Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-24

n
for man who sits in
NS an easy chair d
watches bull fight
cannot expect to be
classed as an athlete. was very much sur
prised the first time I went to Cuba at the
fondness for sport which the people dis
played. It was not difficult to find the
cause. Every Cuban boy whose family can
afford the expense is sent to United
States to be educated. The Cubans are
quick witted and clever race oil men, and
they easily imbibe whatever book knowledge
is essential to scholastic career here. They
mature much more rapidly than our boys.
The result is that they have plenty of time
for athletics, and they are always prominent
members of the clubs in the different schools
and colleges. When they go back to Cuba
they keep up the fad, and the result is that
they have managed to infuse liking for
sport throughout the whole island. There
are half dozen or more athletic clubs of
the very first order in Havana, plenty Of
yachting and rowing in the harbor, and
baseball has driven bull fighting to the wall.
BASEBALL IN CUBA.
have seen some notable games of base
ball, but never anything that approached
contest in Havana about three years ago for
the championship of the Island of Cuba.
For two years the Matanzas and Havana
clubs had struggled for the mastery, and
this was to be the decisive game. There
were 20, 900 people on the ball grounds, and
L., T 4 - Il he I Il koo =,
three hours and half, and had not vet
reached the third inning. They had had
four umpires and the grounds were lined
with police. The excitement Of the people
was beyond description. Everybody on the
grand stand was hoarse from violent scream
ing, and when the third inning came to
close with home run on the part of the
shortstop Of the Havanas, the populace
crowded over the balustrade and almost
smothered the shortstop with caresses. They
began all over again the following day
under rigid police rules, and the cnrbing of
the excitement wherever it was possible,
and the game was brought to satisfactory
close.
The Havanese have picked up the slang
of the American ball field. It was very odd
to hear the incessant jabbering of Spanish
interrupted by such phrases as "home rum"
"foul tip" "fair ball, "take your base"
etc, The excitement of the players was no
less intense than that of the spectators, but
despite all the frenzy which characterized
the game it was noticeable that the Cubans
played mighty good ball. If Manager Mu-
trie sends the New York reserves down there
he will find that they will not have easy
sailing by any means. The Cubans are not
heavy batters, but they are the quickest
felders and base runners that have ever
seen. -.
POPULAR BULL FIGHTERS.
fighting is on the wane. Undoubtedly bull
fighting is still fascinating sport for the
old timers, but there has been such sue
cession of clowns in the bull ring during
the past ten years that they have practically
killed the sport. When great bull fighter
turns up in Cuba-an event which happens
about once in four or FIVE years-he is lion
lied to q wonderful extent for time, but
as a national sport has seen its best DAYS in
Cuba. often wonder what has become of
Mazzanini, who went to Cuba from Spain
and fell violently in love with Sara Bern
hardt the day that he arrived in Havana.
ing the stay of the French actress
in Havana. Wherever the bull fighter
went enormous crowds followed him.
The conjunction of the French actress
and the hero of the ring was almost too
much for the sightseers. Mazzanini was
a remarkably handsome man, and he won
his way into the affections OF the people by
his amiability and good nature. He was
l. l.
weeks tour through Cuba and Mexico. |
When it came to the actual business of bull |
fighting, however, he proved himself more |
or less Of muf The bulls were so tame |
that they excited his derision and he ex-
pressed his contempt in pantomime to the
populace. The populace grew sulky and |
Mazzanini went to Mexico, where he also
expressed his contempt for the bulls and the
place generally with rather tempestuous
results. The people pelted him with chairs,
benches and everything else that they could
lay their hands on and then shot at him cas-
ually as he rushed out of the ring.
1 saw woman bull fighter once in
Havana, but the bull she was to fight proved
to be calf. The populace conceived itself |.
to be insulted, Sonora Gloria was impris-
oned for seven months, and all the proceeds
Of the fight were given over to charity. All
Of this shows that it is not safe to fool with
The hot Southern blood of the people of the
tropics.
ACTIVE FRENCHMEN.
1t has always been mystery to me why
France has not produced more athletics.
The French boys are quick, lively and
At the public baths, and in some
,i the big schools they exhibit no end of Lie
md activity, but they never develop into
strong men: They begin drinking coffee
md absinthe and smoking cigarettes too
,arly in their lives. The only things they
-eally care for are riding and fencing, and
hey excel in both. The Frenchmen are
natural swordsmen, but they have no con-
,eption whatever OF the beuefts of general
physical training.
1 remember at the Smith-Kilrain fight
here were two French noblemen who had
,ome over from Paris with Lord De Clifford
% see the match. They were of the ordinary
ype OF joekey-club sportsmen, fond OF
horses, cards and foils. They watched the
wo pugilists punmel each other Tor few
minutes, then vawned and went over and
at down on a stump, smoked cigarettes aud
alked about their friends. If any one
,alled their attention to the pugilists they
glanced at the ring politely, then shrugged
heir shoulders and admitted that they could
lot understand it at all. A lot o. Frenehmen i
hortly alter the fight had begun rowed over
rom neighboring village to the island in
he Seine where the fight was going on.
hey shrugged their shoulders and went
ack at once. 1t bored them to look at a
nill for seeing which almost any man in
treat Britain would have been willing TO pay
eavily. ! have often talked with French
len about sparring and kindred exercises,