The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1905-12-15
TIE Champion Of Champion
a Strong Men Was Donald
Dinnie, a Draw Scot.


ring to Rochester, the hero in "Jane
eyre" (and what a hero! matinee idols
please notch "what earthly good does
it do to your fellow mortals even
though you can bend poker double
with your hands. etc. Mere brute
strength is nothing"
Charlie. or Charley, Mitchell-as
shrewd rs you make 'em and wealthy
nOw--(old dtime boxing is to modern
boxing what the horse car homeward
ploddinS its weary way Is to the swift
ly running trolley once said: "fve no
use for champion strong men. socalled.
They make me tired. They're the
biggest babies i'm the world. If they
are not headliners i'm the bills at a
benefit they put up n holler, and back
out at the last moment" A former
champion all-round athlete now in
New York (he is a Scot says: "My al
most invariable experience has been
that these so-called strong men GER
iainly lack the fighting instinct. JEFF
fries could take Sandow, RolandOw,
Hackenschmidt and Gruhn in ring
jim one night and knock them ont one
after the other inside Of three rounds
each, with the greatest ease.
: "One would think. from the amount
OF sickening gush that appears from
time to time about these so-called
champion strong men. that strong
man was not only rara avis. but an
Ap-todate institution. Nothing Of the
kind. Why. in our own day there was
the great Highland model. Donald Din
slie, the greatest all-round athlete ee
world has ever seen. | have seen
Dinnie not only lift but dance about
vhe stage for some time with n ton
strapped TO his shoulders. | have seen
him slowly muscle up with his right
arm-n0t jerk up that's nothing, for it
brings the whole body into playa 17S-
pound dumbbell; then hold out his arm
at full length and with his open palm
some time.
"The Highland idea Of the athlete
means moi a runner or jumper. but Il
strong man first; then if he likes he
may be also agile. Dinnie held the
record for putting the siXtecn-pound
and the twenty-two-pound shots, and
mt some of the Highland gatherings |
hayc seen him take prizes at fiat rae
ing, in almost record time, notwith-
standing his 225 pounds. He could
clear the hurdles like deer chased
by wild hunters through the Adron-
,dackS. He was certainly the most
magnificent specimen of athletic man
hood l ever saw, and | have seen al
the top p-notcherS-black, white and vel
DOWN the last thirty years. In his
prime. about fifty-SiX inches around
the chest ana nearly nineteen inches
around the biceps: trunk ana limbs
like a gnarlCd oak tree. and five inches
taller than either Sandow or Hackcu-
schmidt; and all over MS rugged as the
rugged Highland hills whence he
sprang. We never shall look upon his
like again.
But / repeat, this champion strong
man business gives me pain. There's
Corbett. When in training for his last
encounter with the lusty boilermaker
lie made the mistake of his life fiddling
with weights and trash OF that kind to
make himself strong (sic). instead of
sticking religiouSly to his natural bent
-quickness in jabbng and getting
.9way. He danced around the orst-
lille redoubtable John l.. like Il
Noper around barrel-as quick as y
'ncing shadow-and cut him to pieces.
y tide rapid-fire guns sometimes get
there just as well rs long toms and
pom-poms.
"If so inclined, any one by incesSant
practice over Il series of years can
make himself exceptionally muscular,
very often. alas! at the expense of his
vitality; but, rs we have said. 'cui
bono The game isn't worth the
candle. Sandow by the hardest kind
OF labor has worked out his idea and
ideal Of the strong man to wellnigh
perfection. But very ordinary-lookinG
chaps are walking the streets Of New
York to-day. pursuing their modest
vocationS. who do not know what q
,dumbbell or barbell is, but who. in
virtue OF some inherent nervous force.
or whatever you like To call It, could
make some OF these so-callCd champion
strong men look like thirty cents in a
rough house.
zone night, i'm the wee sma' hours. I
saw quite slim-looking chap toss
about. not one, but seven of the finest.
all-powerful looking men that could he
got together. He handled them as if
they were so many empty sacks of
-four. We are Seven had to execute
a sort of wedge-llke interference man.
cuvre before they could subdue this
unknown Samson. Truly the world
doesn't know its greatest men.
''Now. what is the conclusion Of the
whole matter? Perfect health. endur
ance and vitality. not brute strength
And these must be worked for just as
lard as in getting muscularity. One ot
The greatest laws Of life is activity.
I he wise for cure on exercise depend:
God revo- made His work for man {,
mend