Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-23
French and Italian Races
Being Made More Rugged

Of American lightweights. was willing to
take chance on being able to evade the
skill alone. He went to Paris. He Anet
| the foremost exponent of savate,/ and
Knocked him cold in Jig time.
| This made the Parisians sit up and take
notice. and boxing began gradually to
make it's way.
But it was boxing in surroundings such
| as it never knew in this country
In place of being held in the kind of
rough arena common to the sport in the
United States. boxing has a most beau
| The Louis take place in luxuriously ap-
! pointed clubs. which vie with many
American grand opera houses in tile
| splendor of the appointments. The spec
tatUrS wear evening dress. and there Is
seldom time when not - per cent OF
the audience is composed Of women. eie-
santly dressed. 2nd representing the vcIy
cream OF Partisan society.
American promoters have not been slow
| to see the possibilities of the Sport. ami
as result many Of the best of boxers
| have gone over to the other side to reap
their harvest Big Joe Jeanette. a clever
! negro. with a record of number of good
drawn bouts with Jack Johnson in the
days before the latter had become cham
4
biak and host of others have been the
, magnets To draw great crowds.
Then Paris became dissatisfied with
seeing only foreign boxers perform. 1t
lonsed to have champions of it's own.
Many OF the French boys began 10 put
on the gloves. and strive to pick up points
from heir foreign brothers.
Their advance was not the most rapid
in the world. but some OF them soon be-
came good enough to he put on in the
Paris rings, and two Of them have come
TO the United States to test their skill
against the best Of American boys.
Adelphe and Piet are their names, and
they are lghtweights
Neither will ever be good enough to
cause Champion Battling Nelson any
, sleepless nights but they are both fairly
clever. and are kept from going high in
the ranks only by a lack of the compel
ling punch that means knockouts and an
inability to take hard punishment.
But undoubtedly. as the sport is prac-
ticed, harder hitting will be developed
and more rugged race Of boxers pro-
duced. for enough men are now striving
to learn boxing in Paris to make strong
showing.
There are in the United States a host
of good boxers OF Italian antecedents.
pfOn class.
Now John Kelly. an American news
paper man is teaching Paris the fine
points of base ball.
y
There are also a lot of good base ball
players who come of French and italian
stock. Abbatichio of the Pittsburg club
has italian parents, SO has Paul Sentelle
of the Mobile club in the Southern
Leagde. He formerly played with the
Philadelphia National League and the
Newark Eastern League clubs.
The Incompatible Lajoie Of the CIeye-
land club is Frenchman. and La Chance
and De Montrevillc are the names of
selves on the diamond.
With the adoption of the American
sports the Italian Is likely to become
very powerful race. for the Tuscans are
naturally long lived.
The last census shows that seventeen
persons in every million live beyond sew
enty-five years and that every twelfth
person passes the century mark. Medical
measurements also demonstrate that the
chest measure of the nation Is undoubted-
ly improving.
This means much to the United States
lust so long as conditions must be main
tanned In which a large portion Of the
immigration to this country must come
from Italy. Four hundred thousand Ital-
ians landed here in the year just ended.
Moreover race suicide in France and
Italy cannot long Withstand tho effects
OF physical regeneration Of the peo-
PIE.