Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-06

TN the last few years women have
become more and more prominent
in the crowds that attend fights.
This ALWAYS has been of interest
to me, because I have held the
belief from the start that there was
no reason why women should not at
tend boxing matches just as they do
other forms Of amusement.
There used to be lot of talk about
the snort being too brutal for women;
that they could not stand the sight
of blood, of physical combat. People,
somehow, forget that women in many
WAYS have more fortitude than men.
They can stand more physical suffer-
ing. The war nurses saw more In their
daily work than lot of men could
stand. When it comes to fghtlng
patriotism the women can give the
men cards and spades.
Now. since they have been attending
fights the women have shown them
selves much fairer judges than the
average man. They are even more
judicial in considering the merits of
men in the fight. have yet TO see
one of them get unduly excited. They
are strong partisans for their favorites,
though.
The most noticeable thing about the
woman spectators is that large
majority of them come from the higher
strata of society, rather than the lower
Drawn by Benefit Shows.
This. believe, is due largely to the
benefit shows we staged to raise funds
for charity. Miss Anne Morgan was
the pioneer in that method of raising
norey to help worthy causes. She was
at the head of the big boxing show
we gave at the Garden for the devas-
tated areas of France.
I was struck by her businesslike at
titu6e. common sense and clear under
standing of what we were driving at.
Miss Morgan is wonderful woman n.
When it was pointed out to her that
to raise money the most important
thing was to give show that the public
really wanted to see-to arrange 1t 50
they could get their moneys worth and
at the same time be doing something
for a Just cause-She said:
THAT is axactly what We want. We
vii give them the best We can; we
want real boxing matches between real
boxers. You go right ahead and our
committee will attend to the rest OF
the work"
That committee headed by Miss Nor
gan went at the work with such determ-
nation that they got great many wom-
en- interested in boxing who otherwise
would not have thought of it. Boxing
got a big boost. The names of the
prominent women also added to the
prestige of the affair. AS result
thousands Of women saw the fights. In
stead of remaining merely as duty
they discovered they actually liked the
boxing game. Many Of them have
been coming ever since.
Good Sports at Fights.
have seen many humorous incidents
when women attended their first fights.
In none of them have seen any SEM
blance Of revulsion at what some have
called brutal sport.
One night at the Garden I saw a
well bred woman with her escort sitting
directly back of Haywood Broom, the
writer. The next day he related what
he heard.
AS the couple seated themselves the
woman admitted great thrill at being
able to see real prize fight.
only hope it won't be too brutal, .
she added nervously.
She watched everything very closely
and was soon taking sides in the prelim-
inaries.
The main event was between Jack
Dempsey and Bill Brennan. Feeling
that Brennan had the worst Of it to
start with, this woman Immediately be-
gan pulling for him.
Up to this time she had seen nothing
brutal Her escort was very nervous
for fear there would be blood spilled.
In one of the rounds Brennan clipped
Dempsey on the ear. tearing 1t slightly.
Blood began to trickle down the cham
pion's face.
"Oh, look!" cried the woman, jubi-
iantly. We've got one Of his ears any
way!"
There were many women at the first
fight I staged. that between Cans and
Nelson, at Goldfield. We knew nothing
then about women being barred at prize
fights In the East. Evidently the WON.
en- out in Nevada didn't either. There
were fully 300 Of them there.
Not long ago writing friend Of mine
dropped in to see me with the request
that / give him the recipe for making
$l,o00,000. He assumed that I haC
made a million. In half joking way
and half serious, too, told him.
Making million is easy If you sit
down and think things out right. Folk.
want amusement, and they've got the
money to pay for it, They love fight.
ing. Give them the right kind Of fights
and they will pay high for them"
Money Making Rules.
OF course, the catch is that few people
can think things out right, and some.
times it is impossible to furnish thu
right kind Of fights. At my friend:
request, then wrote down the follow.
ing recipe, which I really think woulC
work in any kind of business.
81. You have to learn the psychology
of folks. You must give them their en-.
tertainment their way, not yours.
20. You have to spend money Il
make money. though you may not al
ways have it to spend. But you Car
establish credit. Folks can get credit or
big ideas-f they're honest ideas anc
the man is honest.
49, When you put one thing across
big the rest is easy--if you don't le
down in the class of stuff you give TIT
public.
a. You have to be something of {
mind reader, a visionary, but not {