Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-05-04

A TIiLETES are making u great
~ mistake in gradually working
a,,ay from handball as u game
and as means of training muscles.
That such state of affairs is true,
some critics will deny. There are plen-
yof courts in the United States--near-
ly every fire company in a big city has
court for man to practice in--but
the courts are not frequented by the
old-time experts. Some recruits who
know but the first principles OF the an
cient game, bat the bali about until
their hands become tender and then
they give way to other recruits. Time
was when thousands of handball con-
tests were decided in Chicago, New
York, Brooklyn and same other cities
every Sunday afternoon.
Now Philip Casey, the man who vol
unfairly relinquished the champion
ship after holding it against all COM
ers for n quarter of century, says
that the interest in the game is dying
in the east and that Chicago is the
greatest handball center in the world.
There is nothing to handball from the
point of view of the athlete who is al
ways trying to make money out of
sport. Perhaps that is why there is
less play in the match line. But there
is health, longevity, robust constitu-
tions, hearty appetites, ETC., in hand
ball game--it is better than almost any
other form of exercise for the human
body.
Mr.. Casey owes all of his health to
handball. Thrty-tive years ago he
came to America. He had been Il great
handball player in Mountrath, Queens
county, Ireland, for five years before
he landed on American soil. 1t was in
1897 that he gave up championship
honors simply because he had become
weary of the monotony of winning
against all challengers and wished to
give some of the younger players
chance. He is confident that even now,
with the SHOWS of age showing on his
head, he could successfully play
championship contest and his age is
away past the limit which nature seems
to place upon the life of an athlete, as
far as active participation in athletics
is concerned.
But all have made out of handball.
even with my matches" says the
worlds famous player, sis health. 1t
cost me more than got out of it. But
| hold that it is the grandest game in
the world. l would not give it up if !
were great -grandfathe ] expect to
continue to play until am % years
older and to keep my health and
strength. l play little each day and
keep my eyes bright and my muscles
firm"
ltwould bother an experienced train
er to go out and select several men So
years old who could skip about in Il
handball court, following the ball as
Casey does, and weathering a hard
game without willing. Casey says that
he knows of no men of his age except
handball players who can stand that
violent exercise.
"lrcland has produced the best hand
ball players, as everyone that follows
the game should know. ! take it that
the men of my race have been playing
the game in some form for thousand
years. The last game that l played
in that amounted to something was
the $4,000 match at Chicago, when Jim
Dunno and L played William Carney
and Louis Keegan, and won.
"There were courts in New York, Ho-
boken, Jersey City and Brooklyn when
I came to America, but the game has
made its greatest strides in the last
few years as far as the spread of en-
thusiasm and the building of courts is
concerned. There are nearly 80 first
class courts in Chicago, where the pres
emit champion, William Carney, lives.