Evening journal., 1921-11-04
GERMANS BACK
TO SPORT LIFE
All Outdoor Competition,
Including Horse Racing,
Has Large Following
TRACK ATHLETES
ARE DEVELOPING
BY CARL ID. GROAT.

NEW YORK. Nov. 4.-The health
lest symptom in German life today
Is It's tremendous sport movement.
This Is a postwar development
which has lift the entire nation until
now Germany may almost be char
acterized as sport mad. Some say
sport is a substitute for the COM
pulsory military training system with
its physical culture. This Is prob
ably true 10 a certain extent. Others
claim there Is a systematic effort 20
build a strong race for a future war.
Noske once preached the idea OF
physical culture for such a purpose
He was talking conndentiaily at Wei
mar to group OF German CORE
spondents. not realizing that an
American newsp~s,er man was pres
emit.
But. for the average German. the
sport movement has nothing ulterior
about It II Is a spontaneous. whole
sole thing which o. ifkel3 TO give the
Teuton something ne has needed
namely, the sporting instinct. More.
over, Il IS teud,us 20 make him les'
cheerlesa. a'"Is,ic individual than h,
has hith1rts been He isn't worry.
ing so much about his own troubles
The spori movement is diversified
Rowing. --imming track athletics
bicyclih~ walking. riding, football
boxing, Nr-stling-these and othe'
sports. except baseball. are now %
vogue. The German hasn't learne,
] kmuwk.m AraN "a f.
come TO Il in time. And, he IS prov
ing a good athlete. Boxing Is yer,
popular. though as yet crudely com
zeal. for fist fighting has never beef
on the German defense manual. Ger
many has developed a couple o
mediocre boxers the past two year,
but the so-called German champion
Breitenstraeter. has been ignomin
ously defeated by second-rate Eng
lish boxers. whenever he has tackle
them.
A number OF first-class track atf
, letes are being developed; and theI
|, is a keen interest in aquatic sport
Horse racing has a large followin
but here the gambling fever is u
compelling force. At the big Grun
valid race track. outside Berli
thousands attend every meet ar
leave behind fantastic sums. II
;, bets range from 10 marks up ar
y the betting fever has its grasp {
= all. from the servant girl and IA
& toy workman TO the rich WI
IS prohteer.
Z The sport movement undoubted
n counteracts. to a large extent. son
' unwholesome tendencies in post-wi
e German life.
p The taste for the morbid even n
= disgusting. in the theatre has bee
one OF the lowering tendencies
the period. Drug-taking has bee
on the increase; vice. in many form
j. has been rampant. and still Is.
But the tendency Of large nun
bers Of the race to get into the on
of-doors and 10 lead a norma
/ healthy life is now acting as an OF
IS set TO the demoralizing trend maj
10 Tested all too openly in the larg
cities OF the empire.
70 The German sporting world Is e.
Il tremely anxious TO link up with a
'e outside world. The manager Of
Ie big football organization once al
r. preached me when 1 was about
d make a trip 10 England. and with Z
r almost pathetic appeal. asked II
s. wouldn't arrange 20 have a profe
sional English team go over 10 &c
ie many for a match. charging on
ie low rates because the exchange W
~ bad. He appeared heartbrok
he when he learned that the rat
is would be prohibitive.
m This far. the Germans have be-
able to finance a number OF rath
In sizeable prizehghts or box fights"
* they term them. The newness Of L
IN sporting movement is testified by Z
ut fact that there are very few Germ
b. words TO express English equivalen
IL For instance. a knockout" is
he knockout" in German. too. a
Id many other American and Engli
sporting terms have been tran
e. ferred to the German vocabulary.