Trench and camp., 1919-05-01

anu ING CAkuC JM@% t46 0V4lM& @AVVS
gives way to the baseball glove.
Figures from athletic directors in
the field show that from August to
the end of December not quite
19o, eco soldiers were either learning
to box or teaching their rivals some
of the points about the game that
they had learned before they put on
khaki. The number of spectators at
bouts In this period was 1,713,0O0.
Baseball, according to the figures,
was the only sport more popular.
It is q fact that boxing is the one
sport In France that hes progressed
during the war. The French are
entAusiasts. They are aImost as proud
or Georges Carpenter as they are OF
Marshal Foch. The military author
ities have encouraged boxing among
the pOilus. While the war was on.
they saw to 1t that bouts were fre-
qMent In the camps and the rest areas
behind the lines. In these days Of
the afmietice they are giving every
aid to the development Of talent that
already, Ia more than one instance,
has made Americans sit up and take
notice.
Shortly after boxiag became &n 60
tablished part Of the weekly enter
tainment programme for allied sol
dters i'm Paris and the suburbs, was
going home on Q subway train. At
the Champs Dlysees station . crowd
OF American soldiers got aboard.
"Who said they couldn't fght?" l
overheard one Of the soldiers ash.
"You sure have gotta give 'em
credit" said another.
"Pil soy so," remarked third.
And 30 they talked. II was all
| foreign 70 me. But next morning
read in the papers that at the box
ing carnival held the night before at
the Palais de 0lace the French boxers
had won four out Of ave bouts from
their American riyals.
And then / understood!
There are two centres Of the sport
In Paris. One is at the Cirque de
OF 5000 and room for 1000 standees.
The Cirque de Paris has been the
scene of some of Frances most ia
nous fstic encounters. Here Georges
Carpenter fought Billy Papke, the
Illinois Thunderbolt. Here Joe jean
nette and Sam McVey battled for AZ
rounds. And here the A. Il. r. cham
pionships will be decided some time
next month.
The other centre, opened o few
nights ago, Is the Noveau Cirque. The
arena IL much smaller than that ef
the Cirque de Paris. But It is we'll
arranged, comfortable and oompar-
able to any OF the best boxing clubs
| in America. TO It, aB well as to the
Cirque de Paris, the one and only
card OF admission 10 q military uni
form. Wounded soldiers have the
preference and get the best seats.
Action IN the keynote Of all bouts.
There is no stAlllng. TAere b littlc
Of the kid-gIove foolery that has SO
often diwgmsted the American boxing
pWbllc There is no argafMg over the
referee. There % no disturbance BY
any haM1soi-mOuthed manager, no
cheap advice Yelled fT0M the coraers
by all-Wise ana lea&A0elu lunged eec-
Omdb.
Action--thAk's all. AeeGOf--paemty
or it and then mere Of the same.
Bouts are OF foer rouads each en-
eept I'm certain eases where the
| judges, unable to @gTBe, cAll tor .
NTH round to determine the winner.
These judges are three in aum0er. Sc
lected from the audiemce, tAey nit
apart from each other, note their de-
cisions on paper and, ct the finish,
pass the slips up TO the annoancsr.
Disagreement with the Judges IN
\ fv4nSmvsMmf Thm0 thA vss,nnIA Nna1l4 MfMN&m
You never heard such racket. Good
naturOd, most 0f 10, but decidedly Wig
orous. Above ell thfngs these SOL
der crowds bA1f0ee iA nair play. They
draw no national nns. They cheer
for French boxer, or Belgian, as
readily as they do for an American
II they think the decisiOn wrong, they
never hesitate TO let the world, and
especially the Judges, know how they
feel about a.
On O. recent night ct the Sale
WagrNm (Which laB since been ahan-
donea in favor OF the NOSeau CarQNe)
an American and EreMchman fOuEhf
four exciting rounds. Both were
scientific; both could hit. And they
were evenly matched as to weixht
and. height and reach. Through0ut
the four roundS most Of the specta-
tors were standing ca their chairs.
"AIlss! AlIez!'' the French root
Eers cried shcil1y.
Est him up, Tank! BAT him- up!"
N1AFaszsa kAn AMAMalaNaNER