The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1888-02-08

and are open only on the payment Of
an admission fee. That there is actu-
ally an interest in swimming, apart
from the limited opportunities of the
Seine lighthouses, was evidenced just
before left France at Clichy. There is
an island in the river there that's from a
mile and half to mile and three
quarters in circumference. Two butch
ers, famous in their locality for their
skill in the water, agreed for a wager
to swim round the island in the night.
Several gentlemen interested in sport
ing events were notified, and, in addi-
ton to the wager, purse was offered;
the wager, by the way, was that the
circuit could be made in an hour. AT
10 o'clock at night they dove into the
river. The men who backed them fol-
lowed in q boat, and ] am told that
upward of twenty thousand francs
were put up on the question whether
either of the contestants would finish
on time. They came to the finish pre-
cisely at the same instant, having ac-
complished the circuit in fifty-seven
minutes. The prize money was di
vided between them. When they were
taken from the water the weather was
so cold that ice formed on their trunks
before they could be got under shell
ter. One of them became dangerously
i'll, but the other suffered nothing from
his hardy adventure.
Fencing l suppose everybody knows
about. The French are the acknowl-
edged masters in the art, and every
educated man in the country knows
how to handle the sword. The war
department does everything possible
to encourage the general cultivation Of
this exercise. General Boulanger is
himself famous swordsman, and fire.
quently goes out of his way to act as
Judge In public contest. These con-
tests are numerous, much more numer-
Gus, 1 am inclined to think, than the
sparring exhibitions that take place in
New York. And this, it need not be
said, is distinctly a sport wherein mere
muscular power is at discount; it is
skill that counts.
"The French are also experts at bill
lizards, and, in short, will be found the
peers of any nation in games of skill.
We have had some good wrestlers,
also, notably Chrystol, Perrier and Reg
nier, but the wrestler with us is not
lionized to the extent that a champion
would be in America"
"Is there no general interest in aqua
tic sports?"
ayes, responded NJ. Dumont laugh
ing. "The wealthy have their yachts
as you have here, and there is form
of canoeing that, though highly enter
tanning, would hardly pass for sport in
the sense you mean. Canoeing is q
popular recreation of Sunday and in
fact those addicted to it like it so we'll
that they often spend the entire day at
it. That is more than your boat club
men do on the Harlem, is it not? But
the canoeist on the Seine is almost in
variably accompanied by the lady whom
you Americans would denominate as
his best girl, and he not infrequently
takes along cargo oflunch. All, yes,
canoeing is good sport, but do not
remember that 1 have heard of cham
pionship contest. And on our holidays
it is not a game of baseball that at
tracts the crowds; they go to the
Tuileries and listen to the music and
roam about the gardens, and now and
then an irregular kind of football is in
dulged in. 1t is not the Rugby game
by any means, more kind of indis-
criminate kicking.
"In the northern part of France they