The Washington times., 1914-02-18

point of attenua-
tion, looked ridiculously Inadequate tol
the work of supporting the herculean
upper body. The whole was covered
with singularly pale, fair skin. lib
orally splotched with big, pink frcckles
and surmounted by a strong, scraggy
humorous face set at the top or a
short thick neck. When Bob fought
in America his head was bald as AMI
egg. but in 1880 he was only eighteen
yems old, and it was crowned with a
thick shock of long, virulent looking
red hair.
Tney used to call him "Thc Cranc'
in Australia, and make cluckinS noises
us he shufHed and slOuched about the
ring. The New Zealand audience had
never seen anything like Fitc before.
They rocked and shrieked with laugh
ter, but they were laughing at the
greatest fighting machine, weight for
weight, that ever stepped in ring.
Don't make the mistake of laughing
at everything that is unusual and
looks odd and out of the ordinary.
Laughing at the unusual is trait lett
over from the days Of barbarisnl. The
savage sees something to which he is
unused. His brain is not developed so
that he can reflect Or the reasons for,
or the potentialities of, the thing he
sees, vet his attention is irresI5tibly at
tracted, and he must pay it some tribute
of aroused interest, so he points with i
finger, laughs gleefully and let's 1t 20
at that.
/ Too many men are like the savage
in their SALVATION OF the unusudL They
laughed at Pericles' horses head.
which sheltered the finest political
thinking machinery Greece ever pro
duccd. They laughed at Mahomet and
drove him in ridicule from Mecca, to
found in the desert religion that Was
to alter the history and geography OF
the world. They laughed ut Abraham
Lincoln for his ungainly figure and dis
regard for convention, even while Lin
colu's brain was guiding this country
Through the most critical period OF its
history.
So when you see some unusual ap-
pearing person or thing try 20 rcasoa
out the cause for the divergence rom
the ordinary which attracts your at
tention and what significance it may
have. Don't just laugh and let it 20
at that, as the New Iealsndcrs laugh
ed ut young Fitz.
There was one man who did rot
laugh, He was old Jem Mace. Mace
Lad seen and fought men of all race,
nationality and condition, and ne knew
a fighting man when he saw ono. III
that lad as an 'cart ell win this ere
, tournament" said Jem in his cockncy
dialect.
Then Mace selected rough, tough,
lstrorg young man, whom he had prey
, rously considered the probable: "inicr
OF the tournament, and paired him eli
with Fitz for bout.
Ftz didn't know much ABOUT box
ling in those days, but he had ,hc IRON
strong arms and the matrhlees light
iny brain that made him the greatest
fighting man of his weight the world
ever saw. The tough young man r'iSi''
led and slugged for about T,nntt
while Bob lay back coolly studying
. him, Jared and shaken now and thei
: lbv u punch that slipped past his nov
ices guard, but unconcerned aud con
idcnt. Then the opening he was wait
: iny for appeared and he Knocked IN:
opponent spccchless with terrific body
, blow.
] Then he beat numerous othe7 strong
tough young men and won tue tourna
, ncnt. They did not laugh when h'
c appeared in the ring in New. Zealan'
{ alter that.
Copyright. 1914. by F. \. WalkcrD
l,-o-.o,,-. Art;,Io. .DD\'T SAlI