Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1900-02-24
THE ATHLETES WAY
HOW stage is BRINGING UP HIS
SON.

Has Transformed a Rather Weakly
Infant Into a Prodigy-Feats by an
Eight-Months-old Baby-surprisins
Ideas for Mothers.
Alonzo A. Stagg. Jr., son of Prof. A.
A. Stage, director of athletics at the
University Of Chicago, is a miniature
Sandow. He is a baby eight and half
months old, and has had a course of
physical training since he was four
weeks old. From that time the baby
has been able to stand erect balancing
himself on his fathers hand held ut
arms length. He swings from trap
enc bar by his hands, stands on his
head, walks, and arches his back like
an athlete. He can lie fiat on his back
and put his big toe in his mouth. He
can lie fiat on his back and rise to
sitting posture without turning on his
side or lifting himself by his feet or
his elbows. This is done entirely by
using the abdominal muscles and is
beyond the power of nine men out of
ten
The Stagg baby is probably the
strongest child of his age in the world.
A. A. Stagg, Jr., is the only child of
his parents, and he started in life with
physical equipment little below rath-
er than above the ordinary.
"At four weeks DID," says Prof.
Stagg. "the baby weighed just what
he did when he was born. He hadn't
grown a bit. He had had a spell of
Illness, and at the time we hadn't
much idea he would live through it.
Wei, when | saw the fight the little
fellow was having, it occurred to me
that perhaps / could help him. That
is the way his athletic training be-
gan"
To hear of this baby's athletic PROV
ess is to imagine a pugnacious over
sized child, or at least baby some
thing out of the ordinary at first sight.
Stepping into the nursery, Prof. Stagg
came back with a small bundle of hui
mainly Rugged up in his arms. The
baby was laughing and kicking. and
wore white dress and pink wool
sack
There, now" said Prof. Stagg, toss
ing the little fellow down unceremoni-
ously on a leather couch.
Instantly Alonzo Jr righted himself
and looked around. His eyes are big
and peculiarly bright; his head long
from front to back. But the most
striking thing about the little fellow
is his alertness. His whole body is
alert, and he holds himself with an air
of confidence and self-reliance. He is
not afraid of anything. Strange sights
and sounds interest him. but they do
not brighten him. He appears to be
unit instead of duality. For example,
a paper weight is showed off a table
with a bang. Instantly, with three
times the mental and physical ability
of a fencer. the child responds. He
starts, he peers around curiously,
seemingly at the very moment the
sound is made. Selling a small stick,
his father held it up on a level with
the baby's eyes. AlonZo, Jr., enjoys
nothing so much as going through his
gymnastic feats. He grasped the bar
and held it in the grip of his chubby
hands as much as to say. "All right.
readyr' His father raised the rod and
swung it back and forth vigorously.
The baby drew up his feet a little,
threw his head back. and hung on
without difficulty. Then the father
picked the baby up and stood him on
his hand, holding him out at arms
length. Prof. Stage tossed the boy up
and down lightly, raising him nearly
to the ceiling. AlonZo Jr., balanced
himself easily standing erect on his
sturdy little legs, and laughing as If
he enjoyed it thoroughly.
"Since he was four months old"
said Prof Stagg, 'he has gone
through this performance six days in
the week. He accomplished it success
al @...,I tI,At
held my hand close to me and watch
ed carefully to save him from a fall"
what was the first exercise you
gave the youngster?" asked the visit
or.
1T was massage, properly speak
ing" answered Prof. Stagg. You see
that. as matter of fact, the ordinary
baby gets very little exercise. He is
handled with care, fed and put to
sleep. | determined to give every mus
Gle a little exercise daily, for, as l
said, the baby was not growing at all.
commenced by rubbing him all over.
7 kneaded his body, worked his arms
and legs and accustomed him to few
knocks. See there, now" and the Pro
fessor gave the young athlete a sue
cession of right handed punches in the
abdomen. the baby standing erect on
the couch and laughing as il he de-
rived a great deal of fun from the
punishment. II first noticed an i'm
provement in the muscles of the neck.
In a very short time he could hold his
head erect One day, when he was be-
tween four and five months old. l put
him down on the floor, wondering Il
he would try to walk of his own ac-
cord He struck out at once bravely,
| lifting his feet at each step as far as
| possible from the floor. 1t looked quite
| comical. He worked his legs up and
| down precisely as | had been accus-
toned to exercising them for him"
Alonzo. Jr., is a frst-rate pedestrian,
| now at eight and Il half months bur
! is not allowed to walk oftener than
| twice "A week.
at is not my intention to make a
freak of the baby" says Prof. Stage
"or to see just how much muscle he
can develop. | want him to be as
strong and as healthy as he can be
naturally with his physique | avoid
! pushing him to the limit just as
| would avoid Ovpr-t raining man -