The Evolution of the Olympic Games: 1829 B. C. 1914 A. D (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from The Evolution of the Olympic Games: 1829 B. C. 1914 A. D IT is only since our dismal failure at Stockholm in 1912 that the Modern Olympic Games have aroused any vital interest in the mind of the man in the street, and even then it has been a mere passing feeling of shame that we should fall so low as to be beaten by even the lesser European nations, who for generations past have been our pupils 1n all sporting pastimes. Moreover, the judgment of the public has been passed upon the Olympic Games without a real knowledge of the ancient festivals, their purpose and practice, or why they have been revived in modern times. Through the genius and tactful care of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, and after years of careful research, the Modern Olympic Games are at' last reaching a pitch of perfection which will still more nearly approach its consummation after the International Congress held in Paris this year to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the foundation of the Olympic movement. At the Congress it is hoped to arrive at an amateur definition which will be acceptable to all nations this should do much to clear away that which has been a source of some slight bitterness of feeling in the past. My desire, in offering this book to the public, is that abetter understanding of the Olympic movement may e acquired and a greater interest in athletics generated in the minds of the rising generation. Much misconception and many unfair hits have done much to retard a movement from which surely nothing but good can accrue, for the healthy cult of athletics is bound to raise the physical standard of the young manhood of the world, with all its attendant virtues of mind and body control engendered by the discipline of training. These great quadrennial meetings must also lead to a better under standing by the youths of the nations of each other's virtues, short comings, and limitations; and this in itself is good. For it must not be forgotten that these Games are not confined to one class, but are participated in by university students of all nations, who, in due course, will fill responsible posts in the councils and govern ments of their various countries. Surely the knowledge they have then gained of each other at the Olympic Games will enable them' to view each other's actions in international politics with tolerance, and with the understanding born of a clearer knowledge of the national peculiarities which have inspired the action. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.