Beadle's Dime Handbooks (no. 18) (1867)
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NEW WoRE : : 118 WILLIAM ST. 121 Nassau St, N. ¥. BOOK OF Ss ae | TRIAN til ee ESI Pa Z <4 ms =} ) 0 A A < ea 4 A American News BEA
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Books for the Season! BEADLE’S DIME SERIES. HAND-BOOK OF PEDESTRIANISM. EDITED BY HENRY CHADWICK. Among the contents of this useful and interesting book are; Training, Treat- ment in Training, Training for Running, Training the Studions, Walking, Run- ning, etc. The great Weston Feat is likely to be but the forerunner of others equally as novel and admirable. The sketch of it here given will be found to embrace parti- culars and incidents not generally known. CURLING AND SKATING. EDITED BY HENRY CHADWICK. A complete manual for the ice, giving all the laws of the popular game of “ Curl- ing,’’ with complete diagrams ; also, explicit directions for Skating, with a guide to all the “ figures’? and movements made on skates, and embracing, also, the laws of the Skaters’ Club, of New York. It is the most complete book of the kind extant. Pe wks ©) Gh FE S«dNoues. A companion for the School and Parlor stage, comprising many entirely new and very pleasing Colloquies,; Farces, Burlesques, Dramatic Episodes, Humorous Scenes, etc. Expressly Prepared for this Work by the Best of Writers and Teachers! And embodying more elements of interest, and more available pieces, than any book recently offered, at any price! Ge" Special terms to teachers and school clubs. Send for a specimen. POCKET SONGSTER No. 6. The latest issue of this very beautiful and popular series of the LATEST AND BEST SONGS! This series has won the title of the Bijou Books. Miniature in size, each volume is an exquisite specimen of a book, and contains, in very readable type, as much matter as the larger books. The contents embrace what is newest and most popn- Jar in the streets and in the parlors, in the way of the songs of leading music pub- lishers—really a dollar’s worth for a dime. All of the above Dime Books are for sale by newsdealers general'y ; or, are sent by mail, post-paid, on receipt of price—TEN CENTS EACH, (" Dime Pocket Songsters, Nos. 4, 5 and 6, one volume complete, muslin bind- ing. Price thirty cents. BEADLE AND COMPANY, Publishers, 118 William Street, N. Y.
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BEADLE’S DIME HAND-BOOK OF PHDESTRIANISM: GIVING THE * 4 RULES FOR TRAINING AND PRACTICE IN WALKING, RUNNING, LEAPING, VAULTING, Etc., Etc. TOGETHER WITH A FULL ACCOUNT OF THE GREAT. WESTON FEAT. EDITED BY HENRY CHADWICK, AUTHOR OF BEADLE’S “DIME GUIDE TO CURLING AND SKATING,” ETO. NEW YORK: BEADLE AND COMPANY, PUBLISHERS, 118 WILLIAM STREET,
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Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by BEADLE AND COMPANY, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York.
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BEADLE’S DIME HAND-BOOK OF PEDESTRIANISM. Ur to the period of the great walking-match against time, which was successfully undertaken by the noted American pedestrian, Edward Payson Weston, the art of walking, as a healthful exercise, had never been considered one of the popu- lar exercises of Americans. It is a well-known fact that where twenty Englishmen can be found who can walk forty miles between sunrise and sunset, without any extraordinary fatigue, there are not five Americans who can do a third of the dis- tance without great effort and consequent weakness. This was especially the case before the war of the rebellion; but, during the period between 1861 and 1865, the long marches taken-by the respective armies of the combatants, led to a con- siderable improvement in this respect, and, by this time, per haps the ratio ef American pedestrians, compared to those of Great Britain, is much greater than it was, But still we are behind the age as a nation of walkers, and if the Weston feat yielded no greater benefit to the country than that of calling public attention to what a persevering, determined Yankee could do in the way of walking, or of bringing into notice the invigorating sanitary advantages accruing from @ more general use of one’s pedal extremities, it did good. The habit of walking is far too rare in this country. In the leading cities of the North, if a man has to go even half a mile from his office, he rides; and after a day of sedentary employment at their desks or offices, we find the majority, on starting for their evening journey home, if the distance be but a mile or two, jumping into crowded, ill-ventilated cars, or close carriages, rather than take a bracing, health-giving walk, and thus exercise their limbs as nature intended them to do, While in the South, too, no one thinks of such a thing as valking, if a horse, a mule, or a wagon of any kind is at com- mand, and the consequence is—or was before the war—that
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a 4 PEDESTRIANISM. a Southerner who can walk ten miles without enduring fatigue, is a noted local pedestrian, and certainly would not rank among the F. F’s of the town or village he resided in. The word Pedestrianism is one of a generic character, inasmuch as it includes walking, running, leaping, etc., and we propose to refer to each branch under its separate head, beginning with W allxing. To walk gracefully, the body must be erect, but not stiff, and the head held up in such a posture that the eyes are di- rected forward, presenting an easy, firm and erect position. In walking it is necessary to bear in mind that the locomotion is to be performed by the legs. Awkward pedestrians work from side to side, helping each leg alternately by advancing their haunches. This is not only ungraceful but fatiguing, The legs should advance alone, bearing up the body. The length of step is, of course, to be determined by the length of limb. Efforts at taking long steps, out of propor- tion to the power of motion, are always ungraceful. Reckon- ing from heel to heel, or toe to toe, the length of a military step at drill-march is thirty inches, which is considerably more than the length of ordinary steps in walking. . The length of step at a moderate pace, of a man five feet nine inches high, is usually twenty-four inches; and this will be found a econ- venient length for most persons to acquire the habit of using, The motion of the arms to and fro, in cadence with the movements of the legs, greatly helps the locomotion, and is advantageous in exercising the muscles of the shoulders, and expanding the chest. The motions of the arms, however, should be on a moderate scale, the hands not swinging through & greater space than eight or nine inches before and behind the leg. The practice of working forward the shoulders and swinging the arms at a great rate is odious. In Quick WALKING, which is the only kind useful in rac- ing, the body is inclined forward, and the heel touches the ground before the toes, which next receive the weight. As the former is raised from the ground by the straightening of the ankle, at the same time projecting forward the whole body, the toes come under the center of gravity and receive the weight ; and as the body is still further pushed forward, the
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RUNNING. 5 other leg swings by its fellow ; and before the toes of the first are raised from the ground, the heel of the second reaches it. Hence, this is called walking “toe and heel.” In this kind of walking, from one hundred and eighty to two hundred steps per minute are usually taken, according to the distance to be walked ; and in very short spirts, with small, quick, and active men, fully two hundred and twenty steps are the aver- age per minute. From six to six and a quarter miles per hour is the outside rateof walking, except in very extraordinary pe- destrians, like Mr. Hull, of England, who is said to have walked seven miles per hour; and, in a match with Mountjoy, to have completed one mile in seven minutes and thirteen seconds, two miles in fifteen minutes twenty seconds, and four miles in thirty-two minutes exactly, which is very fast time. The great art is to keep the knees supple and not too straight, and to make use of the arm as a balance-spring, or even asa kind of fulcrum; but, in this respect, walkers vary a great deal, some using great action of the arms, while others keep them as stil] as if they were glued to their bodies, Running. Runnrne is a rapid, leaping kind of walk, the leap being from each foot alternately, and the motion being promoted by throwing forward the weight of the body. The following are Walker's definitions of running, which we illustrate: “ The upper part of the body is slightly inclined forward ; the head slightly thrown backward, to counteract the gravity forward ; the breast is freely projected; the shoulders are steady, to give a fixed point to the auxiliary muscles of respiration ;
