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Educational Nelvs and Progress
Mr. 'Dudley D. Anderson, of Mercer University,
has been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the
University of Oxford, England. He is at present
a member of the Senior class of Mercer. The
scholarship becomes tenable in October, next, at
which time Mr. Anderson will probably leave for
England.
Whether college athletes die prematurely, by rea
son of having overtrained while in college, has
been a question that has received much attention.
Much interest has been excited by statistics recent
ly published by Dr. W. O. Anderson, director of
the Yale gymnasium, which go to show that Yale
athletes, during the past fifty years, have lived
longer than their classmates.
Dr. Anderson notes at the outset the opinion of
some authorities that the highly-developed athlete
has more muscle and more lung power than he can
use in a sedentary occupation, and their warning
that this may become a danger, because, if he
does not keep up vigorous exercise outside of office
hours, the disused lung tissue may be the indirect
cause of consumption, or the overdeveloped heart
may refuse to do its work in some great stress,
like that of pneumonia. The Yale records do not
bear this out. To quote a notice of Dr. Anderson’s
statistics, presented in The Medical Record:
“The athletic records of Yale show that between
the years 1855 and 1905 the number of men who
gained positions on either the crew, baseball, foot
ball or track teams, was 807. Os this number 58
have died. Os these 58, 18 were crew men (nat
urally, as this is the oldest sport), 16 were football
men, 13 track and 11 baseball men.
“If an estimate be made on the basis of the
average of years in the life of the sport it is
found that the greatest mortality has occurred
among the football men. Crew men were second,
track men, third, and baseball men, fourth, with
an extremely low average. Compared with the se
lect mortality tables of the Actuarial Society, made
up from mortality averages all over the country,
the athletes show a remarkable longevity.
“As contrasted with these figures are those by
Dr. Anderson as to the mortality of the general
graduates, who have not won team positions,
though many of them have doubtless done more
or less systematic athletic work. During the fifty
years above stated, 10,922 men have been grad
uated from the academic and scientific departments.
Os this number, 1,406 have died ;that is, 12.9 per
cent, as against 7.2 per cent of the athletes.
Consumption carried off 12 of the 58 de
ceased athletes, but this percentage is not
greater than would be expected among non
athletes from a similar cause, as is proven by ref
erence to the records of the large insurance com
panies. ‘Deaths from heart disease in the list of
58 men were four at the ages of thirty-five, fifty
seven, sixty-eight and seventy. The average is
very low. Pneumonia carried off six, typhoid fever
five, and typhoid-pneumonia, two. Those who wish
to push their argument that high athletics are bad
for the lungs and heart might find some ground
for that argument in the fact that 24 of the 58
deaths were caused by lung trouble of various
kinds, and heart failure. The table of deaths fur
ther shows that nine of the 58 athletes met violent
deaths, of which two were suicides. One died of
dissipation, which was not traceable to participa
tion in athletics.’
“Dr. Anderson’s paper is all the more valuable
because it is temperate in tone. He is not seeking
to prove or disprove any particular theory, but is
content to let the facts and figures speak for them
selves. He declares that the ‘inevitable conclu
sion from the figures gathered is that the lale
man who came to high honors in the major sports
of the last half century has more than the ordinary
man’s share of long life.’ But he freely admits
that ‘whether this is due to his high development
as an athlete, or to the original strength of the
man himself, is still unproven, and seems likely to
remain so unless some more perfect means of com
parison can be found.’ ”
The Golden Age for March 7, 1907.
Washington As a Character.
By Willis J. Milner, Jr., Atlanta Boys’ High
School.
“We die, but leave an influence behind us that
survives.”
Washington’s precious dust lies at rest in the
grave, but his character remains as a blessing to
the families of mankind.
“Just as the twig is bent, so’s the tree inclined.”
And in Washington’s splendid early training a
foundation was laid which strengthened his whole
character for his future trials.
Even in his childhood days he displayed those
same qualities of greatness which afterward, in his
manhood, brought him such distinction.
We can very perceptibly trace in him that char
acteristic so greatly to be admired and sought
after by all men, an affectionate regard for his
mother.
From youth to hoary age he ever remembered
and kept his mother’s instructions, and many in
cidents of his fidelity to her may be recalled.
