Arizona republican., 1910-06-08
THE PRExIEs AND THE PUGs.

This is about a discussion l over heard between Benjamin Ide Wheeler president of the University Of Cali fornia, and Nicholas Murray Butler, president of Columbia university, in the Waldorf Astoria lobby. The com ing fight between Johnson and Jeffries was the topic of their discourse.
 ."I wish" said Dr. Wheeler, opening up the argument, that the eastern newspapers would talk about some thing else besides the fight in connec- ton with the fair state of California, which l love"
 pr Butler. who is one of America's greatest opponents of world peace. and who, at the Lake Mohonk conference recently, spoke in harsh and bitter words of international statesmen who are responsible for warfare, suggested that. without prize fights. we might degenerate into race of mollvcOddles.
 If people won't give us credit for anything but prize fights, I think we ought to get rid of the prize fights in California" Professor Wheeler con tinued
 Governor Ciliett says you can't get rid of this particular prize fight ac- cording to the laws of the state Dr. Wheeler was reminded.
 At any rate. We got rid of it on our side of the bay" he replied. They can't hold it in Emeryville, because the sen timent Of the people forced the district attorney to prohibit it."
 Mayor Mccarthy Of san Francisco says the people want it." put in the n. sl.r. sion.
 Well. perhaps most of them do." Dr. Wheeler admitted but we don't want it on our side of the bay"
 President Butler. who had been listening attentively. said:
 Now. look here, professor, how are you going to get rid of mollycoddlism without prize fights"
 "Oh, I don't want mollycoddles any more than you do" said the Californian in a shocked tone. "I like the strug- gle. and l should like to put on the gloves and get into the ring myself for that Putting on the gloves is a great thing" and Professor Wheeler looked as though he would like to show what he could do with the padded mitts.
 Don't you think prize fighting has a great cultural value?" asked President Butler
 President Wheeler looked peeved for a moment, and a doubtful expression crossed his cOuntenance.
 Putting on the gloves may have a cultural value" he said with a world of skepticism in his voice, but the crowd that is brought together by a prize fight is a bad thing. Why is it that reporters always ask me about the fight the first thing when they come to interview me?'
 That is whst I should like 10 know" put in President Butler. Surely so many people are not interested in the fight The sporting editors evidently think that, because they are interested, all the readers of the newspapers are. That. is mistake the papers make"
 Quite so, quite so," said the west ern collegian heartily
 Why" exclaimed President Butler. warming to his subject, there isn't one person out of every hundred who ever heard of this fight"
 President Wheeler here hastened to demIrr
 They all know the names of Jeffries and Johnson" said he
 Perhaps not in the university pre- cincts." put in pr. Butler. You can take the first hundred people you meet in the street" continued the New York professor. and ask them what they think of the big fight and they won't know what you are talking about"
 And there We are!-New York Tele- graph