The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-06-04

Ihe place to soak this nasty piece
OF impudence is about three feet in
front OF the plate, before it starts
running amuck.
Now that you've got going in that
knowledge factory 1 want to stick
up few danger signs TO show YOU
what machines to shy at. A college
course is a mighty good thing, but
you got to store it away like you
store apples. You we got to pick the
bad from the good, or the whole out
lit will go on the blink before YOU are
ready to use them:
You III get lot Of slop dumped into
your trough by bunch of ancient
relics of the institution, but you want
to nose around and pick out the solid
food. Those "Healthy Manhood"
pamphlets you sent me are all right
Tor the guy with coddled past and
mollycoddle future, but you are not
entered to trot in that class. You
often read about the athlete who
"never used tobacco or liquor, nev-
er uttered an oath,' etc, but that's
about all you ever do read about him.
These guys are like skyrocket; they
shoot up and splutter for a while,
then they disappear. They haven It
got the staying qualities of the greasy
old lantern. Willie Keeler smokes the
longest and blackest cigars he can
find.
This gymnasium work, calisthenics,
dieting and clean living method of
training might turn out a more orna-
mental piece Of work, but pick and
shovel in the open air and the abil-
ity to digest sinkers and Black Jack
tobacco has it skinned forty ways for
results. Old Cy Young has pitched
three or four generations Of these
mollycoddle athletes into the ceme-
terry. Jake Beckley has squirted enough
tobacco juice around first base dur
ing his twenty-one years on the dia-
mond to drown the whole Anti-To-
bacco League, and he's The only one
of the old bunch who wasn' It chased
off the st. Louis Nationals this year
by younger players. Old "Father
jim" O'Rourke was behind the bat
on his 50h birthday with wad Of
tobacco in his mouth big enough to
smother the guy who wrote that
pamphlet you sent NE.
Some guy might try to shove it
I int l,oi
lions, but they're not; they're the
double rivetted cincl rule. You can
! take all the ball players from the big
leagues down to the Epworth League
and you'll find that it IS the guy who
packs around his nerves preserved in
tobacco juice who lasts the longest.
The reason is as plain rs the peach
bloom on Kentucky Senator's nose.
Your little Sunday-school kid who
has tugged at his mammy's apron
string through a pettcd childrood with
nothing stronger than Tutti Frutti
gum and milk pap grows a bunch of
nerves which jump the governor belt
! every time they look trouble iii the
face. II he ever acquires the cour-
arc to get his mitts on ball bat.
| those high strung nerves will begin
to work overtime at the first souint
from the pitcher. He might stick in
the game for while through his ply
steal ability, but you can take my tip
that he's billed for his farewell per-
folmance, as heI 60 to pieces in the
pinches.
The kid who is turned out on the
cinder dump without a hopple, who
cut his teeth on a plug of Natural
Leaf and was weaned on Five Broth
ers, hasn't got any nerves that are
out of pickle and in fit working or
der He's the Johnny-on-thc-spot in
a pinch because his over ambitious
nerves doesn't rob him Of his natur-
al strength. This is why your knowl-
edge factories don't turn out more
good hitters. The graduate of the
cinder' dumps has your college play
er chased under the bed when it comes
to swatting the leather.
This gymnasium work is all right
son, for those who can't get any.
thing else. But man has never inven.
ted anything as good as that which
the Creator inventcd--hard work in
the open air. The guy who builds up
his frame in the gym looks mighty
good in photograph, but if he had