• Playing the Game Pleasant Patriarch of Wrestlin,^ 'Strangler" Lewis Believes: Collegians Have Roughened Up His Sport; Chinese Are Aristo­ crats of the World; Gambling Will Ruin Football; He Will Never Retire Edwar d "Strangler" Lewis is a nice man. to use their knees and elbows, and the "I tell my friends, and my relatives: Granted that there was a time when im­ rabbit-punch, in self-defense. That's how If you're my pal, don't bet on me. You patient mothers muffled howling infants all the rough stuff got started. The crowds know how it is: You tell a guy to bet on with the dire threat: "Strangler Lewis like it. But that's all just a fad. We'll get you. Maybe you lose; then he's down on will get you if you don't hush up." Nor back to straight wrestling, like I first you. Or maybe you win; then he tells will anyone argue that Mr. Lewis got those learned. I still stick to the straight wres­ somebody you tipped him off, and the cauliflower - ears tling anyhow. Oh, of course, all that rough rumor spreads that it was fixed for you from listening to stuff bothers me. What I mean is, you get to win. That's how it goes. too much sym­ a hold, and then . Wham! You get a "And let me tell you something." The phony music. And knee or an elbow in the neck." Strangler was very earnest now. "One of it is improbable The knee and the elbow in the neck these days, some one of these big college that he developed must account for all the agonizing and football games is going to be fixed, and the those tree-like dramatics that have become a part of mod­ whole thing is going to blow up—just like arms and ham-like ern wrestling. baseball did. There's too much money hands by arduous "Oh, sure, wrestlers are good showmen. being bet on college football. People think hours at work on But they really put everything into it, more about which team wins and by how his violin lessons. work to please the crowd. That's where much than they do about the boys who Still, these we are different from the boxers. You play on the team. That's bad." things are true: know how a boxer gets out there and fights Edward "Stran­ no more than he absolutely has to. The • Wrestling Constructive gler" Lewis is a champ just barely manages to outpoint the Perhaps wrestling is the lily in the play­ nice man, a gentle WWe Woria challenger; no show at all. ing-fields of America, and perhaps v\rres- man at lunch, and tlers do put heart and soul into their work, "The Strangler" smiles "Wrestlers work on a percentage; that a deeply intelli­ is, they get so much out of the gate. If but it will always remain a mystery as gent, religious man, after cofiee. there is no gate, they don't get paid. It's to just how wrestlers survive the punish­ The name of Lewis hangs higher than different with boxers; they work on a ment they seem to be taking-—unless the any other in his sport—higher, now, than guaranty. Promoters have to pay them whole thing is a fake. Tom Jenkins, Frank Gotch, and George that guaranty, gate or no gate. That's "I'll tell you," said Lewis. "Wrestling Hackenschmidt, "The Russian Lion." It why all the boxing promoters are broke. is a constructive sport; boxing is a de­ is a bit disconcerting to hear such a You don't see any broke wrestling pro­ structive sport. In boxing, a man is shoot­ virile old gladiator, noblest of them all, moters or wrestlers." ing at the vital organs—the heart, the labeled as a "nice man." It's bad for gate brain, the kidneys. In wrestling, all you receipts. • Wrestling Is Honest get is bruised muscles or maybe a broken "The Strangler" is a jolly, kindly man, Lewis is no longer a champion, altho bone or two. I've been in over 5,000 with all the friendly attractiveness of an he has beaten Jim Londos, the present matches and I've never had even a broken English bulldog. He sat there in Billy title-holder, fourteen times. Younger men bone or a serious injury. As a matter of La Hifi's Tavern, munching over a plate are crowding to the top. Then, too, it's a fact, only two men have been killed in the of ham and eggs. A grin pushed the cor­ new kind of wrestling, this "grunt and history of wrestling. I was just talking to ners of his mouth up against his pufl:y groan" game that should be reported by the man, not fifteen minutes ago, %vho ears. He was just back from one of several the dramatic critic, instead of a sports- killed both of those men." successful European tours. writer. The Strangler finished the last of his Last night, young Don George, Michigan ' "Wrestling is straight, and on the level ham and eggs and leaned back to stretch— graduate, had pinned The Strangler in to-day," argued Lewis. "Of course, if I well-fed, cheerful, contented. less than fifty minutes. But he was happy; am wrestling the local favorite in some "I tell you, it's good to be back in this he was to wrestle five more times this week. town, I carry him along for seven or eight country. This is God's country; and any­ minutes. That's good showmanship. Part body who complains about it should get • He Flies to Fight of the business. If you were leading a a good kick in the teeth. Over in Europe, Ed Lewis is the only wrestler in the game horse-race home by twenty lengths, you everybody is whispering and conniving who makes a practise of flying from bout would be a fool to beat your horse to death . bzzz .... bzzz. Everybody afraid of to bout. He estimates that he has flown trying to stretch the lead to twenty-five everybody else. Wrestling before crowds over a million miles. He averages over lengths. A win is a win, and a slim win in every country in Europe and Asia is a 100,000 miles a year on the road. The makes a better race for the Strangler says he is forty-three years old spectators to watch. now. In twenty-five years of active wres­ "And I'll tell you this tling, he has been undisputed champion about wrestling: In all four times. He was declared champion the twenty-five years I've on another occasion, when Londos refused been in it, there never has to meet him. been a gambling scandal The Strangler speaking: "So you were connected with the sport. up at New Haven. You must have known Gambling, at one time or Izzy Winter. Sure, he used to coach another, has wrecked wrestling at Yale not so many years ago. horse-racing, and baseball, You know, it was the wrestlers from col­ and boxing. You notice leges that changed wrestling to what it in boxing, the smart is to-day. money is always right. "Gus Sonnenberg was the first. From The tip goes all down the line, and the smart money Acme Dartmouth, he was. He brought in the "The Strangler," like all good wrestlers, always puts on a flying tackle. Other wrestlers were forced always backs the winner. good show to please his customers 36 PRODUCED BY UNZ.ORG ELECTRONIC REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED January 26, 1935 The Literary Digest 37 good education. I am very sensitive to mass thinking. When they are all packed in around the ring, I get to know them. "I find out that the English are not snobs. And the Chinese; they are the real aristo­ crats of the world. The French are filled with hate. You feel it. "The English, considering everything, are the finest sportsmen in the world. We think the Spanish and the Mexicans are bloodthirsty because they like bull-fights. But they are polite; when they do not like the bull or the bull-fighter, they just whistle or throw their hats. Here, in the United States, we boo and hiss and throw bottles. I think that is lousy." The idea of this article was to "debunk',' wrestling and wrestlers; the whole sport is branded as a fake, a snare and a delusion by that lovable American character, "the man in the know." So is Christmas. But why try to "debunk" two perfectly nice shows in which the leading roles are played by such pleasant patriarchs as Santa Claus and Ed ("Strangler") Lewis? College Peace Poll (Continued from page 6) of the intelligent interest which our cam­ puses are taking in political questions." In the Mid-West, The Purdue Exponent declared: "Purdue's response to this Poll will show whether Purdue students do think, or whether they just do not bother." Further West, William Phipps, editor of The Oregon Emerald, "urges all Oregon stu­ dents to answer the questions appearing on the ballots according to their true convic­ tions, to gain an accurate cross-section." WITH SOOTHING In the South, the University of Alabama Crimson and White opened its columns to students to debate the conflicting opinions ABSORBINE JR. on the poll questions. The Daily Texan in­ terviewed prominent leaders of undergrad­ ou can take the word of Absorbine Jr., and you can feel uate organizations in order to stimulate dis­ cussion of the poll questions.