Evening journal., 1914-10-28
MODEL LIFE FOR
SUCCESS With CUE
Expert Billiardist Must
Have Clear Eye and
Steady Nerve
MERE YOUNGSTER
HOLDS TITLES

clean living is the DIG esSenllal 70
good billiards.
There is no other game which de-
mands as steady a nerve, as clear an
eye, as unerring a judgment as that
of the cue and the ivory balls.
At the same time there is no other
branch of sport that is less crowded
and offers so liberal a remuneration
to its professional followers Can It
be that this is due to the fact that
so few are willing to make the sacri-
fees demanded of the billiard expert.
Just at present billiards is more
in favor than ever before. This ap-
gears to be due chiefly to the advent
of the younger element in the game.
The worlds titles are held by a
mere boy. and youngsters who yet
| lack years of reaching their majority
are alread in the field after the
honors held by Willie Hoppe.
II has not been so very long ago
that billiards was frowned upon by
well-meaning parents and denounced
by clergymen. That time is in wide
contrast to the present time when
the younger eelment is not only
urged TO play the game but many
thousands of homes in this country
are provided with smaller -than-regu-
lation tables where the children of
the households are taught the first
principles of this fascinating pas
time. Billiard tables and bowling
alleys are now an important part of
the equipment of hundreds of church
/ clubs.
And the reason for the change is
/ that the home and the church have
! come to look upon this game as a
| kind Of moral uplift for the youth
I The first essential of the game is
/ temperance. To play good billiards
one must be in splendid condition,
| physically and mentally. A shaky
hand cannot hold a cue, a blurred
eye cannot see the ball, a clouded
brain cannot find the proper angle
for the difficult shot.
Every one who plays billiards is
ambitious to improve his game. He
can do this only by living the clean
life
The topnotchers in billiards are
few. You almost can name them OF
the fingers of one hand-Hoppe
Demarest, Sutton, Cline, Cochran
Cutler, Schaefer. Yamada and Morn
inestar. Each has made, or is max
ing a fortune with his cue. Their
is plenty of room for the expert Il
billiards, especially at the top.
And the reason is not deeply hid
den. Billiards is not an easy gam
in which to become proficient.
takes time and patience and practic
to play well, and one must posses
a natural skill in order TO becom
a real expert, although there ar
some who have succeeded by keep
ing everlastinbly at It. It is tn
difficulty of mastering the gam
which has kept its ranks Of expert
so thin. for it is human nature I
bend ones energies along the line
of least resistance.
And yet while all this is true, per
haps more people play billiards tina
eny other one game requiring ski
and physical exertion. There ar
innumerable players among the bus
/ ness classes who never indulge
other games. These lack the tim
or money for golf or polo, the OF
| portunity for baseball or tennis. G
the inclination for track and fiel
athletics.
| But the golfer and the poloist pla
billiards, the baseball star plays bi
liards. and so does the fan and III
college athlete. In fact almost ever!
body is more or less of a billiar
player, but there are not many e,
rerts. Yet IL would be a hard thin
TO name all of the baseball star
the tennis stars, or the golf stars.
1 Ill T..
terest in billiards there has been bI
little increase in the ranks of n
professionals. There is quite a di
ference in playing the game simpl
for temporary amusement and pla.
ing with the object of becoming q
expert, just as in golf and baseball
Billiard stars develop like baseba
stars, from long practice and a foun
alton of natural ability. Except
billiards the stars are fewer becau'
the game is more difficult and mo-
exacting. And it is the clean liviI
that makes the billiard star, more ce
tainly, than in any other branch
sport.
Willie Hopes exemplary habl
have gone a long ways towards wi
ming for him every honor worth ha
ing. and these same habits have e
abled him 10 successfully defer
these titles so often The wonderf
skill shown by young Walker Coo
ran could never have been attain,
had he disobeyed the correct modes
life. And the same can be said of &
the others who are now prominent
the billiard world.
AS a profession. billiards
perhaps as remunerative
baseball Undoubtedly b;
player receives a larger salary thi
II the average professional billiard
can earn during a year. But the IA
must not be overlooked that the b
lizard player retains his skill and ear
ing capacity to a ripe old age, while
ball players years Of activity are ft
and full of trouble.
III II has been estimated that the ave
age professional billiard player OF fin
" rank can easily earn from six