Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-16
WRESTLING HAS COME TO
THE FORE ONCE MORE

| care of himself may be credited his ability
to stay In the game long after the average
| prize fighter has become dead to the ring
by reason of excuses.
George Bothner, the worlds lightweight
champion, is IN his fortieth year. and as
vigorous as ever. Tom jenkins is forty
his senior. Farmer" Burns, who began
his wrestling career at thirty-hve, the age
when most prize fighters are decayed. IS
still in fine form at fifty, his holding Of the
ndddle-weght championship for years prov
ing him to be SO. Hackenschmidt is prob
ably tina youngest of the world leading
wrestlers. he being in his twenty-ninth
year-a boy in years, almost, when COM
pared Will the majority of the men he has
met and thrown in his trip around the
world
Leaving all natural inclinat tons either for
or against an abstemious life out of con-
sideration the wrestler must lead a far
more care full life than the prize fighter If
he ever hopes to make a name and a
livelihood by his wrestling.
The wrestling season usually stretches
from October ! to the last of April, leaving
only five months in which there are no
bouts. This means not only that the wres-
tier must be in training seven months out
of the year, but month or two as we'll
before the opening of the season There
fore, it is easy to grasp why, to all intents
and purposes, this means training for prac-
tically the entire year, since nine months
of simple living tend to form habit that
are open to the indulgences from the stand
point of training.
Anomalous as it may seem in view of all
that has gone before, it is nevertheless q
fact that whenever a wrestler, retiring
from the mat finds himself unprepared
against the coming of the fnvariable rainy
day he usually let's his name be placed IN
gilt or electric light letters over the door
Of a grog shop. But even in this demor-
alizing atmosphere ne nearly always clings
to the abstemious life. A favorite story
among wrestlers tells of retired wrestler,
q saloon keeper, who not only practiced
the simple life, but also insisted on preach
ing 1t to his customers, with the result
that he drove all trade away and soon
vent into the sheriffs hands.
Il every wrestler were as careful TO
save portion of his earnings as Hack
enschmidt is there would be no occa-
sion for any of them to embark in the
liquor business when approaching old
age makes them useless on the mat
From the time he began his wrestling
career at the age of twenty Hacken-
schmidt has put aside part of his earn
ings In every bout. He Is doing this
with a steady purpose in mind-it is his
ambition to save up enough money to
furnish income sufficient to provide
his fathers family, as well as himself,
with the necessary comforts of life after
he has retired from the mat.
1t has never been the Russian Lions
Intention to stick to wrestling. When
he discovered that he could wrestle, and
wrestle WELL he decided to put his new
found gift to use until such time as he
could secure the competence that he saw
he would probably never be able to
amass through following civil engineer
ing for Which he had been educated in a
st. Petersburg University. This compe-
tence secured beyond peradventure of a
doubt, that day will see Hackensohmidt
ira cd hnf he &c In
the same frame of mind then now.
Hackenschmidts American friends es-