The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1909-11-04
. NOT ONE
Athlete WHO RETIRED FRONI
THE LIMELIGHT HAS EVER
COME BACK AGAIN.
will jeff BE Exception?
Docs Jeifries Have to Come Back to
Beat Jack Johnson to Regain the
Wcrld's Championship Grown is
the Main Question. --

New York, Oct. 3O-Do they ever
come back?
Think it over. Did you play tennis
up to five year ago and then give 1T
up? Were You a pretty good shot
with rifle five years ago and give it
up? Did you play football up to the
time YOU left school five year ago,
and then confine your interest in the
sport to watching a game from the
grand stand once a year? Did you
Wrestle a bit or box little or do a
little spr1nting or little long dis
! lance running some five years ago,
, but passed them all up for business
If you. did any Of these things, do
you think any amount of trainin g
would make you as good today as
you were before you quit the partic-
ular sport in which you were inter-
, ested
Hardly. Thousands of mon have
tried it and no one has ever come
back into his oldtime form, whether
his forte was tennis, or rowing, or
swimming, or shooting or wrestling,
or boxing, or riding or anything
else
All this, Of course, leads I'D to the
question as to whether or not Jim
Jcffrles can ever be as good again as
no was five years ago. He may look
as we'll and feel as well, but will his
eye work as quick as it used to? VIII
his feet carry him around the ring
as fast as they did when he was the
champion Of the world? VIII his
arms shoot out with the same force
as they did five years ago?
AS a matter of fact it has been six
Years since Jim Jeffries had a real
fight. That was on Aug. ID, 1903,
when he put Jim Corbet away in ten
rounds in San Francisco. One year
and two months later he had his little
tWo-round bout with Jack Munroe,
and he had spent very little time ac-
tually training for the encounter.
He didn't have to; the fight was lin"
before the men got into the ring,
and Jeff knew it. Still at the last
minute he wanted to ask for a post
ponement in order to get into better
condition.
And SO, you see, if Jeffries fights
the Negro at all it will ne nearer
seven years than five since he has
done any hard work. Can a man
stay out Of the game all that time
and be as good as ever, even though
he has led temperate life during
the six or seven years? Can he?
or course, there is this to be con-
sidered. JEFF may not have to be the
Jeff Of old to whip Jack Johnson, but
close students Of the game figure
that he must be at his very best to
win from the giant colored man, who
is great fighter.
There is another thing to consider.
While Jeffries has led q temperate
| life during the past six years, he has
led an easy one. Very few days has
found him out Of bed before nearly
noon. He grew fat and lazy. Always
good natured, he would rather sit
around and talk than get into a pair
OF trunks and work. Can a man
throw aside the habits developed in
six years Of idlencss and begin all
over again
e Well, lets sec what others hGvc
done along the same line.
! Tod Sloan, after a long period of
rest from work in the saddle, was
allowed to ride down at New Orleans.
He got sGme good mounts. but every
stable at the track put it on him
when it came to riding race. His
eye, his judgment and his skill had
all vanished.
Then there was the case Of Amos
Rusic. Everybody remembers the
C6N1NCED ON PACE THREE.