Smyrna times., 1879-03-19
The Walking-Match Madness.

The latest sort of walking match is the
so,called international" last week at New
York, and which resulted in serious injury
to several persons and what appears to be
the complete break down of one Of the best
known and best trained professionals" Of |
all of them. This is the fate which they |
all come to, sooner or later, and it is the |
necessary result Of the severe and barbarous |
matches and trials to which this class Of |
athletes are now subjected, and the cxigent |
"training' which they must undergo in
order to fit themselves for these tests Of
strength and endurance. The Olympic |
and Panhellenic athletic festivals were part
OF the culture and the religion Of the old
Greeks. They were in existence for at
least eleven centuries, and had the credit
Of having been founded by Hercules
They were celebrated with so much regu.
larlty and with such notable observance
that Alexander the Great was the first man
not of strictly Hellenic birth who was ad-
mitted to contest in the foot-races at Olym
pia. AS an authority has said, neither
the difficulties of navigation, nor the pclilS
OF land journeys, nor so imminent dan,
ger as the Persian war checked or dis
| turbed the ardor Of the Greek race in
celebrating their great nation peaGqgrtS with
becoming splendor; and at the very time
when Leonidas was holding the pass Of
Thermopylas, Olympia rang with the shouts
which greeted the charoteer foremost in
the race, or the victor in the severe and
| protracted contests of the pcntalLIon." But
there were no such exhibition games as
! those of OLeary or Madame Anderson, or
Miller and Ross. On the contrary, the
Greek training was part Of the Greeks
education, began with his infancy, and was
never severe or exhausting. 1t was meant
to render the physical man more perfect
instead of to break him up by giving him
capacity for "spurts.' The Greek in his
foot-raccs did not tramp upon blistered
heels, nor did ne need to lash his benumbed
legs with a horsewhip, nor keep himself
awake with long libations of sparkling
wine. The excuse for athletic exhibitions
is that they encourage men to athletic
sports, and that the training is wholesome
and beneficial to the health. This may
have been so Of the old and moderate sys.
tenn, but is not of the hotpyessed one now
in vogue. Prize.fghting and boxing, it is
known, resulted in serious injuries to the
| luDu tho ,,larrO 4Lo d;o,,brorr, o1j oil,
cent integuments, and nearly always sent
the "professional" to a premature grave
The severe training necessary for walking
and rowing matches has frequently broker
down our college youths and other anna
teurs with heart diseases, cerebral disorders
aneuIsmS, hernias and varicose veins, bu
professionals" in the fierce and RUTHLESS
competition OF contemporary matches, fare
still worse O'Leary's breakdown is onl,
g one case in hundred like it reported ever,
season, and the cause of this unquestion
ably is the need for each "exhibitiol
match" to exhibit some new novelty, som
still seyerer test Of endurance, in order t
; keep up the public curiosity and interest
l Just as in the circuses of to-day the poo
y athletes have. gone rapidly from vaultin
and rope.swinging to the breathless peril
9 of the flying trapeze and the terrible strait
y OF tho double-back summerset. We hay
i heard Of some distressing cases of Ovel
= strain in pedestrians, and particular
female walkers. 1t is reported that one {
the many female pedestrians is hopelessl
insane from her unnatural eXertions in th
sawdust arena, ard that several othe
. women have incurred ncurablo diseases j
the same way. 1t is to be hoped that nc
, only the religious and the atheletic soci
ties will take a stand in reference TO tn
> exhibition walking, but that the medici
> faculty will also unite to protest and inte
:; fere before it is too late to prevent SON
serious disaster such as will horrify I'll
public as much as it enlightens them to Il
true character Of this so-called sport whiC
is really only brutality, and at which man
spectators attend in the same spirit as thi
of The Englishman who followed the m
napere around for years in the hope final
" to see the lion bite Van Amburgh's he0
= off..-Bah Sun.
80 ----------