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PEDESTRIANISM. the upper parts of the arms are kept near the sides; the el- bows are bent, and each forms an acute angle; the hands are shut, with the nails turned inward; and the whole arms move but slightly, in order that the muscles of respiration on the chest may be as little as possible disturbed, and follow only the impulse communicated by other parts. There exists, in fact, during the whole time of running, a strong and permanent contraction of the muscles of the shoulder and arm, which, though very violent, is less serviceable to the extended move- ments than to keep the chest immovable, toward which the arms are brought close, the flexors and adductors of which are especially contracted. “ At every step the knees are stretched out, the legs kept as straight as possible, the feet almost graze the ground, the tread is neither with the mere balls of the toes nor with the whole sole of the foot, and the spring is made rapidly from one foot to the other, so that they pass each other with great velocity. “Speed, and, still more, duration in running, are in propor- tion to the development of the lungs, and consequently to the volume of oxygen and blood which they can combine in the air cells at each respiratory movement. Thus, of two men, one having the abdominal members developed, and the other possessing good lungs, the former will run with the greater speed for a short distance; but, if the distance be con- siderable, he will soon be gained upon by the latter.» A run- ner, after performing a certain space, is seized with a diffi- culty of breathing long before the repetition of the contrac- tions has produced fatigue in the abdominal members. To excel, therefore, in running, requires, like walking and danc- ing, a peculiar exercise. As the muscular contractions de- pend, for their principle of excitement, on the respiration, the chest should be firmly fixed, so as both to facilitate this, and to serve as a point of support for the efforts of the lower members, The best runners are those who have the dest wind, and keep the breast dilated for the longest time. “During the whole time of running, long inspirations and slow expiratious are of the greatest importance; and young persons can not be too early accustomed to this practice. To facilitate respiration toward the end of the race, the upper
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RUNNING. 7 part of the body may be leaned a little forward. Running should cease as soon as the breath becomes very short, and a strong perspiration takes place.” Exercises in running should commence with very moderate distances, and for short periods of time; and great or fatigu- ing feats are only to be attempted after the body and lungs are strengthened by training. Prepared by training, and acting under certain precautions as to food and rest, a person may perform very surprising feats of pedestrianism. He may, for instance, completely out-travel a horse, by walking for days continuously from thirty to forty miles, and yet be as fresh at the end of his journey as at the beginning. Without preparatory training, however, the most fatal injuries may be committed in attempting pedestrian feats. Good wind is as great a requisite as good legs, and no one should attempt a running-match unless he has a full volume of lungs, and a sound and strong heart. About the best time in which the various distances have been done is as follows: A quarter of a mile in a minute; halfa milein two minutes, down-hill, or two and a quarter minutes on level ground; one ntile in four and a half to five minutes; two miles in rather less than ten minutes ; four miles in twenty and a half min- utes; ten miles in the hour; fifteen miles in one hour and thirty-five minutes; and twenty miles in two hours and a quarter. Captain Barclay walked one thousand miles in one thousand successive hours; and since his time the feat has been repeated, and even exceeded, by doing one thousand half-miles in one thousand half-hours. Tur Conprrions of walking-matches are generally in writ- ing, specifying that the man or men shall start at the drop- ping of a handkerchief, or other signal agreed upon ; and that the walker must keep to a fair “ toe-and-heel walk ”—that is to say, that either the toe of one foot orthe heel of the other must always be in contact with the ground. An umpire on each side is appointed, who follow the men closely, and if either exceeds the “ toe-and-heel ” walk by running (in which case there is a moment when both feet are clear of the ground), the umpire named by his opponent calls to him to turn, and he must do so or luse the match, unless the order of the one
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8 PEDESTRIANISM. umpire is disputed by the other, in which case the referee, who has also been appointed by the umpires, decides between them. On being called upon to turn, the walker must turn completely round, and also alter his mode of walking, or he is again called upon to turn, and thus equally loses the match by the necessity for constant turning. The distance and ground to be walked over are also fixed by the articles. In Runnine-MatcuEs there is no necessity for conditions, except to specify the ground and the distance, as well as to name the umpires, etc. LEAPING is effected by a sudden contraction of the legs, followed by a. still more sudden and jerking extension of all the joints, by which the body is projected into the aif clear of the ground. It may be either from a standing position, or with a run; and both may be over a hight or across a width. Vaulting is leaping with the assistance of the hands ; and, in addition, sometimes the. aid of a pole is called. in, termed the “ In all lower limbs, the whole of the muscles of the body are vio- lently in action, and especially those of the abdomen and back, IN THE STANDING-LEAP OVER A Hiaut the legs are brought close together, the knees are considerably bent, the hips are thrown back and the shoulders forward, with the head well up. The arms are slightly and slowly swung backward and forward, the body sinks till the calves touch the back of the thighs, and then, by a rapid extension of all parts in unison with the swing of the arms, the body is projected over the hight to be cleared, with the legs bent, in order to form a spring to break the fall. In this way some men clear the hight of their waists. THe STANDING-LEAP OVER A Wrorn is effected in the same way, but with less contraction of the limbs, and more swing- ing of the arms. : Feurteen feet is a great leap of this kind. Tum RUNNING-LEAP OVER A Hiaut requires a start of about from nine to twelve paces. The take-off should be at the dis- tance of ‘half the hight of the object to be cleared, and the legs should be well drawn up in front of the belly during the spring. In this way, and by a trick of throwing the legs into a horizontal position, some men can clear an object higher ” leaping-pole. ‘aps, besides those of the
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LEAPING. 9 than their heads. With the aid of a spring-board and a descending run, three times this hight has been surmounted. Tur RUNNING-LEAP OVER A Wipru will be better managed with a run of about twenty paces, and the steps should be very quick and short, increasing in these points up to the mo» ment of springing, which is from the very edge of the space to be cleared. The jumper comes down either upon his heels in a very wide leap, or ypon his toes in one where his whole powers are not exercised. On level ground, twenty-one and a half feet have been cleared, and twenty-two feet are said to have been done. Hop, Srer AND Jump is a very common kind of contest in leaping, and is conducted as: follows: “ A starting-point ” is marked off, then, ten yards further, another, called “the spring.” The players are ranged in line on the first, and must run to and start from the second, when the one who can cover most ground by one long hop, one long step, and a sim- ilar jump is the winner. VAULTING is effected by jumping with the aid of the hands, from a standing position or a very slow run or walk. The vaulter stands in front of the grate or bar and springs upward, placing his hand on the top; in this way he swings his body over, lifling it by a muscular effort of the arm and shoulder still higher than the legs alone would carry it, and then guid- ing it, by the aid of the arms, it is dropped gently on the feet beyond the gate. Sometimes the vaulter throws the body ob- liquely over the gate, using one hand and arm only, and some- times through botharms. By vaulting, a man can easily clear his own hight, and often considerably more. Tue LeapPrnc-Po.e is either of fir or bamboo, about two, three, or even five feet higher than the hight of the party using it, and becoming stronger toward the bottom. When used for leaping wide Gitches, a pole with a flat disk of several inches diameter at the bottom is of great use in preventing its sinking into the mud, and in peaty bottoms often saves a ducking. ‘The pole is thus used: The right hand is placed at the hight of the head, and the left on a level with the hips, then grasping it firmly, it is dropped into the ditch until it touches the bottom, when, making a spring with the left foot, the weight is carried upon the arms, and describes a segment
