The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1903-09-16
pLUNKETT.
rAtianta Constitution ]

papers, and thouSsnos II men, Wo-
men and girls like to talk of the
great fight just ended at the city
of San Francisco
This same Corbett fought Fitz-
simmons few years ago and got
whipped then, but those who take
interest in such brutal proceedings
were CORY for him then and have
clung to him as fighte. worthy OF
their esteem till this good day.
Now that he has been whipped
again there will grow contempt
for his powers and Jeffries will re-
main the hero that he is till a
greater brute is found that can
knock him out and then he too
will be relegated to the background
along with Sullivan and all the
rest.
But the fashions of the day and
the trend of youthful minds is to
magnify these pugilists into virtu-
GUS heroes, and 1 am no suoh fool
as to think of crushing out this
vulgar spirit that seems to be a
bond companion of the commercial
idea that holds our country in its
grip. AS hopeless as l feel of be-
ing able to accomplish much at
crushing out this pugilistic sentl-
ment yet we should everyone strive
and keep on striving to the end
that more holy and refined ambi-
tion should take possession of the
masses. Surely 1 have seen fights
greater than these pugilists ever
fought and / have seen thousands
of people frail in physical develop.
ment whose moral courage and
the moral healthfulness of their
efforts made them the superiors of
these pugilists in every sense of
the word. Not a word of these
heroes of mine or of the fights
they have made have been heard
in the land, and it will be hard for
me to persuade the youthful mind
to give them the thought that I
know they deserve.
I shall not take these heroes of
mine or their fights in the order
they occurred for even since 1 be-
gan to write there have gone by
two young girls that call to my
mind the great fight of a noble
widow who lives not very far from
where we live. These girls are the
remaining unmarried daughters of
this good widow. and to look upon
them and know their characters es
we know them is enough to pro-
claim the victory of this mother in
the fight she has made 30 much
higher and holier than that of JEFF
fries at San Francisco that COM
parison would be odious and a
sscrilege. This widows fight,
which has preserved to the world
the priceless character of these
girls, is worth more than all the
''gate money" and all the "win-
nings" and all the glory of every
prize ring that ever occurred or
that ever will occur though they
should be popularized and soft
ened by gloves to relieve their
brutishness for a thousand years
The fight that this good widow
has made to make and keep her
family what it has been known by
many. many people, and yet I
doubt if she has ever received the
plsudits of a single individual
in recognition of her bravery,
and her fortitude and her
example to the world, or caused
a passing thought from the fash
ionable world of the great blessing
to the world of which her children
give such promise.
When left all alone with three
little daughters and bowed down
in sorrow for the loss of her hus-
band, this good widow went to
work as never a pugilist has work
ed, as never baseballist has work.
ed, as never devotee of the races
has worked, and as frail as she was
she received buffets from the world
without fiinohing that would have
caused the strong frames of JEFF
fries or Corbet or Sullivan or Fitz-
simmons to quiyer from the con-
tact, not to mention the mental
anguish she suffered that the prize
ring has never known nor could
sporting" circles understand.
She heard these little girls ory
; for bread when she had not bread
to give them. Did ever pueilists
suffer like this?