whom they considered a worthy representative of their art. The wrestler was to employ his own tactics, the man of the samurai to enjoy equal privileges along his own lines. Thousands of spectators assembled to witness the affair. At the signal the two men rushed at each other. In fifteen seconds, by the stopwatch, the wrestler lay on his back and admitted defeat. In a point of height there was something like a foot in favour of the commoner. He weighed twice as much as did his little opponent.
From that memorable day the old style of wrestling has been on the decline in Japan. The wrestler still attracts some attention, but he has fallen to the level of the side-show performer. Some years ago a Japanese visited the United States and vanquished all comers among our champions. He was supposed to be a first-class Japanese wrestler. As a matter of fact, he was no more than valet to a Japanese wrestler of the second class. Had his employer come over in his servant's stead, our American wrestlers would have been much more surprised. Yet in Japan it is now admitted that
