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

G. H. JOHNSTON OF KINCARDINESHIRE. 55 the best in Scotland. With heavy dumb-bells he is also an expert, and with both hands can lift a bar-bell weighing 210lb. from the ground to full stretch of arms above the head. Until he was nine years of age he lived in Kincardineshire. After that, as he says himself, he "began to earn his own living." Think of it, ye champion amateurs, who probably never required to do any manual labour at any time. Little Geordie, who never knew of luxuries in his youth but had to begin to earn his bread at the tender age of nine, grew up to be a great athlete. He had to get up at four o'clock in the morning, and from then on till nine or ten o'clock .. night the hundred and one odd jobs about a farm were his daily task. Even in face of circumstances such as these, which, in a less determined mind, would have driven all thought of athletics away, the boy soon began to show signs of unusual strength for his years, and when he reached the age of 16 he was looked upon as an equal to any farm servant in the district as a worker; while as an athlete he could easily defeat any of his local contemporaries. At this time sports were held at Burtherybush, a place near Portlathen, and here Johnston won his first prize. It was a 15 minutes' go-as-you-please race, and George got home fir t. Next year he won the hammer, ball, and 56lb. weight in the confined events, and two years later won every one of the first prizes in the local heavy competitions at both Banchory and Muchalls. Again, in the following year, he carried off the palm at the two towns mentioned and at Coulter as well. Thus, at the early age of 19 years, Johnston was looked upon as the coming champion. In the midst of his success, however, he met with a crushing defeat. Pressed by his admirers, he entered for the open competitions, which were at the mercy of the then great George Davidson, of Aberdeen ; but, either through nervousness or excitement at his first attempt in the pro– fessional ranks, he threw badly, and David on defeated him