Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-15
Pugilistic Skill as an 0utgrowth of
the Olympiads.
VIRGIL'S ENfELLUS AND DARES ROW
Sam Weller Whips the Town
BeadIe.
EMBALMED IN THE CLASSICS
Written for The Evening Star.

| Noi'oiihs descrlpuon CT some fistic
counter between boxers of greater or hess
| lame They brush away as altogether yul-
gar after the manner of Mr. Podsnap. ac-
| counts OF athletic meetings between spar
| rers whose flames have become information
| al In the world OF scientific pugi,ism and
| whose deeds are read of in annals
Such as Tom Sayers. champion of Eng
iand' on whose prowess Lord Palmerston
premier of the British cabinet, wagered his
| guineas against John c. Heenan, champion
| OF America. John Morrissey (afterward
| member Of Congress from New York;, who
| defeated in a twenty-four-foot ring mis-
| curry English antagonist, Jem Mace, fig
ured In the current history of two CONT
| nents. Of the moderns, Sullivan, Corbett
| and FftzsimmoEs have become known
| dwelling places.
| Not many years ago. Col Thomas Went
| worth Higginson of Cambridge author of
| several historical and philosophical works
contributed an article to a Boston publica-
t1on taking decided ground in favor of the
| manly art. He declared that the fstic
art should be cultivated in all directions
by the virtuous. both as healthful bodily
| exercise and as a means of defense against
| attack from the vicious. To prove his posi-
| tloE he called to his aid arguments to be
| round N history and romantic literature.
1t was pointed out that classical history in
| later days abounded in such arguments.
The Olympian Games.
| Col. HiggiEsLn's article was a brief one
| otherwise he might have gone further into
| details and Informed his readers how the
ancient Athens, like the modern-around
| and about fair Observation-Disclosures muscle
as well as mind and trained its youth in the
| fear of the gods and to be mighty wrestlers
! ard bruisers. He could have told us that
| chief among the exercises of the Oiympian
| games We're boxing and wrestling, and that
| 1t was doubtless much due to the phys
| zeal virtue obtained therefrcm as from the
| genius Of Miltiades thac the Greeks over
| threw the Persian host at Marathon. 1t
| was largely triumph of the gymnasium
| strengthening, with the confident cour-
| age thereof.
In the matter of boxing skill. the case of
| Entellus against Dares, in the fifth book of
| the Eneid could have been cited as show
| ing the superiority of the former, though
| aged, ov - the bcastful Dares. younger and
| possessed of great strength. On that
| notable occasion Dares had his head prop
| erly punched, and was knocked out in
| few rounds by reason of the better method
| of Entellus, after which the old bruiser
! said: Here l lay aside the cestus and my
| art" The cestus. by the bye as a boxing
glove would hardly PASS inspection by the
| police authorities of today. consisting, as it
| did, of strips of tough bulls hide, riveted
| together with iron studs-a sort of up-to-
| NUMEROUS with it.
OF the modern classics, Sir Walter Scott,
| Eulwe- Lytton, Thackeray, Dickens. Reade,
| Hughes, and other writers. have fistic
! heroes in their books. Dobbin, in Vanity
| Fair" thrashing the cock of DIR. Swish
| tails school, Tom Brown at Rugby" and
other instances serve to illustrate. One of
| the most entertaining accounts of tistic bat
| lie is that of Mr.. Samuel Weller, who
gagged in single combat the town beade
| who had impounded Mr.. Pickwick while
| slee ping off. in his wheebarrow, a triile
| too much cold punch, pressed on him by
Wardle, his hosptable host Having con-
Guided the third and last round with the
| beadle. before the crowd who had misused
| his master had recovered from their sur
prise at his rescue, and a dozen of whom
| had yelled. Run to the Justices" Sam
Weller jumped on the bcx of Mr.. Wardle's
carriage and shouted: "Ay, run to the JUS
| tice, give him my compiments-Mr. Vel
| ler's complimentS-and tell him I've spilled
his beadle, and that, if he'll swear in new
| 'un, I'll come back tomorrow and spite
| him. Cruikshank's picture of the scene
| is a liberal education.
A Noted Encounter.
But the most graphic narrative of fisti-
cuffs ever given, possibly, is that between
Kenelm Chillingly and Tom Bowles, as de-
scribed by Bulwer Lytton in his last great
| work of fiction. Kenelm was an eccentric
young gentleman just out of college, son of
els through the country on foot, viewing
men and things and studying philosophy.
In his early youth his tutor, a muscular
Christian, had taught him the elements of
sparrng. He took to it kindly, and at Ok
ford became a noted proficient in that joy
GUS science.
Circumstances brought about a collision
between him and Tom Bowles the village
blacksmith and hercuean bully, who as
occasion served in the past had broken the
heads of nearly half the male population of
the community.
Against this conqreror Kenelm was
&C mpelled to defend himself. and as
the men faced each other they represented
the two types, respectively, of well-bred,
well-trained intelligence, and the vicious
ignorance of brute force existing every
where kenelm tall but slender;
Bowles a shade shorter, though above me-
dunn height, massive and far heavier. TIE
villagers fell back and ring was formed. |
AS Kenelm, the stranger, took his ground
there was a supple ease in his posture
which at once brought out into clearer evil
dence the nervous strength OF his build,
and, contrasted with Toms bulk of chest,
made the latter look clumsy and topheavy.
Skill VS.. Brute Force.
At first Kenelm acted only on the de-
fcnsiVe, contenting himself with parryine
blows that would have felled OK, and
playfully tapping his antagonist on the
mouth or nose. Once he caught his adj |
versdry's head in chancery. but good-na- |
turedly refrained from taking advantage |
of it by releasing him with friendly slap |
on the shoulder, saying it would be pity |
to spoil a handsome countenance. But |
Bowles, enraged at the jeers of the by |
ISLANDERS and furious at the mysterious |
skill that turned his brute strength into |
waste force, at last became formidable. |
and Kenelm realized the necessity of /
checking the bull-like rushes of his oppo- /
nent by offensive action if he would save |
his head. His own fighting blood arose. |
His nostrils dilated, his eyes flashed fire
kenelm Chillingly ceased to be a philosoph- /
er. He became a prize fighter.
Steadying himself, he struck straight |
from the shoulder with the rapidity of |
lightning, one, two and three, flash upon |
flash. with all the strength of nerve, sinew |
and purpose of mind concentrated in its |
vigor. Unable to parry these blows, Tom |
Bowles at the second one. which struck |
where the eyes meet, reeled and staggered; |
at the third, which was given where the |
car meets the throat and jawbone. he threw |
up his hands, made a jump in the air and |
fell heavily forward an inert mass, knock |
ed out.
SObriety Essential to Success.