Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1903-04-10
Olympic Games at st. Louis.

The greatest event in the athletic
world on this side OF the Atlantic dur
ing the present decade will be the
OLYMPIC games at the Worlds Fair in
st. Louis in 1904. The holding Of
these games for the first time on Amer
| lean soil had been conceded to Chicago
by the management but the necessary
postponement of the Worlds Fair led
to consideration OF the matter,
Chicago taking the initiative and cour-
teously agreeing to their transfer to
ST. Louis, These games are held once
in four years and are a revival OF the
famous Olympic games of Greece.
The Olympic games OF Grecian history
were contests for men and boys and
consisted OF leaping, wrestling, boxing,
throwing the spear and disc. racing in
armor, chariot racing, horse-racing,
etc. The games were the chief feature
OF the quadrennial festival Of the
Olympic Zeus, held on the plain Of
Olympia, in the province OF Ellis, near
the coast southwest OF Athens. The
festival was celebrated in sacred en-
closure called the Alts $40 by $50 feet
full Of temples aud affairs; the games
in a stadium or hippodrpme on the east
ct1o Of ha Att,, l. -
by numerous passages. On the west
side Of the Altis was an extensive GYM
nasium for the use OF athletes in train.
ing.
The games were held every four
years in midsummer and covered .
period of four days. The exact time
of holding was regulated by the phases
at the moon. The date was announced
in advance of each festival by heralds
sent through all Ike provinces OF
Greece proclaiming cessation of hos.
tilities and declaring the territory of
Ellis inviolable during the festival sea-
son. Pilgrims with sacred offerings
and great professions of the people
crowded the Olympic plain by the time
of the opening.
On the first day after religious cere.
mony of presenting offerings, the ath-
letic competitors were properly classed
and arranged by the judges, who then
led them in procession around the
stadium and opened the games with
elaborate ceremony. The contest of
the trumpe,ers was held on the first
day. On the second day there were
contests OF boys, foot-races, wrestling,
boxing, the pentathlow or five-game
contests of leaping, running, throwing
the spear, the discus and wrestling;
the pankration or combination Of box
ing and wrestling; and horse.races
with boy jockeys. The third day was
devoted to contests of men, foot races,
wrestling boxing, racing in heavy ar.
NOR; pankration COOKING and wrest-
ling) contests. On the fourth day
there were more pentathlow contests,
chariot races and horse races. On the
fifth day the awards of olive crowns
were bestowed with professions, sacri-
ices and banquets to the victors. The
ceremonies ended with the victors ap-
pearing at the altar wearing their
crowns and with final grand banquet
at the public house reserved for the
nations guests.
In 1896 april 9th to 1lth) largely
through the fundamentally OF Baron
Pierre de Coubertin, of Paris, and at
his suggestion, the Olympic games
were revived 1t Athens, Greece, with
great success; athletes from all tho
world participating and visitors from
all the world swelling the attendance.
A stadium was built after the outlines
of the ancient arena and programme
and proceedings of the games, gener-
ally, were made to adhere as nearly
possible to what was interpreted to be
the ancient regulations and customs.
Al these contests, American athletes
were phenomenally successful, Ameri-
ca being the first victor OF the games.
The Marathon race, however-cross
country from Marathon to Athens
the popular event of the series. was
won by a Greek, to the poetic satisfac-
ton and loud acclaim OF the world.
In 1900 the games were again held,
at Paris, also with great success where
they constituted one of the important
adjuncts Of the Paris Exposition.
The international Committee was
organized. in 1894. in Paris, by Baron
Pierre de Coulertin for the purpose OF
re-estsblishing the Olympic Games
upon the basis. comfortable to the
spirit Of the present age" Its men,
bership consists of twenty.four repre-
sentatives of different nations and re.
mains as originally selected.
The Worlds Fair will have an ideal
place for the games consisting Of a
superb athletic field, already graded,
and seats for $4,000 people. Near at
hand are the training quarters for ath.
letes, soon to be completed.
A TORNADO cut through White and
Cleborne counties, Arkansas. Tuesday
night, leaving death and destruction
in its path. Nine persons were killed
and several seriously injured. Brad.
ford, Hiram aud other villages were
almost wiped from the map. On the
morning of the same day, a cyclone,
cut path of DISSOLUTION q mile wide