Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-02-16
SWISS ATHLETICS.
SWINGING" is THE NATIONAL SPORT
OF THE HARDY RACE

Conducted in the Open Air.
A trav eler in Switzerland who does not
at once rush up into the high mountains,
but hinge IS on little in the towns, will be
struck with the attention which the Swiss
give to physical sports.
The youth of the towns, during the good
weather, seem to devote every moment OF
leisure to some form of physical exercise.
In the clools, gymnastics is a recognized
part of the training, both of boys and girls;
and in whatever direction you go in the
country, you may be sure to find school ex-
cursions, some of them for long distances.
l met one day at the station at Basel,
about thirty boys and youths, all looking
like young athletes, the very picture of
health-dressed in white flannel shirts,
knickerbockers and loose coats, and all
carrying knapsacks and alpenstocks. One
of their teachers told me that the school
had hired a house in the mountains and
that during the summer each class went
there regularly for a fortnight or three
weeks at time, spending the whole of
every day in Alpine excursions and return
| ing az night.
At all times of the day youths may be
seen in gymnasium dress or turner cos
tune. Public opinion allows much lati-
tude in this respect, and young man in
knee breeches and jersey, with bare arms,
strikes one as nothing extraordinary
either in crowded street or i'll the public
vehicle.
The Swiss are by nature gregarious and
nowhere else do clubs and associations
thrive so much rs among them.
Every summer day in a large town like
Zurich seems festival. for at almost the
first turn of the street you are likely to
hear the music of band and then meet a
procession gay with banners, wreaths and
| badges.
A GREAT SWISS SPORT.
The greatest OF all Swiss sports is I'M
| doubtly wrestling. ard the wrestling
| match is tie central point of interest in all
contests. The mountaineers have prac-
ticed for ages peculiar Kind of wrestling
known As schwingen, or swinging. OF
late years this has been taken up by the
| turner's anC town gymna>tS, and they are
beginning TO compete with their teachers.
Between the 1.-THE townsnan and the
solid. heavy mountaineer it has become al
! most a question Of agility against strength.
Great was the interest all over Switzcr-
land when it was announced that there
would be AT Zurich a wrestling match OF
all Switzerland between turner's and noun
taineers, especially as the gymnastic So
cieties of east Switzerland had not taken
part in thcs. matches
The ground for the games could not have
| been better chosen. 1t WAS the rifle range,
where there is target practice every Mon
day afternO1n-a broad. green plain, sur
! rounded by rees, above which rose at one
end the spires and towers OF Zurich, while
| at the other doomed up the ridge of the
| Uetlibcrg.
The thousands of spectators, standing or
! seated, formed u large oval, in the middle
| of which. during the wrestling match, was
the ring. Around this lay or sat on the
! ground the Combatants and their friends,
| while at a liable were seated the judges
and the umpire.
| Alpine wrestling or swinging differs
from other forms of this sport in the first
! hold being compulsory and not voluntary.
| The wreStlcrS wear short trousers OF thick
| cloth, which are survivals of the old noun
/ taineer peasant costume, but which are
| now put over their other clothes buttonud
! tightly around the waist and rolled up on
| the thigh to the utmost. Each wrestler
must with his right hand take hold of the
! band of the o hers wrestling trousers and
with the LEFT hand the roll on his oppo-
ncnt's right leg.
| This position once taken. the choice of
| hold becomes voluntary, except that either
| one hand or the other must. if holding at
| all, grasp the trousers of the opponent. No
! throw counts unless the fallen man touches
| the ground with both shoulders or with
! the length of his back; and if both parties
are incapable of further movement for a
| certain number of seconds without being
! thrown, it is counted draw.
| A CONTEST OF EXPERTS.
At the omen uu of he contests tyyo names
are called out, and instantly a hush of Gu
| riOsity and expectation comes over the
| great assemblage. On one side rises a
1.-the, slender built young turner. and on
! the other young peasant from Emmen'
thal-a picture of health and strength,
| with muscles and sinews like those of an
| OK. They hastily don their wrestling trou-
! sers, look at each other for moment, shake
hands and take the conventional hold.
At first they stand as far apart from each
other as they can, with heads down like
two butting animals, each feeling, as it
| were, for some sign of yielding on the part
of the other. Suddenly, with quick
movement, the Emmenthaler has succeeded
in getting the turner's head under one OF
his arms. This lasts but for 4 moment
for the turner sinks first on one knee, then
| gradually lies 1T nearly full length on the
| ground, easily eXtricating his head and
attempting to pull the Emmenthaler over
The Emmenthaler changes his hold, and
while still grasping the waistband with
| one hand, seizes the turner around the
body with the other, and endeavOrs to roll
him over. But it is impossible. The tur
ncr supports himself on the ground with
his hands and toes and seems immovable.
Finally the peasant lifts him bodily from
the ground and tries to throw him. amid
the loud cheers of his hackers. But no
the turner's hand reaches the ground first
and he simply spins round on it like bal
let dancer on one toe.
Finally the decisive moment comes, but
to the surprise of every one, for it was diff
| cult to see how the feat was done, it was
the EmmenthaIer who was PROSTATE OIL
i the grass. The two wrestlers shake hands
again and go back to their places.
| Another pair was called ont, and then
another and so on, with varying fortune
until the original contestants began again
for it was necessary to have two throws
out of three to constitute victory, and after