Men of Muscle, and the Highland Games of Scotland, etc.
)IEN OF . IU. CLK. not be so stringent; but the less taken the better. A half-pint of beer at meal time is often beneficial and seems to agree well with some constitutions, but as this sometimes engenders a love for drink we hesitate to recommend even that much. Briefly, to be in perfect training a man is nothing more or less than in per– fect health. If he has the art, the practice, and perfect health, he is in a condition suitable to compete and do himself justice. Without any one of the three-health, practice, and the art-no man can compete successfully. Before leaving the subject of training, a word must be said regarding the treatment of the skin. This is of more impor– tance than would at first appear, not only to the comfort but also to the efficiency of the athlete. Every little irritant, no matter how small, takes up a part of the athlete's attention, and thus detracts from the concentration of the mind on the par– ticular feat to be accomplished. How often have we heard the statement, after a good putt or throw had been made-" I was feeling fine ; I got beautifully at it that time.'; That's the point. If a man is feeling fine he can generally accomplish more than usual, and the state of the skin, next to the state of the stomach, is of the utmost importance. We have found a warm bath with a good lathering with l\I'Clinton's soap, followed by a cold sponging, keep the skin soft and supple as a child's. We have ourselves found that the lather of this soap is superior to em– brocation for that purpose. \Ve have noticed that if we use it alone we do not suffer from chapped hands or roughness of the skin in cold windy weather. This is probably due to its being made from plant ashes and being, therefore, free from mineral alkalies, such as caustic soda. Dr. Kirk gives it un– stinted praise in his " Papers on Health," and we are of opinion 1t deserves this. It i5 both cheap and durable, so its use is as economical as beneficial. No. 8.-ALEXANDER M'NAIR is a famous police athlete in the Partick force. He is 5ft. rolin. in height and weighs 13stone. He is a first-class putter and a fairly good man at other branches as well. At high jump he has cleared 5ft. 7io., and with the pole he has vaulted roft. 3in. N'Nair's best putts were, perhaps, made at the Aboyne gathering in 1897 when he sent the heavy stone
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