Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1940-12-13
~
from the
Democrats Pen


the other day, in one of those fea-
lures variously known as believe it
or not; Strange as it may SEEM;
''This crazy world; or Don't you
believe it,; saw in one of them that
old John L. Sullivan knocked one of
his opponents down GO times in 4
rounds. Now, which one of the fea-
ture titles mentioned above, would
you say applied to that little fable?
The last? Righto!
How-some-ever, the little article
/ saw about that ring encounter,
didn't explain why "ohn LIS" ring
victim didn't come up to be knocked
down the Goth time. Maybe it was
because that 68th blow knocked the
man over into the next state, and, in
those days, transportation facilities
were not so highly developed as to-
day; so he couldn't board an airship
and get back into the ring in time
for the bell to start the next round.
Or, perhaps, by the time the 68th
was concluded, there wasn't a piece
of the man left big enough to hit.
The referee, then, would have been
compelled to stop the fight on ac-
count of there not being any more
fuel to feed the furnace.
Seriously, tho, four rounds of
fighting occupy twelve minutes, or
72O seconds. Sixty-eight knockdowns
in that space of time would average
about one knock-down to every 10 IL
seconds. Now, how in the name of
Sam Hill could a man be knocked
down that often and come again for
more slaughter every 10 seconds for
So times.
Have any of you old fellows ever
heard about the dynamite that old
ringster carried in each hand when
he let go? Well, how does that "68"
riddle sound to you. IF that fellow
who visited the canvas 60 times could
manage to live through it, then there
has been some tall lying in pugilis-
tic history concerning the mauling
power of Mr.. Sullivan, the greatest
Of the great.
Altho', after everything is. said and
done, I can't understand how some Of
these "pugs" do to stand the wallop-
ing they get. The only explanation
I see is, that the high price per fall
they receive is quite an inducement.
If they can develop enough beef on
their bones to protect their vital or
gans, then they are willing to stand
a pounding at so much per pound.
But the man who stood 60 knock
downs from John L. Sullivan, should
stand right alongside Of that famous
ring demon, in the pugilistic "Hall
of Fame" He must have been made
of what my old grandmother used
to call oak splits, grapevines and pan
handles.
But still, you know, there are
knocks and pounding in every sort
of business, amt it? Bless my time
O. day, 1 get 'em, you get 'em, and
I don't know but what one might
learn a valuable lesson from that
boozer when he went down on the
canvas and resin. He came back for
more, and, so far as we were inform
ed by the Believe-it-or-not man, his
return was indefinite. So, we poor
aLo,111 fnIrn
buff, but face the music, time and
time again, and maybe our reward
will appear, just around the corner.
You know, I think human lives are
very much like a game of golf. We
step out confidently on the attrac-
tive greens and place our all on one
stroke of the ball of fate to land
us favorably on our journey around
the field of endeavor. We were sure
our contact with this sphere was well
prepared and well achieved; but some
ties our effort is sliced and we are
almost just where we started. Some
times our effort is sliced and we are
desired, and down the fairway we go
all popped up for another advance
ment. Some times the flight of the
sphere is all that could be desired as
it starts in air, but some angle OF
bad luck has landed us in the rough,
in some sand pit, or in some other
hazard, and failure stares us in the
eye. Sometimes we land on the
green of apparent success. We make
the final stroke for victory--and what
happens? In our eagerness, we may
exert too much pressure or not E.
nough, and we stand with envious
eye looking at a lost goal.
But, do we stop playing the game?
Not so that it could be noticed. We
extricate ourselves from the pitfalls
of the course nv hammerinp away.