The St. Johns herald., 1898-05-28

With the return of the cycling season
 when century runs by organized clubs
 are of daily occurrence, the question of
 permitting women to take part in these | long g-distance trips Is again discussed It Is maintained that century runs have become athletic competitions, such as
 require the utmost physical endurance l on the part of the riders, and that con stltutiOnally a woman is not sufficient ly strong for such a fatiguing test. Dis tingUiShed medical authorities pro
 nounce the task of covering so great q
 distance as a hundred miles In a day
 awheel exceedingly harmful, on ac-
 count of the prolonged nervous and
 physical strain involved, for which
 women rarely possess the requisite
 physique, and for other reasons that
 physicians only can properly appre- ciate. There are few organized runs of a hundred miles in which some of the participants do not fail to complete tine century. This being true of men, 1t Is by so much the more evident that wom- en should refrain from the practice. Aside from the injurious physical re suits that attend century riding by women, the question presents another view even more important, that of the proprfety of women engaging in such runs. The example of women attend ing the ordinary open century run. in which the proportion of the partici pants is rarely less than fifty men to one woman, who rides generally with out escort from early morning to late night, in the common ruck, is not cal culated to elevate cycling, particularly women. Rather 1t has a ten dency to degrade the sport. The neces- Sary or usual incidents attending cen tury runs are not conducive to the cul- tivation of feminine graces and should receive the stamp of disapproval by the cycling public. Resolutions condemn ing the practice are being considered l by bicycle organizations. If women l lack the good sense and good taste to | determine this matter for themselves, the men should determine 1t for them. |
 A case has just been decided in En-
 
 try, for the circumstances are very like l those that have frequently occurred in | the United States, but which have not | reached the courts. The case was based | IpOn the charge of manslaughter in game of football. The game was be- ng played under the association foot 'all rules, which were designed spe- ially to limit the hazard in playing the ,ame In question. It was claimed that | he defendant, contrary to the rules of he game, charged the deceased from 'ehind and threw rim violently for yard against the knees of another player, from which he received injuries hat caused his death. The judge held hat ''the rules of the game were of little for no association could verride the law in such a manner, nor ould 1t make lawful and innocent that which was dangerous. The law of the md declares that 1t is unlawful to do nat which Is likely to cause the death another, and liability cannot be voided by the enactment of rules re- uSIA6 lHS uduSSIS duu lHe pEISOuef l as held for manslaughter. The judge id: "But, on the other hand, if a an is playing according to the rules nd practice of the game, and Is not ping beyond it, 1t may be reasonable } infer that he Is not acting in a man. ! er which he knows will be likely to , reduce death." In the heat of playing S le game men forget, in the desire to Z in, to observe the rules that have beeN , 1Opted In order to reduce the risk to f minimum and do things that result 6 tally to their opponents. Football has I ecome established as one of the most z Dpular of all our American sports, but T Dwever 1t may be hedged about with 1 lies it Is a dangerous game, a fact I lat is too well attested to admit of dis , ute. The English case was brought { put a stop to the lawlesSness of the f lme as 1t has been played at Rugby, I nd it is probable that 1t will be ample I
 inspire some respect for the lives f nd limbs of men engaged in the spirit q contests. 6
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 ark Twain and a Lyceum Manager. Before we left the ante-room he par.