Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-12-08
THE SECRET OF STRENGTH.
How Muidoon, the Wrestler, Keeps
Himself In Good Condition.


evening to q STAR reporter. He had beer
talking in his quiet, sensible way of athletes
and athletic training. Zone of the first requi.
sites for man who wants to become an athlete
Is a strong will; and strong will is even more
necessary for an athlete who wants to keep in
condition have been at it now twenty-five
years, for was very small boy when first be-
came interested in athletic sports. i have been
aprofessional for eighteen years. find thatthe
wrestling bouts have to go through every
Jay, and sometimes twice day, cost me no
more wear and tear than they ever did. Ply
sically am just as good a man as have been
| at any time in my life, far as can see. This,
you know, is not usually the case with athletes.
As a rule, 1 think, they break down while
young and are compelled to retire.
What's the secret of your good condition."
I asked the reporter.
.'Oh it's very simple, ~ the famous wrestler said
| 'In the first place, knew that l couldn't keep
my strength if drank. smoked and INDUCED in
other forms of dissipation which men who are
well known and live much in public are apt to
have thrown in their way, and then had will
power enough to avoid these temptations 1t
has been hard struggle, but I knew had to
in saloons. 1 always keep a little good liquor
| In my dressing-room and at home, and when
| feel at all exhausted / take drink Just as I
would take medicine.
AVOIDING TEMPTATION
Il avoid big dinners and public places where
| am apt to meet men who will want me to
drink with them. This is the hardest part of
it. There are so many men who think the
| only way they can show their appreciation of
you is by filling you up with liquor or cham
payne. Many time / have had men wait
with their carriages for me at the stage door to
| take me off for little spree, and have been
compelled to slip out quietly by the front Of
the house and go home. OF course, a man
loses friends in this way once in a while, but
you've got to doit. / usually put on at quiet
boarding house in preference to stopping at
hotels for this reason"
How about your diet?" the reporter in
| CURED. Are you heavy nter?''
NO, I'm only moderate eater, the wrestler
answered. Il find that / can get along with
very little meat. Some athletes and fighters
think they must have great deal of meat to
keep up their strength, but that's mistake
think. and they injure their stomacis by it. 1
eat great deal Of cracked wheat and foods Of
that kind. Then live il the open air as much
as possible. That, find. is one Of the most
essential things to keep up mans vitality. We
have to wrestle in badly ventilateAl theaters
where all the life is taken out OF tis air by the
gas, and this exhausts us more than the muscu-
lar exertion. When / feel too tired to walk
after Performance 1 get into carriage and
drive until feel thoroughly rest ed
'AAsDthervery important point have found,
Is never to go to bed feeling worried or rest
less 1he worst thing iii the world for u mans
nerves and heart is to lie in bed tossing and
tumbling and wearing hims elf out irving to
force himself to sleep. Thi 4 if kept ND for a
little while. will be followed. bv nervous pros
tration. night sweats. and GENERAL break down
OF the system. When / fe ell restless and wor-
ried, no matter how late it NAV be- never 90
to bed. take a walk or drive. and when the
restiessness leaves me and my mind gets as
tired as my body go to bed and sleep, and
wake up refreshed in the morning.
CIGARETTE SMOKING
Il have come to the conclusion" Mr.. Null
doom continued, ''t'aat one of the worst habits
men or boy Woo wants to do anything in
athletics can have is that of smoking cigar
cites. 1t has be en- my observation in gymna-
Sums that cigar cite spokmg is worse than any
other form OF dissipation. man may smoke
cigarettes for years and never find that it
Injuries h3n as long as he is not called on for
hard york OF any kind; but let him go into
training or undertake violent exercise and he
Will find that all }lis old-tim endurance is lost
The heart has become weakened and the wind
is gone.'
Bat why should cigarette smoking be so
much worse than the use of tobacco in other
ways! inqr .ired THE STAR man.
we'll v trouble seems to be that. when a
man sm0.es cigarettes they are so mild and
light, hs doesn't discover when he has enough,
as ne Y. ould if he smoked pipe or a cigar.
ITS curious thing. too" the wrestler con-
tinos d, that cigarette smokers. when they
wan to go into training. find it much harder
10 y top smoking than those who use pipes or
cHSars. L know number of cases in my
5 sInnasium experience in New York where
Fellows going into training for athletic con-
e SITS had TO give up because they couldn't stop
'tiR use of cigarettes / think it is the worst
abit boy can contract, and believe the law
WIN some day have to prohibit the manufac-
lure of cigarettes entirely
More About Medical Education.
To the Editor Of The EVENING STAR:
4 The communication signed '.B," addressed
| TO the editor of TIE STAR and appearing in
| last evenings issue, ON the subject of medical
| education suggests few additional observa-
tons. The motive by which your correspond
ent is impelied. the specific character of the
| reform which he would see effected and to
| which he would draw public attention il, I
| take it, the improvement of the clinical facili-
| ties offered the medical student in this CITY,
/ The necessity for reform in this particular is
manifest. The hospitals in this city are too
| numerous. two of the principal ones which
/ now call to mind rarely. if ever, having half of
4 their beds in use. Harmonious cooperation
| and an earnest disposition to aid the student
| clnically are certainly conspicuous for their
absence. and instances OF actual spite and jeal-
ousy in certain Of these hospitals especially
| among their administrative officers. have &C.
| CURED recently. These criticisms are not in
tended TO apply to all the hospitals. There are
/ one or two that are admirably conducted in
every respect, and with which neither the
| student nor the general public has any occasion
TO find fault. Nor do east any reflection on
| the hospital medical corps az a body, for the
people of Washington are Justly proud of the
| character, ability and skill and even the ma
| tional reputation of most of their doctors
men who belong to these hospital staffs.
| The subject of raising the standard of medi-
| cal education in the United States. on which
"B. dwells, Is one that has been given much
| attention lately by societies and in conven-
tions, and by medical and other scientific Jour
mails. and it is proper to say that the colleges
| of this city are not behind those of other
| cities in the four-years-course movement. In
| fact, the institution to which he refers by
| name in his letter may be said to have practi-
| cally four years course. The examinations
OF this school are conspicuous for their scope
| and thoroughness, and II is only by great dill
| gence and close attention that a student can
pass them In three years, large proportion
| of them requiring as many as FIVE More.
over this college is known to rank
| high among American medical colleges.
1t is very doubtful if one-ffth of those who
matriculate In this city graduate within four
/ years. 1t should not be inferred that because
1 the standard of medical education here and
! elsewhere can be raised it is not already high.
relatively speaking. With one possible excep-
ton the profession of medicine is the most ex-
allied and honorable of all the branches of hu-
man activity, pre-eminent in its usefulness to
mankind, in its power for good. In the ad-
| vancement of medical science and art the peo-
pie have peculiar and direct interest, and the
doctors knowledge can probably never become
l so vast "a To be Thought sufficieut