Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 77, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 March 1910 — JEFFRIES AS A TEXT. [ARTICLE]

JEFFRIES AS A TEXT.

Treacher Thinks He Can’t “Come Back” and Points a Moral. - "Can Jeffries Come Back?” was the title of a sermon preached by the Rev. John Hamilton Tlmbrell In the Cedar Cliff Methodist Episcopal, church, says the New York Sun. The preacher took his text from the Book of Judges, and after describing as pathetic and humiliating the downfall of Samson, he said it pointed a moral to the case of Jeffries, “Can the old-time champion come back?” the preacher asked, and then he said: “This question, so far as its sporting phase is concerned, may have little or no interest to us save as it touches a great fundamental principle that is of the most profound Interest to all thinking men, and one which may lead many of them to read what they otherwise would not, the snorting pages of the sporting papers, to see if Jeffries can come back. “What Is the point In this case? Jeffries won the belt and much lucre, and then Btepped out of the ring to have a good time and enjoy himself, and for five years, like Samson, with his head in the lap of Delilah, Jeffries has Blept with his head In the lap of a luxurious and bibulous life. While he has slept a big black gorilla has come into the ring and has put the world of sport into about the same condition that ancient Israel was in when’Goliah of Gath was swaggering about and bragging of what he could 4-0 ,n the presence of the crowd that was sore afraid to'tackle him. And the pugilistic crowd Is looking the world over to find some champion who can stand up to the gorilla and down him ~and take the belt, which means about the same thing to these modern heathen as the wreath of laurel meant to the ancient heathen in 'the Corinthian games. And with desperation in their glance they turn to Jeffries with this question, which means far more' than a laurel wreath to them: ‘Can Jeffries come back?* “A noted athletic trainer has' given them his unbiased opinion. Hs is one

of the best authorities on athletic training. And it is not reassuring to the crowd who are so eager to bet their shekels on Jeff. He says: ‘lt makes no difference whether a man is a runner, jumper, fighter, ball player or participant in any other branch of sport, if he stops training for three or four years he can never regain his lost form.’ Furthermore he says:' ‘I have never seen an exception to the -rule.’ —— ir. ' ~ “Back of this statement of the trainer and looking out upon us though, it is a great fundamental principle that is as solemn as the day of judgment, a principle that will be found to hold everywhere in the universe of God, the momentousness of which may cause us for the time being to overlook the fact that our attention is called to it through the malodorous channel of the pugilistic ring.”