New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-07-27
FEST OF THE TURNER'S
HAPPY AND STURDY SONS AND nIr.-
TIERS OF THE FATHERLANp X
ALFREL DOLGE's PATRIOTIC WORDS To
VISITORS IN DoLGEvILLE- HoLDIyo
THEIR GAMES AMID DELIGHT.
FIJI SURROUNDINGS
bY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRrBuyE1

THEIR GAMES AMID DELIGHT.
Full SURROUNDINGS
bY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRrBUyE1
DoIgeville. n. Y, July 26.-This picturesou..-.
busy village, whose inhabitants are fond a, :.
ferrlng to as the Metropolis OF the Ad,,.'
dacks." has called out holiday In honor q, -.
German Turner's OF the Western New-York n.
cult and Is celebrating the occasion with slnpm..
heartiness and merrment. Practically all ~.
Industries OF the place have come to a s,a,s
still and work Is doing save that which 4,
consequent upon the entertainment Of the tho,
sands Of visitors who have come either to tab.
part IN the exercises OF the athletic meeting -
enjoy the sight OF IN. m The cities and tov,.
embraced within the circuit are Rochester. Rue
falo Auburn Syracuse, Dolgeve, Utica. Rom.
and Fort Plain. All OF these places are rem.
sented by societies OF German athletes and the,.
are delegations Of visitors well from Men.
York City Amsterdam and other places n.
New-York delegation numbers about 100 incluA
ing wives OF members. II is CHARACTERISTIC d
all the institutions which have been transplan,sa
hither from the Germans fatherland that tho,
pleasures do not belong exclusively TO the me-,
who are active in them, but are shared by them
with their families. This Is true Of the Turn.
| verens as It Is Of the singing societies. Of which
the most striking exemplars in the United Stats
are the Liederkranz and Arion Of New.Yort
CITY In the latter society the artistic actyits
are all masculine but the social features are e.
loved quite as fully by the women Of the men.
| bers' households as by the men themselves When
one reflects how few OF the clubs Of the naty.
Americans. a people much more devoted to clubs
than the Germans. open 10 women II Is easy
to understand the significance Of this German
innovation To the ordinary reader unfamiliar
with the nature Of German athletics II would
seem that the turnvereins were much less lNy
10 enlist the cooperation Of women than the
singing societies: but this IS not the ca =. There
are few OF these turnvereins in the country tha,
do not maintain women's sections. as they an
called and there was ~ feature Of to-day's exer.
cses 50 agreeable to the eye and so inspiring to
the fancy the participation Of class Of
| women, numbering about sixteen on an average
| from Buffalo, Syracuse and Rochester. Few
years ago such sights were enjoyed In the de-
| lightful picnic grounds In which the festival 10
holding near the High Falls Park. given 10 The
| citizens of the village by its president and
| creator, Alfred Dodge. would have been dscoy.
cradle only in the gymnasiums OF the German
Turner's, but now they can be seen In largo
number OF the women's colleges. which have
taken I'D seriously the study Of physical culture
Whether or not this is due directly 70 the In
fuence Of the German Turner's in America CAD
not W. said. One thing is certain. however, and
that is that II, as well az our whole system
college sports Is the outcome of the German
movement called int" being by the founder u
the German Turner's. jain, TO reanlmate 'a
antique Greek notion Of the harmonious develop
ment Of body and mind.
As manifested In the exercises az the Turn
platz In the picnic ground to-day It does mol
appear that the athletics Of our feNow-citzes
OF German birth have been ma terially influenced
by the American system, and In some Respects
this seems TO b. matter for congratulated
The German system is devoted 10 general de
velopment of bodily strength and skill. and no'
10 the attainment; OF phenomenal excellence u
any single department. Under the rules OF Inc
meeting all the societies participating were
obliged TO send their representative classes int
three cOmpettiOns-the so-called wand drN, me
high Jump and putting the shot. Moreover,
fairly representative portion OF each society
was exacted a failure 10 reach 10 per cent
OF the active membership acting as a handicap
In the counting Of points. Not indNi1ua' ou'
average merit was 10 carry the day AFTER Ine
obligatory games participated In by the socle'les
Of the circuit. eacn was permitted 10 choose one
OF four mechanical apparatuses for the louI,a
test these being the rack or horizontal par lns
parallel bars. horse. and what the Gerna'
call a book. -,
more delightful day and more delignuW
surroundings for the festival could scarcely raw
been desired. Compared with most OF the o.ns
towns and cities comprising the Western New
York Circuit. Dolgevll- is. In respect OF TEN.
tory and population, almost insignificant ou'
excels all In natural beauty Of surroundings, ana
4 would be difficult 10 match the enterprshs
lation is largely German. and. for reasons WHICH
It would be interesting TO discuss. the peops
have developed individuality or character
which strikes every observing visitor Win sus
prise. OF the narrow nativism usually louna ~
such settlements there is little 10 be noticed mere
one illustration Of this fact deserves 10 be men,
toned The village is betiagged and festoonee
from end 10 end scarce an humble cottage .nas
does not boast Of Its bit Of color or rs garlsns
Of evergreen. But the flags are not me w.
man. but the American trcolor. do not oen .H,
that II would be going too FAR 10 attribute ms
| phenomenal really notable In SO characteristcav
| German A festival TO the whole hearted patnor
ism Of Mr. Dodge. This spirit spoke IN eve.
| word Of the official address with wnlch W
opened the exercises to-day Though deH'.,e 90
German To "A gathering almost exclusively Oh "
man birth or German descent. and ue'V'e.
| largely 10 the praise Of a German institution
| breathed the spirit ~ American Citizenship a..
! LOYALTY II deprecated the notion that Gerhsis.
should strive in America for the perpetualion,
| things German II denounced German 'h'o' q.
| ance unsparngy and incucated the duty OF ~
votion 10 the political and also the socla , lns.
| tutons OF America and held up old HerhIn ns,
| as a type OF what the Cierman-Amercan oukn'
| 10 be- | have attended many German sa,ns
| ings in the United States but never before u.
| hear foregn-horn American draw 50 sro" ms,
| with the lines between the things which ousn
to be abandoned in favor OF those when pe'oni,
| TO us all. Ii may be that there was spe, ,ss
| significance In the words not open 10 Az .s,,
| listeners At least II has been intmated ne 10,
| one explanation Of the fact that some OF 4, >,
neighboring cities are poorly represented - 81
! be found in the circumstance that the ~.
| managers Of the festival aid violence 10 ~
familiar prejudice OF the Turner's in favor -
making sunday the chief day of the iesusss
| This festival will come TO an end on salu.1t
| and the wishes and feelings or those cltne' Iii
Dolgeville who believe In Sunday observance ,,s,
not be violated. For the rest can do no I'm IN
| than TO commend the following passages "
Mr. Dolge's address TO careful perusai'
| Quite a discussion has been going on OF i a. me
nd