Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1908-09-30
Both Expert in Athletics.

In many respects Theodore Roose-
| welt, president of the United States,
and Emperor William of Ger
many, are the two best exem-
plars of modern, all round physical
culture, as they are also the foremost
and most interesting rulers of the
modern world. Both are experts in a
score of athletic sports: Both are
crack shots with pistol, rifle, or shot
gun, both excellent horsemen, good
sailors, adopts with rapier, broad
sword, or single stick, and both sing
uIarly good examples of physical
prowess in all the arts of war.
Roosevelt has, of course, a surpass-
i ing advantage in the matter of con-
formation, perfect proportion, absence
of constitutional maladies and expert
ence. William surpasses the Ameri-
can in the perfection of his eyes and
the essentially military character of
his early associations. The American
president became a star athlete, a
notable horseman, an exceptional
marksman, a famous hunter, a
doughty wrestler, and a good boxer
in spite of some natural, though not
| constitutional, debilties. He was,
as boy, a weakling. That handicap
stimulated his efforts to become
strong. Naturally imperfect eyes
were the chief obstacles in. the way
of his becoming a skillful performer
at such games and sports as required
perfect vision. To this day he is a
notably hopeless golfer. If he has
"his eye on the ball'' he can't locate
the next green.
He gets much credit for having
been a brilliant hard riding, sharp
shooting frontiersman, but as a mat
ter of fact, he never was good snap,
shot in the sense that he couldn't hit
anything without aiming. Quick
shooting from the hip with pistol OF
from the saddle bow with rife was al
WAYS beyond him, and he admits II
with the candor that has always dis
Itinguished him He never could
rope a steer with any accuracy, be-
cause there is no established scien
tifc way to do such a trick. 1t is
largely matter of quick eye, steady
nerves. and Unborn adaptability, and
although Theodore Roosevelt lacked
only the first of these qualities that
Ishortcoming was enough to stop him
from shining with lariat.
In Wrestling Roosevelt Excels.
on the other hand, he excels as a
wrestler. Gen. Leonard Wood, ad
Imitted to be the best wrestler In the
United States army, is wax in the
hands of the president. With foils
lbroadswords. single stick, or cutlass
roosevelt. gaining an advantage from
the use of a mask which permits him
70 wear his glasses, is a match Tor
anv army or navy star. In wrest'
ling muscle, nervous concentration
touch. bulldog courage, and endurance
ara the chief essentials. Col. Roose'
Welt has all of these, and, proDaoly
for this reason. wrestling is one OF
his favorite forms of exercise For
solitary sport or exercise he prefers
hunting big game and tree chopping
although in his Washington environ.
ments as chief executive he is Obliged
N limit his regular and routine
snort to horseback riding.
A great deal of unfounded fiction
49, haen written about the so-called
~Cowbov President" In the matter
Of borsemanship Col. Roosevelt Is
ANYTHING but a COW puneher HIS
soat in the saddle is more like that OF
- Englisb cavalryman or a French
cuirassier than that of rough rlo-
,na cattle herder of the American
= q good hOrSeman, q