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10 PEDESTRIANISN. of « circle, the center of which is at the end of the pole in the ditch. In thus swinging over, the body passes the pole, and from facing the side at which it springs, it changes to facing that from which it sprung. The leap should be made the moment.the pole touches the bottom, and too much weight should not be carried uponit. The learner should begin by clear- ing small ditches, gradually increasing their width, and when expert in these, try wider ones, until he can not proceed fur- ther without a run; then venturing upon afew yards’ pre- paratory run, which will give additional power in clearing space; and finally adopting a good quick run of about six, eight, or ten yards, gradually taking hold of the pole higher and higher as he increases the width of his jump. In leap- ing over high objects it is only necessary to fix the attention upon the gate or bar to be cleared, and endeavor to surmount it by an effort of the legs. Training, GENERAL REMARKS ON TRAINING, It is an indisputable fact that no animal is so much im- proved by training as man. None stands such long and severe preparation with advantage, nor displays the difference between condition and its absence in so great a degree. Next to man, in this respect, stands the thorough-bred horse, which certainly displays these attributes almost to the same extent. But still the advantage is in favor of man, who can sustain, without injury, repeated trials of his powers to their utmost limits, whereas the thorough-bred horse requires the greatest care, lest, by continual work, his speed and—what is worse— his temper should be ruined. But it is not only that man may be enabled to do certain feats of activity and strength that training is desirable, but that he may do them with pleasure to himself, and even with advantage to his general health ; and this marks the grand principle which every man who values health should constantly keep in view, namely, that no one should attempt to compete in any contest requiring agility or strength, unless he has had such a preparation as will en- able him to perform histask without feeling any ill effect from it. For instance, the man in condition can row through a race of three or four mile’, in which his whole powers are
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TRAINING. 11 taxed to the very utmost, and shall, at the end of it, be almost blind from the exertions he has made; and yet before he gets out of the boat he is “all right,” and could go through the same in half an hour without injury—while the man out of condition lies nearly fainting, or perhaps quite insensible, for many minutes, or even still longer, and is only revived by stimuli to an extent which will not allow any further liberty to be taken with his naturally strong constitution. Pluck will do much in place of condition; but numberless are the in- stances of ruined health from the excessive drafis which have been made upon this valuable quality, while a little care and abstinence would have prevented any such irreparable mis- fortune. To enable the man who is of sound constitution— but, from mismanagement, out of health—to restore himself to such a state as will allow him to go into training without mischief, is rather a difficult task in most cases, because it not only requires some skill to know what to do, but also great self-command to avoid that which ought not to be done. In the vast majority of instances, the health has been impaired hy excess of some kind, and in many, by every variety of ex- cess which human ingenuity can suggest. But it is surprising how completely the anticipations of an exciting contest fot the palm of superiority will enable a man of “ fast” propen- sities and habits to throw all temptations on one side, and to adhere to all the rules laid down for his guidance with the rigidity of an anchorite. His reply to all tempting offers is, “Can't do it; ’'m in training.” Such is not always the case, it is true, but it is to a great extent, and more pluck is fre- quently shown in this very resistance to temptation than in sustaining the prolonged efforts or fatigues incident to the contest itself. There are two kinds of excesses which are the greatest ob- stacles to success in training, viz., those of eating and drink- ing. Another excess, calculated to place a man in bad con- dition for any athletic contest, is that of an indulgence in lit- erary and other sedentary pursuits. Either of these extremes entirely upset the powers of the whole system, and each re- quires special treatment in order to restore the tone and vigor incident to a healthy condition of the body. Conditions of the system, too, vary in accordance with the
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‘13 PEDESTRIANISM. rank and position in life, the peculiar habits and the natural constitution of the individual. For instance, the boy of wealthy parents, having been indulgently brought up, goes to the col- lege, and, getting in with the “fast youths” of the institution, indulges to excess in drinking, smoking, etc., but all the while taking strong exercise. For a time, the exercise enables him to withstand the attacks of the poisonous Coses of liquor and tobacco which he takes; but soon his hands begin to tremble, his appetite for solid food ceases, his eyes become red, his sleep is restless and unrefreshing, and he is even threatened with an attack of delirium tremens. Now if, in such a con- dition as this, he is made to go suddenly into training, the con- sequence is, either that the above disease makes its appearance fuses to do its at once, or, in milder cases, that the stomach re duty, and the prescribed work can not be performed, from gid- diness, faintness, sickness, or headache. By a little care and time, however, this state of things nray be removed. Suppose, however, the case of a young man who has been brought up on a spare and rigidly abstemious fare, and who, from circumstances, is saddenly allowed to indulge in all the temptations of the tavern and of city life, the consequence is that beer. and tobacco commence the day, and tobacco and spirits wind it up. Such a man suddenly finds all his energies going, his mind dull and enfeebled, his body weak, flabby, and bloated ; in a happy moment he bethinks himself that he will take to boating, or some other amusement which he has for- merly perhaps been addicted to, and at once proceeds to the river or the road. Well, whatis the consequence? Why, in- stead of feeling the better for his exertion, he is completely knocked up, and perhaps permanently discouraged and deter- red from any further trial ; in fact, he requires a much more careful treatment to get him into a state of health fit for such an exertion than the college student, because the change from his former habits has been greater, and because the imbibation of beer and spirits has been more uninterrupted, the rooms he has frequented have been less perfectly ventilated, and he has taken little or no exercise. Indeed, it is astonishing what quantities of. intoxicating drinks may be imbibed without ap- parent injury, provided that a corresponding amount of exer- cise is regularly taken. a | _
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TRALNING. 13 But the most difficult task lies before the studious. man, who has been devoting twelve hours a day to a preparation for honors, and who, finding his health giving way under the Strain, determines upon going in for honors of another kind, In thiS case the nervous system, aided by green tea and per- haps a liberal supply of tobacco, has been overtaxed, and the consequence is that the neglected muscular system is rendered unfit for exertion, and the limbs become stiff and cramped on the slightest use. This state of things requires weeks, if not months, to restore to a condition fit for undertaking any severe work, the reason being that the muscles are wanting in solid material, and the nervous system is so irritable as to be totally incompetent to stimulate the muscles to that point of steadi- ness and regularity essential to success. The same state of things often occurs in the case of young men engaged in counting-houses. A young man, for instance, is confined for ten hours a day to the desk and ledger; he has no time for exercise, and perhaps no inclination. His nervous system is Over-stimulated by excessive calculation, and also by the con- stant view of the white paper spread before his eyes. He gets the “ ledger-fever,” and becomes incompetent to continue his daily drudgery. Some relieve this unnatural condition by Carly rising, pedestrianism, rowing or horse-riding. This, if Carefully entered upon, is of course of service in remedying the evil effects of the sedentary employment; but it requires Caution, and is useless unless perseveringly accompanied by certain essentials peculiar to judicious training. TREATMENT IN TRAINING. It has already been observed that the free liver who has usually taken a due amount of exercise, has a comparatively easy task, if he only hasthe power to command himself, and to check those practices which he has been indulging in. But Caution is requisite in this respect. The best plan for those to adopt, who have been in the habit of freely indulging in liquor and tobacco, is to substitute ammonia in some shape for a part of the accustomed alcohol, and for this purpose to take the following draught once or twice a day, or oftener, if that dreadful sinking sensation comes on, which is so distressing to those who haye indulged to excess in wine and tobacco: Take of aromatic confection ten grains, sal volatile one dram,
