Show MANT MANS PHYSICAL ENDURANCE last saturday in a bicycle race at london an english rider named green made the astonishing record of fifty miles in 45 4 5 55 his average speed for the entire distance was almost exactly two minutes and y seconds to the mile a faster rate than any rider had ever attained for a single mile only four years ago C even now the most wonderful feature of this great reat feat of endurance and strength is the slight dif ferance between the average time for each mile of fifty and the fastest mile ridden under like conditions either hy by the same man irian or by any other athlete bayo the cleveland leader there has never been a mile ridden in a race on a bicycle in any country in less than it is not probable that the hero of the record breaking ride just reported from london has ever gone a mile race in less than 2 10 it is evident cv ident therefore there foru that he be had ridden lidden fifty miles within about ten seconds to the mile of the faste fastest time lie ever made it io a race for a single 0 mile and that the dif ferance between the average time for every mile of a fifty mile race was only about fifteen feconda peco nils or il 13 1 ter per cent more than tile best record e ever ver made imade for a single mile by any rider in competition it need hardly bardl y be said that any such endurance in speed is entirely unknown among 0 the lower animals which move on land hind it is is very doubtful indeed whether there is a bird which can call hy fly for two hours at a i speed so BO nearly lie arly approaching its greatest pace for two minutes horses and do dogs gs ire are utterly incapable of approximating such sustained speed no antelope or deer could live abrou through h so tremendous a strain neither could any wolf or fox maintain so nearly hk bik best pace for a mile through a steady run rim of fifty miles As for many quick and powerful beasts of prey like lions and tigers they are arc not able to keep up their swift leaps for more than a short distance the ostrich exhausts itself in a few minutes of running 0 at its highest speed these comparisons are only one more illustration of the fact that man illan although much written down as an animal by thoughtless T or ill informed persons is is in in many respects tile the superior merely in feats of strength th and endurance of all the living world lie ile is not able to lead in many single 0 tests but if a great all round athletic contest could be arranged for all ani animals nials represented by the best ind individuals ivi duals of every vcr species man mail would surely win against all competitors some would outrun him others would beat him in carrying and lifting weights 0 still others would him the monkey would easily defeat him in climbing 0 none could match him in throwing norie none could go so many miles in it a week or a month only the apes could compare with him on trap bars and few living creatures could climb a rope is as lie could the animals which could beat him in high jumping could not keep up in many other contests in wrestling and fighting where man mail is often considered least able to hold his own against the bea beasts ats a sandow would be more than a match for many creatures commonly deemed very formidable the man being entirely unarmed the grand 0 rand average would certainly give man first place the truth is that there arc many animals powerful in muscles and ablerto able 10 accomplish many remarkable feats which are not to be compared to man in the capacity of their hearts and lungs in proportion to their size therefore the human animal is the most enduring of all and his bodily equipment merely in matters of strength skill and prolonged exertion is the best known in the whole animal world |