Athletics, the art or practice of athletic games or exercises. The distinction between athletics and gymnastics is not clear. Among the Greeks, who led the world in physical training, as they did in sculpture, architecture, and literature, the athlete was one who contended in games for a prize; the gymnast was a trainer of professional athletes. Homer describes athletic games in the Iliad; Plato, Aristotle, and other ancient writers considered athletics a necessary part of an education. The Greek cities, particularly Sparta and Athens, had large buildings and grounds for the training of the youth in athletic exercises, and gave the subject a large place, the lion's share, in fact, in their system of education. Such a building was known as a gymnasium (plural, gymnasia). The academy in which Plato taught, and the lyceum in which Aristotle lectured, were gymnasia. The Greek gymnasium was placed in charge of a chief gymnast, who was assisted by four instructors. Physicians were in attendance to adapt the physical exercises to the endurance of each student. Baths both hot and cold were provided. There were exercises in tumbling, dancing, running, leaping, climbing ropes, springing from the knees, jumping on slippery objects without falling, wrestling, and throwing the discus. Rowing, swimming, swinging, riding, and driving, were prescribed forms of outdoor exercise. At regular intervals national games were held, at which representatives of the different gymnasia contended for prizes. The winner of a general prize was carried home in triumph by his townsmen, given the freedom of the city, and not infrequently maintained at public expense. During the Middle Ages young squires who were candidates for knighthood were given a thorough training in running, leaping, throwing weights, wrestling, boxing, hurling the lance, leaping to the back of a horse and leaping down again, and, above all, practice in the use of the lance and sword. In short, no pains were spared in the physical training of a young man intended to wear the heavy armor and assume the responsibility of a knight. Of modern nations, the Germans have been the most systematic in physical training. Turners' societies are general, not only in Germany, but in all parts of the world where Germans have colonized. As a matter of fact, however, the British are the most athletic of modern people. While the British games lack the system and the formality to be found among the Germans, they are all the more heartily entered into. The spirit of Hughes' Tom Brown at Rugby, the hearty enjoyment of sport and the peculiar pleasure of it, is more manifest in England, Scotland, and Ireland than in any other part of the world. Boating, foot racing, wrestling, boxing, quoits, football, cricket, jumping, rolling the hoop, playing hare and hounds, prisoner's base, and other games calling for a less degree of physical exertion, have been favorites in the British schools and among the young people for generations. Modern wrestling, if we overlook the Japanese jiu-jitsu, is a British art. In fact, each county has its particular style of wrestling and tripping. In Lancashire, the catch-as-catch-can style; in Cumberland and Westmoreland, the back-hold system; in Devon and Cornwall, the catch-hold, etc. The colonial fondness for wrestling in New England, Kentucky, and elsewhere may be traced to that of the mother country. During the early years of our republic, so long as agricultural employment was nearly universal, it was considered that work on the farm in the shop, and in the kitchen gave all the exercise requisite to good health. Of late years, however, the universities, colleges, high schools, and academies, supplemented by the efforts of the Young Men's Christian Association, have established gymnasia for physical training. Dumbbells, Indian clubs, bars, wands, parallel bars, flying rings, ladders, climbing ropes, springboards, and tumbling mats have been provided. Various contrivances for expanding the chest and strengthening the muscles of the body have been devised. Many of the larger gymnasia, as at Harvard and Michigan, have large indoor tracks. Hockey, golf, cricket, lawn tennis, and baseball, have become widely popular. Athletic contests between classes, schools, colleges, and universities have become general. Field day is one of the most interesting parts of commencement week. The Amateur Athletic Union of the United States has adopted rules for baseball, bicycling, boating, bowling, cross country running, football, hurdle racing, jumping, lacrosse, lawn tennis, pole vaulting, putting the weight, quoits, racket, running, skating, sculling, swimming, throwing the hammer, throwing weights, tug-of-war, and walking. There are several subordinate associations covering the states of the Union. A few amateur world's records may be of interest. The jumping records were made without weights. 50 yard dash . . . . . 5 1/2 sec. 100 yard dash . . . . . 9 3/5 sec 1 mile run . . . . . 4 min., 15 3/5 sec. 100 mile run . . . . . 17 hr., 36 min., 14 sec. 40 yard hurdle race, three 3 ft. 6 in. hurdles . . . . . 5 4/5 sec. 100 yard hurdle race, eight 2 ft. 6 in. hurdles . . . . . 12 4/5 sec. 1/4 mile hurdle race, ten 3 ft. hurdles. . . . . . 57 1/5 sec. Standing high jump . . . . . 5 ft., 5 1/4 in. Running high jump . . . . . 6 ft., 5 5/8 in. Standing jump, for distance . . . . . 11 ft., 3 in. Running jump, for distance . . . . . 24 ft., 11 3/4 in. Standing hop, step and jump . . . . . 30 ft., 3 in. Running, hop, step and jump . . . . . 48 ft., 6 in. Throwing 12 lb. hammer . . . . . 124 ft., 11 in. Putting 12 lb. shot . . . . . 55 ft., 2 in. Walking 1 mile . . . . . 6 min., 29 3/5 sec. Walking 10 miles . . . . . 1 hr., 17 min., 40 3/4 sec. Walking 100 miles . . . . . 21 hr., 42 sec. Walking 1 hour . . . . . 8 mi., 270 yards. An all-round athlete 5 feet 10 inches in height is considered well built if his measurements are approximately: Weight, 155 pounds; chest measure, 39 inches; waist measure, 29 inches; hip measure, 37 inches; thigh measure, 22 inches; calf measure, 14 1/2 inches. In 1896 an international Olympic committee arranged for a revival of Olympic games. The first meet was held at Athens. The second was held at Paris in 1900. The third was held in connection with the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 at St. Louis. There were over 4,000 entries. If the members of team entries could be counted, over 9,000 persons took part in the greatest meet ever held. The next celebration was held 1908 in the Stadium, at Shepherd's Bush, London. The events included track and field sports, aquatics, cycling, and wrestling. The American team consisted of eighty members. See OLYMPIA; BASEBALL; BASKET BALL; FOOTBALL; CRICKET; LAWN TENNIS; HOCKEY; POLO; HURDLE.