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PEDESTRIANISM. bicarbonate of soda five grains, tincture of gentian one dram, water one ounce—mix. The quantity of beer, wine, or spirits should be diminished one-half every two or three days, until brought down to the allowance fixed for training purposes ; tobacco should be totally eschewed. Those who have been in the habit of smoking or drinking to excess have stimulated their kidneys and skin to secrete a greater quantity than is natural to those organs. This extra secretion is merely an effort of nature to rid the system of the poison which has been absorbed into it, but the effect does not immediately cease on the removal of the cause. Hence, the thirst continues and some liquid must bagiven to quench it. Great care is requisite in regard to purgatives in this treat- ment. No free liver is able to bear strong aperient medicine without some injury to the system, and although quite a com- mon mode of treatment, should be very cautiously adopted. In fact, should any out-of-the-way results ensue, it is always best to consult a physician, and therefore we do not give any of the medicinal prescriptions advised in some of the Eng- lish works on pedestrian training. During the proceedings taken to restore the individual en- tering upon a course of training to the requisite degree of health, it is of the greatest consequence that the mind should be occupied, or rather amused, in some way. ‘This point can not be too much insisted on, for upon it depends, in great measure, whether the attempt to restore health to the body shall be successful or the reverse. There is no point more neglected, both in the preparation for training and in the actual period of seyere work, than this, and yet it is really the one which ought most to be inculcated. In the first place, bodily exercise wilhout amusement is mere drudgery— it tires, but does not lead to a restoration of power; while if given with some mental excitement, the fatigue is scarcely felt, and what little is experienced, is speedily followed by a reiiction which asks for more work of a similar character and tendency. Let any one contrast the effects of a walk or ride, without object or companion, with either the one or the other when taken for the purpose of making a call, or any other specific object, especially in company of an amusing companion. From the former (called a “ constitutional,” because it does not benefit
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TRALNING, 15 the constitution), he has returned jaded and out of spirits, while from the latter he has experienced an amount of exhil- aration, varying, of course, with the nature of the object and the agreeability of his companion. Nothing conduces more to a successful prosecution of this plan of self-treatment than the mutual agreement of two persons whose object is the same, to assist one another by their example. Let two persons agree in earnest to restrain one another when tempted, and also to amuse one another by sparring, or fencing, or riding or walking together—or, indeed, any kind of gymnastic exer- cise, This will aid the purpose of both, as faras the restora- tion is concerned, and they will also find it much more easy to “ put the stopper” upon each other than upon themselves, Even if they are not both going into the same kind of train- ing, the preparation for all kinds is the same, the grand object in all cases being to leave off injurious food and drinks, to avoid smoking and venery, and to take sufficient exercise, con- joined with amusement, to tire without prostrating the mus- cular system. During this period the diet should be plain, but varied. Roast beef and mutton, orchops and steaks, with any vegetables that agree with the individual, may be indulged in. Poultry, game, and fish, are not injurious; and even pastry, if good and plain, will do no harm whatever. It is better to put oif the period of rigid dieting to the actual time of training, as the stomach will seldom beur it for any Jength of time. In the present day, it is scarcely necessary to incul- cate the free use of cold water every morning. It is not de- sirable to bathe, however, during this time, though in warm weather a mere plunge into a river or, better still, the sea, is very serviceable, but, at all seasons, the whole body should be sponged every morning, using, in very cold weather, water at the tepid range of sixty-five degrees of Fahrenheit. When this is done, the body should be afterward well rubbed with a wet cloth until a glow is produced. If a reiiction is the result—and this is the beneficial effect of all cold water bath- ing, and a result necessary to its healthful practice—a calico shirt may be worn, but otherwise flannel is necessary. This, however, is seldom necessary, except in winter, as those who are so delicate as to require it, are not physically fit to go into training. To those who can obtain the facilities for a use of
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a 16 PEDESTRIANISM. a Turkish or hot-air bath, nothing approaches that system of bathing, in giving tone to the system debilitated by excesses, or so well adapts the body to undergo fatigue of any kind. The effect of the Turkish bath is to give vitality to the skin, open its millions of pores, and thereby allow it to freely dis- charge not only the excretory but respiratory duties of the system, which, by its dormant condition, are thrown as extra work on the bowels, kidneys and lungs, thereby inducing the inflammatory and congestive conditions, which constitute the first stages of fatal disease. The above course of treatment constitutes the task of those who have taken strong exercise, and also freely indulged in strong drink, tobacco and the usual excesses of a fast city life. The treatment requisite in the case of the class of indolent free livers, viz.: those who, at the same time that their bodies have been wholly idle and unexercised, have nevertheless in- dulged their appetites without limit, is more difficult than in the case of the former class. In this iatter case, a greater de- gree of self-control is required. Few young men indulge in this way unless they are of a weak and yielding nature, easily led away by importunity, and unable to resist temptation. Many men of strong mental and bodily power, have been led , in the impetuosity of their teaperaments they have sometimes rushed into it. But these natures have only to resolve, and the thing is done; they decide on doing or letting alone, and “ c’est un fait accompli.” But far different is it with the man of perhaps Herculean body, but weak and vyacillating mind. He, alas, resolves and breaks his resolution forty times a day, and is at once an ob- into a course of dissipation; in fact ject of pity and contempt. Such aman may be restrained by a master-mind, but rarely has the power to control himself. The sight of a public house is too much for him, and he can not resist the temptation it presents. But though, if taken in hand by another, he may be made use of for a time, he is ‘ rarely worth the trouble he gives, as the slightest want of } Vigilance leads good ef- to an ‘outbreak which upsets all the fecis of the previous careful supervision. The great difficulty here is to find amusement for the body and mind—the habits of intemperance and idleness have led to a dislike of all exer-
