Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1909-09-09
EXERCISING WITH TAFT
Physical Directors Experience
While Training the President.
LIVELY WORK WITH GLOVES.

Bout-Gym Work to Reduce From
3o5 Pounds to 28o For Coming Trip.
DR.. Charles E. Barker of Madison,
Wis. has developed another "phenom'
in the pugilistic world. The latest ce-
lebrity is President William Howard
I Taft Or. Barker is President Taft's
physical director The president has
been put through all of the gymnasium
stunts known to the doctor, who has
qualified as an expert. Now the presi-
dent is teaching his tutor and giving
! him the time of his life for an hour
each day at Beverly, Mass.
The new champ" tips the beam at
800, is six feet one inch tall and il it
were not for bulge in front would
have remarkable reach. His boxing
partner. Dr. Barker, is a middleweight
of los pounds. He stands five feet
ten and Il half inches in his stockinged
feet and wears an elegant mustache
to be aimed at.
! The presidents mustache puts him
in the erstwhile Champion John L.
Sullivan's class. The big blond mus
tache of the chief executive is con-
stant banter to DR.. Barker in the daily
morning bout in the Taft gymnasium.
In due regard 10 social proprieties, nei-
ther the president nor DR.. Barker goes
for the face, but confines himself to
body blows.
President Has the Punch.
DR.. Barker's experience proves that
the president has nifty wallop in his
right arm and a vicious whip to the
body with his left. He is not as shifty
on his feet as the younger and lighter
| man, but course in shadow boxing
will help some. Barker is quick, and
the president has busy five minutes
when he puts on the gloves with him.
The president does not desire to pose
as ring hero, and he is not encourag-
! ing any undue talk from the doctor
Incidentally he is not entertaining any
| bids for the moving picture rights on
any of his bouts.
| Wrestling is another feature of the
! Taft exercise. DR.. Barker says it takes
pretty good man to put the president
on his back, and a tussle with him is
| like tug of war with a lot of healthy
sailors.
The little gymnasium over on the
second floor of the Taft garage is fitted
with several kinds of eXercisers. There
are chest weights, a rowing machine,
leg weights and platform punching
bag. The president plays the whole
! string out when he gets started. and
Robert and Charlie use the gymnasium
! when their father is not engaged in
| his exercises.
The work in the morning with Dr.
| Barker is routine feature of the day
1t begins before breakfast, right after
the president has emerged from his
| tub. He walks about $50 yards across
the lawn from his cottage and meets
DR.. Barker, who lives in Beverly and
makes the trip TO the garage in Il
White House automobile.
Trained to Finger Tips.
Once at the gymnasium no time is
lost. The physical instructor puts Mr..
Taft through muscle exercises even
down to the fingers y rundown and
thorough kueading follow, and then. to
loosen up, wrestling and boxing are
begun. After this the president takes
his shower and is ready for his
breakfast, in the vernacuar of the
/ ring, ''in the pink of condition" Golf
! follows the gym work, and it may be
said that all of the presidents waking
time until O'Clock in the afternoon is
devoted to getting his body in good
| shape for his western trip.
That DR.. Barker is succeeding is
shown by the indicator on the scales.
A year ago the president bordered on
$50 pounds. Hard work at Hot Springs
and Augusta got him down, it is said,
to 270. The campaign and the long
tariff siege sent him up to 326 and
then G. Q. ID. message for DR.. Bar
ker called the physical director from
Washington. The tramps over the
/ Essex links. the automobile rides and
/ the daily work in the gymnasium
have taken off the flesh slowly, but
steadily. 1t is the hope of the two
! athletes that the president will be
| down to $50 before the western trip
begins.
Good Body Builder.
! DR.. Barker's reputation as a good
body builder was started by ex-Sena-
tor John @. Spooner. He prevailed on
Rlrgnr n 90 tn