The Washington herald., 1913-12-14
WOLGAST ENDED
WITHLONG BOUTS
Michigan Wildcat" Expects
to Gather Harvest by
Milling.
NEW TRAINING SYSTEM
Famous Ad Has Gone in for Outdoor
Work Following the PIow on
His Farm at Cadillac.
NEW TRAINING SYSTEM
by w. w. NAUGHTON.

San Francisco, Dec. III had a letter
from Ad wolgast the other day written
in the seclusion of his farm, at Cadillac,
Mich /: was a typical Wolgast letter.
1t told me. as Ad. has told others, that
he is through with the marathon dis
lance in pugilism, but not retired by any
means.
1t set forth that he expects to gather
in many a well-illed. purse by mingling
with the ten-rounders, and it wound up
with the PERENNIAL Wolgast wish that fate
would steer him against Willie Richie
some day, somewhere.
There was one line in Wolgast's letter
which furnished brand new idea Here
it is: Il have bee going in big ticks for
outdoor work, following the pillow day by
day for many miles"
There's a unitarian proposition is ever
there was one. 1t must have occurred
to any man of a thinking turn that every
time a pugilist trains for a battle there
Is an enormous waste of power.
OF course. Mr. Fighter will not admit
that it is wasted since it places him in
good condition, but unless he is devoid of
reason, he can be made to see that while
conditioning himself he should go in for
stunts that would be of practical use in
other directions
For instance, suppose that if instead of
hitting up the road and sprinkling
little perspiration along the pike, the
boxer taking off weight guided the han
dies of a pillow for miles, as Wolgast did.
or covered distance similar to what he
traversed along the highway, sowing
grain.
Surprising, instead of that insipid,
feminine practice of skipping the ropes he
had a treadmiIl fixed so that he could, by
virtue Of his footwork grind coffee or
pump water.
Surprising that instead of tossing the
medicine ball he loaded grain onto trucks
or fiat cars, and supposing instead of
whisking his arms around playing hand
ball, he swung an ak and chopped wood.
Then, instead of the stale cid informa-
ton peddled to the public daily anent the
miles of road work and the bag-punching,
We would learn that champion so and so
engaged in variety of occupations of
highly useful character and rounded out
a fine afternoons work by choping sew
eral cords of wood.
But. where would the new order of
things be inaugurated, some one may ask.
1t isn't every boxer that owns a farm of
his own, like Wolgast
Thuts just where it is, and that's just
why a proposal of this kind, under ex-
listing conditions, appears as unstable as
d poets dream.
But, supposing the boxing game was
properly organized and legalized, and
supposing every burg had it's boxing
commission with each branch governing
body duly qualified TO collect percentages
of gate receipts and apply the same to
such purposes as would produce the best
benefits to the community.
Suppose in such case the commission
in this locality or that bargained for the
my has # he T1aI
nicipal farm and made it one of the con-
ditions of permit granting that the fighters
should do their training there under
the system suggested.
And when l say a farm. mean a farm
with plenty of good broad acres and
straightaway miles for the pillow burrows
In such cases there would be little danger
of the lines of rival boxers crossing while
they engaged in their practical training
for farm chores are varied enough to
keep a brace of hruisers apart while
they pursue their daily vocation
! offer this idea for what it's worth, and
] freely admit that, in my opinion, the
time is not yet ripe for its adoption.
am all the more of that way of think
ing after unfolding my pet scheme to a
yOke-fellOw in whose wisdom in matters
of this kind have the greatest conf
Gence
PVT it on ice," he advised, land spring
it again at some future date"
But when?" persisted
'When?" he murmured. why, as Rud-
yard Kipling might say. When the old
est champion has retired, and the young
est critic has died.
AS the foregoing is penned in a spirit
Of levity, ] may as well be consistent to
the close of the letter and tell of a humor-
Gus incident which occurred at a recent
afternoon of gloves here.
There was a preliminary bout in which
yOungster named or nicknamed Kid
Exposito was opposed to another fighter
whose name just now escapes my
memory. Anyhow, Exposito was what
the old-time critics used to style ere
Ceiyer general The ground slipped from
under him at every round, and his sec
onds were at their wits ends to infuse
the necessary degree of fighting spirit
into him.
Finally, when they We're grooming him
for the fifth round, his chief adviser
yelled: Go in now and knock his block
of. You're are SO far behind that you
VIII have to knock him out to get a