The evening world., 1910-12-05
R:Gx@
g
Six Day Race lust the Same
Year After Year, and It's Re-
markable How II Retains Its
Popularity.

@HE grind is going on again at
Madison Square Garden. and all
the philosophers are trying to ng-
ure out Just why IT continues TO draw
crowds just as in the old days. The
race-as a race-ls Just the same thlng
year after year. 1t looks the same.
There are the riders In their swca'y,
gfimy tights c%ircling around and AROUND
in endless monotony. Now and then
there is a sprint that lasts n few MIN
utes. but nlnety-nine out OF n hundred
sprints end Just the same way-wiin
the riders in the rear closing In and
tho squirt gradually dying out. And
the accidents-same old accidents. a
: spill this year looks just like a spill
last year. Or the year before last. And
: then the scene inside the track and
down cellar. and in the bar and In the
boxes and in the galleries. Same old
scene. without n variation. Harry
stevens will still quote Shakespeare for
you In the cafe-a new quotation now
and then. The same old hot dogs"
almost bark from the same old plat
tiers. Same cigar smoke has TO be
pushed out OF the way when you walk
around. Same everything,
Some people claim that the race has
a hypnotic effect on the spectators, that
staring at the whirliug riders In Just
like gazing into the crystal ball. After
a time your brain whirls too and grows
dizxy-and there you are. anchored un-
I'll some attendant shakes you and re-
mind you that Mr.. Powers doesn't sell
"a weeks admission for the price OF one
: ti4et.
: Lots OF people go Just because they
don't know what else to do. Once In
side they sit down and walt for morn
ing so tina they can see the way home.
Whenever they think OF starting home
some one says. They'll begin another
( sprint In n minute-it's about due" And
then the first spectator makes up his
mind to sit stlil and walt n little longer.
Hes SIN waiting when the nrst gray
light filters down through the skylights
and the sur slides up over the horizon.
That's the way the grind" works.
@ATTLING NELSON II one obstl-
th nate Dane. lie thinks his defeat
- by ~yolgast and Moran. two In sue
! ~cession. were purely accidental. Bats out
with ano' = statement for the papers
now. lie says that he will take a rest
on his ranch. train a little. and begin
his fighting career all over again. lie
Is willing to let the championship match
with Wolgast slide-for the present at
least. Nelson's notion Is that he will
Ego TO work and fight second and third
rater. beating them until he gradually
a works his way up to the championship
class again. just as he did years ago be-
fore winning the title from Joe Cans.
That's an odd notion.
But there's one nan In america who
thinks 1t may possibly work. lie IL a
very prominent Western physician. who
takes some interest in the game and
.,has followed Nelson's career carefully.
Talking over Bats recent defeat yes
terday he said to me:
There's only one reason for Nelson's
sdefeats. The fellow Is trying to do halt
"a dozens mems work. Why, he writes
more newspaper articles than any re,
porter In the country. lie has a lis.
sof newspaper sporting editors all Ssei
eehs country. and every day he goes tC
work and sends letters TO u certain
number OF them. When he Is tralnlnl
he writes scores OF articles about hi,
work and personally addresses, stam3i
n malls them.
Nelson has worked himself out.
saw him just before his lght with VOL
CAST. His face was drawn and hl
hands were thin and blue. He locke,
eft for anything but fighting. The who'll
ltrouble with him is that he spends hl
vitality In outside work and ho need
1T for training and fighting. II he goe
away TO a ranch now and cuts out a,
press agent work he may have a caanc
60 get back where he was a couple o
years ago"