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TRAINING. 17 cise, or rather, perhaps, in many cases the natural indoenlce of body and mind has led to habits of intemperance. If, how- ever, it is desired to effect the change by means of this super- vision, it must be as gradual as in the former case with regard to diet; and much more gradual and careful with reference to the kind and amount of exercise, TRAINING THE STUDIOUS. Before proceeding to the treatment of the over-studious, we would earnestly remind those who are desirous of excelling in literary pursuits, that without bodily health the mind is unfitted for exertion in acquiring knowledge. — It is true that many men who have already stored their brains with facts, are enabled, even after becoming complete valetudinarians, to impart knowledge to others; but no one can grapple with difficulties for himself while in that state; much time is often lost, and strength squandered, through over-anxiety in read- ing; but I am fully and firmly convinced, that if eight, or, at most, ten hours a day are well employed—that is to say, if any man really works hard during that time—he will have done all of which his mental powers are capable. This will leave him seven or eight hours for sleep, and six or seven for meals, exercise, etc. Few men, however, of ardent tempera- ments and studious habits are capable of thus portioning their time; but they may depend upon the fact that, beyond the hours named, they will gain nothing by poring over mathe- matical problems or classical authorities. If this advice were acted up to, there would be no occasion for the directions we are about to give; but, from the constitution of the human mind, it is not likely to be followed in many cases, It is needless to remark, that in a mind upset by literary study or mercantile accounts the best plan, if practicable, is to give up reading and writing entirely, for a time; but this is seldom to be effected; and if not, all that can be done is to improve the health of the body as much as possible while the strain upon the mind continues. In the case of a man who can ar- range his own hours of study, and has only a certain object to effect by a given time, we would suggest to him in no case to exceed eight hours a day, and, if possible, not more than six. This will ledve him ample time for the prosecution of any bodily training which he may require; and if the health
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18 PEDESTRIANISM. has not been much impaired, and the constitution is naturally strong, he will find that in proportion as he is able to increase the amount of bodily exercise, so will his mental powers re- cover their tone. But to proceed to details. Few reading men determine upon preparing for a course of training until they are a good deal upset by confinement, and in them some little care is necessary. Firat and foremost, it is neecssary that they give up smoking, green tea and coffee. There should be no over-stimulation of the brain; but what work is done should be done withont any unnatural stimulus. It will be found a very good plan to have two reading desks— one of a hight for sitting to, and the otlier adapted for stand- ing. Then, when drowsy, or unable to fix the attention to the sitting desk, let the change be made to a standing position ; and in this way the necessity for green tea, or wet cloths to the head, may be avoided. Next, we should advise. that the hours of study be divided into two equal periods—the first commencing immediately after breakfast, and the second im- mediately after tea. In this way all the middle of the day may be given up to recreation, dinner, and exercise; and the following hours are those which I should lay down as the most proper, though of course they may be slightly varied to suit particular circumstances. Breakfast at eight; reading, at thirty minutes past eight to thirty minutes past twelve; light lunch, on biscuit or sandwich, and glass of bitter beer; exer- cise, from thirty minutes past twelve to thirty minutes past four; dinner at thirty minutes past four; relaxation of body and mind till thirty minutes past six, when, take a cup or two of black tea; then read for two, three, or four hours, accord- ing to circumstances. Then go to bed. When first these hours are adopted the exercise must be very gentle, and of an amusing character; if on horseback, so much the better, though this kind of exercise is not sufficient for the purposes of train- ing, except as a preparation for walking or running. Many men are able to indulge in a nap after dinner with advantage to themselves; but, generally speaking, it is prejudicial. If, however, the mouth feels moist on waking, and there is no palpitation of the heart, or flatulence, it does little harm. It is the natural instinct of all animals to sleep after eating, and certainly it is that of man. The reason why sleep after dinner
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TRAINING. 19 is said to disagree with everybody is, that it is so often inter- rupted, that it seldom has fair play, Now, disturbed sleep we know to be prejudicial at any hour; and, if it can nut be ob- tained without much chance of interruption, it is better to avoid it altogether. If, however, an hour, or rather more, can be devoted to a nap, and it is found to agree with the student trying it, the mind will be refreshed as well as the body: and after a cup of tea or coffee, the studies may be prosecuted with renewed vigor. Thus, we have shown how the studious man an devote sufficient time for the purposes of preserving or restoring his bodily health; and, as we shall hereafter see, enough also to allow him to go into training for any ordinary competition in rowing or pedestrian exercise. Now, with regard to the counting-house clerk. Here the hours are fixed, and all that can be done must be done before nine or half past nine o’clock A. M.; or, in the summer season, after office hours; nevertheless, many men have trained themselves in spite of these difficulties, but it is arduous and up-hill work. In the winter season there is not light enough, and, conse- quently, it is quite out of the question to attempt anything in the way of regular training. Health, however, may be pre- served, and preparations made for training during the summer For this purpose, the best course to pursue is to arrange sa that it shall be positively necessary’ to walk backward and forward to the counting-house night and morning. This is much better than attempting a walk without any special ob- ject ; for in our climate the obstacles offered by the weather are so numerous that lt would be postponed three or four times a week; but when it must be undertaken throngh all weathers, the benefit to health is fully attained. Thus, by devoting only one hour, night and morning, to a four-mile walk to the house of business, sufficient bodily exercise may be obtained to keep the health tolerably good during this scason; and in the sum- mer it is possible to extend the walk, or even, by very early rising, to go into actual training for any particular exertion, While discussing this sulject we would strongly impress upon all those who have the management of those establishments where young men are collected for the purposes of trade, that it is very important that some set time should be fixed for their meals. In many cases, ten hours a day (in some few
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PEDESTRIANISM. even a longer period) are given up to work, interrupted only by the scramble fora meal. This is more than the human frame is calculated to bear; even the farm laborer, or the “factory hand,” is allowed his breakfast and dinner-hour; aiter which he returns to his work, having laid in a fresh stock - of nervous excitability. The consequence of the long strain upon the mind and animal spirits is, that at times they are overpowered, and that errors occur that do more harm to the parties interested than is counterbalanced by the apparent saving of time. The above directions are suited to those cases only in which the state of health is still such as to allow of a prosecution of the usual studies or employment. But there are numerous instances in which the mind and body are both totally upset, and in which it is not only prudeut, but imper- atively necessary, to give up all attention to business. These are somewhat beyond my province, for in such cases the aid of a medical man must always be required, and his counsels ought to be implicitly followed. They also rarely occur un- attended by. such a disordered state of stomach as to require the use of medicine and diet; and, moreover, such cases are precisely those in which the moral control and superintendence of a judicious medical man are demanded. There may be some few in which change of air and scene, agreeable society, moderate exercise, etc., would be quite enough; but it is im- possible to draw the line in such a way as to be useful. TRAINING FOR WALKING. Whether the object is to compete in running or walking, a light run before breakfast for half an hour will just empty the sinall intestines of their last meal, and prepare the stomach for breakfast; more than half an hour, boweyer, is too long to wait, especially if, as ought always to be the case, the supper has been a mere apology for that meal. For an hour after breakfast—that is, till near eleven o’clock, the pedestrian should amuse himself as he likes best, with billiards or any other game; but at eleven he should be ready dressed in his walking costume, which should be of flannel throughout. For shoes there is nothing like dogskin upper-leathers, anda moderately thick sole for walking, or a much thinner one for running, From eleven till two, or half-past two, his first
