Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-01-20
WAKING UPTHE FAREAs1
How Y. M. C. A. Athletes Are
 Americanizing orientals.
COLLEGE TELLS ECHO IN OLD CHINA

| Crowd of 5000 Attended Athletic
 Meet In Tiontsin-Baseball Teams
 In Japanese ColleGes-Long Finger
 Nails Discarded and Muscles De-
 veloped by Young Koreans-Foot.|
 ball Played by Students of India.
 The American Y. NJ. c. A. recently
 introduced into China and Korea has|
 been fostering athletics which were|
 previously unknown to orientals. Inl
 Seoul, Korea, the dumbbell and set-l
 ting up drills have been taken kindly to by the higher class young men. It1 has been their custom to wear their finger nails an inch long and to take| pride in d soft, white hand like a lady's, while to work and to perspire was| hideous to them The American Y. M. c. A. secretaries trained on the football field and cinder path have brought in al gospel of masculine vigor which Isl changing the delicate eastern members| into strong and vigorous men,. Tbeyl are now as proud of blistered hands, bruised shins and aching joints the day after ansathletc meet as the AmericanI schoolboy after a football game.
 The Christian American athlete ial gaining the same kind of leadership in the orient as he has in America, andl as leader in Bible classes he is as popular and successful as in athletics. At Tientsin, the primitive old capital of China, crowd of 5000 was attracted to the recent annual athletic field meet of the association.
 Japan is taking to American athlet. ics. Every college has its baseball team, and last summer a Tokyo univer-l sity sent its team, which was trained by Y. M. c. A. secretary, for tour among American colleges. The Tokyo association has six prominent Christian physicians on it's athletic promotion committee.
 The students of India have adopted football and other American and Eng fish games.
 This description of a recent field day held by the Y M. c. A. at Shanghai was given by the editor of the South China Daily Journal. This is a new thing among Confucianists. American, athletics will go along with the new education policy lately approved by the Chinese emperor.
 ''The new life that Is stirring China was strikingly seen at the sports meet Ing held by the Chinese Y. M. c. A. a few days ago. When before in the long history of Cathay have we seen taotis holding the tape at the finishing line as their younger fellow nationals strug- yled for mastery on the hundred yard track or in the one mile run7
 ''The day was full of prophecy. At the pole vault the secretary of a Chi | nese duke and the assistant mixed ,ourt magistrate put aside the usual re- serve and were seen enthusiastically standing upon the tops of benches in order to hold the cross pole. Tn the hammer throw we observed the mana ger of the imperial Chinese telegraphs loing yeoman's duty throwing the six cen pound weight back to the youths who were waiting their turn. A leading ,ank compradore served actively as a voluntary marshal and helped to keep he track clear for the 40 yards run when the excitement was highest.
 College students in uniform from lifferent colleges were present some of whom marched to the Y. M. 0. A. rounds accompanied by bugies. The 'ollege yells indulged in, after the American style, were scarcely known n old China.
 Another striking feature was the presence of Chinese ladies from promi. lent families, a special tent being re erved for them. Chinese ladies acted IS hostesses and also provided the re- reshments.
 "Taotai Wong Koh Shan, chairman f the association, presented the prize winners at the conclusion of the sports o Mime. Wu Ting Fang, and. as far as ve are informed, for the first time in istory a Chinese lady brought . sports neeting to . conclusion by presenta- lon of the medals.
 "The enthusiasm of the spectaton vas intense, and, as one of our Ens-
 sh contemporaries remarked, the pres- nee of Admiral Sah's marine band laying Yankee Doodle and 'Hiawa- ha' was certainly in keeping with tho Al