Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1896-04-13
CONTESTS FOR GLORY
THE OLYMPIC GAMES AMONG THE
 ANCIENT CREEKS.

Foot Races, Boxing and Wrestling Were
 the Main Features In the Earlier Festi-
 vals-Races For Boys and Girls-How l They Were Conducted.
 In the April number of Century there
 is an article by Professor Allan Mar
 quand on The Old Olympic Games, 7
 apropos of the attempt to revive the
 festival at Athens Professor Marquand
 says in part:
 The foot races were three i'll number,
 called respectively the dromos or sta dion, the diaulos, and the doliohos, ae-
 cording as fhe course was traversed
 once, twice cg number of times. The
 dromos was 6 straightaway dash of
 about 200 yards, or exactly 192.27 me-
 ters A long line ef flagstones, grooved
 so as to be firmly grs2ped by the feet was laid at each end of the course. This permitted the finish for both long and 1 short races to take place at the same end of the stadium. Along these flag 1 stones posts were erected, dividing the line so that 90 runners might start at l once, for there seems to have feen an all comers' race. from which the yietors
 were selected to contend on the follow ing day ill groups of four
 The diaulos was not straightaway 1 race, but involved quick turn at the
 farther end of the course and return to the starting point. The dolichos WAS long race, the length of which is vari- l ously stated as 6, T, 8, 12, 90 and 24 stadia. At the longest this race did not reach three miles, but the quick turns and heavy sand made it contest in en- duranoe of quite different character from running the same distance on modern
 cinder track. Such physical endurance proved most useful at times, as when Phidippides, sent to notify the Spartans of the approach of the Persians ran from Athens to Sparta and back (135 miles) in two days But all the feats recorded of long distance runners in Greece have been eelipsed by the six days running and walking matches of modern times. The military value of speed was recog- nized ill the Olympic festival by the hoplitodromos, or race for armed sol diers, who ran the length of the course and back ill heavy armor. At first they seem to have carried the helmet, spear, shield and greaves, but later the vase paintings indicate that only helmets and shields were carried. Twenty five bra zen shields were preserved in the temple of Zeus for this purpose.
 The races for boys were not revival of ancient usage, but were instituted by NE.< To r~f Al pleased them. These races were over q shorter course than that for the men, as were also the races for young girls. The 1 races for girls were not portion of the
 great zeus festival, but took place un- der the auspices of the goddess Hera on another occasion. Pausanias thus de- scribes them: Every fourth year 16 matrons weave shawl for Hera, and the same number preside over the games And the contest is race for maidens of various ages. In the first race are the youngest, and next those slightly older, and last of all the eldest. And they all run with their hair down their back, a short tunio below the knee, and their right shoulder bare to the breast. They use in this contest the regular race course ill Olympia, but make it a sixth part of a stade shorter And the yictors receive crowns of olive and part of the heifer sacrificed to Hera, and paintings of them are made for Hera. And the 16
 matrons who preside over tho games have as many handmaids.
 Seyerer and more dangerous, but more popular, were the contests in wrestling, boxing and the pancratium. Wrestling, however, since the days of mythical Theseus, had ceased to be contest of brute force, and had become a trial of skill. Pindar praised the victor Ephar-
 mostus as being "deft handed, nimble limbed. with the light of valor in his eyes, and Plutarch regarded wrestling as the most scientific of all the games. Quickness of eye to detect a weakness in the stand of the opponent, activity i'll the use of arms and body and legs, and the timely application of muscular strength brought into play harmony of athletic qualities which made the
 contest an object of beauty to the plastic mind of the Greeks. Few were the re strictions, such as the rules against striking and biting. Many were the stratagems which were permitted, such as choking, squeezing. tripping, clam
 boring upon an opponents back, or
 breaking his fingers Thrice must an op-
 ponent throw his adversary so that both
 shoulders touched the ground before he could be declared victor, and if we may
 judge from the figured representations the final overthrow was by no means gentle act.