The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1935-01-22
FORMER RUSSIAN MAT LION
BECOMES PSYCHO.ANALYST
Hackenschmidt Is Author and
Lecturer on Profound
Mental Problems

London, Jan. 22.-(NEA)-1t Is q
far cry from Hack, the Russian Lion
for many years champion Greco
Roman and catch ; as catch can
wrestler Of the world to Monsieur
Georges Hackenschmidt. 81, psycholo-
gist, author, and lecturer on profound
mental and scientific problems.
But the Hack Of 1905 and the Mon
sieur Of 1885 are one and the same
man.
There are the same old tin ears.
Under his clothes there ripple the
same steel muscles. Only Father Time
has played tricks with the famous ath-
lete,s face. He has carved lines here
and there, taken off a good deal Of
his once luxurious mass Of dark hair.
and powdered what is left with plen-
teouS gray.
Few kept track Of Hackenschmjdt
after he lost his title to Frank Gotch
in Chicago in 1908. The former son
OF q wealthy Russian dye manufacturer,
who gave up a promising engineering
career to follow wrestling and achieve
such fame that he once spent several
hours in the White House as guest Of
Teddy Roosevelt, dropped practically
into oblivion after loss OF his title.
He invested his money made In
wresting-he was drawing $4,000 a
bout In those days. which was top
money-and for time enjoyed life
with his little French wife in Paris
and Berlin.
When the war broke out he was
promptly informed for the remainder
OF the conflict as civilian OF q
hostile state. When Russia went Boil
shevik, he lost all his Russian invest
ments. When Germany went infla-
ton, he lost ali his German invest
ments.
When South American republics
went bankrupt, he lost all the money
he had invested there. And so he
took up psychology.
Thought Is His Foe
FOR the last quarter century, Hack
enschmidt confided to the writer, u
have been wrestling with thought in
stead Of with human beings"
And it is hard to pin down Monsieur
Georges to sports interview, with
his mind constantly on subjects deal
ing with his present career.
But after several leads, Hack broke
forth with q statement on what he
thought Of present-day wrestling and
prize fighting.
Most OF the matches today are
! frameups," he declared. In my day
they were on the level. That's why
wrestlers and boxers rarely were hurt
They were prepared. They were II
earnest. They were honest. Athlete.
are hurt only when the unexpected
happens, and that happens In fake
matches.
i "But what's the use Of talking o.
such trivial matters, when the whole
world is In q mess politically, economic
ally, and socially. all because OF . lacl
OF clear thinking.
"Religion, Fascism, Hitlerisn, Marx
/ ism all alike lead us into an intellec'
tual prison. They all want US to ODE!
q fixed set Of rules. They ask Us Y
discard what really IS valuable-ou
own individuality and personality"
Niagara had started again. Rudel.
We cut In with something about pres
ent day champions.
''Many OF them are champs With tn
ideas Of chimps." he replied. Blu
they can't help it. They are slaves Q
Their human cells and the cells II
Iour body are responsible for all on
wants. desires, raoods, and thoughts.
THE human brain has been great
loverestimated. have found that IT
not the boss: it Is bossed BY tn
body"
The Psychologist Speaks
At present. the Russian Lion Is bus
lat work compiling 350-page book o.
psychology in which the fruits Of HI
as years research viii be containe<
lit deals with human problems.
II didn't concern myself 80 mucl
with particular problems Is with find
ling out why human beings shout
Ihave problems ct ALL" he explain
There has been no progress. Eithe
Iby means Of tyrannies and dictator
ships, or BY naturalization an
lmechanization, the human being. q
such, u being considered less an
less.
"All contemporary machinery Of 50
lcial life Is calculated to suppress hil
more and more. to crush individualit
land produce the nonentity. function
Ing 6 . mere unit under the diets
ton Of . regime, system. or routine
That sounds more like . Gene Tur
luey than 4 wrestler, doesn't it,
But Il Gene once lectured at Va
University on Bill Shakespeare, Hacl
/ enschmidt can point proudly TO K
fact that he recently lectured 1t Can
bridge University on "entity, ind
! viduality. personality. and noner
luty."