St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-07-24
PRovERBIAL PHILOSOPHY.


lessons, like those of any other teacher,
should be listened to and the proper de-
auctions followed. We make this re-
mark in view of the rather unusual and
mildly exciting events that have taken
place in this city within the last few
days. And now that the time has come
to look back upon and study those
events and judge them by the light OF
the experience we have had of them. 1t
becomes our additional duty to aseer-
tain what, if any, lesson there is to be
found in them, and how, if at all, its
teachings are to be applied for the fut-
ure use of the community. We have
had, i'll the first instance, long and
widely heralded preparations and an
nouncements of prize fight which was
to have occurred Wednesday, and which
even was, as all the well-infOrmed citi-
zens of the community we'll knew, in
contravention of the express terms of a
statute OF this state; and we have also
seen the attitude and demeanOr of the
local executive officers. both in relation
to such announcements and to the event
which they heralded.
1t is always true in every community
that certain laws and municipal regula-
tons become practically useless or OBJ
solete; but this does not arise because
of their improperly or inapplicability,
but eeause of the fact that the reason
for their enforcement rarely occurs; and
this is notably true of the law concern
ing prize fighting, to which we have re-
ferred.
This particular form of amusement, if
IT can be called such, has never attained
such prominence in the United States,
and particularly in the West, as to give
occasion to the particular enforcement
of any laws that might be upon the stat
ute books against it, for the ordinary
sparring contest for points (as they are
termed is usually rather an exhibition
of skill than an absolute or in any wise
dangerous physical contest: and so, by
common consent. it had come to be
classed among other athletic sports in
volving physical skill and endurance;
and of such may be enumerated rowing,
football matches, la crosse, running
races and wrestling matches. But this
law, like many others, was passed to
regulate such exhibitions and to pre-
vent their deterioration into either
brutal or dangerous exhibitions.
1t was in this condition of affairs and
in this state of the public mind that the
prize fight which twas not fought was
arranged for, and 1t was in this view
and spirit that it was looked upon by
most of the members of the community.
And we doubt very much whether the
persons composing the Minnesota Attn
letic club ever considered or took time
to think that the contest of which they
undertook the patronage was any other
than the usual one to which both they as
individuals and the public in general
had long been accustomed to look upon
with either languid OF more or less il
different interest.
1t is true that the particular contest
ants in this case were widely heralded
as professional pugilists, and in the fire.
quent illusions to their public career in
that capacity many mentions were made
of the different contests in which they
had engaged.
But again, these announcements were
looked upon as the usual advertisements
that accompany such exhibitions and
were probably regarded by nearly
everybody as the ordinary loud but in
nOcent YapOringS Of harmless contest
ants.
The coming circus has long been her
aided as the greatest show on earth, !"
and so the coming pugilists were de-
scribed as the mightiest and hardest of
their kind. In a word, the community
either Inexperienced or neglected to
inform itself of the particular nature of
this particular contest: and so when
the more conservative and non-cOmbat-
ant portion of the community found
themselves excited by the approaching
event and loudly proclaimed their fear
of some disastrous result, they were
pretty generally laughed at.
The particular time chosen by these
worthy gentlemen to voice their alarm
also contributed to the Indifference
with which it was received, both by the
public and the peace Officers-a matter
which had been more or less within the
knowledge of the community for
months, and had been more or less
alluded to in the newspapers, and dis
cussed among people who chose to dis
cuss it with great Indifference, could
not in an instant be regarded by these
people as being anything of a very
alarming or extraordinary character
merely because some of the ultra
peaceable portion of the community
| thought so.
And to tell the truth none of the gen
| tlemen who constituted themselves as
alarmiSts were known among our people
as being specially expert or charged
with any special knowledge upon the
subject, and so their opinion was re-
ceived with great indifference; and the
fact that their utterances upon the sub
| iect were made in the usual Incorporate
language of the volunteer custodian OF
public morals and brevet enforcer OF
public duties had further tendency to
continue the public apathy to their
|