Year: 1874

In considering the training which a
prizefghter goes through to bring him
up TO that physical condition which
fits him for the severe test of muscle and
endurance in the ring, the Chicago
Tribune draws moral for the benefit of
mankind generally who are seeking TO
cultivate their health. While with all
the doctoring and drugging and the
iocking of the multitudes of men and
women to the mountains and the seaside,
or across the ocean, TO build up their
systems, these means fail, in ninety nine
cases out of hundred, to produce the
desired result, We find that the profess
ional bruiser in a couple of months will
transform himself into a marvel of
physical perfection. ''The process" says
the Tribune, "never fails" The trainer
of prize fighters knows more than the
doctors. His patient eats mutton and
beef without seasoning Of any sort, tea
without sugar, and dr. toast. He
makes him get up early in the morning
and go 10 bed early at night. He gives
him plenty of physical exercise. He
has no pharmaeopeia to go TO, no pre-
scription to write. He uses nothing but
natures medicines, and he uses them
with unerring accuracy. If the bruiser
has a weak spot, he strengthens it. He
goes over his man as a tuner goes over
piano, and brings every note into perfect
tune If he has not flesh enough, he
puts moro on him; if he has too much,
he takes some of, and he performs this
operation with such accuracy that he
will take off the same amount every day,
and, upon the day of fight, will pre-
sent his man weighing within an ounce
of specified number of pounds. One
of the bruisers whom our reporter saw
weighed four weeks ago 168 pounds; on
the day of the interview he weighed
1873. The other bruiser weighed the
same amount four weeks ago; when our
reporter saw him he weighed 135. The
reductions had been made gradually,
but with diurnal exactness. Now, what
is good for bruiser is good for those
who are not bruisers, if they have the
persistence TO follow the regimen, which,
of course, can be regulated to suit each
case. Here is a chance for the over
worked to be made as good as new at a
very cheap rate. The clergyman need
no more to go to Europe after his health.
Fat men need no longer to be fat; lean
men have some hopes of clothing their
ribs more comfortably. They have on
ly to pitch physic to the dogs, and take
the bruisers' remedies modified to suit
the cases"


There are some chunks of solid wis
dom in these observations, and they are
applicable not only to the male adult,
but also to the growing boys, who are to
make the men of the future. We have


before remarked that the tendency to
athletic culture is increasing among our


people, and for the very reason that it i:


doing SO the spirit deserves to be encour.


aged and prompted to greater develop


ment But it is still entirely to much


the fashion, when a boy pines and mopei


and seems to be losing his strength, tC


call in doctor and have him drenched


with drugs, under the supposition tha
he is suffering from specific disease tina


medicine is required to remove. Prob
) ably in majority of such cases the cor
rect remedy would be plenty of fresf
air, rough exercise, and simple food
Particularly is this true to the ambition


boys, who have been working hard fo
high standing and rapid advancement
in the schools during the past min
months and now are entering upon tn
summer vacations. Very likely the.
are tired and worn down, but it is no
physic that is needed to set them u


again. They want to be toughened il
!: the sunshine and the open air, by out
! door life and plenty of use of thei
limbs. We are too much in the fashio
: of running TO doctor and the druggis
when nature offers the speedy and per
manent cure, and in this respect VIC ca
learn valuable lesson from the heroe


of the ring-BaLiraore American.