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TRAINING, 21 walk should be kept up without stopping for a moment— that is to say, after the first week, during which time he hag been gradually increasing the time from an- hour and a half | to the above lengthened period, In any case the pedestrian should be accompanied by his trainer, who should amuse him as much as possible by anecdote or other mode of conyersa- tion. After dinner, one or two hours should be allotted to | rest, in the recumbent position, on a hard mattress, or horse- hair sofa; after which the same distance should be gone over, | or nearly so. It should be borne in mind, that according to the intention of the pedestrian must be the distance over which he is trained; thus, if he is only preparing for a short race, either running or walking, he need only get himself into good health, and keep in that state by the means already described ; and, in addition, take two or three hours’ walking } and running exercise per day. More than this has a tendency to diminish the speed, though, if the intention is to train for ; a long distance, that quality must, to a certain extent, be sac- rificed. There is no question that speed is, toa great extent, lost, if the work is kept up more than three or four hours a day—that is to say, speed for one hundred or two: hundred yards. ut if the object is to attain the highest speed for ten or fifteen niiles, then the powers of endurance are to be tes- ted; and the training must be not so much at a top speed for that distance, as at a less pace with occasional spirts for five miles further at least. The trainer should be a good walker himself, and should draw out the powers of his pupil by walking against him, taking care not to dishearten him, even ; if he has the power, by walking ahead; but just stimulating . him by competition, and yet keeping up his spirits by allow ing him to beat himrin the amicable contest. Every thing in many cases depends upon mental treatment, and many races are’ lost by the anxiety which is felt for many days and nights prior to the day of trial. In other animals there is not this i kuowledge of what is to come; but this is the worst difficulty met with in training men, many of whom will lie awake f night after night from a nervousness as to the result. Hence the trainer should by all means encourage his man, and en- deavor to do away this fear of losing by inspiring confidence in his powers on all occasions. ij
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PEDESTRIANISM. TRAINING FOR RUNNING. It This training is conducted on similar principles to that for i walking, except that it is necessary to avoid too much run- it), ning work in short matches. Here walking must be made the means of improving the general health, and running only adopted for about the length which is to be run. Beyond this, long- continued running makes a man slow, and he is apt to get his hands down, @ habit which is fatal to running spirts. The trainer will, in preparing his man for these short matches, make him run daily two or three times over the distance intended; and either run against him with a start of a few yards in advance, which gives confidence, or time him exactly, keeping the result to himself. When the distance is a longer one, it must be done once or twice every day, ac- cording to its length, at a good speed, and with all the encouragement and excitement of competition with the trainer. In all cases of training: for long distances, at least five or six hours a day must be spent in walking and run- ning, changing from one to the other asa relief during the early part of training; but at last going a little beyond the racing distance every day, unless that. is the very.outside of which the man is deemed to be capable, when he will be i] i { overworked if he attempts it every day, and he must only do just as much as his trainer thinks he can perform without this injurious effect. Man, however, bears severe work in 4 wonderful manner; and if the appetite continues good and : the sleep is sound, without dreaming or starting, the trainer ih need not be apprehensive that his man is doing too much. i The following diet will be found the best for all training Hy purposes :— BreAKFAST.—There is no doubt that the very best food for this meal is oatmeal porridge, with the addition of a cer- | tain allowance of beef or mutton, and a little bread; but | many have the greatest objection to this diet, and never eat it without loathing. It is not desirable to stint the appetite, unless very enormous, cr anless there is a great superabund- ance of fat; but I believe it will, in most cases, be found more ie advantageous to reduce the weight by work and sweating, ti than by starvation. The best mode of dressing the meat is to i broil it; it is generally directed that the steak or chop should
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TRAINING. 23 be quite underdone ; this is a fallacy. In broiling, very little nutriment is lost, after the outside is once caught by the fire. Now, if nothing is lost, there is much gained by keeping the steak on the gridiren till properly done through; for the food is rendered much more palatable to most, and certainly more digestible to all. Tea and coffee are not good for training purposes, though if the tea is not taken too strong it may be tolerated, but not coffee ; cocoa is too greasy, and not so good as tea—which, if taken, should not be green. In those cases where tea or coffee is habitually taken, and porridge is much disliked, it is better to allow them than to attempt too great an alteration in diet. Butter, sauces, and spices should be care- fully avoided ; and nothing but a little salt used as a condiment, Dixxer.—This important meal should consist of roast beef or mutton, or, occasionally, a boiled leg of mutton may be allowed as a change; but veal, pork, and salt beef or bacon should be avoided; also goose, duck, and wild fowl generally. Roast fowls, or partridges, or pheasants, are very good food. Nothing is better than venison; but it should be eaten without seasoned sauce or Currant jelly. As to vege tables, potatoes may be eaten, but very sparingly—not more than one or two at a meal—and no other vegetable is allow- able. Bread may be given ad libitum. When the training is continued for any length of time, and the previous habits of the party have accustomed the stomach to it, the occasional use of fish—such as cod or flat-fish—is a very useful change. Nothing disorders the stomach of a man more than keeping to one diet. The round he can make is not very extensive, but let him by all means stretch it to the utmost limits of which it is capable. It is even desirable to give an occasional pudding, but it should always have bread for its foundation. A good cook will easily make a yery palatable pudding of bread, with a little milk and an egg or two; and this, served up with fresh fruit, boiled, or any common preserve, is by no means disagreeable to the palate, or unwholesome to the stomach; but let it be only as a change, not as Otherwise useful. The grand articles of diet are beef and mutton, with bread or porridge; and, if the stomach and palate would ac- cept them gratefully, no change would be necessary ; but, as they seldom will, the best plan is not to attempt too much,
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PEDESTRIANISM. Suprrr.—Many trainers ohject to this meal; but unless the training is of so long a duration as to thoroughly accus- tom the stomach to the long fast from dinner to the next morning, it is much better to allow a light meal at seven ‘o'clock. Oatmeal porridge is for this purpose the best, and no one will be the worse for a pint of it, with some dry toast to eat with it, or soaked in the porridge itself. Meat should never be taken at night. Corns AND Bunrons.—Blisters are troublesome enough to the pedestrian, but corns are a thousand times worse. The former are only temporary evils, while the latter are a per- petual source of discomfort and misery. Corns are of two kinds, hard and soft; and this distinction is not only depend- ent upon situation, as some people imagine, for the essence, and even the cause, of a soft corn, are entirely different and distinct from those producing the hard variety. The soft corn occurs only between the toes, and partakes more of a warty character than that of the true corn. There is really a growth of the cutis or true skin, which shoots up some little sprouts covered with a cheesy matter, and these become exquisitely painful if pressed upon by the adjoining toe. On the other hand, the true or Aard corn is simply an effort of Nature to protect a part unduly pressed upon ; but the effort is carried to an inordinate extent. It is‘an over-secretion or formation of cuticle, which, as it becomes thicker and harder, is again pressed into the inflamed cutis by the shve, and thus, by act- ing as a foreign body, aggravates the mischief, and causes it also to react on itself, by increasing the already inordinate se- cretion of cuticle. Thus these causes act and react on each other, till you often find a deep process or processes of hard- ened cuticle driven into the skin, and which are oflen called by the corn-cutter the root or roots of the corn. Sut it must be understood that these do not grow first, but are the last re- sults of a very obstinate and long-standing mischief. In all cases the corn, first of all, has no root whatever; its growth is not from within outward, but from without inward, and the term “root” therefore is misapplied. Many tricks are passed off upon the credulous patients of the corn-cutter, by passing off pieces of quill, or nail, or horn, as extracted from the corn, and often a fee is charged for each root removed. m/
