Evening journal., 1897-04-13
YHE PRIzE RING.
a REPLY TO CORRESPONDENTS
AND OTHERS.

uNOtf ilt caption OF Inc IflLe llinE.
and which appeared in the Evening
Journal of the oath instant, the writer
has been the recipient of several COM
many Of which endorse
the argument advanced therein, whilst
the tenor Of not a few of the letters in
question implies that the recent plize-
dsht at Carson City was a disgrace 10 /
The state in which it was held; that the /
laws OF otherand civilized countries pro
nibit such exhibitions, and that the
bravery exhibited by the contestants |
FilzslmmOns and Corbott, was OF a /
weak and insubstantial character. In
reply to the trite and well-nigh worn |
out platitudinal objections, advanced |
by these well-intentoned persons, it |
may he said that. after all, the main
question is a mere matter Cf opinion,
general census or unanimity OF which |
viii never be reached. Whether the |
legislatures and executive Of the State /
lf Nevada acted wisely or unwiseiy in /
permitting the recent prize-fght to
AXE pace within The borders cf a |
state. over which they had, and have, |
mil jurisdiction; whether the prize
ring and It's concomitants are alto
sether demoralizing, hurtful and an
tagCnistic to the good morals Of the
communities permitting them; whether
his country should set its face against
scientific fistic contests, simply because
England and other countries have
hosen to do so-are all 50 many ques-
lions which resolve themselves into a
mere matter of opinion. an opinion to
which each man is entitled provided he
does not delude himself or attempt to
lelude others with the false assumption
1. saa.aaffr
he correct and the only true solution
II the whole matter. Both anterior
and posteriOr to the FitzsimmOns-Cor-
jett contest, the opinion was olt-ex-
pressed in print. and the verbose idiot,
who. like the poor, is ever with us, din
led it into his neighbor's ear, that it
would have been a good thing If one OF
he contestants, Fitzsimmons and Cor
bett. had killed the other. Indeed,
many of these Christians CD were de-
irous that both should be removed
from off the face Of the earth by some
| homicidal process or other Truly this
Is a strange world, and the ways of its
/ people past finding cut, when the char
ty which some persons would wish ap-
! llied to themselves Is, in turn, denied
! By them to others. Again, it is only nee
! assary TO recall the surroundings CT the
! prize ring of former years in order for
one 20 pprec a Q he co .di ions loTe n
lng the prize ringOf to-day, ,andto become
ware of the unfair manner in which
contests were broken up and ended, ese
4 decision was reached. Indeed, the
savants who restored the text of gaci-
I us. or the men who dcciphered the
hieroglyphics of the cbeiisks, had an
easy task when compared with the el-
forts Of the police to keep order in the
nfantile days CT the prize ring. That
the recent FitzsimmOns-COrbett cont s,
was conducted upon a fair and square
basis; that it was refereed without fear
nd without favor, that the tougher
element of humanity was conspicuous
10y it's absence; that it afforded the
spectators the opportunity Of witness
.ng an exhibition Of the most finished
and scientific sparring known to The
boxing world. and that this particular
fight for the heavyweight champion
, ship Of the world was commenced ant
J concluded in the presence of the mos
: mannerly audience that ever assem-
bled, either in this or any other coun.
.ry, to witness a prize-hght-are all SC
many facts, not opinions AS an emf.
nent writer once observed-'we cannO
al love Wesley and Wickfeld, but We
can all love some sort of sport ol
other" We may deplOre such a condi
tion Of affairs, but that such a cOndi
lion exists is a hard, concrete, incOn
] trovertible fact. For instance, let ;
5 couple of hitherto peaceable citizen.
c engage in hOstilities in any Of on
D treets, and it is dollars to cents tha
he personalities of the inhabitant
/ would become altogether ndlstinguish
4 lble-Owing to the dust they wOuli
o raise in their anxiety to reach tn
8 scene of action. This fact, demon
o strated over and over again, prove
|, conclusively that there is a pugilisti
r. streak in human nature, a streak wh.c
i cannot be altogether eradicated, no
Z even from the compositions of tn
'goody-goodies" who. on the day of Oh
Fitzsimm -COrbett contest, were
T. be seen slipping around each newspa
per corner-iust to learn "how tn
j. fight was going" And yet these an
j. the men who, in the drawing-room 9
h I'm the counting-house, are the lOude.
l. In their denunciations of the prize rim
is and who are ever ready, with uplitte
m hands and pharisaical countenances,
Is thank God that they are not as oth'
K men.
ii just appreciation of things and the
n horizons of thought would seem to
Of q narrow and contracted naJur
Now, no man can do more than exc
T. in his particular calling. No man cs
re do more than scale the topmost rung
u. the ladder OF the vocation to which Z
Il all-wise Providence has called him. \
4. man can do more than all this. Al
y, Judged by the worlds standard of su
a cess-and how many of us are prepar
n 10 accept any other standard? ?-th'
=, he prmate OF all England the AIc
~ bishop of Canterbury. is not one WI
=. q greater man than your champion p
p. yilist And If A should select the Fl
Il mate and b the Pugilist, then A wou
,n have no right to arrogate to hims'
ed he opinion chat his selection mustol
We cessity besuperiorto that ofB. This, II
lie other questions of the day, is matt
fe Of individual choice and OF individr
"a opinion. The late Lord Derby, Prii
'fe Minister OF England. when addresst
20 The workingmen of Liverpool, said:
ys my man present no matter how low