Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-02-03
Judgment Distance Prime Requisite Golf Equipment Big Factor
THE FORERUNNER.

This is Coroebus, the forerunner Of
athletics. He won the foot race, the
feature event of the first Olym BIC
games in, IT'S Be. and so was hon
ored by having the first olympiad
nae after him. An olympiad-in
creek Acknowledgements a period of
TOUR years marking the date Of the
olympic games.
The GORGEOUS olympiad is about all
we know of the first set of athletic
games ever held. Time has swallowed
all else In dts musty nav. Only the
name of Coroebus-the Charley Pad
dock of his day--remains. He ran
once around the stadium at Olympia
and finished in front of the leetest IN
the then known world.
forerunner Of athletics! Athletics
have advanced far and wide since the
day of GORGEOUS. Athletics means
more than we realize
Athletics We're the foundation of
the life and the empires of ancient
Greece end Rome. The realization of
the Importance of physical fitness
was the beginning of the building of
the great organized forces that made
possible the triumph of Greece over
Asia and of Rome over the world
Athletics were the expression of the
ancient idea4-that the vitality and
strength of the individual body were
the bases of the vitality and strength
of the state. They knew-as we
should know 'now--that the power
civilization depends on the physical
training of the youth. This is just
as true today as then!
In the olden times the Olympic
games were the greatest event in the
world. The Greek idea was that the
body of man had a glory as well as
the intellect and spirit. These famous
athletic games were the basis of Hell
lenic unity. good fellowship. and mil
ttary power. The art, the literature.
the religion and all the history of
Greece were bound up with the olym-
piads. The great Roman empire rose
bye the muscles of its athletic youth.
and the Roman empire fell when these
muscles relaxed in neglect.
The Olympic games were first held
in 776 Be, and continued almost
uninterrupted until AID. 393. They
were held at intervals in Olympia. the
fairest spot in Greece, and lasted
about a week. Here gathered the
flower of Greek manhood and the cul,
ture of the nation. Homer and Virgil
sang Of these athletic contests. while
Praxiteles and Phidias scluptured the
heroes of agility and Drawn in un-
dying forms.
Only boys of good character were
allowed to compete.
All athletes were compelled to de-
vote at least ten months to training.
The participants competed absolute
ly naked.
The only award was a wild olive
crown to the winners-and the fame
that went with it-which, by the
way, was the highest the day offered.
The events were pretty much the
same as listed in our modern Olym-
pics. with the exception of the, char
lot race.
If the nation was at war, a sacred
truce" was declared to allow at
tendance of the athletes and the spec
tatorS.
After 393 olympiads the games were
discontinued because of dishonesty,
professionalism, and, strange as 1t
may seem, because they were deem
ed "unchristian."
However, they were revived about
twenty-five years ago and the United
states has been victor in each of the
seven modern olympiads.
A great credit to our youth!