The Washington herald., 1922-02-05

Der football match? Was ever Greek gladi-
ator or Roman athlete more erect Of hgn.e,
supple Of limb, heeter Of foot, quicker OF
eye, than yonder gridiron warrior ss he
smashes through the Harvard line, skips
around the end or gracefully pirouettes to
and fro for q moment before his long, lean
arm shoots out and spins the pigskin un-
errinxly down the field into the arms Of a
fellow player standing under the shadow Of
the goal posts, eager to score another touch
DOWN.
By all the faith Of the ancients, was
ever 4 more wonderful spectacle spread
within the arena Of sport than this gala
football throng? Did Hercules, he Of tn.
rems- liable strength, or Adonis, he Of the
marvellous figure. live only in those golden
days Of Rome and Athens? Is not the mod
ern gladiator Of this twentieth century the
equal-yea, the superior in every way-of
him who earned the thumbs up Of ancient
kings and queens? Will not the future
histories award the palm for athletic su-
premacy and physical perfection to this
twentieth century era?
So it seems 1t is the athletic age The
physical IL stressed even more than the
mental or the spiritual. 1t is an age in
which it is crime to be unhealthy. He
who II stoop- -shouldered and old before his
time is in poor repute. He who dies young
is guilty Of gross negligence and hardly to
be pitied. Keep physically ft'' is the cry
heard on every hand; the first prerequisite
laid down by that modern solon who points
the way to success. The boisterousness Of
youth, the wild dance and even jazz itself
are but symptoms Of the national tendency
to universal good health. Pep, punch and
perseverance are the watchwords Of the
hour.
W. know now why you won the war
how you smashed the Hindenburg line and
dealt the final blow that turned turtle our
massive military machine" said q noted
German war lord to an American tourist.
1T Is because you are all 50 athletic From
infancy your people engage in sports ysu
never stop; your old people are playing
golf. We shall initiate you. Already Ger
many engages more extensively in sports."
HARDLY q year passes but that some
IL worlds athletic record Is broken. The
hurdles are negotiated faster, the shot II
hurled further, the tape is broken more
quickly in the 100-yard dash or the mile run,
the marathon is extended further, more home
runs are hammered out-always smashing old
records. Is it not an odd commentary on
'the age Of ease and luxury that main.
tains"-almost q paradoIical situation-that
with all the soft" influences now said to be
prevalent, men are able to climb higher into
the skies in sirplanes, dive deeper into the
sea, scale higher the worlds loftiest noun
tain crags, penetrate further the jungle
or the polar sea than ever before?
And the modern grill With all her al.
legged faults, there Is no gainsaying the
fact she is a more expert figure physically
than any Of her forebears. She is taller,
more agile, svelte of style, fair of form and
altogether independent in her own physical
might than any type Of woman the civilized
world has ever known. Her nearest pro-
totype of the past was the Amazon;
nowadays very many women are ANA
IONS.
Mark you that throng Of pretty football
followers you saw at the Army Navy rame
or the Chicago Wisconsin tilt or the Georria