History has been repeating itself in this way ever since the celebration
of the Olympic games was inaugurated at Athens. America won the victory
there in 1896; she triumphed again at Paris in 1900; our athletes
defeated the contestants at St. Louis in 1904; the victory was ours at
London in 1908, and it was a foregone conclusion that we would win at
Stockholm.

"But there is food for thought in this uninterrupted succession of
triumphs. Why do our athletes always win? All other things being equal,
the contestants in the country holding the event should naturally come
to the front. Their numbers are always greater than those from any other
country and the home grounds influence is strong. However, that
advantage has not in any case prevented American success.

"Therefore there must be a cause. What is it? Measured by scale and
tape, our athlete's are not so much superior as a class. The theory of
'more beef' must be discarded. We may not lay claim to having all the
best trainers of the world. We must look to some other source for
American prowess.

"I may be a prejudiced judge, but I believe the whole secret of these
continued successes is to be found to the kind of training that comes
with the playing of America's national game, and our competitors in
other lands may never hope to reach the standard of American athletes
until they learn this lesson and adopt our pastime.

"The question, 'When should the training of a child begin?' has been
wisely answered by the statement that it should antedate his birth. The
training of Base Ball may not go back quite that far, but it approaches
the time as nearly as practicable, for America starts training of future