The Alaska citizen., 1915-12-06
BOXING REVIVAL
IS PREDICT ED.

De Witt Van Court the eminent authority on the manly. art, pre- diets a great revival in boxing after the war. He has written an article on the revival for the Los Angeles Examiner. It is as follows:
 That boxing will be given great stimulus after the great war is my belief At the opening of the war it was fast becoming the national sport of France and thst country had a number of promising boxers. The interest was growing more and more in Australia and this country.
 Shortly after the war broke out the English discovered that most of their young men were deficient phy- siCally, and as fast as the Holun- teers enlisted tuey were taken tl the recruiting camps and put through very thorough course of physical training that lasted ct least six month before they were considered fit for the front.
 Almost the first thing that Lord Kitchener asked for ir the way of donations fo- training camps was boxing gloves, and they were sent there by the thousands from Canada Australia and America. He realized from the start that boxing was one of the best forms of exercise to round his soldiers into condition; besides it required much less room than football and cricket
 The many impromptu bouts that are taking place every day during the leisure hours of the boys at the front will give many an opportunity to try their hands with the mitts who never did so before. And the splendid condition that many of them will be in when they return will place them in position to take up boxing as a means of livelihood.
 The English people were always great lovers of the manly art and there is little doubt that much mora atten ton will be given to the phys ical welfare of the young men O. that country than ever before after the war is over.
 Tt is the fine physical condition ot the Germans more than anything else that enabled them to get the fish were delayed many months rounding their men into condition and this proved a great handicap to them.
 There is no form of athletic sport that will fit a young man for sol diering more than boxing. First of self; secondly, it instills a certain amount of confidence in him that no other sport will, and, thirdly, it de velops his agility and trains his eye sight.
 Both the French boxers, Georges Carpenter and Charlie Ledoux, made good as soldiers from the start, as did many of the English boxers
 The blame for nose of the English boxers failures has been laid to poor physical stamina, and this no doubt is the result of a lack of com pulsory physical training such as the Germans have.
 "The training that is absolutely necessary that goes to fit any nan for boxing contest is about as se- were as desired of any army fcer
 AS boxing is one of the most pop ular sports of England, i look af- ter the war to see the government encourage it and give it new life such as it rever had.
 "The realization in this country of the necessity of preparedness in time of peace will do d 10. toward the encouragement here of boxing. as we'll as all forms of athletic sports. Both the navy and army encourage boxing in hai- ranks Tn this country, but the opposition 10 1t by many of our mollycoddles has put somewhat of a lampcr on it.
 "The wrestler is in much the same position as the boxer He has to depend upon himself to win when ever he enters a contest, and wres+- ling toughens and hardens the m.s- cles as no other sport does, but does not at all times requires the quick thinking of the boxer
 "The football player depends en- tirely upon the man who gives the signals and oas little thinking to do for himself. The game itself is Q good one to build up the muscles and body and hard knocks give them a schooling in formations and maneuvers.
 Baseball is another good game to develop the mind and body. Eut baseball players, to some extent, depend upon the man higher uo
 Boxing covers all these things at the same time, and l look in the near future to see both the army