Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-06-20
EXERCISE.

uFllltu or tNtIt NNl IiltUs IsAtTtl~t
Ovcrcomcs all difficulties. and il the
power Of It's influence has limits, they
have never been asCertaincd. IL en-
sures every victory; practice, .. C., ey-
Gro so and experience. would enable n
hundred veterans 10 beat n thou.and
recruits, even II the re ruits we've bit.
ter armed. a brigade Of ordinary rifle
men would have no chance against n
regiment of picked archer. such n
were employed IN war In the Middle
Ages.
During the Middle Ages it was the
custom of princes, and even Of wealthy
burghers. tO keep runners who followed
their carriages afOOt while the horses
we're going at full gallOp. Fast runners
were In great request, and II parents
wanted To qualify their children for
position Of that sort, they began to train
them from the earliest childhood
From the city of Puebla, In Mexico.
sandy couutry-road leads across the
hills 10 the valley II Amokoc. Early
In the morning that road is crowded
with Indian huckstcrs, who carry heavy
baskets on their backs. They often
come from n distance of ten or twelve
miles, but make tho whole. trip Mt
sharp trot. and without single stop.
Their children trot ut their sides, carry
ing small bundles or bags, and thus
learn their trade so gradually that they
hardly feel the hardships of il.
IL Is certainly ,,ueer that NOWADAYS n
small, short-legged dog can easily out
run the tallcst man. IL has not been
always SO. An ostrich proves that two
legs can 90 rs fast as four. Want of
exercise probably accounts for the
whole difference. Next TO football the
favorite game of the English school
boys Is the play called Hare and
Hounds In watching their races l
noticed that for one boy who is too
short-leggcd 20 win. at least twelve are
too Short-rHicd. Their lungs give out
n long while before their legs do. But
that sort 81 short-windedness can be
readily cured by various kinds Of ever
else, especially by mountain cNcurions.
Lifting weights Is another excellent
lung exercise. There is story of a
GrociRn Samson, the athlete Milo of
Crotona, who day after day carried n
calf around the arena, and gained i'm
strength rs the calf gained i'm weight.
till he could finally carry steer. We
may doubt II the steer was quite full
grown; but there is no doubt that DIR.
Winship. of Boston, Mass, practised
with dumb-bclls and bagfuls Of pig iron
gill he was able 10 lit OhOIgh only for
n moment) the weight Of the heaviest
steer on tho Texas prairie IL was
eually certain that before he began to
exercise no was the punicst student of
the Medical College. And If weakly
man OF modern times could uplift such
weight, why should not n champion
Of the Grocian arena have been able to
carry u for distance Of half n mile?
For Il can not bc denied that people
have become more puny sine they
began TO trust To NDpowdcr aud steam
instead If 10 cxcri G.
In countries where thcy still rely ON
the strength Of their limbs, as in
Turkey. Hungary and Afghanistan,
there are plenty Of men earning their
breed by common labor who sUuld as
tonish the sO-called athletes of n
French circus. A Turkish porter will
shoulder box which the driver of n
New York cXprcss-wagOn would kesi-
tate to unload without assistance. Dur
ing tho last Afghan war the native
warriors carried cannon to n battery on
the tOp'of n hill from where the En-
glish soldiers were unable ito carry
them down again.
The foOt-soldiors OF tho Turkish .Jaui-
zarios had To- drill in full armOr, rzIn,
wrcstle, and even swim, without re-
moving their iron equipments. Such
value did their drill-mastor set .pon
the influence OF early training that they
would never accept recruit of more
than twelve years of age. These cadets
were exercised FOR years. like tho sons
Of tho old Spartans, before they were
assigned to actual duty. and the result
was that the Janzarics repeatedly
beat the armies of all Western Europe
combined.
The ancient Greeks managed To train
not only their troops, but he whole
Nation, by Offering liberal y lies for
proficiency In all kinds of bodily cN-
crcise, such rs running. lcaping. lift.
ing. spear throwing aud wrestling. AT
distance OF sixty yards their spear
men could hit n target with unfailing
ccr,aQty. Their runners competed
with horses and grayhOunds. II Is on
record that the champion lcapcr of the
spartan Helotes once cleared fifty-two
feet, and n native Of Crotona i'm South
ern Italy even iifty-ti feet
But the most wonderful results OF
lifelong training are seen in the
achievements OF the Oriental acrobats.
who come from countries whore over
population obligos such people 10 work
miracles in order to excel their numer.
Gus competitors. During the last Vien-
ma exhibition troop OF Japanese mo
glers attracted far more attention than
the display Of their native art works
and manufactures. They had amazing
~ clever rope dancers and tumblers.
mere boys some of them. But their
pest performers were all gray-headcd
old men. IL had taken them A life-time
OF practice To master tho difficulties OF
their special tricks. One of them be-
gan his performance by putting the
palm OF his left hand upon a box. and
alter stretching out his legs horizon
tally Ia one direction. and his head
and right arm In the other. he
raised himself In way that his whole
weight was supported on the edge of
MS lett hand. Without ever TOUCHING
the ground with any other part of HE
oooy, ne then began to turn on his
wrist, slowly az first, then more and
more quickly, till his outstretched feet
whirled around like the spokes of A
horizontal fy-wheel. The rapiditv OF
his motions was wonderful enough. but
how be contrived to keep his balance
would have puzzled the best Acrobats
Of our gymnasiic associations.
Tho next performer had an attendant
who held tin box by a leather strap.
aud swung Il slowly to and fro like the
pendulum Of n large clock. In the
center OF the box was hole about an
inch and a half. but certainly not more
than two inches. In diameter. The
iun0lor atonred haok a. /. di.t..... y,