St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-07-11
THE BRUTAL PRIZE FIGHT.

OF bdlC1nOTe LOT pEO,OOO and the
championship of the world, took
place in Mississippi Monday, los
miles from New Orleans, before 1000
spectators In the 18th round, last
ing two hours and So minutes, Kill
rain was obliged to quit. The mill
was fought with bare knuck1es and
accompanied with all the brutality
of the modern prize ring. Following
are some comments of the press,
which universally condemn such af-
fairs -
What Sullivan Can'tDo.
This sunny weather will do one
thing John l. Sullivan can't" said
Farmer Thistlepod, deity dropping
big stone in the sack of wheat.
"What's that? ?" asked the summer
boarder. Put a head on the cab
bages. ~ Robert ]. Burdette.
What Sullivan and KiIrain Represent.
They represent types of the brute,
the two most prominent professional
brutes in the country, who have long
been preparing to break the laws OF
the land for money and the enter
tainment of other brutes of various
grades and connoisseurs in brutality
that portion of the American pub
lie which devours with delight the
solid pages the leading journals have
been printing for weeks about Sulli-
van and Kilrain.- springfield Re
publican.
All the Newspapers Condemn the Fight.
The press of the country can and
will give expression to the outraged
sentiment of the country, and herein
is one of the hopeful features of the
case. The newspapers of the country
are fair opponents of public opinion.
They have with a hardly noteworthy
exception entered earnest protest
against this brutal exhibition. In so
doing they have represented the best,
we believe, the prevailing sentiment
of the times. Such exhibitions as the
Sullivan-Kilrain fight disgust even
those who for a moment have per-
m1tted themselves to become interest
ed in it, and serve to hasten the day
when such contests will be impossi-
Bile burlington Free Press.
The Effect on the Small Boy.
The prize fight is over. Two hui
man brutes of abnormal physical de-
to the delight of hundreds of other
human brutes who took long jour
neys for the delight of seeing them
do it. The pageantry of pugilism
passes. But the American small boy
remains. He has an active mind and
a long memory. He has been drink
ing in the stuff with which the pa
pers have been filled for days and
weeks. He has been forming his
ideals of character accordingly. His
standard of manhood just at present
is big bruiser, stripped to the waist,
prepared to use his enormous muscu-
lar development in knocking another
big bruiser ''Out of time" With the
spirit of emulation natural to boy
hood, he would like to be something
of bruiser himself, and will proba-
bly, divert his energies with fighting
on a smaller scale as often as oppOr-
tunity offers. 1t is splendid educa-
ton which the American newspaper
has been giving the American small
boy. 1t will probably have an op-
portunity to chronicle the results
later in various episodes of Juvenile
depravity, ruffianism and crime
Boston Journal
A Disgrace to Our Civilization.
Not very far beneath the surface of
our civilization slumbers the same
spirit that took delight in the bloody
contests of old Rome, and the inter
est everywhere displayed in Mon
days fight between Sullivan and Kill
rain affords startling evidence of the
fact. twas the same story through
out the country. Everywhere
crowds flocked before the bulletin
boards. The amount of money
wagered on the contest was enor-
nous, and any number of respecta-
BILE citizens in this city confessed to
having bet on the result. 1t is easy
to understand the interest taken by
the American people in legitimate
sports, where skill and intelligence
are necessary to success; but it APP
pears to be too generally forgotten
that the prize-fght reduces the con-
teStantS to a brute level, and that
lIuSSiSS dSNSlOpSOi etl IIlS SApSiSS VI
brains make the issue a matter Of
brutal pounding. So it proved on
Monday-a contest with no more
moral quality in it than a prolonged
fight between two bulldogs. The
strongest slugger of the two brutes
won, of course. AS test of our civil
lization this law-breaking episode is
both important and SOLDERING.
Judged by the standard of popular
interest it must be accepted as the
news of the day, and as such it ought
not to be dismissed without serious
thought. Let intelligent people be
more careful to discriminate between
manly sport and the british, lawde-
flying prize ring.
1t might be added that so far as
the great average of good citizens
have paid any attention to this fight
they will be agreed in a feeling of
disappointment that the biggest bull
ly was not beaten in this contest.
Sullivan is an insufferable rowdy,
and if the conceit had been beaten
out of him there would have been
general feeling that tardy justice had
been done to one who can only learn
by physical correction. But not even
this slight measure of good has come
out of the prize fight.-[Springheld
Republican.
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