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A DECADENCE IN THE TASTE FOR TRUE SPORTS AMONG AMERICANS, An Interview With Mr. Fred Englehart— His Views of the True Aims of a Sports man—The Distinctions Without Differ ences that Mena can See Without Glasses. Statements which have recently appeared in type would seem to indicate a decline in the estimation of sport and sporting men on the part of the public? The question was put to Fred Engelhardt, the well-known sportsman and writer, with a view to elicit an opinion of value upon a subject which is as interesting as it is be fogged. Mr. Engelhardt looked amused, and said, “Well, if you have come to get an expres sion of my ideas on this question for publication I will give it cheerfully, because I think it the duty of every hon orable sportsman to correct erroneous im pressions affecting the cause, and I will certainly lose no opportunity to point out the good to be derived from the rapidly spreading interest in sport on the part of the public.” The object of my visit was to hear what you had to say in reply to disparaging statements published, in which the integ rity of sporting men in general appears to be questioned. Reflecting a moment Mr. Engelhardt said: “I think I see the drift of your ideas. I will give you a brief, but pretty general review of how sport stands with the people today, and I promise to cover your in tended questions at the same time.” Seeing a prospect to obtain a sound and Valuable statement of facts, Mr. E. was requested to proceed, and his utterances are given verbatim as follows: “In the first place there is a great hue and cry over hippodroming. I know that is one of your leading questions. Now, I believe that the increase is in the sus picion on the part of newspaper men who are but partly conversant with facts and circumstances, and the cry is taken up and carried along by unthinking peopl, the majority of whom don’t even know the meaning or intended meaning of the word hippodrome, but who merely repeat it in connection with a sporting event because they think it gives them an appearance of smartness and of knowing more than others. The word “hippodrome’f (means in brief, according to Webster, a circus for horse races.) There is certainly no sense in applying this term to boxing, wrestling or rowing, whether it is an exhibition or a competition. The implied use of the word in connection with a so called sporting event is intended to describe it in a terse term as a fraudulent pretence, a perform ance misrepresented for the purpose of obtaining money—to put it in its full strength—under false pretence. The word was first introduced in its present intended meaning by a writer on sporting subjects to denounce and ridicule certain pre arranged horse races of which there were a pleanty at that time. The term as thus applied, quickly found its way into the sporting vocabulary and is now used with little or no discrimination. I mentioned that it does not necessarily follow that a performance is dishonest because the participants therein know the forehand what their reward will be. Two or more men may come together in trials of skill, strength or endurance, or all combined, and earnestly and sincerely strive for supremacy, although they may divide the gate money, and there be nothing else at stake. I do not mean that this is always the case, but it is just as probable as that a contest is fair in which there is a purse or stake, because if the participants are in collusion they will pre-arrange the result as well as when there is a definite sum to be won as where there is only gate money to divine. I certainly do not advocate or defend gate money speculations. On the contrary I believe in a strict adherance to the laws of sport and well established rules and wages; but what I object to is that all the odium should invariably recoil upon the men whom the people come to see, and nothing be said of the management, with which most of the blame lies. The parties who get up a match, race, regatta, or whatever it may be, generally make their announce ment in as strong a manner as possible to attract the masses, and these people that seldom consult the participants in the ad vertisements as to what should be stated in the preliminary announcements. I heartily condemn everything in the form of a “put up job’—to use another of those popular bits of adopted English, which mean nothing and yet so much. But, while a prearranged affair, which is called a contest,in which it is agreed that one certain person shall win, and by the result of which certain other parties are made losers without a chance to win, is unmistakably a deliberate theft, and should not alone meet with unqualified condemnation, but also with punishment. Such disgraceful affairs should not be con founded with a performance in which there is an earnest and honest contest, not withstanding the fact that there is nothing at stake. Yet this mistake is made every day. Everything in the way of a sporting entertainment is now called a hippodrome without sense or reason. Why? It is simply the old case of “mad dog.” You ask if there was not more honesty in sport in the olden times? No—not a bit. Sporting is on a better footing in every way than it was before the war. Where there was one race horse then there are twenty now; for every $109 invested in racing establishments, tracks, parks, etc., in the past there are thousands invested now. Sport has become a fully recog nized and highly proper form of public amusement, and in localities where there are no large associations controlling im portant events, parties frequently form temporary associations and get up a pro gramme of horse races, or a regatta, as much with a view to attract the attention of the general public to that locality as for the purpose of making money out of it. Associations and these special offer ings of prizes and inducements are be coming more and more numerous