Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-01-16
Mistellaauus 8eading.
STRONG MEN.
Secret of Their Development Puzzle
to Science.

Secret of Their Development a Puzzle
to Science.
To decide which town in England, or
strongest men Is very difficult mat
ter. Were I to decide in favor of some
place in the north, said Mr.. Sandow,
in an interview with a representative
of Tit-Bits thirsting for information on
this point, should have people in the
south down upon me In moment, and
with justice, for naturally well devel-
oped men-the term Strong men
gives rather a wrong impression-are
to be found in all parts of England.
In the recent contest which I held
for instance, representatives qualified
from every county, and finally the
prizes for the most perfectly developed
competitors were fought for by $50
contestants. Among these the first half
dozen were so equal in point Of view
Of merit that 1t was found almost i'm
possible to award the prizes with fair
ness. These six men were not pro-
duced by any one town or any one
country. One was an American. anoth-
er came from the north Of England,
another hailed from the south Of Eng
land, another from the west Of Eng
land, and the remaining two from the
Mid,ands. The real fact is that, while
well-developed men are produced in
every part Of England their develop
ment is accomplished by different
means, according to where they live
and the work they are engaged in.
A man, for instance, who does lot
Of muscular work indoors may be no
better developed than another who
uses his muscles much less but leads
an entirely open-air life. This Is par
ticularly noticeable when one con-
trasts the workers In some Of the
Yorkshire and north country towns,
whose lives are spent in iron founda-
ries and so on, where they have
great deal Of heavy work to do, with
the agricultural laborers from such
countries as Essex, Sussex and Surrey.
The latter, although they do none Of
that muscular work which is part and
parcel Of the formers life, may be just
as fine specimens Of humanity owing
% the ideal conditions under which
their work Is performed.
Nothing is more essential to proper
physical development than plenty Of
open air. Some people have an idea
that the strongest men are to be found
in those districts where the most heavy
work Is done. They think that II
man is forced to do hard, muscular
work hour after hour and day after
day, he Is bound to become we'll de-
veloped. But although hard labor is
good up to a certain point, yet when
once that point is passed 1t tends to-
ward deterioration.
Take the case Of miners. They re-
main below ground for many hours.
Engaged upon hard work all the time.
It is very seldom, however, that one
finds a miner who Is at all we'll devel-
oped. This - Is a. because, In the first
place. they are obliged to overwork
hose muscles which the nature Of their
task brings into play. while, In the
second place, they have to exist In an
unhealthy atmosphere. Few men are
more readily attacked by disease than
miners. and If the health Of man Is
rs unsatisfactory as this implies 1t
follows that he is not a suitable sub
iect for proper physical development.
The towns in mining districts are
thus put out Of court in any search
that Is made for the best muscle-pro-
1ucing place.
In just the same way that too much
work causes deterioration. too little
work fails to bring the body to perfec-
ion. Mention has already been made
IF the healthy lives led by the workers
in agricultural districts, but while their
out f-door life is an ideal condition,
vet the usual agricultural laborer does
not exercise his muscles sufficiently to
aver reach ideal development. Take the
case of a man who Is ploughing. He
walks leisurely along behind his plow,
which it often requires considerable
strength to guide straight through
rough ground; but while few OF his
muscles thus become beautifully devel-
oped, the rest of his body runs to
seed" so to speak, and although he
may be an exceedingly strong man,
vet from the experts point Of view,
he comes nowhere near perfection.
No better illustration can be given
of this sided development than the
ordinary English athlete. England Is
country of lop-sided sportsmen who
develop one-half Of their body to the
deterioration of the other half. The
man who plays football becomes devel-
oped in a different way to the man
who plays cricket, he differing again
from the man who plays polo or goes
in for hunting. 1t Is only the all
round athlete who ever approaches
perfection physically, and the most
brilliant exception among the sports
men In this country Is probably to be
found in the person Of Mr.. c. 3. Fry,
who Is such an all-round man that he
has become an exceptionally fine ex-
ample of the first-rate physical devel-
opment, that may be brought about
by properly applied athletics.
1t is gentle exercise, which does not
over-exert the muscles, that has the
most beneficial effect upon the human
frame. The man who knocks In TIN
tacks with a light hammer will nave
far finer arms than he who wields
heavy sledge. 1 have seen some re-
markable specimens among men whose
daily work consisted in the delicate
hammering of steel and other metals
to prepare them for inlay. But In this
case again, only one part Of the BODY
becomes developed to perfection, so
THAT such towns as Sheffield and Biz
1 ~ 70 ifohQ hi