The morning times., 1896-05-18
ATHLETICS AND CHARACTER.
No Proof That sports Make ii Nation
of Heroes.

One would like to know. il IL were pos
sible to find out. what the precise effect
OF their devotion TO gymnasticS was upon
the Hellenic people Ii may be reasonably
doubted whether ii enlarged their mental
powers. for all Greece shared in this pas
sion. and the triumpbs of Greek thought
and art are almost confined TO AttiCa.
one. does not even owe intellectual graft,
tnde 10 Spartans or BoeotIans- 1t did not
make them exceptionally heroic, for the
MaCedonians VITO conquered them and
the world, were not specially devoted TO
sport, and were, we fancy, till the time
OF Philip at all events, excluded from the
contests at Olympia.
1t did not save tie nation. for Greece
was utterly subdued by the Romans. who
gained their physical prOwess in another
way. and il did not keep them alive, for,
although the Greek may fairly be held To
have survived the Roman. whom he in
deed III way absorbed, the Jew, who
ablIorred and still abhorS gymnastiC train
ing. survived both Roman and Greek. En-
cept an extraordinary feeling for form,
we cannot trace any result from the games
upon the Greek character. and IT Is doubt
full whether this was universal con
fined to a few rich citizens in Greece
generally. and the 10000 shareholders of
AttiCa, who for most purposes are tn
modern Europeans THE Greeks"
That question of the Influence of these
games on character has meimpOrtancef for
the modern world. for the passion for com
petitive athletics has caught hold of 1t. and
everywhere. especially in England, France.
the United states and the great colonies
they begin TO play a more important part
in life Fifty thousand EngliShInan go at
time to see a football match, cricEeters are
watched as carefully as states men, and
an International running match eXcites
almost the interest of battle. Tba
papers are everywhere crainfned with the
reports of athletics and Il man who can
make record is a s much honored among
the Younger generation as ever he was In
Greece.
II is probable. as prosperity increases and
! The workers gain more leisure, that the
passion will develop further, and we shall
| be curious to see what influence it has
upon the national sentiment. 1t need not
| be bad one, for We suspect that a certain
harbaricism-we want that word greatly,
| as distinguished from barbaris mis- eS-
| sential to the vitality and fighting prowess
| of any race that dwells in cities, but we
| can see no reason for believing that Ii VII.
| be specially good. One can hardly affirm
| that the games preserved the manliness of
| the Greeks, and they certainly did not
| preserve them from incessant internal war.
| International athletics. we see in news
| napers are 10 furnish new bonds to bind
together the nations" but IL they are only
bound as the Greek states Were, the ad-
| vantage will not be conspicuous.
E: The probability is that Olympic games,
| ancient and modern, had and will have the
Ieffect of games merely, that is, of dis
| fractions innocent Or otherwise according
| TO circumstances. from theperempsory wor
| of the world They are not worse than
lother am,Isements. and, being enjoyed in
| the omen air and under thousa nds or eyes
they are probably better than some OF them
| Rather a population OF football players
than population devoted, Ii Ike the Chinese,
| 10 cards. or like the Bengalese to gossip,
hut that is about as much as 1t as yet
BILE to say