every year. This would not be the case if there was any dirishing of interest on the part of the public, consequently there is more and more encouragement for men to im prove themselves in certain games, and for others to improve their breeds of horses and the number will continue to mul tiply in accordance with the demand— placing it on a commercial basis. To return once more to the question of hippodromimg. Is it any more wrong for a temporary association to offer Han lan, say $1,500 as a guarantee to row, than it is for another association to offer Mr. Vanderbilt a certain sum to let Maude trot on their track? Again, is it any more wrong for one or the other to accept such offer? Does the appearance of either in a sporting event under special conditions make it any more or less of a hippodrome? There is more wrong done in sport at the present time than there was years ago, for the same reason, only, how ever, that there is more crime in a city of 100,000 inhabitants than there was in the time when it was a village of 1,000. I may say there was much less, and often for the same reason, Laws are perfected, the peo ple have become more and more conven ient with what is right and what is wrong, and as their affairs grow in size and pop ularity, a better class of people, recogniz ing the value of these great public outdoor recreations,become identified with them, and thus men with unimpeachable reputations, who become sponsors for such events, virtually pledge their good names as guarantees for fair transactions. It will not be out of place here to analyize the reason of failure in the recent Minne tonka regatta. Who was at the head of that affair as a guarantee of fairness and good management? Why would none of the men who came to row come as they do to other places for a scale of prizes, in stead of certain stipulated sums, which have to be deposited in the bank, and the proof of such deposit given. It is cer tainly needless for me to give the answer to this simple question. The difference between sportsmen and sporting men is understood to be that sportsmen are honorable men who foster and promote sport and indulge in it be cause of their love for it and its beneficial effects—while the so-called sporting man may be a lounger-on looking for the main chance, a cool sharper, a bunco steerer, and, I believe, even the agents of the ladies who come under ordinance No. 10 are classed among sporting men. There is no less a distinction in this class than you find among politicians. The honorable public spirited citizen who accepts a posi tion in public service to do all that lays in his power for the general good, the scheming office hold er who more than hippodromes under the cloak of his office, the tough who is hired to bulldoze inoffensive voters on election days, and the common thief who acts as go-between between corrupt offi cials and the criminal classes. All these collectively are called politicians. In the same manner the man who spends thou sands of dollars annually to promote a favorite pastime, the common gambler and plunger, and the nameless thing asso ciated with prostitution are, in the indis criminating use of a word, collected under the term “sporting men.” There are as many different kinds of so-called sporting men as there are different grades of poli ticians, and the varieties of the latter are, I guess, no less numerous than the various species of plants coming under the head of vegetables. There is more ignorant pre judice brought to bear against sport than against anything else that I can think of. Everything and everybody connected with sport is at times mercilessly assailed, until by dint of hard work and perseverance a top place is won and severe probations are passed. In sober truth, it is a wonder that so many pass the ordeal, as strong tempta tions beset every man as soon as he attains to any prominence. That there is, proportionately, so much honor and good faith among sportsmen is, in my estimation, the best possible proof that no man takes to sport from a love of it, except he has good, manly qualities. The number of men who devote themselves to sport from purely mercenary motives is comparatively small. When a man embraces any brand of sport as a pro fession his first and leading desire is, almost without exception, to beat certain records and performances, and to win a prominent place. He may at the same time have his eye on financial benefits— and why should he not? The artist, the author, the preacher, and every other mortal is actuated by the same double motive. The fact is often held up to ridi cule that a pedestrian, a wrestler, a pugilist, or an oarsman, some of whom are scarcely able to read or write, should with a single performance earn as much money as cer tain other men possessing extraordinary mental capability who fill positions of high rank and trust, and whose compensation for an entire year is often less than the reward of a comparatively ignorant man for a feat performed, perhaps in one day, or even an hour? Why this is so,is one of the ques tions more or less difficult to answer. Only the masses at large can give a definite re ply. It may seem odd that an intelligent people should be willing to give one man ten or twelve thousand dollars for knock ing out another man in four rounds, the whole performance requiring twelve min utes or less,and that the same people should grudgingly give a highly talented man, filling a responsible position, and who does much good with his labors, a mere fraction of such sums for a whole year’s work? What does that prove? Some will answer: ‘It proves a morbid desire on the part of the lower classes to witness an exhibition of brutality.” I say it don't. This is a pretty bold stand to take, and I recognize the fact, and I do not place my self in this position without thought. Strength, courage and skill have always commanded attention and have been ad mired in all ages. In this age