Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-04-25
CARPENTER AND "MiSTER"
DEMPSEY.

The promoters of the worlds heavy
weigh championship prize fight. in
l,udable ambition 10 make ends meet.
arr. attcmpting TO stir the cauldron of
patriotism in order that thousands of
Americans viii pay fancy admittance
-foes TO the big arena in New Jersey
July =.
We wish the gentlemen who are stag
ing the bout the success which their
enterprise merits: we hope that every
seat from ring-side to topmost bieacher
IS fillcd-not because of patriotism"
but because We wish many Of our fell
Iow-citizcns to enjoy the rare sport of
viewing a real fighting man walloping
an ordinary pug
Ii will be remembered by our COM
pa,riots that several years ago-in 1917.
10 be cxact-this country declared war
mon the Hohcnzollern dynasty in par
ticuIar. and the German nation in gen
eral A call 10 the colors' was issued.
and il was fully expected that the
doughty oxponcuts Of the manly art
would be tho FIRST to rush TO the side
az the faE. But not So. our prcfes-
sional athletes, prizc-hghters especially,
were notable only by their absence from
training camps. Mere war was too
vulgar a thing for them 10 indulge in.
Resides. who wished to fight for $50 a
month. when the average pug" could
make that much in three minutes Of
tame srarriug in the ringo
cur readers viii recall that Mister
Jack Dempsey, whose brow is now
crowned with the tinscl wreath Of box
irr glory. found ample reasons to heg
to lie excused from participating in the
international fracas. True. he says that
he had a person dependent upon him,
lut 50 did hundreds Of thousands Of
lads in service: hut the latter were not
as particular about the rewards of
fighting as Mister" Dempsey seemed
to be-
So the latter kept the home fires
brightly burning. although he was II
the pink Of physical condition. and on'
of the worlds greatest boxers. and re
puted to be very wealthy.
over in France one Georges Carpen
tier. a youth Of engaging personality
who also was a boxer. was wearing tn
French uniform. and seeing activ
service at the front. There is no recor'
Of his trying 10 evade the laws Of hi
land when his class was called h
went forward checrfuliy. Evidently h
was a frst-class fighting man VIII
went ont of his way TO 90 more thai
his duty. If one may judge by tn
medals awarded to him for valor-no
in the prize-ring. but in tho trenches
Now Mister" Jack Dempsey an
Georges Carpenter are to meet in II
ring. and we are told that American
should be patriotic" and say mic
things about the brave Jack. This
the attitude which certain sporting
gentry are taking. knowing tn
records Of the two men. knowing ho'
one did his bit for civilization at III
front. and how the other sulked in hi
tent. Achilles-like, we are for Carper
tier. frst last and all the time
Unbiased critics say that the French
man has little chance of wearing dow
and knocking out the ponderous Amer
ioau within the twelve rounds. which
As long as the bout can go in Ne
Jersey 1t is even being predicted ths
Carpenter may fall before the or
sIaughts Of our brave Dempsey. W
hope that these predictions will prov
untrue. We pray that the fghtir
heart of the Frenchman viii carry hi
through TO victorious finish. We Al
for the best man-and in the hig
moral sense, the best man of the tw
without a shadow of a doubt, is Il
pleasant faced chap from Franc
against whom the slur. Stacker" CO
never be hurled.