Show LEARNING HOW TO FIGHT Time Pugilistic Craze Readies First Class SocietyIn Training A tall thinchested young man with his shirtsleeves rolled up displaying a pair of exceedingly scrawny arms stood vigorously punching a rubber bag suspended sus-pended by a cord from the ceiling of a small dingy room in the top story of a teeming business block Each blow sent the bag flying toward the ceiling from where it instantly returned with considerable consid-erable force The perspiring young man rained blows at the bounding bag but I often missed it Keep it up its the best work in the world said a broadshouldered undersized under-sized elderly man encouragingly For ten minutes the young man continued con-tinued his exercise and then sank into a heap in a chair and panted Hes one of my pupils said the professor pro-fessor of sparring and hes getting on great aint he turning to the breathless breath-less youth The latter winked his eyes Faintly to indicate that he was and then lumbered painfully into an adjoining dressingroom Thats one of my latest pupils taking I I his first lesson said the professor The I present boom in pugilism brought him to I me with a lot of others No I cant say theres a boom for sparring masters ft might be better and it might be worse I know I dont have as many pupils as I did a few years ago when everybody was scared over footpad stories Lots of men who were opposed to carrying a pistol learned how to dodge a blow and knockout knock-out the giver Some of them made good ones I just wish one man whom I 1 taught would stand up before some of these blowhard professionals Hes a regular dude a society swell who couldnt lift 200 pounds and who smokes cigarettes cigar-ettes but hes a terror Another lala who has a responsible financial position could knock out twice his size I suppose sup-pose the dozen of men Ive taught still box in private seldom see them I Who make the best fighters Its hard to say A man well born and bred if he has the fighters heart does He has the most intelligence and pride and the best endurance generally If hes at all fond of the sport that taken with the effect of good food clothing and I shelter hes had all his life is liable to make him a firstclass man Brute strength isnt necessary in fact the strength essential to a boxer is greatly overestimated You want to know whereto where-to strike your opponent and when you give the blow you dont want to throw your body at him but simply hurl your fistCMcago Tr ibune |