The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-09-25

into more shapes than the IndiIs ubber
man OF the American dime museum. They
wall wrap their toes about their heads as
they lie on their stomachs. and will look
out OF their 1mond eyes a. they frame thsir
their heads S3ound 90 that they seem 10 DO
set on their shoulders wrong side first, and
will bring themselves into so many posi-
tions that You can hardly believe that they
have any bones in their bodies, and you fesl
that they are hardly human.
Among the best developed men have
ever seen are the laborers of the Takashima
coal mines, who work all day underground,
and whose labors are carried on in net
work OF passages of more than fifty miles in
length, which extends under the sea about
one Of the Islands Of western Japan. These
men carry. great loads. They work from
dawn until dark, and their daily hot bath
and their rico diet gives them muscles of
which any turner in America would be
proud.
The japanese consider the bath and
gymnastics of such importance to health
that they have introduced them into the
training Of the soldiers Of their regular army.
The soldiers Of Japan are put through q
full set of exercises svery day. They swing
dumb-bells, jump on the parallel-bars, and
go through the severest Of physical train
ing. The bathrooms are one of the insti-
tutions of every barrsck, and the soldiers
and they have to take hot baths three times
week. Their diet is rice instead Of hard
tack, and they have an allowance OF six
cents day for other food.
The professional athletes OF Japan are
the great wrestlers, who seem to be OF
different race from tho ordinary japanese
ferent from that of John L. Sullivan or
Jake Kilrain. These men believe in the 40
cumulation rather than the reduction Of
fat, and they are great tall fellows OF six
feet or more, and weigh from two hundred
to three hundred pounds. They train
s. ess e ns Thssy have eea
strength 81 neck, and they increase this by
butting against one another with their
head striking their opponents in the chest,
go that the noise ID that of batterine. ram.
They butt at wooden posts with their shout
ders, pound their flesh, and stamp
exhibition at which about one hundred Of
these wrestlers contested, during visit
paid to Japan a year or SO ago. The wres-
tiers came into the ring entirely naked,
with the exception of a belt about the loins.
Before beginning. they made the earth
at each other like demons, They made
many false starts, and when they grappled.
their great muscles stood out like ropes
upon their great arms, and it was battle
of the giants. They have wonderful!
strength of wrist and fingers, and now and
then one would grasp his opponent by the
belt, and, lifting his three hundred pounds md.
over his shoulder, and he would fall on the
earth with q terrible thud, while the umpire
would raise his fan and yell out the Japan;
csc word for victory. The most noted
Japanese wrestlers have as great regulations
as those of our prize fighters, and the pro-
fession Of wrestling dates back to
the beginning Of the Japanese history. The
rules of the ring are quite as rigid as those
are forty eight falls which can be made.
The very best class of the japanese people
patronizes these wrestlers, and rich man
often has party of them come and wrestle
ct his receptions for the entertainnent OF
his guests. Some of the most noted states
men are patrons of wrestlers and one Of the
cabinet ministers of the mikado was not
long ago nicknamed ''The Wrestler" The
wrestling goes on in both its public exhibit
tions and at private entertainments without
the aid of betting, and SO far the muscular
exhibitions of Japan have not been cor
rupted by the vice of pool-selling.