Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-07-18
HISTORY Of ORIGIN
OF The OLYMPIC IDEA
The Study Of Outdoor Life BY q
Frenchman In America and
England Was Start.
William Milligan Sloane In the Century
Magazine.

William Milligan Sloane In the Century
Magazine.
Some thirty years ago NJ. Pierre
de Coubertin. Il young Frenchman
whose heactstrings lac been wrung by
the humiliation of his country in 1870,
began to study outdoor HE IN England
n America. He Travelled extensively,
published several books on the subject,
and in his own land was the organizer
of club for c%ultivating the more
inspiriting and daring
sports which had hitherto been ne
elected.
Almost simultaneously there was Il
revival of the vigorous old French
games. and a movement to study and
Introduce the German methods of phys
ical training. All three OF these agita-
tons met with success, and they at
tracted attention to such an extent
that even those countries which had
been formerly most Indifferent to such
matters felt the lure of sports and ath-
letics to an amazing degree. though
chiefly AS an adjunct to the means of
physical training already in use.
Tho Idea Spread to Other Countries.
h motto of Nj. de Coubertin was
"Ludus pro Patria." Its spirit took
possession OF all continental Europe
especially where patriotism was
~strongest) either because OF its CONF
parative novelty or because the par.
ticular country was menace by Inter-
nal or external danger. Within a few
years there sprang up a natural desire
among the %neophytes to measure
their progress in international contests
with those long accustomed to the vari-
Gus sports. and especially to test their
with that of Great Britain.
Kindly acquaintance Is the best solv-
ant nj
nifty.
Putting this and that together, the
idea occurred almost simultaneously to
several men-professors. soldiers. writ
ers and publicists-that here was a
neglected means of international con-
Citation. Correspondence followed, and
a few personal conferences We're held
as to the feasibility of extending and
.intensifying tine common interest for
such a purpose. france is the alluvium
of generous ideas. and in this enter
prise M. de Coubertin again took the
lead. Summoning to the SOrbonne rep
resentative delegates. selected chiefly
from his wide personal acquaintance
in different countries. for the combined
purpose of elaboration and action.
Meeting Assembled in 1894.
The meeting, which assembled June
%. 1894. was not imposing either I'm
numbers or in the personal distinction
of those who attended 1t; but it was
impressive from the place of its SEES
sion. from the associations aroused by
the great hall of the Sorbonne, oldest
terest 1t awakened in the enlightened
public, and, above all, from the earn
estness of the delegates.
And there was faith. that mighty
ference was the adoption of the Olym-
pic idea. the formation of an inter
national Olympic committee. The object
of which was. first and above all else,
to define and promulgate a purpose.
until then rather vague: secondly. in
the fullness of time to evive Olympic
contests.
Athens the Natural Refuge.
S-entimentally, of course, Athens
would be the natural refuge for a peace
movement based on international com
petition under the Olympic idea. Its
superb stadium. restored by the gen
crosby of Averof, further emphasizes
its fitness. The Greeks were so i'm
pressed with this conviction hat after
the first successful meeting they and
their friends set OF foot a movement
to obtain all future Olympic meetings
for their city.
Other nations, through their repre-
sentatives. protested. with the very
sound argument that general interest
must be obtained and intensified by a
iOu8 pGTlOO OF ROTATION. Inon was
evolved the plan Of interim meetings,
alternating every two years with the
others. But a single trial sufficed to
show plainly that there could be only
one series of Olympiads. and the in
term meetings were abandoned.
Main Olympic in Athens.
Athens is as remote from European
.centers as America, and, n~otwithstand-
ing the luxuries of ocean greyhounds.
ten days of travel is still a trouble-
some barrier. Perhaps in the future
the main Olympiad will be in Switzer-
land. With a subsidiary one in America.
OF couree these are only VISIONS.
Meanwhile other visions AVE become
realities. and these realities have
brought about other International con-
tests for which the name Olympic is
earnestly desired.
This cannot be fairly or honestly
granted. although to all such contests
| the International committee is friendly.
1t has pledged its hearty cooperation
with the Panama games at la Fran
| cisco in 1915. and has offered an Olym-
pic medal for excellence in the mod
ern p%entathlon. But one must protest
and cry aloud, appealing to the general
sense Of fairness. against calling even
such an important international con-
test "Olympic." That designation
should be reserved primarily for the
Quadrfennia1 contests of athletes, but
likewise for those contests Of other
generous rivals In sport n the arts
which occur in rotation at the great
/ Canitala Of the world under the ans