The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-04-28

cially Otto, who Is a good hitter. but they
are not thoroughly reliable mechanical
players. Sim Price plays more on the order
Of the old Smith stars. They played the
game all their lives, and 80 has Price. and
he has benefited by his experience as they
did; but the Hofmans have not. They seem
to be playing at the same gait they did one
wear ago. OF course. 'Toots' Hoffman IS
rather young yet and has several years IN
which to develop into the class Of the m n
referred to.
It has been shown that Smith Is strong In
the box. behind the bat and In the infield.
where the three Hofmans and Eddie Levi
hold forth. In the outield Price at center.
and Lebke at left, do very we'll. but IN
the right P1tzman. captain OF the track
team, Is not a success He was not cut out
for a ballplayer and is too good a track
man to waste his time trying to develop In
to a ball player. something he would not
be IL he practiced hard for the next ten
years. Pitzman will earn enough honors
for Smith Academy on the track. field and
tennis courts. and possibly on the gridiron,
without spelling a good outfleld by remain
ing in the right garden. This is the only
really weak place on the academy nine. and
It Ear probably be patched up. At any rate,
II will AXE all the luck and pluck of High
School to win the interscholastic champion
ship from the red and white striped young
sters.
Wefers to show His style.
Bernie wefers, who did not go to Pitts
burg with the st. Louis team. will give an
exhibition of the spriHting style which con-
Quered the athletic world. on the new quar-
ter-mile track OF the st. Louis Amateur
Athletic Association Sunday morning. be.
tween 10 and II o'clock. 1t will be worth
while to many aspiring sprinters to journey
to Forest Park and learn that same style.
A man can never get his best work out Of
himself II he has poor style. The cham
pions Of the world have always had a GER
tain style which is conceded to be the best
in their particular branch OF. sport.
T. Savage gave an exhibition OF athletic
prowess along the towpath OF the Thames
in England last Monday which was very
remarkable when one figures 1t out. He
walked a quarter Of a mile. rode a quarter
Of a mile on horseback, ran the same dis
lance. rode . bicycle the fourth part Of a
mile, then seulled q quarter Of a mile, and
wound up by swimming a quarter of a
mile. He accomplished all this in eighteen
minutes and thirty-three seconds. If he had
eQualed worlds records in each he would
v covered the distance Of a mile and q
half In 81. but when 1t is considered that
he must have been q bit tired after the
walk and did not stop to rest. but tore
away another quarter on a horse and then
had to run . quarter. after which he
mounted . bicycle. which he followed by
Jumping Into q boat and then out to swim
q quarter. the performance seems to be Q
most creditable one.
English View Of American Rowing.
The Daily Telegraph of London has con-
cluded . series Of rowing articles by IAN
Ola Blue" who. in addition to. being. an
English university oarsman. acted at one
time a. . Harvard coach. The man is UNI
doubtedly Mr.. Lehman. who coached the
Harvard crews for two years. Mr.. Lehman
was conceded to be an expert on rowing.
and though he failed to develop q winning
crew for the crimson. he did a great deal
toward the upbuilding OF Harvard's row.
ing system. the only system In any Anieri-
can college which gets the best crews out
OF the material that 10 at hand. "An Old
Blue. therefore, 10 supposed, from an Eng
lish point OF view. to speak from authority
On American athletics and. as a matter Of
fact, he 10 speaking author.tatively from
the standpoint OF the frank American who
can admit the weak points in athletics a.
conducted in this country.
The articles in question cover the whole
field OF tho coming International races At
Henley very thoroughly. but they arc neil
ther complimentary to the American row.
ing system. nor generous In the view taken
of American amateur purity. They begin
with the question whether the American
crews should be welcomed at all at Henley.
To this query the writer yields a rather
grudging assent on the general theory that,
II England cannot float a good enough crew
at Henley to win against anything. either
amateur or professional. that can be sent
over by America. then she had better go
out OF. rowing. At the same time he warns
the stewards to scrutinize carefully the
American entries. especially those Of Penn
sylvania and the Dauntless Club of New
York. This club he regards as particularly
open to suspicion because he has never
heard of Il himself.
The on the difference in system
employed by American and English uni
~versities in selecting their crews are more
instructive. as are the criticisms Of Ameri-
can training and boat building. The writer
points out the advantage England secures
In selecting her university Fights from all
the students of the rowing men in the in
stitution. instead of being restricted by the
lines of graduating classes. On this point
he says of America:
''The lines of cleavage are entirely differ
ent from airy or this side. The men are
distinguished forever by the year in which
they will take their degree. Only senior
men are likely to be able to represent the
university. and this soon exhausts all pos
slbility Of healthy domestic strife.
Harvard System II Correct.
AT Harvard this old system has been
very sensibly abolished in favor of the Eng
lish theory OF a boat club with as many
races a. possible and a gradual sitting out
of the men till the best possible eight have
been selected for the varsity.
Discussing the employment Of the profess
sional coach in America. the writer remarks
that the American postgraduate would not
waste HIS time so far as to coach a crew at
ALL and he adds:
Even II he did, his possible pupils require
something more serious than they could get
out Of any but paid. and well paid. employ
ment. They ask Of their coach what they
are cheerfully ready to give themselves.
and that is the best the heart. brain. soul
ard experience can summon to the one
task of discovering how to win"
This trait Of wanting to win is solemnly
discoursed upon at some length. to the con-
clusion that winning, even winning fairly.
Is but q side issue in athletic contests and
has developed among Americans into q pos
tive vice.
Considerable space is devoted to American
mechanical training devices. such as the
tank and the gymnasium rowing machines.
which ARE made necessary by the severity
Of American winters" and the comparative
shortness of the rowing season. These de-
vices are held up for English consideration
az indications Of the curious mechanical
resourcefulnese OF the strange race bred on
the far side Of the Atlantic The. writer
declares. however, that they are but q man.
Hesitation. In the concrete form. Of the sur
plus nerves with which Americans are If.
licted. and he argues that, while an Amer
lean crew may be dangerous o n q mile-and-