The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-11-12
SEATTLE. TUESDAY. NOV. IL.


The question is very often raised as 10
whether athletics are over done IN this
country. The tendency in this age is to-
wards physical development. There was
never time when a greater interest was
taken In sports than at present. Physical
culture Is new almost a fad. not only
among the men. but also among the women.
While the students of Harvard and Prince
ton. after. we might say. years OF train
ing. are struggling for the mastery on
the football field, the girls of vassar are
holding a field day given up 20 all the
most violent athletic exercises. II is not
fair 20 say that the man with a great
muscle has eclipsed the man with a great
brain. but there Is no Disgusting the fact
that the athlete is today more or less OF
an idol In circles both high and low. 1t
makes no difference whether he Is the
short-halred king OF the ring or the long
haired hero Of the gridlron. there are thou
sands today who will fall down and wor-
ship him.
X Is a very common error. however, to
think all the time OF the rising young
American is given to physical education.
II Is very common 10 say that the youth
OF the land are going 10 college merely TO
become celebrities in college sport. This
Is a mistake. No doubt because Of the
physical culture craze great many Amer
lean students take regular exercise who
otherwise would lead sedentary lives. Il
IS very small minority, however. whose
participation IN college games interferes
a. ali with college work. Where one man
has made failure Of his college course
because % too much attention 20 sport,
one hundred have been benefited by build
lag up strong bodies to carry strong heads
The average American student who grad
uates today from an American college viii
b. fouad to ba bigger, stronger. harder
snd much better qualified 10 battle with
ire world BY reason q good health than
tho aaa WIS wens through college twenty
years ago
Al impression prevails quite commonly
THAI this question of exercise Is resolving
Zoo much attention and IS being overjone
Ava uos few hold 70 ne opinion chat
tho person who goes through a course Il
phyascai training "a generally no; long
lived. Co5ntless examples are pointed out
of how men supposed to ee strong and
hardy have gone into esrjy consumption.
OF how young collcee athletes have SO ex-
hausgcd theis strength and vitality as 70
be practically disabled Ter the rest OF their
lives Already neral has heea drawn
from the es-ly demise Of Jack Dempsey.
tho puS.l'st. supposed . be oHs of TIE Hn-
e.. specimens * young physical manhood
"a 1he country. They say thst al these
puE!llsts. baseball players and e8rsmen lie
Young hoc,usc - cver-cxevtson. TIE sen-
cluslen IS that athletics arc not conclusive
60 longevity
This Is ell wrong. There can te an
abuse or physical exercise tust as Their.
can be an abuse ~ anything else. No
doubt there have heen eases where men
have overtralnea. just - there are cases
where men have inJgred their eyesiKht
by too much reading. These. however.
are the exceptions 4. =. Spaidlng rlav-
ei professional baseball for ffteea years
ana has enjoyed fifteen years 81 splen-
id health as a business msa. a c. Ar
son, another noted professional Is stri
actlve 30 the game ~ the axe a. p Jack
Dempsey would probably havs lived Tor
a quarter ~ a century with ordinary
care Of his health The average puxii-
.st trains one uaonta IN year apd the
balance e the tirne lives So a saloon. Il
Is only gocd health ana saleadt
physique that keeps them up so long.
John T. Sullivan auytag the last ten
years has gone through IA ihe way o.
dissipation what would havs probably
killed ten ordinary men. ana &, IS largely
owing 70 his health strength aat train
ing. X Is net athletics. hut alcohol ani
exposure 20 which al tae celebrated
American sports have seccumbe.i- Is
viii be notso<d th&t al. ee they p0gti-
ISIS. oarsmen. o&seoallisfs ar general
athletes live 10 green, Cd Age w1ea