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TRAINING. 25 Bunions are different in appearance and character from cither hard or soft corns; they are frequently caused by pressure, but in them the skin is not the seat of the inflammation, but the synovial bag on the inner side of the ball of the great toe, or sometimes on the outer side of the middle of the foot, or on the instep. In all cases they are soft, pulpy, bag-like projections, often, though not .always, without hardness or roughness of skin. They are attended with great pain and tenderness, and cause considerable lameness. The treatment of soft corns should be as follows: With the nail pick off as much of the cheesy matter as can be removed; then, if the next day can be given up, apply a piece of lunar caustic to the surface, rubbing it pretty well in, but avoiding contact With the adjoining skin. After this, keep a piece of carded cotton between the toes night and day, and it will be found that after twenty-four hours’ rest all pain will have disap- peared, the surface will have lost its moisture, and will have become hard, black and dry. If the cotton is renewed daily this state of ease will be maintained for a week cr ten days; but then it is necessary to pick off the blackened surface and reapply the caustic, ayain using the carded cotton. This second application will probably last a fortnight, but by that time the edges of the blackened cuticle become loose, and the application should be repeated ; but not, in all probability, till three weeks have elapsed. In this way, by three or four ap- plications, the most obstinate and painful soft corns yield to treatment, and become permanently cured; but the skin be- tween the*toes should be kept constantly washed and rubbed with a soft towel, so as to remove every particle of secretion daily. With regard to hard corns, nothing will be effectual as a cure unless the pressure whieh caused them is discontinued. In that case they require very little treatment; but if it is con- tinued, as it must be when they occur on the sole of the foot, the only remedies are palliative, and require constant and careful ‘repetition. Corn-cutters are constantly holding out certain hopes of a cure, but this is a fraud upon the unwary, and only leads to the picking of their pockets. It is quite true that a skillful corn-cutter will remove, without pain, every vestige of a corn, and will give instant and entire relief; but this only lasts for a fortnight or three weeks, the time varying | fi 4 '
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PEDESTRIANISM. according to the rapidity of growth in each particular case, Any one, however, who has the use of his hands, may readily treat his own corns. Pedestrian Feats in America. THE GREAT WESTON FEAT. Tue great pedestrian feat of walking from Portland to Chicago—1226 miles—by the post road, in twenty-six days, was successfully accomplished by Mr. Edward Payson Weston who arrived at his destination in Chicago on the morning of Noy. 28th, 1867—Thanksgiving Day—at 10 o'clock, The popular interest in this exploit, and the outpourings of the people which greeted him from point to point on his journey, have made this feat one of the athletic events of the age. Weston’s undertaking was as novel as it was great. He has demonstrated the physical endurance of an American, and done much to popularize an exercise which is alike pleasant and beneficial. Such a task as his would have killed the most powerful horse, while the man has thrived under the operation, Weston having gained two pounds since he left home. He has achieved what no man ever attempted before, and deserves honor for the pluck and persistency “he has dis- played in the undertaking. We give below the terms of the wager made on the occasion. “T, George K. Goodwin, of New York City, do wager and bet the sum of ten thousand dollars (10,000) in United States cur- rency with T. F. Wilcox, of New York City, that Edward Payson Weston, late a resident of Boston, Massachusetts, and age ed but 28 years, can and will walk from Port: ind, Maine, to Chie ago, Illinois, and make a fair and honest walk, to the dis- tance of 1,200 statute miles, of 1,728 yards each in length, in thirty consecutive days, and without walking between the hours of 12 P. M. on Saturday and 12 P. M. on ‘Bund: ny, Making a deduction of four entire days, and leaving but twenty-six secu- Jar ds Lys in Which to walk the distance, the said T. Fr. Wileox wagering $10,000 that the said Weston can not perform the fai according to the following conditions: 1st. That Weston shall walk by the oid post road.. 2d. That he shall walk one hundred miles in twenty-four continuous hours, as part and parcel of the journey. od. If he fails in making the one hun- dred miles in twenty-four hours, after five trials, he is to forfeit six-tenths of the wager. 4th. Should Weston fail in reaching
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_ THE GREAT WESTON FEAT. 27 Chicago, then Goodwin forfeits the entire $20,000, the amount wagered, 5th. Weston to be accompanied by two sworn wit- nesses for each side, who are to make statements, under oath, of the progress of the pedestfian. 6th. Weston to start at 12 P. M. on Sundays from the precise place where he stops at 12 P. M. on Saturday. 7th. If Weston walks to make time be- tween 12 P. M. on Saturdays and 12 P. M. on Sundays, then he forfeits the wager. 8th. If Weston accomplishes his feat, Good- win is to have paid over to him, upon his arrival in Chicago, the sum of $20,000. The time of starting was subsequently changed to October 29th, on which day he commenced walking at Portland, Maine, at 12 o’clock, meridian. Mr. Weston received a perfect ovation on his arrival in Chicago, the streets through which he walked to the Sherman House being thronged to an extent unprecedented in the his- tory of the city. One of the editors of the Chicago Repub- lican who visited him at the hotel at Hyde Park, thus de- scribes the interview : “ Feeling some desire to have a personal interview with the great ‘walkist,’) my wish was happily anticipated by a brother member of the Chicago press, who sent in my card, to which Mr. Weston courteously responded. Entering the room I was cordially met by the pedestrian, with whom I had the pleasure of entering into an interesting conversation. In the room were Weston’s wife and three. or four gentlemen. Weston's face bore very distinct marks of acute nervous anxi- ety. The strain had affected his visage until he had the appearance of a man turned thirty years of age. He had on his walking costume. Rouhd his waist he wore a cvlored belt, four or five inches broad, on the clasp of which were the letters “E. P. W.” Mr. Weston commenced by telling me that he purposes soon visiting Detroit, where he doubted not that he would receive better treatment than in Toledo, Where he said he could not obtain even a cup of tea, He expressed himself in better health and condition than when he started from Portland, being two pounds heavier. His feet which are quite small, he said were in perfect condition, not being at all sore orswelled. Speaking about the one hun- dred mile feat, he affirmed that he had honestly and earnestly striven to accomplish it each time. The last attempt he had
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23 PEDESTRIANISM. to abandon on account of the frightful condition of the roads. He also contended that he had walked 1,316 miles instead of 1,226, as mentioned in the termg of agreement. He bitterly complained of the treatment received in parts of Ohio. At Norwalk he was knocked down and returned the blow for the first time during his journey. Two attempts were made to poison him. One was averted by an attendant, who first tasted the food, and, it operating upon him, Weston took warning. This hostility, he thinks, came from men who, having bet against him, were anxious to prevent his winning the wager.” The evening of the day of Weston’s arrival in Chicago, he addressed a crowded assembly at the Crosby Opera House, by whom he was most enthusiastically greeted, and before whom he delivered the following interesting address, containing a brief account of his trip. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: I feel very thankful to you for the kind manner in which I have been received in Chicago to- day. Iam not quite so vain as to take it all asa compliment to myself alone, or to my action during the past thirty days ; but as a compliment to an American who, I think,y-has, in the art of walking, if I may so term it, eclipsed any act of a similar nature across the water. The fatigue and trouble through which I have passed is entirely forgotten when I think of the kind manner in which my exertions have been rewarded, I have received a great deal of censure from va- rious parties for not acconiplishing one portion of this feat— that of walking one hundred miles inside of twenty-four con- secutive hours, during this walk, which was originally under- stood to be one thousand two hundred and twenty-six miles. I can only say, if the assertion of this amounts to anything, and in my heart I know I speak candidly and honestly when I say that I used every exertion to accomplish that feat. I tried, but in vain. I had every obstacle to contend with. * J agreed to walk one hundred miles inside of twenty-four con- secutive hours, but I agreed that those miles should be ata measurement of one thousand seven hundred and twenty- eight yards each ; and when I say that I don’t contend that I can do more than auy other American citizen; but the miles, or many of them, that I was obliged to travel, were Indiana