the highest and lowest flock to see two redoubtable champions face each other with their fists and unprotected well trained bodies, while in past ages valiant knights encased them selves in iron and steel, and with lance, battle ax, and sword,fought until one or the other were vanquished. Then, kings, courtiers, and the masses were present and applauded and made idols of the victor, now statesmen, men renowned for their talents and men tal worth, and again the masses flock to see man, physically supreme, without any consideration of his mental or moral qual ifications. Can any statesman, no matter what his achievements may be, arouse the enthusi asm of the people like a soldier with one single brilliant dash in arms? Some will say that all this proves noth ing. Who are those “some!” Are they not the over-civilized, the few whose meas ure of brain is developed to exess at the expense of their physical qualities? Are they not those who are disappointed in their aims,and who have set too high a value on their super-developed faculties, but who are so constituted that they are willing to judge the world only by their own exaltation and refuses to admit of any other standard? Good, true men have always and al ways will admire manliness, courage, and strength skill, and the women certain ly no less than men. All peoples have been and probably always will be more or less hero worshippers, and if they don’t get heroes who are graduated collegians and who have done heroic deeds on strictly moral principles they will please themselves by choics of what they consider next best, but heroes they will have. Fred Archer, the successful English jockey,Jem Mace, the pugilist, and others have long lists of friends among the aristocracy and masses of common followers, while Capt. Paul Boynton, the famous navigator, Buffalo Bill, the celebrated scout, William Muldoon, the champion wrestler, John Sul livan, the champion boxer, and others, in a greater or less degree have large num bers of friends among what is termed the higher classes,and proportionate armies of adherents among the populace. I say that these men, whose reputations are based upon their daring, pluck, skill and strength, only, have long lists of warm friends among the highest as well as the lowest. I do not mean, either, that they themselves merely claim the friendship of good peo ple, but I mean that many of the most high in rank claim the friendship of these men of brawn and muscle, and are pleased to acknowledge it, and to be recognized by them. I have seen men, and women too, who would scorn to solicit an introduction to a titled per sonage, request to be made acquainted with one or other, or all of those named. What does all this prove? Simply that the overwhelming majority has an innate admiration for courage and strength physical perfection, or true manliness, whichever you prefer, and for any exhibi tion of if they are more willing to pay than anything that can be done with the head, except that head be used to stop Sul livan’s blows under the Queensbury rules. I am sorry for those who are made uncom fortable by these undeniable facts but I consider myself on the side of the large majority, and therefore right. The ques tion has often been debated whether physi cal and mental development can be made to keep pace with each other or whether one is incompatible with the other. Mens sana, incorpore sana (a sound mind in a sound body) settles that question,for it is no less old than true. The importance of health first and over all intellectual gratification is no longer a subject of discussion. Such a question is not raised any more except by cranks, who have outlived their usefulness. In all the leading institutions of learning bodily exercise is encouraged, and in structors are employed to guide the begin ner in courses of systematic, gradually de veloping practices, tending to uniform de velopment of the body. In Europe, in Germany more particularly, there are but four schools to be found in which physical training is not given its full share of attention;in fact in nearly all the schools in Germany the reg ular calisthenic and other exercises are compulsory,in the female as well as the male departments. In the colleges in all countries many of the useless branches, such as dead languages, etc., which are of no earthly use to one in a thousand, are now lopped off, and the time is given to the gymnasium, the ball field and rowing, and a wholesome and necessary change it is. Life is motion, and the lack of exercise is the greatest promoter of disease—the overloading of the stomach, and doing nothing to work off the excess of fuel in the furnace. The desire to exercise the body is innate with every living thing and it is wrong to check the inclination, as it is but one of the demands of nature to main tain health and increase strength. Now I claim that any exhibition which arouses young people from the lethargic condition into which so many are prone to fall,is a great good done. The rugged health and fine muscular development of train ed athletes when contrasted with the pale, languid, house-dweller, must and does cre ate a wish for a change of condition, and when the fact is now daily demonstrated that any one can develop muscle and in crease the general health by temperance in all things, and plenty of air and exer cise, why should we refuse to countenance exhibitions of strength and skill which are as good incentives to physical culture as books and illustrations can possibly be to the development of the mind. Good muscle, good lung power, a vigor ous circulation and a strong stomach first. Then “put a head on it,” (not a la Salli van,) but with all the moral suasion and mental fitness you are capable of.
Newspaper Details
Daily Globe
Saint Paul, Minnesota, US
Mon, Aug 20, 1883
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Angel V.
USA 23 Jul 2026
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