Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1896-12-31
INFLUENCE or ATHLETICS.
Baron de Coubertin Believes th
Olym pic G mes Will DO Much Good.


Baron de Coubertin Believes the
Olympic Games Will DO Much Good.
On the world at large the Olympic
games have, Of course, exerted no iD-
huence as yet; but l am profoundly
convinced that they will do so. May
be permitted to say that this was my
reason for founding them? Modern
athletics need to be unified and puri-
fed. Those who have followed the
renaissance Of physical sports in this
century know that discord reigns SUI
preme from one end of them to the
other. Every country has It's own
rules; 1t is not possible even to come
to an agreement as to who il an ANA
teur, and who Is not. All over the
world there is one perpetual dispute,
which Is further fed by innumernble
weekly, and even daily, newspapers.
In this deplorable state of things pro-
fessionalism tends to grow apace. Men
give up their whole existence to one
particular sport, grow rich by practic.
Ing 1t, and thus deprive it of all no.
bility. and destroy the just equilibrium
OF man by making the muscles prepon-
derate over the mind. 1t is my Leliec
that no education, particularly in DEM
ocratic times, can be good and COM
plete without the aid of athletics; but
athletics, in order to play their proper
educational role, must be based on
perfect disinterestedness and the sen.
timent Of honor.
If we are to guard them against these
threatening evils, we must put an ell'l
to the quarrels of amateurs, that they
may be united among themselves, and
willing to measure their skill in fire.
quent encounters. But what country
Is to impose it's rules and it's habits Cd
the others? The Swedes will not yield
to the Germans, nor the French to the
English. Nothing better than the in.
ternational Olympic games could,
therefore, be devised. Each country
will take its turn in organizing them.
When they come to meet every FOUR
years in these contests, further emo
bled by the memories of the past, ath-
letes all over the world will learn to
know one another better, to make mu.
tual concessions, and to seek no other
reward In the competition than the
honor Of victory. One may be TILED
with the desire to see the cOlors Of
ones club or college triumph in a ma
tional meeting; but how much stronger
is the feeling when the colors of ones
country are at stake! am we'll as
sured that the victors in the Stadion
at Athens wished for no other recon-
pense when they heard the people
cheer the flag of their country in honor
of their achievement.
1t was with these thoughts in mird
that l sought to revive the Olympic
games. have succeeded after many
efforts. Should the institution proper
AS l am persuaded, all civilized ma
tons aiding, that it WILT may lie a
potent, IL indirect, factor in securing
universal peace. Wars break out be-
cause nations misunderstood each
other. We shall not have peace until
the prejudices which now separate the
different races shall have been outlived.
To attain this end, what better means
than to bring the youth Of all coun-
tries periodically together for amic,,-
BILE trials Of muscular strength AMI
agility? The Olympic games, with the
ancients, controlled athletics and pro-
noted peace. 1t Is not visionary to
look to them for similar benefactions
in the future.-'The Olympic Games
of 1885," by Baron Pierre de Couber.
tin, in the Century.