Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-07-02
CONFUSION OF VALUES

guiShed people on the list OF those
who will attend the prize fight there
is nothing to indicate that many of
them are capable of approaching the
fine points of boxing and natural
supposition is they will attend be-
cause the affair is staged as an in
ternational spectacle and they are
DESTROYS of satisfying their human
curiosity not to mention gratifying
their craving for novelty.
Be that as it may it is to be as
sumed they will join in laudations of
the winner and few will ,hnger to
bind up the wounds of the loser. If
Dempsey should win, as now seems
probable, will they assist in wrap
ping his manly form in the national
flag and hoist him to a pedestal? One
might infer from all the fuss that has
been made all the columns of slush
that have been written and printed.
all the millions that have been spent
and gambled on the result. Mr..
Dempsey as the winner ought to be
entitled to homage.
Now homage is defined as Respect
exhibited by outward action: rever-
entail regard or worship; Difference,
obesiarce." How much of that should
be lavished on Dempsey? On Car
grace, but why" Surely not because
of the qualities lie might possess in
common with Dempsey, but because
of others. such as his patriotism, his
gentlemanliness. But these qualities
are only incident to this spectacle.
not the reason for its being. Demp-
sey has all the qualities essential to
prize fighting, whether he wins or
loses this particular fight. Jack
Johnson, too, is qualified TO be a
woIid-renowed prize fighter, to be
placed on pedestal in the pugilistic
hall of fame.
Though there seems to he little
chance this generation will get the
distinguished peers of pugilism con-
fused in their minds with the men
distinguished in other walks of life
Willard with Edison, for instance,
what about the next generation? We
are under some obligations to that
With all the 'hollering" and betting
and filming and international jazz
ing over prize fight values may be-
come confused. The lad who gets his
historical perspective from all this
may infer that Patrick Henry
knocked out King George in the first
round, Marquis of Queensbury rules
Stranger things have happened. The
Roman boys. it will be recalled got
in the way of thinking that because
they bet their sesterces on the win
ming gladiator they were strong in
athletics. They made a mistake in
one little vowel; they were not strong
IN athletics, but ON athletics. The
gladiator was the fellow who was
strong in athletics. The barbarians
seeing this, seized these decadent,
perfumed, overfed and matzuma-
lined descendants of the Caesars by
the scruff Of the neck and dus 81
their togas-and Rome fell.
To the end of time honest men
may be expected to differ respecting
this matter Of puglsm, so perhaps
there is no occasion to get "all het-up
over it," nevertheless it is one of the
many things in this world which will
bear watching. All must agree that
It won't do to allow prize fighting to
become the only EXETER of enthusi-
asm. We do not want to confuse the
value of George Washington's ac-
complishments with that of any prize
fighter who ever stepped-or ever
will step-into the squared circle.
Such confusion of values should it
ever become general would prove
fatal to the future of our civilization.
We do not want to become
"A race that binds
Its body in chains and calls them
liberty"
but We must continue to recognize
the need Of carrying anchors and
ballast and see that the succeeding
generation knows enough to look out
for the engine when the bell rings or
seek the curb when the horn toots
and the fire alarm rings. Let It have
all the boxing gloves it will put on
and make good use of but find bet
ter use for it's enthusiasms than
gambling on professionals who do.
So in time the generations of men
may become wise enough to deter
mine the skill of boxer by some
other test than the insensibility of
his opponent.
--s-ooS->-