New-York tribune., 1921-06-26
Within


stood outside on the road in sort Of
daze. Now, q good way TO analyze ones
impression of an event is to stand in
| that sort Of stupor, and let words
| float UP OF Themselves from the sub
conscious self to the lips. And the
words that were coming TO me thus,
in this way, were SO singular l was
shy about speaking them even to my
self. felt, you know, really, as one
feels after reading "A cool Greek play,
or hearing some Mozart. Finally it
| occurred to me TO try some of the
words on my companions.
An Exquisite Experience"
They were two, ex-war correspond
enta, with whom had been a good deal
during the war, on the Marne, at Saint
Mihiel, in the Argonne; sincere, frank
and fearless comrades who would Gin
cerely-and with pleasure---tell me ex-
actly what they thought of me; two
terrible roughnecks, in fact.
"The words that come to me-" I be-
gan, when / think Of this afternoon,
are such that 1 hardly dare say them,
and that Pll certainly never dare write
them"
"Yes?" they said, looking dazed
themselves.
They are" ] said-and then let it
out all in one block. "'They are, II said,
exquisite experience, j have been,
this afternoon, through an exquisite
experience"
They took the blow standing, and
without grunt. We got into our ma
chine and rode away. And we had
ridden several miles when one of them
leaned back toward me from the front
seat-and I can't tell you what rough
necks they are--unless perhaps you
know them: their names are Spike
Hunt and Bill McNutt. He leaned back
toward me, that terrible rough-neck
and unsentimental cynic, and said,
"Ssy, Jimmie"
"What?" / countered
back"
Eyes"
it is, all right"
Fragile Beauty Against Strength
And now, who do | think will win
the fight?
don't know who will win the fight.
And whom do l wish to win the the
fight? 'A0
| want Carpenter to win the fight.
IN tell you why.
have seen Dempsey. Dempsey has
over his eyes bulging ridge upon
which IS planted straight black smear
of brow which gives him a lowering
expression of single and terrific con-
centration.
ha to
least. am not speaking of his more
human qualities. of which, contrary to
fiction, he has several.
he is, at first glance, ever more DOW
erful than Carpenter. With fat feet
that stay on earth, clinging to solid
base. With tremendous shoulders FOR
the driving force of the catapult, and
tremendous forearms, wrists and hands
for the shock bearing end of the cata-
pult.
But it is to his concentration-so
we'll advertised by that ridge on his
brow-that l return again and again
whenever / think of him.
As he boxes with his sparring part
ners in training, even then it is appar-
ent and formidable.
When he starts to box at first all his
movements. aggressive though they
may be, seem to be working up some
tHIHS WllNln MN.
They are like the whirring of a dy-
narno which is making and storing and
concentrating electric power.
This goes on for while, q sort Of
terrible and evident production and
brewing OF some terrible force. Then
suddenly the dam breaks and the force
is released in the flash of an instant.
Even in camp, at this boxing which
is just a practice, this happens. 1t
happens like lightning and it seems to
happen even without his will, in spite
of his WILL even--an instantaneous
manifestation of supreme strength
and the sparring partner is down, out,
half-d dead.
Well, this is the crux Of the matter
with me. | will leave personalities 8
alone and concern myself with the
symbols.
Dempsey to me symbolizes strength.
And it seems to me that it would be
a wonderful and marvellous thing if
the fight-that material, brutal, uncom-
promisingly earthly contest = should
prove that there can go, together with
courtesy, grace and graciousness, and
hidden within them, concealed within
an appearance of fragile beauty, some
thing of steel which would conquer
STRENGTH