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on THE GREAT WESTON FEAT. 29 miles. (Laughter.) I will merely state one anecdote which, though I was very sleepy this afternoon, I tried to tell as well as I could. I started from Calumet, Ind., to come to Illinois, and we engaged a pilot there. I asked the pilot before we started—* Pilot, how far do you call it from here to Chicago?” “ Well,” says he, “ by the road that we take—let me see— nine and two are twelve, and three is eighteen,” says he; “just forty-four miles from here to Chicago by road, and forty-one by railroad, The road is very good,’ says he; “there is some sand,” Ifound “some sand.” (Laughter.) I started, and I had glorious company, and we pulled over that road at the rate of four miles an hour for four hours. When we stopped for tea we were just seventeen miles from Calumet, or, in other words, seventeen of the forty-four miles that this guide had kindly informed me was the distance from Calumet to Chicago. On leaving here we got another guide—another Hoosier. (Laughter.) “My friend,” I said, “will you be kind enough to tell me how far it is from here to Chicago?” “ Well,” says he, “it’s just forty-five miles by the wagon road.” (Great applause and laughter.) So I bad been four hours getting one mile backward! I thought I had done well, but that was not Chicago, aud if Chicago had been one hundred miles off I felt bound to get there before twelve o’clock to-day because I had an invitation to dine here, and I haye a pecu- liar faculty for keeping my appointments, especially on Thanksgiving Day. In this manner I have been thwarted when I have tried to perform this feat of walking one hun- dred miles inside of twenty-four hours. I bad no opportunity to look over my route and time-table to make any estimate in regard to that, but now I contemplate having an opportunity of doing so—to-morrow evening. I want to state here that I have been for the past week under a fearful state of excite- ment from the fact that I have received an innumerable number of letters, a great many of them anonymous, threatening me with the vse of a coffin to get into Chicago with, from the limits; that is, 1 was promised to die just outside of Chicago, but I feel that I don’t look like a dead man. (Applause) I have been requested to make some few remarks to-night on athletic sports. I don’t profess to be a lecturer, and I do not know that I ever made a speech in my life until to-day. But
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80 PEDESTRIANISM. I will do the best Icau. During the past forty-eight hours I have had a great deal of road to travel over; nice road; Indiana road. I have a pecular love for that road, and I have not had any opportunity to prepare any proper remarks, What remarks I make I must apologize for, because they may be somewhat disconnected. There are many sports termed athletic sports, such as gymnastics, rowing, yachting, base-ball playing, horse-racing, and pedestrianism. Ido not think that prize-fighting comes under the same head. There ‘are other sports termed brutal sports, such as dog-fighting, cock-fighting,and prize-fighting. I have been associated, or rather people have tried to associate me with the latter class of people—prize-fighters. I say it here, as I have always said it, if it were for no other reasons, if I had no better prin- ciple to guide me than the respect that I have for my family, and the respect that I have for my mother, I would not allow myself to be associated with men who stand up and hammer éach other's faces to pieces fora few thousand dollars. Why pedestrianism should be classed as a crime, or why a person, because he can walk a few miles, more or less, should be called a prize-fighter, or because he bets on that race should be called a gambler, I “can’t see it.” Athletic sports tend to strengthen the youth of any country—tend to strengthen not only their. bodies, but immediately through their bodies, their minds. A sound mind will be all the sounder for dwelling in a sound body; and that is a combination we al} want. Such sports—if you can term them such—as prize- fighting, uot only tend to ruin the morals, but go to the length of brutalizing men—to forget that they are images of the Great Creator. I have not contended, and I don’t wish to, that in performing this feat of walking which my friends, the reporters, have been pleased to term a great and unequaled pedestrian performance, I have done any more than any Amer- ican citizen can do. In walking thirteen hundred and sixteen miles in twenty-six days, while it is a very fair walk for this season of the year, when you come through Indiana—[laugh- ter]—yet, at the same time, I don’t contend that I have done any more than any American young man can do. But I mast contend—and it is with pride I do say it—that I think it would puzzle an Englishman to do it. THe might find some
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THE GREAT WESTON FEAT. #1 fault with the miles; but then they call them “ English miles.” As I remarked this afternoon, I don’t propose to join the sporting fraternity ; but I do propose, so long as I can stand on two feet, if any Englishman gets up and walks from Port- land, Me., to Chicago, Ill, the distance I have walked, better than I have, I shall think it my bounden duty, ont of respect to the plaudits that I have received from the American people, to get up and beat him. (Tremendous applause.) I will have to do it, and I think that I can. (Renewed applause.) There are many of you, probably, who have some curiosity to know in what manner this race has affected me bodily. As you have probably seen, as I have, for my friends the re- porters here, have given it to me right and left through the press, Biblical allusions, etc., I have been under a great state of excitement during the whole time. One reason is it has been a bad season of the year for walking, although my Creator has been exceedingly kind to me in giving me as little bad weather as one could possibly expect at this season of the year. Still, I have been obliged to strain my nervous system to the utmost in order to accomplish this task, and have hardly known what I have been about some of the time. I was laboring under great disadvantages throughout the entire journey, and, as I remarked before, I do not wish to take the flattering receptions I have received in the cities through which I have passed as a compliment to myself entirely, (I hope I am not so vain as that,) but as a compli- ment to the energy of an American citizen; and I think any one will say the same, that any American young man that will try it will do as well asIhave. I hope he will do better, and, be assured I would not be jealous, and would not try to walk further or do better than he has; but I would simply suggest that if any one is ambitious to do any thing of the kind, that he should avoid Indiana (applause), unless he takes the Michigan Central railroad. The bed of the road is splen- did, and I propose to take it on my way home, but I propose to take a car along with me. As I told my guide last night— I would keep asking him how far we were—when I win this race I am going out in Indiana and buy land by the mile, and will make a fortune in a few days, for if I buy five miles I have got the whole State. (Laughter.) In conclusion, let
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82 PEDESTRIANISM. me once more ask you to pardon the manner in which ] have made these few remarks to-night. I have had no op- portunity to prepare them; Lam not a public speaker, and never made a speech before until] this afternoon, and then I confess I was sleepy, and, to use a common expression, I didn’t know whether I was afoot or horseback. I hope before I leave Chicago to have a chance to meet many of your citizens, and let me take this opportunity to thank you most sincerely for your cordial and hearty welcome. (Great ap- plause.) At the conclusion of the above address, which was listened to with great attention, the assemblage dispersed and the great pedestrian returned to the Sherman House escorted by a large crowd. The notoriety attendant upon Weston’s famous exploit has led to quite a pedestrian furore, and a walking fever has set in which, we trust, will draw public attention from the brutal exhibitions of the prize ring. THE END,
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