Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1912-04-24
FAMOUS ATHLETES
Of OlOEN GREECE

When tn ocean liners tegin 10
steam out OF New York harbor in
large numbers next June. laden with
tourists. actresses and maielactors OF
great wealth. they will bear anoth-
or and rather unusual cargo. This
cargo will consist of broad-shouldercd
young men bound for the Olympic
games In Norway There the athletics
of all Christendom viii, meet in the
worlds biggest track meet
There will be men from England.
from Germany, from France and
from Italy to take part in the games
and say there will be little band
~ athletes from Greece, too. It is
not likely that these Greek athletes
will carry of any yery large share
~ the honors. aud yet in the httlc
kingdom from which the come
Olympic games were invented ara
flourished thousands OF years aye
while the ancestors OF the rest oi ms
were Finding their principal outdoor
sport In killing one another WITH
hroadaxes OF stone
Today the chief athletic diversion
~ the Greeks Is shoe shining, and
Won can seq them jn training lr dol-
ems OF places iu Kansas city H"t Il
was not that way in the good old
DAYS. when peri,les was mayor Of
athens, and Rome was an iusignit-
cant village with q wall around 10
over which q man could jump IoI
may remember that a certain person
named Remus. no relative 10 the
Bre or Rabbit one. did jump ever 'hc
wall. and that his brother, Romulrs
was so angry about II that he killed
Remus. Well. that has nothing TO
do with Greece and the Olympic
games. At the time the games wc-"
started shoe shining had not become
the national occupation, ut is was
considered foppish tc wear shoes.
Lots Of things that are common today
weren't good form at that time
IOllar Getting Was Vulgar.
For instance. no gentleman was
supposed 10 engage in any form 81
activity from which he might derive
profit Some men did. Of course. but
t was prima facie evidence that th'y
wore not gentlemen Commerce was
regarded as especially vulgar and 50.
naturally enough II came about that
many promising young men devoted
great deal q time 20 outdoor
sports. when there we're no track
meets 10 attend thcv could ho GER
'aIn Of Jobs posing for local sculp-
'ors
The Olympic games were 90 part
tho optcrowth OF those devotion "a
'he physical man. and in part tho
development Of q religious festival
long ago, the story ran, when he
Gods walked the earth and mingled
with men and flirted with their wives
and daughters he hero Hercules
started the Olympic games This
showed good Judgment on the part
NJ Hercules who was the John Elan
naean Of his time. ana was always
able 10 take down five or six laurel
vreaths in the sporting colpmns of
the Olympic Gazette
Dropping for the once. this idle
chatter. however. OLYMPIC games
we're held In various parts OF Greece
a. irregular intervals until 30 y. =
when Iphitus. king Of Ellis. Greek
principally. declared 10 cmfywylt
principally decided 20 make the
games a national event. 10 be- hell
once oyerv five wears IN his king
dom
Iphitus drclare' thar he had bern
advised 70 DO this hv tho priostess
who was IN charge of the oracle az
Delhi. bat IL Is believed that the hotel
keeners Of Ellis also fad a hand IN
u ANYHOW. the eames we're started
and an Greece sent representative.
Tru,cs we're rallied In the various
vars witch were roins on AZ the
time and an met IN friendly rivalry
% Ellis
Gre-ce Vls-arI stIl is. Tor that