New Ulm review., 1912-09-18
! l.YNPnh GAMES! )!


'oS
!, Days q Aneielt orsooe.
MORE IMPORTANT THAN WAR.
0sassss Might D Ferssttsn, but Tins
Vfas Rseiesnsd and Events Dated
4 Frsm ths Years ef the olympiads.
The F'vsfsld centss& The Psntathisn.
According to tradition. the Oldest Of
all 0lympian games were established
by Zeus in honor Of his success over
Ohrooos In his struggle for the SOW
Seeixuty Of heaven. The moro general
belief among Greek writer's, though.
Vas that these famous games were
lnst1tnteA by de Idaean Hercules, the
,1ldsst S( tie dvs bcothers to whom
sRAea oondded Zeus after his birth.
Ehsss games were held every nth
yoar, because, according to this story.
ths brothers were i've in number. The
games vsEs therefore tour pears
apart.
TIE 1rs& e ths games. according 10
9his tradition. was Hmply . feot race.
% which Hercules and his four broth
9es were the only contestants. This
snaigAtaway toot race continued 30
b tAe only Olympic game til thr
fourteenth 0lympiad. when second
contest, the double course, was intro
dDeed+ e.. to the end Of the course
aDa hack again. In the eighteenth
Olympaad they added wrestling and
To pentatAloa. Twenty -6ve years later
boxing was made part OF the exer-
de. and feur horse races, tie pancrat-
tun anA sidiag Races were introduced.
The pentathlon was 6vefold con-
tsst In Ieaplng. throwing the discus q
quost wrestling and hurting the Ave
u. AN contestants were admitted
0tst 9 thAs Asteaptag contest, and those
Who crossed . .esptain space were a.
losRoa - I'M ~ 5avelin. The four
mast successful = this took part IN Z
Apot race. The last man n TIE race
dfupDpd out and IT, best three threw
- (soit Aeatn ths lsast successful
ssllsel. and ths bsttsr wrestler Of The
soulAlfag Two ~ ,ths prize.
II paaaat1s0 was Z rough and
tanbss Aght Almost any method Of
tmvttlng IN opponent and compelling
him = acknowlsdge himself vanquish-
a W. permitted. Wrestling, boxing,
hueginE. choking and even the DELHI
crate breaking Of bones were allowed.
The prizes In tie Olympian contests
were merely wreaths from the wild
olive trees abundant In the locality.
and the games all to. place on one
day until the twenty-seventh Olym-
piad. when the Greeks. desiring to do
greater honor to the gods for their de-
feat of the Persians. extended the
games to Gil five days.
All Greece regarded the month dur
ing which the games were held as a
holiday. Business of every kind was
at a standsdll, and even hostile armies
disbanded and attended the games as
friendly rivals. The importance Of the
games may be gathered from the fact
that the Greeks reckoned their time
according to the games. Just % all peo-
pie have reckoned It from the events
WhieA. seemed to them the most in
Ehe, Christians refer all time to the
begin1ing OF tho Christian era, 20 the
1(ohaanedans % the flight of their
peopAet and Romans to the year Of tho
fou0dlng Of their city. But the Greek
Aistolians ,osed 10 spsak like. this:
r:This4batt3s w. fought IN the fourth
ysar e tat oiymplad In which Euryb-
ot1s, ~ Athenian, won the prize In
khe eooroa~ Whls war might be for
Ose1sns an 0iymplaA would never b. 4
TAooe VITO wsee vicoees were &C.
eoGded IL most exravaeant henof3. 4
Ghsk.lenthusiast1e eounhymsn would
aDeoet. thsm home With unbounded de-
n9At and. .thly wsrs Owen ths highest
aoa1s of hsnor at every public fsstiv.
~. Reets e - highest merit sang
eAelr 0eaise6 tThs dtiss in which they
ess1ded erectsd statues to their hooor.
Il Il ast surDrising that when victo-
- meant - much. dishonoFable
means wece sometimes employed to
0ocuo It Every attempt however.
Mas allde T.. prsvent foul play. and -
nnfhiloess vas regarded 20 sacfilege.
do games being religious ceremonies,
- guilty ones were not only con-
0snned b an thoss whose praise they
bs0ght but they were subjected b.
s1oss . Asavy penalties In money and
oleso seoursed - we'll y.y,# sJ.G54&|
It doss not seem, however. that de-
nbkaAe wounding Of IN adversary In .
eeaAest was much deprecated, since
Ra1sanfas mentions one man who.
ehoagA IN inferior wrestler, won sev-
aEal esatssts b. breaking the fingers
se his antagonist, but he who killed his
opponent lost the prize. and the dead
body vas crowned victor. ..,-..zE
The causs Of tho decay Of the game
Mas that the glory and the substantial
rsWards which followed victory dnal-