Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-02
An English Writer Says the Trained
Man is Really Delicate.
BE Is MUCH like A RACE HORSE
Sensitive to Any Change From His
Rigid Routine.
CONSTANT CARE NEEDED
From the st. JAMS Gazette.

would perhaps, point TO some muscular
strapping young giant who has won lame
on the cinder path or on the sliding seat
and. bidding enc notice the bloom on his
cheek. the fire in his eye, and the elasticity
of his gait, scofhngly echo. rs the athlete
healthy But the question is not one
which can be thus summarily dismissed
Only few days back the untimeiy death
of that sterling young carsman, Mr. E. X
BaIfour of University College, Oxford, was
announced: a few short months ago was
recorded the equally regrettable and I'M
timely death of Mr.. Theodore Stretch,
whom Baifour succeeded at No. . IN the
Leander boat for Henley this year; and be-
fore that young Cotton, the captain oi the
oxford University Boat Club, died AFTER a
very brief illness. The death of these young
men proves little; neither does the fact that
one Succumbed to pneumonia, another 10
peritonitis. They are but Isolated cases.
and it would be absurd to attempt to gener-
alze from them. But a matter OF TACT
they give point to the conclusion which has
been arrived at after very careful anu com.
preheuSive observation and good deal
of thought. That conclusion Is that the
athlete, in the vast majority of cases, Is
not so healthy as the average man leading
an average life.
Health and Training.
BY athlete is meant the trained man;
he who undergoes special preparation for
a certain object. OF course, an unframed
man may be an athlete, but the word Is
generally used in the more special sense.
Therefore, under this category will not be
included those who ego in for exercise as
DISTINGUISHED from athletics. And now
what Is it to be healthy? 1t is easier to
say what it is not than what 1t IS A man
MAJ be a fleet runner. a fine oar, splendtdly
muscular and agile, yet need not be
healthy as the writer understands the
word 1t sounds like paradox, but
nan may be able to lift tremendous
weights TO put terrific squirt at the
end of a long and Furnishing race. to SEND
in mis- left with amazing force and rapid
ity, and yet be absolutely dencate. In
short. physical strength and health often
as they have been considered as synony-
nous. have very little to do with one an
other. What then do We mean by being
healthy Briefly. il may be said that the
healthy system is that of which all the
parts work in perfect harmony. Such
system requires very great shock, IN
deed to throw it altogether out of gear:
it mas great reeuperative powers, Whlch
tend to make up any deficiency caused oy
careessnsss disease.
Health is a good deal more than the alb
sencc of disease; II IS einpnatieany an ac
tive condition. And its distinguishing sign
is sldaPtabilty- The really healthy man Is
Re who, after catching slight cold, goes
10 bed. sleeps soundly and wakes up per-
feCtiy well in the morning, who easily re-
covers from any unusual strain upon his
organization; who can stand extremes Of
climate priyation and hardship, who is rot
permanently upset by even Il violent de-
p:.rture from his ordinary course Of life,
who does not trouble much about what he
eats and drinks. so long, as II Is wholesome;
this ia u, healthy man.
OnrSnsen Break Down.
To return, to the athlete. Can any one
who has any real knowledge CT the subject
deny that, judged by the standard which
has been laid down, the athlete will, as
rule be found wanting? lie. take the
oarsman typical OF the amateur athlete.
To look at the young varsity is to get
an impression of a man thoroughly harden
ed to wind and weather, to whom such
things d colds and chiilS were unknown.
But IS it SO? Most emphaticaIly MOI How
often do We hear of his being temporarily
incapacitated through some trifiing mis-
hap or indispoSition? And especially is this
noticeable when he is little cider and has
left OIL training regularly. II one casts
ores memory back through the years, how
many once brilliant athletes can we call to
Mind as having broken down and died I'M
timely deaths? We can think of many, but
the names OF those who have not died, but
have just managed to keep alive after
struggling through long and painful i'll
nesses, is legion. Allusion is not here made
10 specific complaints-sucn as heart dis
ease-brought on by over-exertion, al
though this Is not infrequent But what is
meant Is rather the general weakening of
the system. the loss of that Spring and
a
who has to fight against illness
AFTER all. one need not go far to discover
the reason. What the athlete is to the or
ulldry INDIVIDUAL that is the race horse to
the member OF the same family seen drag
glng load about the streets The race
orse' as we KNOW, has an exceedingly
asheate organization. He Is very suscepti-
pie 10 cold. his food has to be selected with
.ne utmost care and his habitation must
De choice and free from n suspicion of
Gampness- He is trained for speed. He is
full
mnsn,n uh n.y.. asseleped and has a lot of
him Expose him for single dav fo the
Wet and cold in which the eoarser-ored ami
IIai .nrives. and he would probably die.
ne cannot stand hardship, muscular and
speedy as ne is He has no adaptabiltv. n
fas all been trained out of him And so
with the athlete. 81
Living by Rule.
While he Is in training he lives accord.
ing TO rule. He rises at a certain hour In
the morning, his diet is prescribed within
certain very definite lines, he takes about
the same amount of exercise every dav.
anu goes TO bed at the same hour every
hlgnt When he is at practice he is very
carefully watched to see that he comes ~
20 harm Say he Is an oarsman. After
owng course he probably comes In
&C., na'ins profusely; he has to tub, rub
uown get INTO hannels again, and take mar.
lcuiar care 10 avoid catching cold ..(,old ,,
indeed. IL a verftable bugbear TO the trained
man never old OLD maid show more fussf-
neSs about changing her wet garments
.n ina docs your man In training A TWENTY
illle walk ne can enjoy as long as he can
come nome and at once have his tub aad
chanse; but a two-mile saunter under a
warm sun drives him almost frantic with
anxiety II he has to remain in the sa,na
ciothes- Training. far from being the hard
enlhg process which its devotees would
nave US believe. Is in reality Just the re-
verse The athlete-the trained man-l.ke
q race horse. Is pampsred. and thereby sof-
tened, IN constitution II not in muscle He
gets INTO a groove. and II he remains in It
iCAg enough the inevitable result Is that
ne loses that adaptability to circumstances
possessed In greater or less degree by the
unframed man. He Is an exotic, and suf-
Iers IL brought into contact with the r,,de
p!ast He suffers most when compared
win the haif-trained" man, the man who
is not really trained at ALL but by taking
plenty or exercise always keeps in good
conditon-such as the man who hunts. or
shoots. He smokes and drinks and eats
~hat suits his fancy: he really does get
haraened and strengthened by continuous
exercise He does not trouble to chance
ms nanneis directly his skin becomes