TO
measure men by their legs. Tenacity of
purpose belongs to brutes as well as
men; bulldogs have the hang on which
does not give up. When men rejoice if
Rowell is sick, or cast brickbats at an
other contestant, it shows how degrad-
ing such a contest can become. 1 will
say nothing about the waste OF money
and time by the spectators. If New
York wishes to pay $4,000 in week
for the spectacle | suppose IL will; |
would not suppress 1t by lazy. But IL
Is worth while to notice howthe police
force wink Mt crime and how betting
and gambling are carried on in their
presence. for aught know they taking
part. IL the truth were known. This ire
mendous excitement effects each one Of
US. II is savagery coming to the surface.
/ am no Puritan, but / desire to stand
against anything which dehumanizes
and degrades. and the lessons OF the past
week may, hope, be correctives to US
all