The San Francisco call., 1896-08-09
He Says Tobacco
and Liquor
Are Bad
Stimulants Must Not
Be Used When in
Jraining--,As
to Style


have begun to skip without moments
warning, to the astonishment of their in
innate friends. The worst of tie whole
matter is that few walkers have escaped
censure, however just or unjust it may be.
have seen some men go out and walk
perfectly fair and be pronounced shippers
by the prejudiced and the ignorant. On
the contrary, | have seen men win cham
pionshlps and beat records whose walking
was certainly not fair.
An athlete goes out to run. The race
begins, and from the crack of his pistol
he has only to think of keeping his own
course and putting out the best there is
in him. A walker is different. He must
not only think of judgment and speed,
but he must regard that man walking
around the middle of the field who is
watching him so narrowly; he must re-
| gard those reporters, who may strip him
/ up the back" tomorrow, and he must
have wholesome regard for the crowd
who line the outer rail ready to cheer for
| him or howl at his style according as thew
happen to belong to his club or his rivals.
| Throughout my whole athletic career I
have seen so much quarreling between
walkers themselves. accusing each other
OF bad stvle; so much resentment at
judges, accused of unfair decisions and
prejudice; so much controversy among
friends of competitors and spectators and
so much discussion in the newspapers over
the manner of walking OF the favorites of
the public, that for many years 1 have
never lost an opportunity to say to begin
ners, DO not go into walking; ana to those
who have already begun, Drop walking
and go into distance running.
have known an old walker. whose
name is familiar to every student of
records and athletic statistics. II have
seen him go out and WIN championships
and beat records, yet it was difficult to get
two experts to agree upon his style. 1
have heard an old athlete say that his
walking was perfectly fair-beautiful. and
heard another say that it should not have
been allowed. He is the holder to-day
OF many bests on record, yet there are two
elements in the East-one that accepts his
records unqualifiedly the other refuses to
accept them at all, or with considerable
hesitation.
l could mention the name of another
man who won more than one champion
ship, and carried the scalps of many a
champion on his belt. No one ever
questioned the good intention of this man.
yet after he had won his first champion
ship he was continually in hot water on
account OF his style, which without his
consent insisted on giving him trouble.
He labored for years to correct the diff
Guilty, which neither he nor physicians or
trainers could understand; and though
winning another championship by the
greatest labor and care to keep his style in
form, went to pieces Immediately after.
He was finally compelled to give up walk
ing as his style refused be corrected.
Cases have been known where men have
become amateur pedestrians, have put in
a great deal of time on heel and toe. have
spent years at it with more or less sue
cess, until they have awakened to the con-
clusion that it was impossible to overcome
the criticism that was incessantly aimed
at them. Then they have decided to enter
the running field. but discovered that
their system had become too much set tn
ever make success at it. Had they gone
into running instead they would undoubt-
edly have made a success, as good walker
makes fine distance runner if he does not
put it off too long.
There are other reasons why walking
races are nuisance For instance, here
is boy who enters his name for a race.
He is perfectly honest; would scorn to
win race by unfair means, and more
over is a hard ana conscientious trainer.
On the day of the race his family all turn
out, and with his best girl along go to see
the young man win. Fancy their rage,
indignation and resentment when they
see the pride of the family ANONYMOUSLY
and unceremoniousiy ordered off the track
for unfair walking. Would it not be natu-
raj for him to prefer to leave town than
face his family, and particularly herr But
the ignominy does not end here for the
next day the papers may say, after men,
tioning his name, Ruled off for skip
ping"
There is another point not to be over.
looked in this argument-the public. l
have seen the public assemble in large
numbers TO see a race between great
and when the contest was getting
most interesting one of the competitors
would be disqualified; the one that was
winner-would drop his hands
and finish slowly. Now 1t is not fair to
treat good-natured public in this man.
ner, and the only way to cure It is to let
heel-and-toe walking fall into disuse.
One of the. greatest objections to walk
ing is the constant dispute over the
records. No one who knows anything
about walking at all believes the records
Is they stand on the books in favor of pro-
'essionals in England, which are the best
N the world. | was intimately acquainted
with the gentleman who judged walk in
which J. w. Raby appeared in this coun-
ry. He is the holder of the records
uSt spoken of from two TO seven
niles, made in England. He told
ne if Raby walked that way
n the old country it was no wonder that
lie took down all the records from off their
oegs. In fact it was not walking at all.
There are many people to-day who will
lot believe the present amateur records of
his country as whole. They insist that
ONE are cloudy. England has to-day a
cry fast amateur mile record, made over
en- years ago. Now, 1 had the pleasure of
q xrifh