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Show WILL A It 1) BEAN. Defends tho Manly Art or Self Defense. De-fense. Yestorday'a Herald publishes tho following fol-lowing Interesting letter from Willnrd Bean, champion of Utah, on tho question ques-tion of morality of pugilism: Tho manly art of sclonco of solf- defense de-fense has been miserably nbuiod. It has beeu trampled Into thn mire for so long that to tho cultured a had odor Bocms to follow tho profession. Just the morn mention of tho word pugilism strikes like a thunderbolt on the oars of the pooplo uud cau-os horror. hor-ror. Yet who Is thero of us who does not like to see a proportionately bjllt, agile man? Aud there Is much satis-fiction satis-fiction In feeling like a man. Thero Is a law against carrying pistols pis-tols and other deadly woapons, hut there Is no law against catrylng science sci-ence to defend yoursolf ngamst Insolent Inso-lent aggression And there is no branch of athletics that Is moro scientific scien-tific than the art of solf-dcfenso. Spar ring Is not what it was fifteen or twenty twen-ty years ago. Then It was a question of bulk, or a survival of tho flttost,fmm u bruto standpoint. Tho animal predominated. pre-dominated. They used hare knuckles, or skin-tight gloves. Now It has be-cotnu be-cotnu u sulenco. Now It Is mind over matter. Now It Is generalship and ability, ns well an ganicness and hitting hit-ting powers. Tho mind docs tho planning, plan-ning, sometimes very quickly, and the body executes tho plans or follows the dictates of the mind. I uni williug to take the stump und defend tho pio-feslon,but pio-feslon,but uot the majority ot tho men who follow It. But you will say that occasionally a man gets killed In tho roped arena. This is tbe greatest, If uot the only objection, ob-jection, that the most refined classes havo to tho profession. Now, lut us examine It, and compare It with other games from a standpoint of brutality. Since 1833, or during tho last forty soven years, about twenty-seven men have died from the Injuries received In the prlzo ring. This Includes battles witli the bare knuckles, skin-tight gloves, twonunco gloves, four-ounce gloves, nnd every othorsort of gloves. Now let us merely refer to tho foot ball soason last year. During the two months, beginning Sopt- 24, nnd ending on Thanksgiving day, thero were five doathi, thlrty-thrco serious accidents, and the minor accidents roachod into the hundreds. And this only Includes the game played by the principal colleges col-leges In tho east, a reported by the Now York Journal. And football Is played In tho west, ns wall as In other countries, and Is, of course, accom panied by moro or less accident. And 1 need only mention six-day go-as-you-pleaso blcyolo races, which every sane porson knows Is entirely contrary to tho taws of nature. Baseball while It furnishes Its sharo of accidents, yet, us a rule, thoy are not of u sorlous nature. It was only a short time ago when n young man was very seriously Injured during a ball game In Logan. Yet we do not stamp out baseball. In fact; thero Is scarcely a branch of athletics In which thero Is not an occasional death. And there Is scarcely a prolcsslou,or trade In which men do not meet death prematurely. "But," says ono, "such a low and immoral set of men fol.ow pugilism." This is trun In a measure, but thero lire exceptions. But I would not condemn con-demn a profession because of the actions ac-tions of men ho fallow It any quicker than I would condemn a religious creed on the aotlons of some of Its members. I admit however that tho sclenco of self-defense can nnd should bo modified, modi-fied, and If 1 had luflticnco with the legislature, I would not staaip out box luir exhibitions any quicker than I would stop our college boys from pummelling pum-melling each other with the gloves at their various boarding houses, but would allow them to bnx under certain conditions, somo of which would be that thoy use a large sized glove; that the floor be padded; that both men bo Iu good condition physically; that tho contest bo limited to twenty rounds, I. o., within the bounds of human endur unco or nature. This would avoid accidents, ac-cidents, and at tho same tlmo glvo tho men a chanco to display their generalship, general-ship, ngllliy and endurance. We all enjoy n display of mind oud well-trained muscle. And It Is possible to make any profession honorable. In the east they havo established a school In the basement of some of their churches where all the latest points In boxing are carefully taught. I can call to mind a number of very religious pooplo who uro very clover with the gloves. Among others, will mention Father Ferguson, a noted Catholic priest, und Captain Burke of tho Salvation Army, both of San Franolico. Piety aud tistlo ability can und often do run together. to-gether. A clover boxer can be as much of a gontloman a9 the puny weakling who is unable to defend himself against lusolont aggrossion. Many a tragedy could have been averted had the participants par-ticipants had moro confidence in their tllstlo ublllty. WiLtAiiD Bean. |