Men of Muscle, and the Highland Games of Scotland, etc.

CHARLES M'I.EAN OF FORT-WILLIA).!. (HJ were su 1 1 a time in Duffy's life-when he was ' sudden and quick in quarrel," and alas, he never saw the time when the "age shifts into the lean and slipp'd pantaloon." A fine figure of a man was Duffy; alack, alack ! he is dead now three years. At Crieff and at Fort-William :\l'Lean carried of the palm in both the heavy and the light competitions. In Edin burgh in r896 he defeated Gideon Perrie with both heavy and light ball, and at the Highland Association games at Aberdeen repeated the performance. On the latter occa– sion the ball weighed 20lb. 2oz., and M'Lean "putt" it 39ft. Sin., while Ferrie was 2ft. behind. Later on, in a match at the Govan Police sports, he again defeated Perrie by 2ft., this time with a 16lb. ball. During all that ·eason M'Lean was not once defeated with the ball at any of the principal gatherings. Up till now he had not exceeded r 2 stone in weight. A performance of this kind by a man of M'Lcan's size i:; nothing short of phenomenal, and a critical analysi of the subject will not be out of place at this stage. Putting the ball, like lifting htavy dumb-bell -, require· a more sudden concentration of b·ength, energy, vim, and nerve than any other kind of athletics It is an acknow– ledged fact that the strongest men cannot always accom– plish the greatest feats of strength. This may seem para– doxical; but we will give two men, well known in Glasgow, who amply prove thi statement. John Horne i , perhaps, the strongest man naturally with whom we have c,·er been acquainted, and yet Alex. Holmes, who is les than half his size-purely through the perfect control of mind m·er muscles and energy-can lift a heavier weight to full stretch of arm above the head than this giant. Horne stand 6 feet 4~ inches, and weighs r9 stone. Holmes stands about 5 feet 4 inches., and weights 9 stone. Can anyone fancy a greater contrast in people engaging in feats of strength? Yet, in