The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-10-13
(By Mac Levy of Bob;

I (By Mac Levy of Babylon.) (MacLevy, thabfamous Long Island health farmer.1s has been engaged 1 for eighteen years in the training of | athletes and the building up of rum down people, and is 8 recognized all- thority on all subjects connected with athletics, physical culture, and scien- tific exercises) While modern boxing was originally an English and Irish game, men of nearly all races, colors and natinalties | have made it, in the twentieth cen ftury, cosmopolitan sport. One of the greatest surprises in recent boxing l developments is the proficiency attain l ed by the French, and the enthusiasm l with which that alleged sdecadent'' l people have welcomed the -blooded 1 and virile game Of t'le boxe.'' Just now the French boxers have more se- l rious fighting to do. and at last re- 1 ports Georges Carpenter, the idol Of 1 the French fans, was driving an army automobile and trying to run over the German army.
 1 Boxing in Europe has not been Iirn- l ited to professionals. but has been | widely taken up by amateurs. Many colleges and high schools of the great l European. republics have boxing class
 
 popular pastime Of the pupils. The French have always been long on mental culture. and now that they have taken seriously to physical cul- ture they may look forward to an even greater future.
 | In the French army and navy box ing has been for some time a part of 1 the daily physical culture program. 1 The Herbert system of exercise, adopted for both the sailors and sol l diers Of 'la republfque,''S pays much attention to boxing, as calculated to develop not only strength and agility of body but individual initiative and 1 quick thinking.
 Not so many years ago the Ameri- l can fight fan would have sneered at the idea. of man of French blood i winning 3. spugilistic title, but in the last quarter of a century we have had several champions who boasted French descent
 George Layigne, who held the T worlds lightweight title from 1893 to 1899, was a F'rench-CaAAdian, and a l better little boxer the world has sell dom seen. The Saginaw Kid" whip ped Dick Burge the English cham 4 pion. and twice walloped Joe Wal colt. the great negro welterweight, I both being men much heavier than I Himself. Lavigne visited Paris in 1905, and although he had seen his best days his work was a revelation to the French Incidentally, the 'Kid" lost Frank Erne.
 George 4aBIanche was another French-Canadian who won a title. 'gThe Marine was famed for his "ptv- ot blow, and used that punch to knock out the Irish stNonpareil. Jack Dempsey. from whom he took the rniddIeweight title. LaBlanche was q lnative of Canada, of pur French blood. and served in the United States ma rinee before he took to the ring.
 Tommy Ryan, the classy welter ana middleweight champion. had French father, but an English mother. John nv Coulon, long the bantamweight l chief is French-Irish-an ideal fight ing combination. Arthur Petkey, the Canadian who,5 became prominent by reason of his tragic victory over 14u- ther McGarty at Calgary, is also lr1sn- French. Other boxers with this mix ture of blood include Eddie Campi, the clever San Francisco fighter, and Tom my DevIin, the Philadelphia light weight
 Tommy Burns, the former heavy weight champion of the world. Is a 1 French Canadian, and for has weight he was one of the best boxers in the business. Johnny LaVack. a French native of Montreal, was one of the best featherweights in the ring in the late ,eOs. Other French-Canadians who have made good in the ring include ,-l .6sdIasrt GaIlant, Kid Yoakum and Fat Drouillard.
 Of the F1rench-Americans now pe- fore the sporting public, Joe Ndandot, 1 the New Orleans baker boy,'' is the star Joe recently whipped the Ger man-American, Ad Wolgast, former lightweight champion, in MiIw waukee. Sam Robideau, former lightweight boss of Uncle Sam,s navy, and now a professional, is of French descent, and Eddie Revoire and sew+e al others could be added to the list. The French men on this side of the Atlantic cer- , tainly have no reason to be ashamed Of the ring records of their country men.
 While professional boxing is, com paratively speaking. still in its infancy in France, a number of native per formers have attained a high degree of skill Carpentier, who defeated Bombardier Wells and Gunboat Smith, heads the list but the French also have god men in Marcel Moreau, Charlie Ledoux, Henry Piet, Louis de Ponthieu, Paul Til, Jean Poesy. Geor- ges Papin, Albert Lurie, Bouzonne, and others.
 } The first French boxer in history . was Monsieur Pettit," a. French giant who became interested in tle boxe' while touring England with a circus
 He whipped a number of Britishers and in 1751 he was matched with Jack
 Slack, the champnon. By his wrest- ling tactics the Frenchman almost put Slack. the champion. By his wrest