Athletic Sports (extract)

The Physical Proportions of the Typical Man ment the primary object of athletic exer­ cises, we rob them of half their value in variousways: — ( i . ) B y i n c r e a s i n g t h e e x p e n s e o f t r a i n i n g . The money expendedat the present day on an athletic team is greatly in excessof the amount spent upon the same number of men a few years ago. This increased ex­ penditure may be attributed to the im­ proved facilities demanded for practice, to the establishment of train­ ing-tables, the employment of " coaches," or trainers, and specialattendants, — the latter to anoint and rub the athletes, look after the boats, ground, running-tracks, etc., — to the purchase of uni­ forms, the expenses of travel­ ling, etc. A long purse is fully as essential to suc­ cess in athletics as in war or politics. ( I I .) By increasing the time devoted to practice. In former years it was deemed advisable to prac­ tise no sport out of season. At the present time it is found necessary to skate Fig. 2. —Methodoj Testing the Strength of Back and Legs.