She shows how deeply she feels his affection
when she isays: “My son, I grefitly feel your
tenderness to your mother, and trust God will not
let your filial affection go unrewarded.”
WILLIS J. MILNER, JR.
Again, Washington was a distinguished example
of the important virtue of conjugal love. For
more than forty years was he a married man, and
during that whole period he performed the duties
of the nuptial vow with unimpeachable fidelity.
As he regarded God’s law of “Honor thy father
and thy mother,” so. also, did he regard His
law, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.”
And not only in private life did he remember it,
but in his public life, also, for we are told that
when he was president ho would not receive com
pany on -Sunday, and in his military life, he re
quired the troops to attend worship.
Respect for superiors he constantly and continu
ually displayed. In his father’s house its founda
tion was laid; there he was taught to obey, and the
spirit of obedience animated him all his days.
He hated profaneness and drunkenness, and we
have his stamp of disapproval on them.
His humanity was strikingly displayed in many
incidents.
Washington, indeed, was not a stoic, but rather
had a taste for social delights and domestic en
joyments, and thus, when we read that, at the cal!
of duty, he gave up all the ease and enjoyments of
his home, we can but feel that his self-denial, was
a -sacrifice, and thus add another laurel to his
crown.
I quote from his inaugural address the following
extract as showing his feelings on this occasion.
-He says: “Among the vicissitudes incident to life
no event could have filled me with greater anxie
ties than that of which the notification was trans
mitted by your order, and received on the fourth
day of the present month.
“On the one hand I was summoned by my coun
try, whose voice I can never hear but with ven
eration and love from a retreat which I had chosen
with clie fondest predilection, and in my flattering
hopes, with an immutable decision as the asylum
of my declining years, a retreat which was ren
dered more necessary as well as more dear to me
by the addition of habit to inclination, and of fre
quent interruptions in my health; on the other
hand, the magnitude and difficulty of the trust to
which the voice of my country called me, being
sufficient to awaken in the wisest and experienced
citizen, a distrustful scrutiny into his qualifica
tions, could not but overwhelm with despondence
one who, inheriting endowments from nature, and
unpracticed in the duties of civil administration,
ought to be peculiarly conscious of his own deft
cfences. In this conflict of emotions all I dare say
is that it has been my faithful study to collect my
duty from a just appreciation of every circum
stance by which it might be affected.”
What a glorious, rounded character was his!
This world can claim few persons whose endow
ments of every kind were more worthy of admira
tion, or whose services more highly deserved our
grateful remembrance than Washington.
America claims as her own one who was justly
the admiration of the world.
-Some men have been great at one time, and
despicable at another; some have performed a sin
gle great act and never risen to the like again;
but to Washington great deeds were common; he
was uniformly great.
“He shall resist the empire of decay,
When time is o’er and worlds have passed away,
Cold in the dust the perished heart may lie,
But that which warmed it once can never die!”
Notes From Bessie Tift College.
The annual reception, given by the junior class
to the senior class and friends, occurred last Mon
day evening, February 25, 1907. Members of ju
nior and senior classes, and other students of Mer
cer, were present; many friends from all parts of
the state, and our town friends were among the
guests. The decorations were very beautiful; the
color scheme, which was yellow and green, was car
ried out in the decorations. The reception was a
great success.
The Senior History class gave a Washington
program on Washington’s birthday. The stage
was beautifully decorated with national flags and
drapery in national colors. The program consisted
of essays on Washington’s life, generalship and
character, songs and readings.
Among the recent speakers who have been to the
college, is Dr. G. A. Nunnally, of Newnan. He
was at the college last Friday and Saturday. He
spoke to the students on Friday evening and Sat
urday morning,
Mr. A. Chamlee, pastor of the First Baptist
church of Sandersville, was at the college Thurs
day and Friday. He spoke to the students Thurs
day evening and Friday morning.
Mr. and Mrs. IT. W. Clark, of Atlanta, were at
the college last Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
They are missionaries from Japan, and have been
in America on a visit eighteen months, and will
return to their former field of labor in a short
while. Both spoke to the students a number of
times while here. The Missionary Society of the
college gave them a piano to help Them in the
carrying on of their great mission in Japan. We
feel greatly honored in having them with us.
Clevie Hand. Correspondent.
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