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REAT.ISING A BOYHOOD AMBITIO.N'

tore packs of playing cards asunder; broke chains wound about his cliest; bent iron bars with his bare hands; allowed two men to use him as an anvil and break stones on his chest; and finished up by holding two circus ponieś, pulling in opposite directions.

A Great Exhibition.

It was a great exhibition of physical strength and was thoroughly appreciated by the sightseers, especially Tolson, who went away with the fixed determination of developing his body to a stale of perfection and great powcr.

llardly had he arrived at his home when he set to work on the kitchen poker, but try as he might, Tolson could make no impression on it. His efforts intcrested his father, however, who encouraged his son by supplying a number of Physical Culture books, which were studied with assiduous care.

Tolson put into practice every exercise he came across and gradually improved his generał physique and stamina. Unlike many Physical Culturists who recount that they were weaklings at birth,. he does not make any such declaration. Although he was on the smali side as a boy, he was of average strength, as anyone in his home town of Dewsbury, Yorkshire, where he was born will readily be able to tcstify, for he has always lived within half-a-mile of his birthplacc.

It was not until Tolson specialiscd with his now famous system that he began to dcvelop the superb physiąue he now so proudly possesses. Bcfore long he was performing feats of strength that had never bcen attempted by others of the Strong-Man ilk, and his. famę spread far and wide.

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