A WEIGHT-LIFTING DISCUSSION.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11104, 24 October 1901, Page 3

A WEIGHT-LIFTING DISCUSSION.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PKSSS. Sir, —In to-day's "Press" there appeared a letter from Mr W. A. Gibb, of Dunedm. doubting the accuracy of the record mad*. ;by mc on October 15th, of raising two 681b (not 651b as stated) dumb-bells, one each hand, and pressing them from shoulder to arms' length seven times. In his letter he says that my performance is very far from being the record I claim. Well, I took my authority on the matter from the "New York Clipper Annual Rook of Records" for 1901; the "H. and S. 'Magazine" (London), and the "New York Police Gazette Annual," each of which distinctly i.states that the performance by Prance of raising two 631b seven times "is a record in that particular style of performance. What Prance subsequently did with 1121b chrmb-bella has abso utely nothing to do with the matter. In a recent criticism which I read in "The Press" on a book called "Ideal Physical Culture," your critic remarked'that after reading-it be cam.<e tj the conclusion that there was more jealousy among strong men than among the theatrical and-musical professions. I agree, with this opinion. Had I known the ex-* istenoe of such an extraordinary exponent' of weight-lifting as Mr Duncan (Mr Gibb's piipil) seems to be, I might have hesitated in advancing any cjaim to be considered a record-holder; but as I did not know of Mr Duncan's existence till to-day this ignorance must .plead excuse/ "Many a flower is doomed to blush unseen and waste its strength*' upon the desert air„ v I am not an advocate of newspaper discussion, as it may be intended as a cheap advertisement for some people, but to mc it favours too muoh of the second-class Yankee pugilist style; so this "letter "ends the discussion as iar'as I urn concerned.— Yours, etc., '" '' . .- ■ : • F. "A. HORNIBROOK.' ■ Christchurch, October 22nd, 1901.