Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-10

upon as such for a very long time to come.
While l don't want to make any detailed
comparisons between cricket and baseball,
l think there are very few OF us who will
not admit that cricket is not as much a
game for the masses as is baseball. l say
this, while am very ardent aimirer of
cricket, and quite mindful of its many
excellent features. But have always held
the notion that cricket PLAYING is more of a
game for the players than for the spectators.
1t is because of this circumstance that, in
NV opinion, it will never be very popular
game in this country until we have a class of
leisure very much more numerous than we
have at present.
But don't let ANYBODY run away with the
notion that a game of cricket is not worth
looking at. 1t is always something to in
terest an onlooker who knows anything
about the game at all. The league just or
ganized will, trust, tend to educate the
lover of wholesome, outdoor sports and
recreation in the good points of the game.
And there is one thing that should
not be overlooked in connection with
this league, Wis: 1t has been formed
entirely because of the love of the
game, those who are connected with it have
no desire to gain cent out Of 1t; their only
object is to enjoy the game themselves and
help others to enjoy 1t. The league ought
to succeed if harmony is only sustained
among its members, and to make sure of
this the officials of the league ought to be
prepared at all times to stretch point or
two rather than have relationships strained.
There are some enterprising clubs in the
league and the officials have been wisely
selected.
Local Amateur Boxing.
There is a strong desire in and about
Pittsburg to popularizs amateur boxing and
I don't see why it should not become popu-
lar here among our hundreds of young ath-
letes. Mark, when speak Of boxing I am
not at all referring to fighting or slugging.
Boxing pure and simple is what mean and
there is not q better or healthier exercise
in the world than boxing. If there was
more of it, that is in q rational way, we
would not have SO many young men with
sunken chests and round shoulders This
fact is well understood among the savants of
colleges and universities all over the world
1t is also understood by everybody who has
paid anv attention t. the question. As a
rule young men who steadily take their
boxing exercise develop into strong
cheited men and also men of muscle.
1t is pity that the kind of boxing I
am speaking of has been on the wane
for some time. 1 can remember the
time when some of the most faithful and
the ablest expounders of the Christian Cos
pei made it part of their daily routine to
put on the gloves, and some of them were
Just as clever as ANYBODY have ever seen.
There was not the remotest idea of eight
ing;" these gentlemen were simply taking
care of their physical welfare in a
way that nature and intelligence point
ed out as one of the best. And
anybody can learn to hox if he is only put
on the right road IT. is the true and false
starting out that concerns a student most.
Of late we have had one or two imposters
in the neighborhood who call themselves
Professors. They areofrauds, and young
men should steer clear of them. Pro-
fessors! Yes, they are professors. but only
of rank imposition. 1t is this class of
frauds that has done so much to ruin and
kill the good exercise of boxing. They
know nothing of the art except what they
have seen in street brawls or read about in
the so-called Boxing Guides Price, 10
cents" Whenever you meet a man who
claims he is boxing teacher and calls him.
self Professor" beware of him.
Well, it is pleasing to see that our local
athletic clubs are all taking an interest in
boxing, and they can do more to popularize
it than anybody else. 1 anticipate that
when next fall comes these clubs will still
make greater efforts than ever to make the
noble art popular.
Bicycling on the Boom.
During the week just ended there has
been any amount of evidence that this is to
be a great year for bicycling. In almost
every city in the United States-that is,
cities of any importance-clubs of wheel
men have been discussing plans for the sea-
son, and some Of these plans are very ex-
tensive indeed. Pittsburg is in the swim,
and / am informed that the keystone Club
is stronger in numbers and weather. to-day
than it was ever expected to be. But the
bicycle trade shows beyond doubt that
there is certainly bicycle boom going on
in Western PENNSYLVANIA. This is satisfac-
tory, because bicycling is really one of the
high class recreations, and, what is more, it
is one of the most useful. But there is still
another feature in connection with this
sport The more bieyclists we have the
greater are the chances of our getting good
roads. And most assuredly as the roads get
better there will be more bicyclis.s. I am
just as confident as l can be about anything
that if we had as good high roads here as
have the English people there would be
more bicycle riders in the United States
than ANYBODY dreams of to-day.
But although the roads are a drawback
the sport is still remarkably well forward
and ii can be made more so in this locality
if the Keystone Club would just make itself
a little more public. Why should the
keystones not give us public entertain
ment? They could easily get up field day
and let us see how they are progressing in
quality, and it might enrich their treasury
to do so. If they were to arrange a days
~ j.
more good toward popularizing their sport
than anything else.
Optimistic Mr.. Corbett.
A few days ago there appeared in THE
DISPATCH statement made by James j.
Corbett, telling how he would defeat John
L. Sullivan when they fight their battle tt
is always satisfactory to see a contestant
confident, and there is no doubt in my mind
about Corbett's confidence If he goes into
the ring with Sullivan 1 firmly believe that
he will be confident OF making draw or
defeating the champion. But, while read
ing Corbett's interesting talk as to what he
would do in front of Sullivan, was forci-
blv reminded of the liable of the fox and the
cat.
You may have read the fable while at
school, but I'll repeat it. The hounds were
out after the fox when he met a cat. Rev.
nard told the cat about the many tricks he
had of escaping the hounds and the number
rather paraliyed the poor cat. The latter
only had one and that was to run up the
tree. The hounds came and up the tree
the cat went and Mr.. Fox began to put his
tricks into operation. He tried them all
and then was caught. The cat escaped.
Well, now Corbett has named many
things that he'll do, but Sullivan has one