The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-07-05
A SORRY CHAMPIONSHIP.

In Reno, Nevada, two specially trained brntes.
one white, the other black, after their diet of
raw beef and gunpowder, have come to the steam
ing clinch of naked bodies to decide the champ
ionship of the world.
Il As all the world knows, the negro won. In a
sonance of mind and eye and muscle, in which
the deciding factor was the ability to hit and
ret away, the negro brute conquered the white
brute We cannot feel that the result was a
calamity in itself, any more than the Incidental
triumph of a brindle cur over a white and black
spotted one We have no sympathy with the
false cry of race which this disgusting exhibl
ton served to raise. The pugs were of differ
ent strains: they were of the same breed. The
differences which are the differences Of race are
differences mental and moral They are the diff
ferences of civilization There was no question
Of civilization pressing for solution at Reno.
Neither johnson nor Jeffries were opponents even
az their respective races Each was, on the other
hand, .throw-back" toward the brute evolution
d IN the distance from which consists the measure
of human progress. Because the negro won,
many whites are fatuously sorry. Because the
white man was whipped many negroes are in
sanely elated. The fact of what may be conced
ed to have been more or less general interest II
y the result is nothing more than revelation tc
the mind of generic man that the understanding
q and culture of which he boasts is thin coat OF
4 veneer over savagery.
. Now that this natural and over-weening GU
riosity has been satisfied, it would be well II
s The world could reason and advise with its bet
ter instincts. The victory of Johnson ought tc
I make this easy and salutary. 1t ought to EN-
3 phasize the futility and the waste of an essen
i TALLY false excitement. 1t ought to show the ut
ter worthlessness of the whole sorry business. Anc
U Il ought to bring home to the world, as nothing
else at tins time could quite bring it home, that
b IN appeal to brutishness is levelng of standards
% plane on which there is that ancient equality
U of footing which all advance in thought, in
& learning, in the human beatitudes of tenderness
Il and feeling and sympathy and appreciation have
combined to render unequal What is johnson
81 nchampion" of What does it matter that IL
Il = trial of strength combined with the Science
81 ~ which man learns to batter the face of an
IL other and keep his untouched, one man OF
another proves the superiorl What is demon
1srafed in such contestl Not usefulness. Not
superiority Not even courage. 1t wac all nc
4 cording to rule There was not even a real mill
Two dogs would have furnished better fight
n Two enraged men clutching at each others
Sfhroats would have made a much finer contest
N All it was, there was the absurd machinery which
L robs fight of even its elemental interest There
wore the Professors of Pugology seeing that, il
& what was supposed to be brute contest, all the
s8 rules of perverted art were adhered to. There
were sponges and towels and intermissions be
II tween labors Out Of it all resulted the old vic
A tory of youth over age of condition as against
& adisspation, of suppleness over the stitfeninG
Il muscles of disuse, of the trump of the young
u bull of the herd over its ancient leader. There
q may be a sort of elemental tragedy in this, but
81 IL ID as elemental and as devoid of a lesson a,
Any other manifestation of any other one Of
Natures many laws Of decay. There is in i
|npfhing of good. There is in the fact that it was
nermitted to be demonstrated before world audi
nee nothing but reproach to mankind.
The effect, of course, is pernicious. 1t means
fhe erection of wrong standards. Thousands O
S6oys will dream of themselves in the ring re
|.ss 1aining the prestige Of the white man. Thou
of negroes will think Of themselves as
lack johnson They will equally miss the fac
Mat everything that makes the prestige Of tn
Na,itas man ought to keep him ont of the priz,
tng; that everything the negro has to hope fo
~ lest when he enters it. There are CHAMP
nships" that are worth while, but there is ne
khnmpionshipo in force, in vice, in atavism
here is top but if ever there was a bottom
world has not yet plumbed it; and it will be
1Esy world if ever it shall find in lis teemins
millions pervert close to the ape that in hi
exchanging brows, in his cocoanut head. in
n immense arms and yellow fangs and prehen
~ feet, the world may stand and say: "Beholc
u ideal pug'i
Rz6 Il